 The sport of Unlimited hydroplane racing lost a great racer on Sunday.
Fred Leland was a driver, owner and boat builder. And, he was a Champion.
Leland died at his Kirkland, Washington home after a long battle with cancer. He was 74.
Go3 Racing Team owner Ed Cooper, Jr. was his competitor on the race course, and his friend away from the water.
Cooper remembered his friend as, "One of the really good guys in the sport. He'll be missed by many."
Leland got his start in hydroplane racing in 1968, purchasing a 5 liter hydro. He soon progressed up to the top class of the Unlimiteds as a driver. Fred never drove any of the top flight hydros. His career as a driver lasted from 1976 to 1984.
He owned his first Unlimited in 1982 with Scott Pierce behind the wheel. Pierce would lead a parade of drivers that
would get their start driving in the Unlimited class, all thanks to Fred Leland. The list goes on and on--Greg Hopp,
Mike Hanson, Mike Weber, Jeff Bernard, Nate Brown, Terry Troxell and Mark Evans all drove a Leland Unlimited.
In a 2004 interview with the Tri City Herald, Leland said, "I always liked both driving and being an owner. Years
ago, I liked being a driver. As I get older, I liked building and owning boats."
His teams had moderate success on the race course, until 1994. Leland hired an up and coming driver named Dave Villwock. Two wins that year, and the Leland race team opened eyes in the sport. Villwock would go on to become the sports winningest driver. The Pico American Dream in Detroit. Roger Schaaf image.
Fred sold his masonry business in 1996, and became a full time owner and boat builder.
1996 would be a history making year, as Villwock would drive his Pico American Dream to 6 wins. One of those would be a Gold Cup victory, and the season ended with a National High points title. It would be Leland's only points title.
By this time, Fred had multiple hulls he would race with his trademark U-99 and U-100 numbers, and all were highly competitive. Villwock would leave after the 1996 season. Mark Evans would replace him, and give Fred 5 more victories.
Hall of Fame driver Chip Hanauer was coaxed out of retirement by Fred, and in 1999, would add 3 more wins to Leland's total, and give him one more Gold Cup to his collection.
The last race win for Fred Leland would come in the Tri Cities in 2001, with the late Terry Troxell behind the wheel.
Leland had 17 wins, 2 Gold Cups and 1 National title from 1982-2011. His win total ranks him as one of the winningest owners in the sports history.
The ABRA and H1 Unlimited could always count on Fred Leland to help the boat count at any given race site. His race
shop in Kirkland, WA was filled with hulls he built. Many in the sport lost track of which boat was which. That was
alright. They knew Fred would always be at a race, and ready to compete.
Leland was an innovator. His hulls, gearboxes and other racing parts are still being used in the sport today.
"I don't think I have a favorite part of racing. I think every bit of it I like," Leland told the Herald in that
same 2004 interview. The same bug that bites all racers, was with him until his final breath.
The sport of Unlimited hydroplane racing will go on. But without Fred Leland, it won't be the same.
He really was one of the good guys. |
