This is hydroplane racing the way it was meant to be; LOUD, UPCLOSE and FREE! The “Scott and Linda Carson presents the 2011 Western Divisionals/Yapachino Memorial Regatta” championship hydroplane race, featuring the blown, 160-mph Grand Prix hydroplanes, runs Sept. 8-9 at Spanaway Lake. The fastest and loudest inboard hydroplanes in the western United States compete for this coveted championship race that revs up at 11 a.m. both days.

About 10 classes of inboard hydroplanes are on the schedule for the event. Six current and three former unlimited hydroplane pilots will compete in a variety of classes on the tight, 1 mile record course. Spectators are so close to the always exciting first turn; many fans say they can hear the roostertails fall back to the water.

Six of the Grand Prix West hulls are in the top 10 in the national high points chase, lead by unlimited driver Greg Hopp in the GP-15 “My 401K.” And seeing six Grand Prix hydroplanes one class below the mammoth unlimited hydroplanes going through one of the tightest first turns in the country, side-by-side, is going to be a sight and sound hydroplane fans just can’t pass up.

“Getting all the boats around the first turn is going to be hairy,” said longtime unlimited veteran Jerry Hopp, an Army veteran who went through basic training at Fort Lewis who sits in third place in the GP-12 “Miss Peters & May.” “The straights are not real long for us, and the water should be good. But I expect to see some really fast speeds.”

The top four of the five National Modified racers in the country will be duking it out at Spanaway. Leading the nation is unlimited driver Jeff Bernard in the NM-33 “Mack.s Out.” Rod Bourke, in second place in the NM-5 “Spirit of Grays Harbor,” was within striking range of Bernard. But after competing in Seafair, he had what he calls a “power plant termination” bringing his season to an end. But fan favorite “Wild” Bill Strain, currently third nationally, in the NM-56 “Problem Child,” Chris Bertram’s NM-133 “Hey Jude,” fourth, and Brent Harnack.s NM-88 “Mr. Jiggs,” fifth, are all contenders in this exciting class that can hit speeds of 140 mph.

In the always-competitive 5-Litre class, it might seem like a Seafair reunion. Unlimited drivers Kip Brown and Bernard share seat time in the E-55 “Peters and May” hydroplane. The Brown-Bernard tandem is currently leading the high points chase in this 115-mph class. Another unlimited driver, J. Michael Kelley, sits in second place nationally and trails by just 110 points in the E-15 “Wingin’ It” owned by Dave Cossette. Jon Zimmerman, world record holder in the class and another unlimited driver who had to cut down on his inboard racing, has his E-72 “Chop Chop” in seventh place, but he has only been to half of the local inboard races.

“The inside lane is certainly the place to be,” Brown said. “You need a smaller prop to pull out of turn one at Spanaway. If you use a large-pitch prop, you need to run the outside to keep your RPMs up, but the outside is the long way around the race course. But anyone can win. Wally Johnston has a new boat and won the Summer Nationals. Jon Zimmerman holds every record in the class. Jimmy Mauldin has been getting faster. And you can never count out Dave Cossette and the “Wingin’ It boat.”

If the racing is tight in the 5-Litre field, it’s downright snug in the 2.5-Litre stock class. Three of the 4-cylinder boats expected to be at the race have only 30 points separating them in the regional high point chase. Leading the way is Austin Eacret with 1,680 points for the year. Brent Hall.s 1,660 is good for second, while the duo of Dave Solway and Chris Fanaris trail Hall by just 10 points. All three have a shot at top five finishes in the nation.

There will be other inboard and flatbottom classes at the races with exciting deck-to-deck action all weekend long. Racing fans can bring their own chairs or blankets. While there is no admission for the race, Pierce County Parks and Recreation charges $3 per car to come into Spanaway Park.

Media contact: Ana Cappelletti, 425-218-2452 — hydrogirl07@hotmail.com