ParkerStore sponsored boat
sets world speed record
(Minneapolis, MN) The ParkerStore Racing program continues to grow and has now expanded outside of the four-wheeled racecar ranks. The addition of the "Miss Freei" hydroplane takes us to an all new world, including a new world record.
The Fluid Systems Engineering/ParkerStore in Clinton Township Michigan has sponsored the Superior Racing Team for the past two years. Dr. Ken Muscatel, one of the hardest working men on the circuit, drives the "Miss Freei ". The team competes across the country with the UHRA (Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Association). Muscatel finished eleventh in the 2000 point standings.
"The powerboat has drawn a lot of attention here in the store",
said Fluid Systems Engineering employee Joe Baker. "We were able to plumb the gear
box, fuel and oil systems on this boat, and hope to be able to supply many of the other
hydroplane teams with fluid connector products in the near future."
In June, Russ Wicks piloted Miss Freei, and set the new one-mile speed record by traveling an average of 205.494 miles per hour across the waters of Seattle's Lake Washington. The 'high tech' boat was sponsored by freeInternet.com, ClassMates.com, Infospace, IBM, HP, egghead.com, 3dfx, Gameworks, and the ParkerStores.
The
previous record of 200.419 miles per hour was set in 1962. The new record was set when
Seattle native Russ Wicks made two timed runs through the speed traps recording a
northbound time of 207.254 mph and a southbound time of 203.735 mph. The official speed is
the average of those two runs, which was 205.494.
Miss Freei is a regulation propeller-driven unlimited hydroplane featuring a jet-fueled Lycoming L-7C turbine engine (out of a military Chinook helicopter), producing 3,000 horsepower at 10,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). The boat is 28 feet in length, weighs 6,600 pounds and features a safety canopy from an F-16 fighter jet. At speed, Miss Freei throws over a ton of water into the air, creating a 200-foot "rooster tail" shooting up to 40 feet high.
Hydroplane racing is one of the largest spectator sports in the world. The
annual Gold Cup event in Detroit draws more than 500,000 fans annually.
For more information check out the website at www.hydros.org.
(John Strand)(Photos by Alan Lagervall and others)
