At The Shop – Schumacher Racing
This is the first in a series of visits we will make to H1 Unlimited race team shops to chronicle work being done in the off season and plans for the 2014 tour.
Some of the changes being made to Schumacher Racing’s 37 hull during the off-season will be very visible, like a new yellow base color and possible addition of checkerboard accents.
The hull surface is being prepared for a new yellow color scheme with red and checkerboard accents.
While most of team manager Dave Villwock’s changes to the fourth year boat will be too subtle to be seen from the beach, owner Billy Schumacher is confident the boat ride, speed and handling will be much improved for new driver Scott Liddycoat.
“It’s a whole new game having Dave with us,” said Schumacher. “We haven’t had this kind of expertise on the team before and the things he has shown us make a lot of sense. It’s going to be a virtually new boat. We are really excited to see it on the water and see what it can do”
Villwock speaks in degrees and angles of various surfaces and is confident that the boat’s much discussed shaft angle is not a problem. But there were a “lot of little things” the winningest driver in the history of Unlimited Hydroplane Racing felt needed to be changed to make the boat a front-runner.
Dave Villwock explains changes made to the right sponson of the 37.
High on that list was a reshaping of the right sponson and both sponsons will have changes to the running surfaces. The team will have more options for adjusting the balance and lift of the boat to suit conditions by using different combinations of new “bull noses.” The bull nose makes up the leading edge of the ram wing that forms the center section of the boat.
The cockpit is being rebuilt and rearranged to be much more driver friendly. Pedals, steering wheel and other elements will be more ergonomically located for driver convenience and durability.
After a year off, Scott Liddycoat – the 2011 H1 Rookie of the Year – will be at the controls of the 37 in 2014.
Speaking of the driver, Villwock was asked what the team liked about Liddycoat that prompted his selection to replace the departed J. Michael Kelly. He replied, “Everyone in the sport was impressed with the job he did in his first two unlimited rides (Porter Racing’s 7 Valken.com in 2011 and USA Racing Partners 88 Degree Men in 2012) and we like the fact that he’s a total boat guy. He has built boats, fixed boats and really understands what it takes to go fast.”
Villwock continued, “As we tune the boat with the changes we’ve made, we will need a lot of input from the driver and we feel Scott will be very capable of giving us that feedback.”
Schumacher said the team has an agreement with Bill Cahill of Beacon Plumbing for sponsorship in Seattle and Tri-Cities and is working on sponsorship of the first two races in Madison and Detroit.
 The driver’s new “office” gets a major remodel. |
 Seat structure has been molded to the driver’s body. |
Story and photos by Steve Montgomery – H1
At The Shop – Schumacher Racing
This is the first in a series of visits we will make to H1 Unlimited race team shops to chronicle work being done in the off season and plans for the 2014 tour.
Some of the changes being made to Schumacher Racing’s 37 hull during the off-season will be very visible, like a new yellow base color and possible addition of checkerboard accents.
The hull surface is being prepared for a new yellow color scheme with red and checkerboard accents.
While most of team manager Dave Villwock’s changes to the fourth year boat will be too subtle to be seen from the beach, owner Billy Schumacher is confident the boat ride, speed and handling will be much improved for new driver Scott Liddycoat.
“It’s a whole new game having Dave with us,” said Schumacher. “We haven’t had this kind of expertise on the team before and the things he has shown us make a lot of sense. It’s going to be a virtually new boat. We are really excited to see it on the water and see what it can do”
Villwock speaks in degrees and angles of various surfaces and is confident that the boat’s much discussed shaft angle is not a problem. But there were a “lot of little things” the winningest driver in the history of Unlimited Hydroplane Racing felt needed to be changed to make the boat a front-runner.
Dave Villwock explains changes made to the right sponson of the 37.
High on that list was a reshaping of the right sponson and both sponsons will have changes to the running surfaces. The team will have more options for adjusting the balance and lift of the boat to suit conditions by using different combinations of new “bull noses.” The bull nose makes up the leading edge of the ram wing that forms the center section of the boat.
The cockpit is being rebuilt and rearranged to be much more driver friendly. Pedals, steering wheel and other elements will be more ergonomically located for driver convenience and durability.
After a year off, Scott Liddycoat – the 2011 H1 Rookie of the Year – will be at the controls of the 37 in 2014.
Speaking of the driver, Villwock was asked what the team liked about Liddycoat that prompted his selection to replace the departed J. Michael Kelly. He replied, “Everyone in the sport was impressed with the job he did in his first two unlimited rides (Porter Racing’s 7 Valken.com in 2011 and USA Racing Partners 88 Degree Men in 2012) and we like the fact that he’s a total boat guy. He has built boats, fixed boats and really understands what it takes to go fast.”
Villwock continued, “As we tune the boat with the changes we’ve made, we will need a lot of input from the driver and we feel Scott will be very capable of giving us that feedback.”
Schumacher said the team has an agreement with Bill Cahill of Beacon Plumbing for sponsorship in Seattle and Tri-Cities and is working on sponsorship of the first two races in Madison and Detroit.
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The driver’s new “office” gets a major remodel. |
Seat structure has been molded to the driver’s body. |
Story and photos by Steve Montgomery – H1