| 7/3/2010 9:00:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Two Indiana Governor’s Cup rookies turned in a solid day of racing on Friday at the Madison Regatta. Jon Zimmerman logged the majority of his required rookie laps and qualified his U-25 Boylan Nissan.com 10th at 143.036 mph while Cal Phipps drove the U-13 Spirit of Detroit to the fifth fastest time at 147.352 mph. Zimmerman (above, left) talks about a run with boat co-owner Ron Jones Jr. while Phipps hangs out in the U-13 pits (right). (Staff photos by Mark Campbell) |
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| "It feels pretty good. Of course, it may be a lot different in traffic. But everything is
going well."
U-25 Boylandnissan.com driver Jon Zimmerman
•••
"...Those boats are so big, it just doesn't feel like you're going that fast."
U-13 Spirit of Detroit driver Cal Phipps
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Phipps-Zimmerman
Rookie drivers showing their unlimited potential
David Campbell
Courier Sportswriter
Although just rookies, Cal Phipps and Jon Zimmerman both turned quite a few heads in their first Unlimited action Friday on the "Wild" Bill Cantrell race course in Madison.
Zimmerman steered the U-25 BoylandNissan.com to a top-speed of a 143.036 mph, an impressive performance for a boat that has often struggled to get into the 130s. And that one lap was not a fluke. The Burien, Wash. native spent most of the afternoon in the 140s taking as many laps as the rest of the field combined.
"It feels pretty good. Of course, it may be a lot different in traffic," Zimmerman said with a smile. "But everything is going well."
Phipps was even more impressive. The native of Sterling Heights, Mich., pushed the U-13 Spirit of Detroit to the fifth-fastest time of the day at 147.352.
For both drivers, Friday was the culmination of a life-long dream. Highly-decorated drivers in the lower ranks, each has waited patiently for a chance to get to the "big leagues."
"It's something that I have worked toward for a long time," said Phipps. "Ever since I first saw an Unlimited I wanted to get into one."
Phipps has always been considered the "next big thing" in the Unlimited ranks. A winner at every level, Phipps was actually supposed to get the U-13 ride when owner Dave Bartush purchased the boat in 2005. But unqualified rookies are not allowed to drive in the APBA Gold Cup so Bartush turned to veteran Terry Troxell.
The rest, as they say, is history. Troxell steered the U-13 to one of the biggest upsets in Unlimited history and spent the next two years at the helm. When a minor stroke pulled Troxell out of the cockpit, Bartush hired J. Michael Kelly who steered the boat to a fourth-place finish in the National High Points.
All of that left Phipps with the sinking sensation that his Unlimited dream was never going to come true.
"I really felt that it was just not going to happen," Phipps said. "I was driving an Unlimited Light for Charley Wiggins and I told him to ramp that sucker up as much as he could because that was going to have to be my Unlimited."
But Phipps was never far from Bartush's mind. In 2008, Phipps finally got a chance to drive the U-13 when he took it for a couple of laps at Tri-Cities. His first lap made even hardened observers take notice when he cleared 150 mph without even a warm-up.
"I was going down the backstretch and I told myself that I was finally in an Unlimited, maybe I should let it out a little. That's when I hit the corner," Phipps said with a laugh. "When that skid fin bit into the water, it threw me into the side of the canopy. Those boats are so big, it just doesn't feel like you're going that fast."
The U-13 took the 2009 season off and Kelly jumped to the U-7 Graham Trucking, re-opening the door for Phipps. But owner Bartush gets more than just a driver. Phipps is also an accomplished boat builder and mechanic and has used his skills to help get the boat ready for the season.
"Dave was worried about bringing the shop east (from Seattle to Detroit) and I told him not to worry, we can get a crew together," Phipps said. "We have a whole new group of guys and we're ready to go."
Like Phipps, Zimmerman has spent his career winning races and setting records at the lower levels. He owns two kilometer straightaway records and has twice nearly won national titles at the 5-Litre level.
It was as a young Limited pilot that Zimmerman got to know famed boat builder Ron Jones Jr. When Jones joined Ken Muscatel as a partner in the U-25 team over the offseason, he pushed to bring Zimmerman onboard to share the driving duties with Muscatel.
"JR convinced Ken Muscatel to give me an opportunity in the U-25," Zimmerman said. "I am very grateful to both Ron and Ken for the chance to pursue my dream."
Also like Phipps, Zimmerman didn't waste much time in getting the boat up to speed. His first recorded lap was at over 140 mph on Friday and he never slowed down.
"I've had a chance to test the boat earlier in the season so I had an idea of what it could do," Zimmerman said. "But I'm still feeling it out."
The biggest adjustment for Zimmerman was the tight Madison race course, which H1 Unlimited Historian Fred Farley once dubbed a "drainage ditch."
"It's a tight course and that took a little time getting used to. They told me it was narrow but I didn't think it was that narrow," Zimmerman said. "And that bridge is something new. I've never had to do that before."
Zimmerman has fit in with his new teammates and is quickly getting to know his fellow drivers, including their sense of humor.
"I've had a chance to talk to most of them and there hasn't been any harassment," said Zimmerman, who added with a smile. "Other than my name over the bathroom door."
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