FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 13, 2004
Contact: Nelson Holmberg (nelson@noslencommunication.com) (360) 521-1590

Media Notes: U-25 Miss Bell Fork Lift ready for Gold Cup

DETROIT, Mich. — The Miss Bell Fork Lift unlimited hydroplane is ready for the Chrysler/Jeep Superstores APBA Gold Cup in Detroit this week.

“We’re thrilled that Bell Fork Lift has come aboard with our team, they are a very welcomed addition and we’re excited to bring them into the tradition of the Gold Cup,” Muscatel said. “And having Fluid Systems continue their long relationship, and them bringing along Earl’s Performance Plumbing, is very special to me. Having the opportunity to race for the Gold Cup is quite literally awesome, and to have these companies come along with us is very much appreciated.”

The Gold Cup will be run July 15-18 on the Detroit River in Detroit, Mich. Former Gold Cup champion Tom D’Eath and the Detroit River Regatta Association are producing and promoting the race, which is sanctioned by HydroProp, Inc. It will be the 100th running of powerboat racing’s equivalent of the Daytona 500.

Last year, Muscatel’s boat ran under title sponsorship from Fluid Systems Engineering. This year, Bell Fork Lift of Clinton Township stepped up to be the team’s title sponsor. Fluid Systems Engineering is back this year, for the sixth consecutive season, as an associate sponsor. The team also added Earl’s Performance Plumbing, joining Mister Home Loan, and NOSLEN Communication Services as associate sponsors. It’s an honor for anyone to participate in the Gold Cup, this year celebrating its 100th year.

“There’s no bigger prize in our sport than the Gold Cup,” Muscatel said. “When I was a kid, I went to the Gold Cup in Seattle, and hydroplane racing became a big part of my life. It’s unbelievable to race for this historic and incredible trophy.”

The current U-25 was built in 1990 by Jim Lucero. In July of 2002, Lucero connected with Superior Racing Team in Tri-Cities, helping them fine tune the boat. With the changes, Muscatel reached the Columbia Cup final and was running in fourth place when the Silver Dollar Casinos boat flipped, breaking in half and ending the season prematurely for the boat. Rumor has it that Lucero may again join the team this week in Detroit as Muscatel prepares for a run at the most prized trophy in powerboat racing.

During the past winter, the Gold Cup underwent a complete facelift at Tiffany Jewelers, who originally created the trophy in 1901, and was awarded for the first time in 1904. Detroit River Regatta Association took on the job of raising the funds to help restore the trophy.

GOLD CUP ANECDOTES
The Gold Cup is a special race, and since Muscatel has been racing for the Gold Cup since 1993 he’s got his fair share of fun stories. In 2001, with a new boat and a new silver, purple and gold paint job — one that included the colors of his alma mater, the University of Washington. Muscatel and his volunteer crew, which has several Husky supporters on it, placed a decal of the same famous “W” that is on the sides of Husky football helmets on the nose of the boat. One night during the Gold Cup, some University of Michigan fans (who were allegedly a pack of unlimited drivers and crew members from Michigan) snuck into the Superior Racing Team pit and applied a bunch of Michigan stuff to the boat … Muscatel also shared his first Gold Cup memory, being along Lake Washington in 1954. “I saw the Slo-mo V flip live,” he said.

OFFSEASON WORK
The volunteer crew of Superior Racing Team spent most Tuesday and Thursday nights, as well as many Saturdays in the shop during the winter. There was a lot of work to get done, after the boat was broken during a 360-degree blowover in San Diego during last year’s season finale. But when the team rebuilt the boat this year, it saved roughly 300 pounds, and rebuilt the entire bottom of the hull. The team also shifted the weight of the boat, trying to improve its performance. “We refused to go through another season as frustrating as 2003,” Muscatel said. “We hope the changes we made will make us lighter and quicker.” The famous black hull is back this year, too. The boat looks strikingly similar to the one the team raced all season last year.

A REGULAR VISITOR
Since 1992, Superior Racing Team has been a fixture in Detroit, one of the longest continuous streaks in unlimited hydroplane racing. Detroit’s rich tradition, and its historic hydroplane rivalry with Seattle, in the sport of unlimited hydroplane racing is something that Muscatel, and the team, is proud to be a part of.

MADISON REVIEW
It was a long weekend in Madison last week, for the 2004 debut of the U-25 Mister Home Loan. The long weekend started on Thursday morning when crew chief Roger Newton and truck driver/crew member Vern Blair discovered that a spring on the trailer had gone bad. Replacement of that spring was expected to be as easy as buying a new part and installing it, then moving the boat into the Madison pits and beginning the final preparations for the race. But that’s not how it turned out. Newton said the team had to go to a fabricator’s shop in Evansville, Ind., and have them make a spring for the team, as ordering one would have taken too much time. By the time the trailer spring was replaced, most of the day had gone by. The team didn’t get the boat into the pits until Thursday evening. By Friday afternoon, decals had been affixed to the boat, and setup was underway. It looked as if Dr. Ken Muscatel would make it out for the day’s testing. But some other problems cropped up, including the boat being roughly 75 pounds too light, things weren’t aligned just right, and the accelerator wasn’t set up right. The positive side, however, is that the boat — reworked over the winter, including weight loss and a new bottom — rode well throughout the weekend, but the little problems limited what the team could achieve in the overall picture. The weekend included 14 hour days that began at 7 a.m., and a scramble to make sure the boat would participate in the race.

ROSBURG, GOLF SAVINGS BANK SPONSOR U-25
Superior Racing Team was sponsored in Madison by Wayne Rosburg, “Mister Home Loan”, and Golf Savings Bank from Lynnwood, Wash. Rosburg, the most senior loan officer at Golf Savings Bank, is famous for being the first baseball player to ever hit a home run in the Kingdome while playing for Seattle University in a “tune up” game for Kingdome personnel who were preparing for the Seattle Mariners’ debut. Golf Savings began as Lynnwood Mortgage Corporation, and since June 1, 1981 it has been known as Golf Savings. It became a bank in 2000, and is quickly becoming one of Washington’s top savings banks. Charles Ainsley founded the bank. Don Costa is the current president. Rosburg has been with the institution for 20 years. It is the third consecutive season that Rosburg has sponsored Muscatel’s hydroplane. In 2002, he sponsored Superior Racing Team in San Diego. Rosburg was also a sponsor of the team in the past when he sponsored Muscatel in 1993 and 1994 when the boat was known as the U-55 Pete’s Wicked Ale. He also has helped the U-3 team in the past, and for the last six years has produced collectable hydroplane buttons. The U-25 hydroplane is the centerpiece of Superior Racing Team, which is based in Seattle and has been together since 1993.

2003 SEASON RECAP
Superior Racing Team did have a frustrating year in 2003, but there were some bright spots as well. For one, Muscatel made the final in Madison, and finished fourth. In the Madison prelims, he finished third twice and second once … In the final high points standings, Muscatel was 8th. That was an improvement on 2002, when he finished 11th … In the Tri-Cities, Dr. Ken outsmarted the other drivers in one of his heats, and pulled two of them across the starting line too early. Muscatel used that to his advantage and finished second in the heat … In the Northwest, the team stirred wonderful hydroplane racing memories, and renewed a tradition by carrying sponsorship from Seattle radio station KISW (99.9 FM), running as the Silver Dollar Casinos present Miss Rock. Fans in both Tri-Cities and Seattle were enamored with the return of their cult-favorite radio station boat.

— U-25 —

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