’Ol Hollywood’s still got it! (The Tomaso
Collection)
Danny Sullivan riding in pickup before the Race
Sunday, waving to the crowd and in His Miller Beer red Fire-suit.
According to Carpets’, Danny’s not a Hulio’
Just for Men type ‘O guy, Hya! But still looks good.
The picture is nearly in the exact spot where
He gathered up his car after the famous spin 40 years ago…
Photo C/O No Fenders Offical’ Photographer CARPETS’
Team Penske March 85C. (The Tomaso Collection)
The original Penske Racing March 85C that Danny
Sullivan drove to victory sits quietly in Gasoline Alley.
Photo C/O No Fenders Offical’ Photographer CARPETS’
No. 51 DCR entry during Qualifying. (The Tomaso
Collection)
Thee “New” No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Miller High
Life entry of Jacob Abel, during Saturday qualifying at Mother Speedway.
Photo C/O No Fenders Offical’ Photographer CARPETS’
Miller High Life March 85C on display at the Penske
Racing Museum. (The Tomaso Collection)
If only Jacob Abel could have found one of those
missing three miles per hour Sunday…
This riveting No Fenders story is about ‘Ol
Hollywood’, aka Danny Sullivan. Yet Just to put things into perspective.
Reigning IndyCar Champion Alex Palou tied Sullivan’s, Tony Kanaan and Jimmy
Murphy’s career tally of 17 wins at road America on just His 90th start!
As the Spaniard, who’s truly having a magical
season, had 17 wins, 38 podiums and eight poles in 90 starts. While Sullivan
had 17 wins, 40 podiums and 19 poles from 171 starts over 12 years, double
Palou’s “short” career to date.
Danny Sullivan came back upon my radar,
presumably like most for it being the 40th anniversary of that most memorable
Spin ‘n win Indianapolis 500 victory on May 26, 1985; which I still believe is
the first modern day Indy 500 I watched on television.
VIDEO: Danny Sullivan’s 1985
Indianapolis 500
It was fun hearing the old soundbite of IMS
Radio Network’s call of the 1985 Indianapolis 500 during the pre-race build-up Sunday
morning for this year’s race. As Paul Page, who turns 80 this November 25th,
certainly sounds His age today, which obviously is part of the aging process we
All experience…
Funniest bit in Page’s post-race live interview
40yrs ago is Sully’ saying He’d read the scoreboard wrong and thought there
were only 14-laps remaining and it was time to G-O when He spun passing Mario!
Which was actually only lap 140…
Along with Sully’ repeatedly yelling Mamma!
Before Page asked who’s that Danny? That’s my mamma! During the live winner’s
interview in victory lane; then being 35yr old.
Daniel John Sullivan III was born on March 9,
1950 in Louisville, Kentucky, which is also where current IndyCar driver Jacob
Abel hails from.
Sullivan who was a Lumberjack and New York City
Taxi driver before becoming a racing star, cut His racing teeth with a 21st
birthday gift to the Jim Russell Driving School in Jolly ‘Ol England.
Sullivan made His CART PPG IndyCar world Series
debut in 1982 for Forsythe Racing at the Stroh’s 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway,
and contested two rounds that year, i.e.; Atlanta and Indianapolis.
Driving Forsythe Racing’s No. 33 March 82C
Cosworth, Sullivan finished an impressive third upon debut at Atlanta. Before making
His rookie debut in that year’s Indianapolis 500. With fellow rookies Chet
Fillip, Chip Ganassi, Herm Johnson, Jim Hickman, Roger Mears, Bobby Rahal,
Hector Rebaque and Dale Whittington.
As this was the race where ‘Ol SuperTex’, nee
A.J. Foyt infamously called Kevin Cogan that Damn Coogan! As Danny qualified
13th and finished P14 after crashing in Turn 4 on lap 148.
For 1983, Sullivan drove for the Tyrrell
Formula 1 team at the behest of the team’s primary sponsor Benetton, who wanted
an American driver in F1. As Sullivan’s highlight would be finishing fifth in
Monaco before being let go at season’s end.
Returning Stateside, Danny joined Doug
Shierson’s race team and promptly won three races during the 1984 IndyCar
season. Including His debutante win at Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront racetrack.
Followed by wins at Pocono, ironically the team’s primary sponsor’s Domino’s
Pizza 500. And the Molson Indy 300 at the Sanair Super Speedway in Quebec,
where future Penske teammate Ric Mears had a nasty crash that year!
Having finished fourth overall in the ’84
IndyCar Championship with five podiums, Sully’ moved to Penske Racing,
alongside teammates :Rocket” Rick Mears and Big al’, ergo Al Unser Sr.
As how many of us remember that Pancho Carter
won the 1985 Indianapolis 500 pole? Or that Mario Andretti started fourth and
Sullivan started eighth…
The zenith of Sully’s racing career came in
1988 when driving that beautiful gold Miller Beer car, nee Miller High Life for
Team Penske. Winning four races that season, including Portland. Amassing eleven
podiums and nine pole positions enroute to winning the CARTPPG IndyCar World
championship.
Whilst Danny would drive for El Capitano’, nee
Roger Penske until the end of 1990. Capping His Penske career by winning His
final race at Laguna Seca,after leading wire-to-wire from pole.
Next, Sullivan spent one forgettable season at
Patrick Racing with its recalcitrant Alfa Romeo project. Then two fraught years
with His final two IndyCar wins as ‘lil Al’s (Unser Jr) Galles Draco teammate,
and then a subpar partial season for local PacWest Racing in ’95 before
retiring from Open wheel Racing after a major shunt during the Michigan 500.
Having regaled
Y’all a decade ago with more esoteric ramblings upon ‘Ol Hollysood’ in the
following No fenders tome…
Sullivan also tried His hand at Touring Cars
races for Alfa Romeo and NASCAR. Along with making a total of four 24 Hours of
Le Mans starts. With His best finish being third in the 1994 24 Heurs du Mans
with Hans-Joachim Stuck and Thierry Boutsen, driving the Dauer 962 Le Mans
entry.
Meanwhile, back when I could still “See”, I
recall that the Team Penske Miller High Life March 85C was the only Indy 500
winner on display with a “Duckbill” nose, which I interpreted as being a road
course nose. Since every other Indianapolis 500 winner on display at the Penske
Racing Museum had needle nose’s. For which I’ve got no idea what shows up in
the picture above?
Whilst I was disappointed that the legendous’
Spin ‘n Win car wasn’t on display at the Penske Racing Museum this March. For
which it apparently showed up in Gasoline alley in May. Along with the man
Himself, now 75 years old taking a celebratory lap of honour Sunday morning.
Which I suppose makes it even more disappointing that Jacob Abel wasn’t able to qualify His Dale Coyne Racing’s Dallara DW12 Honda replete in Miller High Life livery for this year’s 109th running of that ‘lil Oval race held now each Memorial Day weekend…
Where’s Richard Rawlings and those Gas Monkey
garage Monkeys when Yuhs need them, eh?
The “big” news is that Tanner Foust joins H1
Unlimited Hydroplanes Livestream Broadcast team this year, as co-host alongside
Brad Luce. As Foust, a four times Rallycross Champion. Along with two Formula
Drift titles, multiple X Games medals and being part of BBC America’s U.S. Top
Gear trio. Has been brought in to help Amp up the Livestream Hydroplanes
broadcast…
Unfortunately I could never hear Tanner or Brad
(Luce) the entire Freakin’ weekend at Lake Guntersville. Can You Hear Me Now H1
Unlimited?
But first off, let’s review H1 Unlimited’s
pathetic reporting upon it’s website. As they may be the fastest boats on
water, but you’d be hard pressed to know who All of the Playah’s are?
No surprise that Andrew Tate in the U-91 Miss
Goodman Real Estate served notice during Tri-Cities testing in May with a top
speed of 163mph plus, with six teams testing. Yet not surprisingly, only four
of the day’s six runners are mentioned. With Gunnar O’Farrell’s spectacular
Blow-over aboard the U-21 Go Fast Turn Left Hydro’. Along with mentioning Cory
Peabody behind the tiller of the U-9 Beacon Plumbing and Jamie Nielsen
skippering the U-11 Flav-R-Pac. But no mention on the other two mystery Hulls
or any of the actual testing speeds…
Thus, with this usual lack of information, I
purposely skipped Friday’s Hydrofest action. Which it behooves Mwah that H1
Unlimited cannot post a daily report at the end of each day, Say What? As this
is a common practice for IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula 1, IMSA, etc.
Then on Saturday, I tried a few times to listen
to the Livestream both via H1 Unlimited’s website and Youtube directly with
zilch, nada, nothing during the morning, Groan!
That afternoon I vainly attempted the same ridiculous rinse, lather,
repeat process of trying to get a functioning Livestream, complete with sound.
Check-Check, One-Two-testing…
Then when the Big Boyz’ should have been
racing, after jacking up my sound level a ridiculous 40 levels, What the Flock!
I suddenly could hear two announcers calling some sort of “Junior” stock race-boat
race, before the announcer began repeatedly calling for a red flag!
As one of the boats had blown over! Noting how
the driver and throttle-man sat side-by-side, Err shoulder-to-shoulder with
helmets, life vests and separate oxygen supply. And with the boat upside down
in the drink’, they shouldn’t even get wet when exiting thru the cutout escape
hatch on the bottom of the boat; unless the roof, presumably canopy was
impacted and damaged…
With said red flag deployed and not knowing
what support series this was? Or how long until the Big Boyz’, nee Unlimited
Hydroplanes would appear, I logged off for the day.
Having subsequently learned this was the Offshore
Super Stock class, with Team Bermuda S-25 having experienced that Blow-over,
with both of the boat’s occupants safely recovered and escaping unharmed before
the safety boats arrived…
Sunday morning I tried again in vain, since I
couldn’t get any sound, i.e.; anybody talking on the “live”Youtube stream,
after having jacked up the volume a ridiculous 30 levels, Urgh! During what
should have been Heat 3.
Didn’t even bother trying again at 11:00AM
(Pacific) before trying one final time that afternoon to tune-in to the finals,
chirp-Chirp, Bueller?
Logged on at 2:20PM and first got a garbled
soundtrack before a litany of instrumental rock songs, for which I’d Arse-sumed
at least the finals would be on time, beginning at 2:30PM? But the music just
kept playing. So I closed the browser and tried logging into the H1 Unlimited
Lake Guntersville Sunday “live” feed again. As somewhere between 2:35-39PM the
page claimed a whopping 766 people were currently watching. Which then jumped
up to 785 after I refreshed and searched again on Youtube for a current live
stream feed. But nothing! As I did this again a few more times before noticing
at 2:52PM Thar were a staggering 813 people watching, Woo-Hoo! Since by this
point I was pretty fed up, and finally gave up in disgust around3:05PM, Sigh!
Some three plus hours later, and not sure what
I was looking for? I checked the H1 Unlimited website one more time before
logging off and Shazam! Sunday evening I finally learned thanks to their
pathetic lack of information, Urgh!
That basically the weekend had been a Bust,
with the majority of the Unlimited action being scrubbed due to inclement
weather. But why should we have to wait until Sunday evening to learn that both
Saturday and Sunday’s action has been cancelled?
Saturday morning’s Heat-1A saw four boat take
the green flag, i.e.; Tate, (U-91) Peabody, (U-9) Villwock (U-27) and Nielsen.
(U-11) And although Nielsen got the jump upon the field, Villwock lost control
and had a major Blow-over, which also damaged Peabody’s Hydroplane from being watered
down! Plus being damaged by debris from Villwock’s Hydro, Aye Karumba!
Then high winds and an afternoon thunderstorm
curtailed any further activity, before high winds all day Sunday cancelled any
further competition. Which if H1 Unlimited had their act together, at the very
least would have put up a quick note informing us of this, so I wouldn’t have
spent two days wasting my time trying to listen to their pathetic Livestream!
BWR Racing said that the U-27 Miss Apollo will
compete at this weekend’s Madison Regatta, presumably in the backup Hull known
as “Sharkey”, the Hull Tate drove in 2023.
Whilst the U-6 Miss Madison struggled mightily
at Guntersville with engine problems all weekend and never got its rookie
skipper Brian Kennedy qualified. But presumably will have better luck this
weekend at its home event, the 75th anniversary of the Madison Regatta.
For which I’d like to think that H1 Unlimited’s Livestream service will be better this weekend? And it would really be nice if they could also tell me what radio station is broadcasting the event? Meaning I could probably actually Hear what’ going on race-wise, without having to Jack U-P my volume an El Stupidio 40 levels, Oh Never Mind!
Although a fifth’s of Thar season’s already over.
And I feel like I need a fifth after a most disjointed weekend of trying to
follow along…
This coming fourth ‘O July weekend sees the H1
Unlimited series contesting Thar’ second race of the 2025 season at Madison,
Indiana
The season began nearly one month ago at the
Guntersville Hydrofest, June 8th on Lake Guntersville, Alabama. With the
remainder of the five events as follows: July 6th Madison Regatta at Madison, Indiana.
Then a three race west coast swing, including
the traditional Warshington’ back-to-back “Double”, i.e.; July 27th Tri-Cities Water
Follies at Kennewick on the Mighty Columbia, nee Columbia River.
Followed a week later on Lake Washington August 3rd at Seattle’s Seafair, presumably
replete with the legendous’ Blue Angels, unless somebody’s spent too much upon
His 79th birthday’s military parade and had to cut their funding?
The season concludes on September 14th at Bayfair’s
Mission Bay, with the Bill Muncey Cup in San Diego, CA.
This year’s Tri-Cities Water Follies commemorates
the 60th anniversary of this event and will host this year’s prestigious APBA
Gold Cup race. With the Gold Cup being the oldest American trophy, beginning
with it’s 1904 inaugural event
Like every offseason, much movement has
occurred in the top Dawgs’ Unlimited Hydroplanes fleet. As Dustin Echols has
decided to retire from competition, leaving the U-40 devoid of a driver.
And with Sharon and Kelly Stockton, longtime
owners of Bucket List Racing and the U-40’s main sponsor Flav-R-Pac moving onto
the U-11’s flanks as its new primary sponsor, Y’all have to wonder the status
of the U-40 Bucket List Racing Unlimited Hydroplane this season.
Once again, the H1 Unlimited website has
suffered another compressor stall, since I couldn’t find anything on its
apathetic website about the seismic shift of the competing teams landscape…
According to the Madison Courier, Miss Madison
Racing which had gotten itself into hefty financial debt due to it’s 2018
sponsorship agreement with Home Street Bank. With the former Miss Budweiser
Tukwila race shop becoming an albatross around its neck due to the hefty mortgage,
has led to Miss Madison president Charlie Grooms selling the entire assets of
the championship winning team! Having just won their twelfth championship last
year…
Seattle’s Bruce Ratchford, the founder and proprietor
of Apollo Mechanical, who not only became Seafair’s title sponsor last year.
When the Apollo Mechanical Cup joined Seafair for its 75th anniversary. Also sponsored the U-27 Miss Apollo last season.
With the newly created race team stepping up with the acquisition of Miss
Madison Racing’s two Unlimited Hydroplane Hulls. Along with adding the U-27 to
its fleet.
Thus, defending APBA National High Points
Drivers Champion Andrew Tate has become teammate this season with Dave
Villwock. With Tate in the U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate and Dave Villwock in
the U-27 Miss Apollo for the new BWR Racing team, forming a new powerhouse race
team to challenge Strong Racing…
Initially, I Arse-sumed BWR Racing would be run
out of the former Miss Madison Tukwila race shop. Although re-reading the
Madison Courier story, it notes that the entire Tukwila inventory was sold,
making me wonder if the building wasn’t included?
As Grooms and four other Board members of Miss
Madison Racing Inc have been fired over this travesty, with the immediate
future of the team unknown.
Yet H1 Unlimited blissfully reported in February,
that Miss Madison racing Inc had sold one of it’s Hulls to eric Christensen
over the winter. Who’ll compete aboard the U-2 this season, driving for His
newly founded Christensen Racing team. Making me wonder just how many Hulls did
Miss Madison Racing own?
Christensen clamed they’d have the U-2
Fraternal Order of Eagles and Albert lee Appliance Hydroplane ready for May’s
Spring training event on the Columbia River, but the race boat, based out of
Buckley, WA didn’t appear at Guntersville. Making me wonder if this will just
be another west coast partial season Hydroplane?
A la the U-21 Go Fast Turn Left Racing
Hydroplane, that Gunnar O’Farrell dramatically flipped during testing in Pasco
this May! Although the team’s confident they’ll be ready in time for the Water
Follies event.
Meanwhile, following the sale of Miss Madison
Racing’s assets to BWR Racing, the series notes that in conjunction with
representatives of Marshall County Tourism and Sport, the Madison Regatta and
Miss Madison Racing, the team will attempt competing in the season’s first two
East coast races, i.e.; Guntersville and Madison.
Subsequently, Miss Madison Racing announced
that rookie skipper Brandon Kennedy will be at the tiller of it’s U-6
Hydroplane, as the organization regroups and hopefully secures it’s long term
future. AS I’d like to think the team can rebound and return to a full season
campaign in the near future…
Cannot say I’m overly impressed by only six
Unlimited Big Boyz’ Boats showing up at Guntersville, but think we’ve had
worse. As I tend to recall some of the races having a paltry four Hulls. But
with the cloud hanging over the storied Miss Madison operation right now, guess
I should see this as a good thing overall.
Another interesting side note is that Bruce
Ratchford has joined forces with Darrel Strong, owner of Strong Racing, the H1
Unlimited Hydroplane’s other two boat team owner in Hydrotown Racing Inc.
As Hydrotown Racing Inc was created in 2023 to
promote and market the Unlimited Hydroplanes, while apparently APBA is the
sport’s governing body thru its ABRA association.
Yet Hydrotown Racing’s got a long way to go
towards marketing and promoting the sport properly! Especially if Guntersville
is their media template for success…
Whilst opining for nine Unlimited Hydroplanes competing in the Gold Cup and Seafair this summer. I think the best will be eight Hulls, since the U-6 Miss Madison is slated to run just the first two races. Meaning it will be Strong Racing vs. BWR Racing this season jousting for the National High Points Championship titles.
Which surely will be far better than Driven…
Although the Brad Pit F1 movie that’s been
promoted over the last year plus? Or at least last year during filming at
various Grands Prix, with Silverstone and Las Vegas coming to mind. Which
thanks to the Daily Mail’s shock headline last November, we sort of know what
happens to one of the cast. As the movie is finally released on the Big screen
today, nationwide.
Just casually thinking about past Formula 1
movies, naturally the epic Grand Prix starring James Gardner immediately comes
to mind. While ‘lil Ronnie Howard’s excellent Rush and the equally great
Michael Mann Ferrari movies appear on my internal radar. Along with Ford v
Ferrari, albeit that was about Le Mans, but all were great movies…
Know that a smattering of current day F1
drivers were on hand in New York city for the Radio City Music Hall film debut
June 16th. As believe that Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto were
there with their significant “others”. While Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris
were flying solo. Along with Red Bull Racing Boss Christian Horner and wife
Jerry Hall, and McLaren’s Andrea Stella all being chatted up on the red carpet,
according to the Daily Mail.
Supposedly the film features Brad Pitt as Sonny
Hayes, a Formula 1 driver who raced in the 1990’s before a bad crash sidelines
Him. Working as an Taxicab driver, a F1 team owner asks Him to come out of
retirement to mentor “Noah” Pearce, an F1 prodigy for His “Apex” (APX) Grand
Prix team.
Hmm, first Matt Damon plays ‘Ol shel’, nee
Carroll Shelby in Ford v Ferrari. And Danny Sullivan, who raced one year in
formula 1 was a New York Taxi driver previously…
Have purposely tried not paying too much
Attenzione to this movie, since on the surface the plot sounds somewhat
reminiscent of the worst
Racing film ever. Y’all know, Driven Starring
Sylvester Stallone as Joe Tanto in Driven. Which I saw on the Big screen at a
regal Beagle cinema how many decades ago?
Although I was never a fan of Daze ‘O Blunder’,
aka Days of Thunder. Starring Tom Cruise, directed by the late Tony Scott and
co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Along with Pitt, the film also stars Danson
Idris as Joshua “Noah” Pearce. Kerry Condon as Kate McKenna, APX GP Technical
Director. Tobias Menzies as Peter Bannin, APX Board Member. Kim Bodnia as
Caspar Molinski, team principal. And Javier Barden as Ruben Cervante, team
owner, Sonny’s friend and former F1 teammate.
The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski, and
the screenplay was written by Ehren Kruger, along with Kosinski.
Hollywood “mogul” Jerry Bruckheimer, who just
so happens to be co-owner of the NHL Seattle Kraken, is one of the film’s
producers. While other producers include the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Joseph
Kosinski and Brad Pitt. With an estimated budget of $200-300 million.
The movie weighs in at 156 minutes (2Hrs,
36mins) and includes all ten Formula 1 teams and drivers from the 2023 F1
season.
The musical score was composed by Hans Zimmer,
who previously worked with Kosinski on Top gun, Maverick, along with composing
the score for Ron Howard’s Rush.
Know that Lewis Hamilton was also involved as a
consultant on the film, so I think it should be a good film overall. As I
didn’t “read” the article about Hamilton being nervous over how His fellow
Formula 1 drivers would receive the film, which I think they saw at a private
screening in Monaco.
Although I didn’t “See” Top gun, Maverick, I
know it was All the rage and a certified Box Offic Hit!
And as long as the movie stays away from the gimmickry of Joe Tanto piling up four quarters on the exact same spot on His front tyre as the opening sequence! And we just enjoy the movie for its entertainment value, and don’t critique its Hollywood theatrics, then it should be a good ride…