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Go3 Racing Team: 2009
The 2009 offseason saw Ed Cooper and his crew tear down and rebuild all his Allison V12 engines. Driver Jimmy King completed only 7 of 14 heats in which the team competed, totally unacceptable to owner Cooper. The Go3 team enters the 2009 ABRA season with high expectations of battling the ABRA for the National High Points title.
* Madison, Ind.: The Miss Chrysler Jeep sponsored U-3 entered the Madison Regatta with three freshly rebuilt Allison V12s. The weekend started off slow, with a repeat of 2008. Driver Jimmy King's first venture out on the Ohio River saw a quick return to the pits, barely completing 2 laps. The weekend got better, as the Go3 Team qualified for their first final heat since 2007. Then bad luck struck again as the prop broke about 1000 feet from a podium finish of 3rd place. Another DNF and Jimmy again on the wrong end of a tow rope back to the trailer.
* Detroit: Engine problems once again plagued the locally sponsored Miss Chrysler Jeep all weekend long. The team thrashed all week long, barely sleeping to repair the transom of the U-3 after a thrown prop in the final heat in Madison caused much damage. The newly repaired Miss Chrysler Jeep blew an engine in Saturday heat action while Jimmy King also experienced engine difficulties starting out Sunday morning. A 4th place finish after Jimmy gambled at the start and jumped the gun, the team was essential done for the weekend. The result of the weekend at the 100th APBA Gold Cup was 2 blown Allison V12s and another long week of work to prepare to travel to the west coast.
* Tri Cities: After another long week of tearing down and rebuilding the piston bullets, then traveling 2000 miles west, the Go3 team had high hopes. But, engine problems once again followed the Ed Cooper team. A morning test lap knocked out one engine, but finally qualified on an engine that was low on power. The team was still searching for the lost boost, and found enough in Saturday action with a sterling battle in Heat 1B. Coming from behind, Jimmy King out powered Nate Brown at the line for a 2nd place finish. Later Saturday evening, delamination of the skid fin bracket was found. The decision was made to withdraw the Grand View on the Lake, and take time to make the permanent repairs and get ready for Seattle.
* Seattle: With a newly repaired skid fin bracket, key to racing an Unlimited hydroplane, the Grand View on the Lake was prepared to go all out on the rough Lake Washington. Tweaking the Allison bullets each time out, Ed Cooper found enough power to get his craft qualified 3rd in a season high field of 12 boats. A 5th place finish on Saturday put the team in desperate need of high Sunday finishes. Heat 2A saw Jimmy King facing all the top qualifiers. The Grand View on the Lake had the choice of starting in lane one and Jimmy King nailed the start. Hitting the 1st turn and Jimmy came out first and was never challenged. Beating the U-1, U-16 and U-5, all in the top 5 of qualifying, was a tremendous boost to the team and all the hard work was finally paying off. Another 2nd place finish and the Go3 Racing Team was in the final heat. Starting in lane four, Jimmy drove a great race. Challenging the U-37 for several laps, Jimmy took his Big Red Turbinator past the 37 on the outside and now set his sights on the U-1. A engine difficulty for the U-1 and Jimmy King as his Grand View on the Lake on the podium for a 2nd place finish. It was the first podium finish for the team since the season opener in Evansville in 2007.
*Evansville: The 2009 season began with a broken propeller, and ended the same way. Only this time, Jimmy King had the Master Tire in position to win his first ever Unlimited hydroplane race. Dominating the field in the final, and at the end of lap 3 of the 5 lap final, this almost brand new prop decided now was the time it wanted to fail. Heartbreak. A commanding lead of over four roostertails quickly ended as the rest of the field sped by. Once again the Master Tire returned to the pits on the wrong end of a tow rope. The weekend was not a total loss though. 2 heat wins and a 2nd place, and the momentum for 2010 has begun!
**2009 Race by Race Results
July 5 at Madison-- Qualified 6th at 144.557
Heat 1A--2nd place
Heat 2A--2nd place
Heat 3A--1st place (141.550)
Final-- Did Not Finish (6th place overall)
July 12 at Detroit (Gold Cup)
Heat 1B--Did Not Finish (engine failure)
Heat 2B--4th place (jumped gun)
Heat 3B--Did Not Start (engine problems)
Heat 4B--Did Not Start
July 26 at Tri Cities--Qualified 7th at 154.921
Heat 1B--2nd place
**Withdrew from competition with Skid fin bracket problems.
August 2 at Seattle--Qualified 3rd at 150.379
Heat 1B--5th place
Heat 2A--1st place 143.125
Heat 3A--2nd place
Final Heat--2nd place
August 23 at Evansville--Qualified 3rd at 151.841
Heat 1A--1st place 142.326
Heat 2B--2nd place
Heat 3B--1st place 146.387
Final--Did Not Finish (broken prop on lap 3)
7th place overall
Go3 Racing Team: 2008
With battle damage from the previous summer repaired, Ed Cooper entered his red rocket in the 2008
campaign eager to race – despite facing a summer of hauling his equipment across the country with
skyrocketing diesel prices!
* Evansville, Ind.: The Master Tire ran a speedy 151.044 in qualifying for Thunder on the Ohio, the team’s
hometown race. Jimmy King took third in heat 1A, but the Master Tire suffered engine failure that ended its day.
* Madison, Ind.: The Cooper team spent the week in Evansville rebuilding damaged motors and arrived in
Madison too late for a qualifying run. When Miss Chrysler Jeep lost oil pressure in its first heat, driver
King brought it in. “Madison’s my home town. I hate to let them down,” said Ed Cooper, who with his eye
on the prestigious Gold Cup opted to keep Miss Chrysler Jeep on the beach rather than risk blowing yet another engine.
* Detroit: Miss Chrysler Jeep overcame turbocharger woes to qualify third-fastest for the Gold Cup, then
posted a fourth and third during rainy Saturday racing. Stiff winds whipped the Detroit River into a froth
on Sunday, preventing further racing. Officials canceled the Gold Cup for the first time since 1960.
* Tri Cities: The Hoss Mortgage Investors Too qualified at a blistering 162.074 on the Columbia River. The first heat
win of the season occured in Heat 1B, Jimmy King averaging 153.993 for the 7 1/2 mile race. Two 2nd places in other
prelims had the Go3 team on the front row in the final. A burned piston forced Ed Cooper to withdraw the boat, citing
it couldn't be fixed in time to race in the final heat.
* Seattle: The Go3 Race Team entered the Chevrolet at Seafair with 3 healthy allison engines and left with 3 blown motors.
The western swing of the 2008 ABRA season ended on a down note for owner Ed Cooper and driver Jimmy King, losing 4 engines
total. After Saturday's blown engine in the first heat of the day left Ed Cooper to withdraw from racing, he said, "That's it for this weekend.
We're really disappointed."
* San Diego: What started out as a promising weekend of racing, ended like every race in 2008, on the beach watching the final heat. A strong
qualifying effort and even stronger Heat 1A finish, gave the Go3 Team confidence heading into Sunday action. It was not to be as engine
problems once again forced Jimmy King to a DNF and DNS on the day. The team failed to make the final heat in any race this season.
**2008 Race by Race Results:
June 29 at Evansville--Qualified 4th at 151.044
Heat 1A--2nd place
Heat 2B-- Did Not Finish
Heat 3B-- Did Not Start (withdrawn from race--engine)
July 6 at Madison--Did not Qualify
Heat 1B-- Did Not Finish
Heat 2B-- Did Not Start
July 13 at Detroit Gold Cup (declared no contest)--Qualified 3rd at 156.516
Heat 1B-- 4th
Heat 2A-- 3rd
July 27 at Tri Cities--Qualified 2nd at 162.074
Heat 1B-- 1st 153.993
Heat 2A-- 2nd
Heat 3B-- 2nd
**Withdrew because of engine problems
August 3 at Seattle-- Qualified 7th at 147.299
Heat 1A--Did Not Finish
**Withdrew beacause of engine failures
September 21 at San Diego -- Qualified 4th at 159.741
Heat 1B-- 2nd
Heat 2A-- DNF
Heat 3B--DNS
Go 3 Racing / Cooper Motorsports
Cooper Motorsports: 2007 in review
The Cooper team entered the 2007 ABRA unlimited hydroplane season full of optimism, fresh off of finishing third in the overall 2006 season standings.
· Evansville, Ind.: “We won one heat, got two seconds and finished third in the final,” said owner Ed Cooper of his hometown Master Tire hydro. “Considering what we had to work with and how tough the competition is, it was a great weekend for us.”
· Madison, Ind.: Master Tire enjoyed success in the preliminary heats, winning once and earning second twice, before suffering mechanical failure in turn one of the final and failing to finish.
· Detroit: Miss Chrysler Jeep’s weekend highlight was coming from behind to take a razor-thin victory in heat 3A of the Gold Cup; Jimmy King’s average speed of 151.435 mph was the fastest of the weekend. King lost power while holding third place in the final and did not finish.
· Tri-Cities, Wash.: Heading into the July 29 Lamb Weston Columbia Cup, the Go 3, now named Todd Hoss Mortgage Investors II, was third in season points out of 10 hydros, trailing only Ellstrom and OhBoy! Oberto. But the boat blew a motor in Friday testing, threw a prop in heat 1C, and blew another motor while challenging for the lead in heat 2C, ending its weekend.
· Seattle: King finished a solid second in heat 1A at 137.007 mph, but later, rough water gave him a pounding that caused significant damage including a cracked deck and air traps, prompting the 3’s withdrawal for the second race in a row.
· San Diego: Although repairs to the 3’s damage were complete by early September, sponsorship fell through at the last minute, scuttling plans to make the long-distance trek from Indiana.
Date Location Qualifying Heat results Overall
June 24 Evansville, Ind. 6th, 149.532 mph 2nd, heats 1B, 3A 1st, heat 2B
3rd, final heat 3rd, 135.982 mph
July 1 Madison, Ind. 6th, 149.375 mph 1st, heat 1C 2nd, heats 2A, 3A
DNF, final 5th, DID NOT FINISH
July 15 Detroit 4th, 155.515 mph DNF, heat 1B
2nd, heat 2A 1st, heat 3A
DNF, final 5th, DID NOT FINISH
July 29 Tri-Cities, Wash. 4th, 157.944 mph DNF, heat 1C
DNF, heat 2C
DNS, heat 3B WITHDREW
August 5 Seattle 6th, 149.688 mph 2nd, heat 1A 4th, heat 2C
4th, heat 3B 9th, WITHDREW
September 16 San Diego DID NOT ATTEND
Go 3 Racing / Cooper Motorsports
Cooper Motorsports: 2006 in review
Cooper’s U-3 suffered major hull damage at three 2005 races, and the crew worked all winter to rebuild her.
· Evansville, Ind.: Jimmy King won all of his three preliminary heats aboard Master Tire and posted the two fastest heats of the day at 147 and 146 mph. In the final he simply couldn’t catch 2005 season champion Miss Ellstrom, but finished a strong second. King racked up 1,550 points for the event.
· Madison, Ind.: Master Tire suffered engine woes and did not finish its first heat, then took second in 2B. The race was canceled after a car drove into the crowd lining the race course, injuring spectators.
· Valleyfield, Quebec: The 3, running as Miss Chrysler Jeep, struggled with the short, narrow 1-mile course and its tiny 1/8- and 1/4-mile turns. King and team lost ground in the season-long points race.
· Detroit: Miss Chrysler Jeep returned to the site of its 2003 Gold Cup victory and topped all qualifiers with a lap of 159.332 mph. The boat blew its motor while starting heat 1A, but King came back strong withSaturday’s fastest speed in winning heat 2B. Miss Chrysler Jeep fought three close battles on Sunday and finished second in the Gold Cup championship heat to Miss Beacon Plumbing.
· Tri-Cities, Wash.: Running as Conover Insurance, the Go 3 Racing qualified second fastest at 161.521 mph. King finished a close second to Ellstrom in heat 1A and won heat 2B, then nursed his engine in 3A. Conover led the final heat for more than 1½ laps before a battery broke, stopping the motor.
· Seattle: The Go 3 Racing Acura of Seattle won a fast heat, survived an aft puncture in the hull, took third twice, then was washed down by an encroaching boat’s roostertail in the final and did not finish.
· San Diego: Cooper’s Go 3 Racing began the weekend in fourth place in season points. On Sunday, Jimmy King took a strong second in the race and jumped to third place overall in the final 2006 points standings.
Date Location Qualifying Heat results Overall
June 25 Evansville, Ind. 5th, 147.540 mph 1st, heats 1B, 2A, 3B
2nd, final heat 2nd, 136.049 mph
July 2 Madison, Ind. Canceled due to DNF, heat 1B
debris, high water 2nd, heat 2B
3A and final, canceled 5th, speed N/A
July 9 Valleyfield, Quebec 7th, speed N/A 2nd, heats A1, B3, C3
5th, final heat 5th, 99.523 mph
July 17 Detroit 1st, 159.332 mph DNS, heat 1A 1st, heat 2B
2nd, 3A, 4B, final heat 2nd, 139.370 mph
July 27 Tri-Cities, Wash. 2nd, 161.521 mph 2nd, heat 1A
1st, heat 2B4
th, heat 3A
DNF, final heat 6th, no speed for DNF
August 6 Seattle 5th, 152.775 mph 3rd, heats 1A, 3B 1st, heat 2A
DNF, final heat 7th, no speed for DNF
Go 3 Racing / Cooper Motorsports
Cooper Motorsports: 2005 in review
Ed Cooper’s U-3 team faced a stiff challenge before the 2005 season even began: replace savvy veteran driver Mitch Evans, who took a sabbatical because of pressing business commitments.
· Evansville, Ind.: Jimmy King qualified Master Tire second-fastest at 149.133 mph in the boat’s hometown race. He won his first two heats, then took second in heat 3A and third in the final after a washdown.
· Madison, Ind.: Master Tire took a first, second, and third in the preliminary heats, then ran deck to deck with E-Lam in the final heat’s first few laps before slipping back. Master Tire finished a close second.
· Detroit: The U-3 returned to the site of its 2003 Gold Cup victory as King qualified Miss Chrysler Jeep second fastest at 152.638 mph. The boat broke a new propelle r in its first heat, causing enough damage to preclude King from starting heat 2A. Following repairs, King won heat 3B and was leading heat 4A when officials disqualified him for an illegal lane change.
· Tri-Cities, Wash.: The unsponsored Go 3 Racing shredded its transom in qualifying. After the crew worked two days and two nights with virtually no sleep to repair the damage, King won a heat and took second in another before finishing third overall in the Columbia Cup.· Seattle: Go 3 Racing Toyota of Kirkland ripped a three-foot hole in its bottom during a tight race with E-Lam. Another all-night repair job yielded a second and a third, but a turbocharger waste gate blew in the final.
· Nashville: The Go 3 Racing ran a record 163.662 mph in qualifying, then had the race won when a propeller shaft let go a mere 1,000 yards from the finish line in the final heat.
· San Diego: A first-heat crash with LLumar ended the Go 3 Racing’s day and season, marred by hull damage.
Date Location Qualifying Heat results Overall
June 26 Evansville 2nd, 149.133 mph 1st, heats 1B and 2A 2nd, heat 3A
3rd, final heat 3rd, 128.043 mph
July 3 Madison, Ind. 3rd, 150.915 mph 2nd, heat 1A
1st, heat 2A3
rd, heat 3A
2nd, final heat 2nd, 133.449 mph
July 17 Detroit 2nd, 152.638 mph DNF, heat 1A; DNS 2A 1st, heat 3B
DSQ, heat 4A 8th, DNS final heat
July 31 Tri-Cities 6th, 146.749 mph 1st, heat 2B
(boat damaged, did 2nd, heat 3B
not start heat 1A) 3rd, final heat 3rd, 134.552 mph
August 7 Seattle 2nd, 146.908 mph 2nd, heats 1A and 3B 3rd, heat 2A
DNF, final heat 7th, DNF final heat
September 11 Nashville 3rd, 163.662 mph 2nd, heats 1B, 2A, 3C
(piston record) DNF, final heat 5th, DNF final heat
September 17 San Diego 2nd, 159.007 mph 3rd, heat 1A (collision) withdrew (damaged)
Go 3 Racing / Cooper Motorsports
Cooper Motorsports: 2004 in review
“We race an unrestricted boat,” says Ed Cooper Jr. “I will not tolerate restrictions of any kind.” That insistence led to a bittersweet 2004 racing season for Cooper Motorsports. Ed’s vow to run without restrictions clashed with hydro racing’s governing body at the time, Hydro-Prop, which was equally determined to place monitoring equipment — a precursor to restrictions — on the U-3. Cooper believes that any restrictions are unjustified for his boat’s old (1940s), temperamental Allison piston engines. The fragility of the engines is enough of a handicap in itself, he says. The result: a sad stalemate. Cooper was unwittingly the catalyst that resulted in three race sites going“maverick” and opting to hold their events without Hydro-Prop sanction. The U-3 raced at only those three 2004 races: Evansville, Ind.; Tri-Cities, Wash.; and San Diego, Calif. “I take no pleasure in boycotting the other races,” Cooper said last year. “I didn’t start this fight. But it’s a matter of principle, and I will not back down.”
· Evansville, Ind.: Master Tire qualified at 150.659 mph in its hometown race and won two of its first two heats, including the fastest heat of the race. Driver Mitch Evans was just a bit late at the start ofthe final heat and was unable to catch the winner, Miss Budweiser. Master Tire finished second, less than a roostertail behind.
· Tri-Cities, Wash.: Evans broke yet another piston-hydro record by averaging 161.146 mph in Vacationville.com to qualify for the Columbia Cup. Vacationville won all three of its preliminary heats, then collided with LLumar in the first turn of the final heat, incurring a penalty that dropped Evans to fifth.
· San Diego, Calif.: Vacationville.com raised its piston-lap record yet again: Evans scorched the 2.5-mile Mission Bay course to qualify at an average speed of 162.602. On race day, he won a heat andfinished second three times to Miss Budweiser in that legendary boat’s final race ever. The U-3 averaged well over 150 mph for two entire heats.
Date Location Qualifying Heat results Overall
June 27 Evansville 2nd, 150.659 mph 1st, heats 2 and 3
2nd, final heat 2nd, 139.157 mph
July 25 Tri-Cities 2nd, 161.146 mph – 1st, heats 1-B, 2-B, 3-B
2.5-mile lap piston 5th, final heat 5th, 112.632 mph
world record (one-lap penalty)
Sept. 19 San Diego 2nd, 162.602 mph – 1st, heat 1-B
2.5-mile lap piston 2nd, heats 2-B, 3-A, final
world record 3rd, heat 3-B 2nd, 141.150 mph
Go 3 Racing / Cooper Motorsports
Cooper Motorsports: 2003 in review
· Evansville, Ind.: Mitch Evans ran away from the field in the final heat to win Thunder On The Ohio aboard the Go 3 Racing Master Tire, averaging 140.515 mph. It was the first victory for Cooper Racing Team since Evans won the 1989 Columbia Cup in Tri-Cities, Wash.
· Madison, Ind.: In the Madison Regatta, Evans and Master Tire won their first heat and shot into the lead in heat 2-A before breaking an engine with one lap to go. Withdrew with damage.
· Tri-Cities, Wash.: Renamed Vacationville.com, Evans set a world record for piston-powered hydros by running 160.915 mph, fastest among all 11 qualifiers. Evans won two heats, beat Miss Budweiser twice in head-to-head competition, and finished third in the Columbia Cup final.
· Seattle, Wash.: Vacationville Presents Kirkland Toyota set yet another world record, breaking its own mark for a 2-mile piston lap. Evans qualified second fastest but suffered mechanical woes onrace day – a blown plenum and burned piston. Finally, a makeshift combination of backup engine, gearbox, and prop lacked the power to propel Evans from the provisional heat into the final heat.
· Detroit, Mich.: Mitch Evans and team captured powerboating’s most prestigious trophy, the APBA Gold Cup. Miss Fox Hills Chrysler Jeep – Sun Coatings was fast all weekend, and reliable when it counted. In the final heat, Evans made a perfect start and pulled away from Miss Budweiser to win.
· San Diego, Calif.: Running as LLumar Window Film for one race, Evans roared from behind in the final heat to pass the field and win his third race of the year. The Go 3 Racing finished third out of 14 boats in overall season points and won more races (three out of six) than any competitor. All of that was accomplished with slim funds, without the benefit of full sponsorship.
Date Location Qualifying Heat results Overall
June 29 Evansville 2nd, 152.422 mph 1st, heats 1-B and final
3rd, heats 2-A , 3-A 1st, 140.515 mph
July 6 Madison 5th, 147.887 mph 1st, heat 1-B DNF, heat 2-A Withdrew – damage
July 27 Tri-Cities 1st, 160.915 mph – 1st, heats 1-A, 2-A
2.5-mile lap piston 4th, heat 3-A
world record 3rd, final heat 3rd, 140.443 mph
Aug. 3 Seattle 2nd, 153.266 mph – DNF, heats 1, 2, provis.
2-mile lap piston DNS, heat 3 11th, no speed
world record
Aug. 24 Detroit 4th, 158.392 mph 1st, heats 1-B, 4-B, final 2nd, heat 2-B
DNS, heat 3-A 1st, 144.152 mph
Sept. 21 San Diego 2nd, 159.232 mph 1st, heats 1-A and final
2nd, heat 2-A4
th, heat 3-A
3rd, heat 3-B 1st, 146.775 mph
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