Spring Boat Shop Tour – 57
57 Formulaboats.com in its new home on Lake Chelan in Central Washington
Evans Brothers Racing – has a nice ring to it. Especially for the many fans and friends of Mark and Mitch Evans of Chelan, Washington – new owners of the 57 Formulaboats.com.
The brothers have had the boat in their Chelan shop since taking delivery from former owner Ted Porter in late April and have been busy getting the hull ready for the 2012 Air National Guard H1 Hydroplane Series.
Self portrait by Mark Evans of the 57 Formulaboats.com team
Mark will do the driving with brother Mitch acting as crew chief and Chelan resort owner John Walcker, a longtime friend and crewman, acting as team manager.
Crew members will include Tony Scharf of Wenatchee, Wash., Paul LaMarre and Bill Guckian of Detroit, Josh Culver from the Tri-Cities, Wash., and Dave Lemon from the Seattle area.
As part of the purchase agreement with Porter, the 57 will continue to carry the Formulaboats.com name.
Lake Chelan seen from team manager John Walcker's Caravelle Resort.
Located on the East slope of the Washington Cascades about three hours East of Seattle, Lake Chelan is a popular summer playground for Northwesterners and one of the most scenic areas anywhere in the country.
For Mark and Mitch Evans, it has always been home. Their father was the legendary driver Norm Evans who owned a Chelan marina.
Many fans have memories of the two youngsters scrambling around on the decks of their Dad’s race boats. Like the owners, the 57 Formulaboats.com is a veteran of many years of Unlimited competition.
Mitch Evans at work on the 57 Formulaboats.com hull.
The boat was built by Jim Lucero in the winter of 1992-93 with a revolutionary “Lobster Boat” design. It had a very narrow transom and did not perform up to expectations. Lucero eventually converted the boat to a conventional width and it became a backup Winston Eagle and Smokin’ Joe’s.
It was part of the Steve Woomer equipment purchased by Kim Gregory and the USA Racing Partners of Las Vegas in 1998 and raced for that team until being sold to Ted Porter as a backup for his two primary race boats.
Long time Unlimited crewman and resort owner John Walcker is team manager.
The boat won the 2004 Gold Cup for the Gregorys and their partners as the Emcor presents Miss DYC with Nate Brown driving.
Porter’s Formulaboats.com team campaigned the boat as a third entry in recent seasons with Mark Evans and Jimmy Shane driving.
Mark Evans, who has driven many Unlimiteds, says he likes like the boat ride. “It’s a good fit for us,” he said. “I like the way it handles and I am confident we can get another 5 to 10 percent out of the performance and be a little more competitive.”
Mark Evans and crew have completely refurbished the boat's hardware.
Mark tells us, “We completely stripped the hull of all the moving parts. All of the steering cables and pulleys were out of the boat and we went through everything. Parts were replaced or rebuilt to the point where they are like new.”
“The boat is probably in the best condition it has been in for some time,” Evans concluded. “All that’s left is to take it down to Madison and put it in the river and mash the gas. It should be fun!”
And having a team on the H1 Unlimited tour owned and operated by Chelan’s favorite sons should be a lot of fun for the many fans and friends they have made over the years.
Spring Boat Shop Tour – 57
57 Formulaboats.com in its new home on Lake Chelan in Central Washington
Evans Brothers Racing – has a nice ring to it. Especially for the many fans and friends of Mark and Mitch Evans of Chelan, Washington – new owners of the 57 Formulaboats.com.
The brothers have had the boat in their Chelan shop since taking delivery from former owner Ted Porter in late April and have been busy getting the hull ready for the 2012 Air National Guard H1 Hydroplane Series.
Self portrait by Mark Evans of the 57 Formulaboats.com team
Mark will do the driving with brother Mitch acting as crew chief and Chelan resort owner John Walcker, a longtime friend and crewman, acting as team manager.
Crew members will include Tony Scharf of Wenatchee, Wash., Paul LaMarre and Bill Guckian of Detroit, Josh Culver from the Tri-Cities, Wash., and Dave Lemon from the Seattle area.
As part of the purchase agreement with Porter, the 57 will continue to carry the Formulaboats.com name.
Lake Chelan seen from team manager John Walcker's Caravelle Resort.
Located on the East slope of the Washington Cascades about three hours East of Seattle, Lake Chelan is a popular summer playground for Northwesterners and one of the most scenic areas anywhere in the country.
For Mark and Mitch Evans, it has always been home. Their father was the legendary driver Norm Evans who owned a Chelan marina.
Many fans have memories of the two youngsters scrambling around on the decks of their Dad’s race boats. Like the owners, the 57 Formulaboats.com is a veteran of many years of Unlimited competition.
Mitch Evans at work on the 57 Formulaboats.com hull.
The boat was built by Jim Lucero in the winter of 1992-93 with a revolutionary “Lobster Boat” design. It had a very narrow transom and did not perform up to expectations. Lucero eventually converted the boat to a conventional width and it became a backup Winston Eagle and Smokin’ Joe’s.
It was part of the Steve Woomer equipment purchased by Kim Gregory and the USA Racing Partners of Las Vegas in 1998 and raced for that team until being sold to Ted Porter as a backup for his two primary race boats.
Long time Unlimited crewman and resort owner John Walcker is team manager.
The boat won the 2004 Gold Cup for the Gregorys and their partners as the Emcor presents Miss DYC with Nate Brown driving.
Porter’s Formulaboats.com team campaigned the boat as a third entry in recent seasons with Mark Evans and Jimmy Shane driving.
Mark Evans, who has driven many Unlimiteds, says he likes like the boat ride. “It’s a good fit for us,” he said. “I like the way it handles and I am confident we can get another 5 to 10 percent out of the performance and be a little more competitive.”
Mark Evans and crew have completely refurbished the boat's hardware.
Mark tells us, “We completely stripped the hull of all the moving parts. All of the steering cables and pulleys were out of the boat and we went through everything. Parts were replaced or rebuilt to the point where they are like new.”
“The boat is probably in the best condition it has been in for some time,” Evans concluded. “All that’s left is to take it down to Madison and put it in the river and mash the gas. It should be fun!”
And having a team on the H1 Unlimited tour owned and operated by Chelan’s favorite sons should be a lot of fun for the many fans and friends they have made over the years.