Hydroplane Quebec

Here is an album with the pictures of the first ACHA hydroplane race of the season that was held in Long Sault, Ontario June 2-3.

(Please do not use pictures without permission, thank you.)

By Christian Bergeron

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Follow us live on june 2-3 at the Long Sault regatta, first round of the ACHA Championship series.

The DVD of the Long Sault Regatta, held on May 28-29, 2011, is now available for $40 plus shipping and handling if necessary. This DVD contains all 44 heats in the following classes: Pro Stock, 1.5 Litre, 2.5L Stock, 5 Litres, Hydro350, and Grand Prix.

Blu-ray copies can also be ordered at a rate of 60$ plus shipping and handling if necessary.

Individual class DVDs are also available.

Hydro350 (1 disc): 15$

Pro Stock, 5L ensemble (1 disc): 15$

2.5L Stock (2 discs): 20$

1.5 Litre (1 disc): 15$

To order, email Jean-Philippe Poulin at jppoulin@hydroplanequebec.com

Hydro 350 class : A successful premier!

Denis Bourbonnais

Le Journal Saint-François – June 1st 2011

Ghislain Marcoux took away the honors of a historic race by winning the first event final in the new Hydro 350 class, Sunday at the Long Sault Regatta (Ontario).

The St-Zotique driver had a great start from the 4th lane in the final heat to dominate from start to finish in El Diablo 666. The 2010 5 Litres Canadian Champion won by four seconds ahead of his nearest rival at the finish line, Yannick Leger, driving Super Nova 79. Marc Lecompte (Willy’s Pub 104), Norm Ensbury (OCR Racing 99), Martin Rochon (L’Olympique 73), Jean-Pierre Morin (Scorpion 149), and Richard Haineault (Miss Beauharnois 2) took the subsequent positions. The latter would have finished fourth but was penalized one lap for pushing out an opponent in the first turn on the 2nd lap. Stéphane Racine was unable to start in Napa Racing 44.

Norm Ensbury, ultra-fast in qualifying, had the privilege of having lane 1 under the new starting procedure based on predetermined lanes. The Châteauguay racer did not benefit from his advantageous position in the final and it was rather Ghislain Marcoux who stole the start to escape with the victory. Unable to count on a top notch during the qualifiers, the winner made a clean sweep in the final.

Yanick Leger, who experienced the 350 cubic inches engine last season with Le Cobaye was impressive in his debut as a single driver in the new class. The driver from Saint-Timothée spun at high speed throughout the weekend at the controls of a well prepared machine, as shown by the results of 2nd, 3rd and 2nd place.

Ghislain Marcoux (2A), Marc Lecompte (2B), Norm Ensbury (3A) and Richard Haineault (3B) were the winners of qualifiers that were counted toward the championship points. The initial set (1A, 1B) was considered as a test and 5 points were awarded to runners who were able to start. Martin Rochon, who has experienced problems with fuel supply, qualified through the semifinal and was relegated to the eighth lane in the final.

Those present at the site of the Mille Roches Beach enjoyed the sound of the new engine in the Hydro 350 class, which recall the 6 liters (National Modified) of past years. As for speeds, they are significantly higher than those reached by boats equipped with stock 5 liters engine of 305 cubic inches. As proof, Ghislain Marcoux completed the final 5 laps of the Hydro 350 18 seconds (3:33) faster than Kelly Shane in the 5 Litres class final (3:51).

Wins for Shane, Armstrong and Weber

Kelly Shane was the better in 5 liters and she had a perfect weekend with 4 wins in as many outings. Her triumph in the finals in the Team Shane E-77 was her first in this category and the driver from Maryland celebrated her feat by jumping into the water. Jonathan Abbott did well at his first experience in 5 liters with a 2nd place finish, followed by Dave Kidd and Derec Smith, who had two hooks in the CE-13. Loss of control prevented Paul Hewitt (CE-45) from finishing the race. Stéphane Carrier could not take the start in the One Shot CE-227.

In the class 2.5L, Steve Armstrong (CS-11) caused a surprise by winning the final in his first weekend in this category. The Ontario pilot beat Kent Henderson (CS-00), Rob Stevenson (CS-10), Marco Poirier (CS-33), Thomas Vielhauer (S-11), Thomas Diabo (CS-20) Sherri Diabo (CS-18 ) and David Metivier (CS-43).

Marco Poirier and Rob Stevenson have reached the final through two rounds of consolation, which was not done by Nicolas Rousse (CS-225), Donald Leduc (CS-48), Dominic Billette (CS-22), Sylvain Maheu (CS-19), Yan Lecompte (CS-28), Eric Labelle (CS-155), Yan Beaupré (CS-36), William Charrette (CS-17) and Sebastien Leduc (CS-100) in this class were 22 enrolled.

The 1.5L class was all Alexis Weber (T-55) who dominated in each of her 4 heats. The pilot from Georgia won in the finals before Mathieu Lemelin (CT-7), Michael Tremblay (CT-11), Leana Richards (T-555), Kevin Smith (T-26) and Jean-Sebastien Boyer (CT- 77). Andre Bergeron (CT-18) and Patrick Morneault (CT-15) were forced to retire. Michael Tremblay, a 15 years old rookie, has shown great skill in steering Timothée Spécial CT-11 and he seems destined for a promising future.

Only two boats were in the finals in Pro Stock and Eric Hahn (PS-555) beat Derek Anderson (PS-103). Hugh Monahan (PS-163), Dominic Cournoyer (PS-122) and Jonathan Frenière (PS-99) had to leave their boats on the trailer due to engine problems.

By Christian Bergeron

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