Unlimiteds Unanimous Votes Boat, Boat Driver, Rookie and Crew Chief of the Year Honors for the 2006 Season

Since 1970, after each racing season, Unlimiteds Unanimous holds a discussion where club members determine the Boat of the Year, the Boat Driver of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. The Boat of the Year honor goes to the unlimited hydroplane, that in the opinion of those voting, would likely win a mythical race after the entire season has been concluded. The Boat Driver of the Year goes to the driver, who in the opinion of voting members, showed the most ability with the equipment they had to race with.  Rookie of the Year goes to the new driver that members feel has shown the ability to win a future race.  And for the second year our members voted for a Crew Chief of the Year. 

The discussion for the 2006 season was at the January meeting. Unlimiteds Unanimous President, Chris Tracy, led the discussion. Members nominated only two boats for Boat of the Year, U-37 Beacon Plumbing and U-16 Ellstrom.  This was a spirited discussion and both sides made points for their boats.  One member described the U-37 this way, "better crew, better driven, better morale"  and those qualities would make it the top boat in a mythical race at the end of the season.  Another member remarked, "Ellstrom was the best boat, but all did not come together for them last season."  When the votes were counted, U-37 Beacon Plumbing was voted the Boat of the Year.

For Boat Driver of the Year, it is important to note that this honor does not necessarily go to the driver that wins the most races or goes the fastest. The honor goes to the driver, that in our opinion, "got the most out of their equipment." The drivers nominated were Mike Allen, Steve David, Jimmy King, Jean Theoret and Dave Villwock.  This was another passionate discussion.  Some felt Allen made too many driver mistakes, but others mentioned he won National Points.  Others felt King got the most possible out of the U-3 that was often plagued with equipment problems, but some remarked that the boat was too frequently damaged and King needed to learn how to "get out of the way." Villwock won 3 races, but some felt he sometimes did not race to his potential.  Theoret had great starts and victories, but he also had many penalties; some felt Theoret had "ice water in his veins" and others thought he had to learn to "not just drive hard, but also drive smart."  Some felt David took and old and outdated boat and kept it in contention.  One member mentioned that "David took the 6th fastest boat and got second in National Points and won the Driver Title."  Another member suggested that, "David is a good driver, but not a racer" and several members took exception to that comment.  As the discussion went on, it was clear that the two drivers in contention for the award were Theoret and David.  When the votes were counted, Steve David won by one vote!  Oh Boy! Oberto driver, Steve David is our Boat Driver of the Year.    

Chris Bertram, Kevin Aylesworth and Mike Allen were nominated for the Rookie of the Year Award.  Members felt Bertram showed potential, but they did not see enough of him racing to make a concrete call.  And Aylesworth generally ran conservatively and members would like to have seen him run with stronger equipment before making a call. Allen won the driver title his first year.  Mike Allen is our Rookie of the Year.

Members added the Crew Chief of the Year award in 2005 and Scott Raney won.  For 2006 Scott Raney was nominated again, along with Mike Hanson, John Rice and Erick Ellstrom. Ellstrom was lauded for the "flip and win" performance.  Hanson was congratulated for the consistent performance of the Oh Boy! Oberto, but some felt his true test will be with the new boat next year.  Rice did well with little prep time and shallow equipment.  When the group got close to the vote, the two largest camps were for Hanson and Raney.  When the votes were counted, Scott Raney was selected the Crew Chief of the Year.

2006--Boat of the Year---U-37, Beacon Plumbing, owned by Billy and Jane Schumacher

2006--Boat Driver of the Year---Steve David, driver of the U-6, Oh Boy! Oberto

2006--Rookie of the Year---driver of the U-7 FormulaBoats.com II,  Mike Allen

2006--Crew Chief of the Year--Scott Raney of the U-37, Beacon Plumbing