Team Profile: Precision Performance Engineering Racing

Ted Porter and family entered unlimited hydroplane racing in 2005 as sponsor of Chad Sanderson’s U-5.  The U-5 carried the name of the Decatur, Indiana based Porter family business, Formula Boats by Thunderbird Products.   In 2006, Ted stepped up his involvement in the sport by purchasing the hulls known as T-5 & T-6 from Hydroplanes, Inc. and formed Precision Performance Engineering, LLC to campaign one boat as the U-5 Formulaboats.com and the second as U-7 Formulaboats.com II.

Team Manager Mike Weber assembled the crew in addition to driving the U-5 for the team’s inaugural season in 2006.  Following the Tri-Cities, Washington race, Mike decided to step out of the cockpit and his nephew Jeff Bernard took the seat in the U-5 for the 2006 Seattle race.  Jeff finished the season as U-5 driver.  Jeff signed on as the U-5 driver for 2007 and continues into the 2011 season.   Jeff has 3 unlimited wins with his first victory coming in the 2008 Madison Regatta Indiana Governor’s Cup.  The U-5 crew has demonstrated they are consistent performers finishing in the top 5 in H1 Unlimited High Points every season since the team’s formation.

Highlights

 

2007: San Diego Final Heat between Jeff Bernard in the U-5 and Steve David in Oh Boy! Oberto was described by many as the best Final Heat in many years.

2008: First unlimited victory for Jeff Bernard in the Madison Regatta.  Jeff accepted the Indiana Governor’s Cup trophy from Governor Mitch Daniels.

2008: Winner of the Bill Muncey Cup in San Diego, CA to become the only 2-race winner in the 2008 season for a 2^nd place finish in National High Points.

2009: Winner in Evansville, IN’s Thunder on the Ohio following a deck-to-deck battle with teammate, J. Michael Kelly in the U-7 Graham Trucking

Owner: Precision Performance, LLC

Ted Porter entered the sport of unlimited hydroplane racing as a sponsor of Chad Sanderson’s U-5 in 2005.  In 2006, Ted stepped up to owner in a big way by purchasing all the assets of U-5 Racing as well as 2 championship hydroplanes and much of the remaining Miss Budweiser equipment from the family of Bernie Little.  Precision Performance Engineering, LLC was formed as the parent company for the race team based in Ted’s hometown of Decatur, Indiana.  Ted made the decision to campaign both boats numbering them U-5 and U-7 with both carrying the Formulaboats.com name.

Born in Decatur, Indiana and a lifelong resident, Ted grew up around boats in the family boat manufacturing business, Formula Boats by Thunderbird Products, and boating remains an important part of his life. Ted is active in the family business as part owner and VP Human Resources. His love of water and water born sports is what drew him to Unlimited Hydroplane racing.  Ted lives on the family’s horse farm near Decatur with his wife Emily and their sons Danny 23, Chris 21, and Josh 15.  Most family weekends are occupied with horseback riding, lake boating, or boat racing related activities.

THE TEAM:

The U-5/U-7 Racing team won the National High Points Championship in their first year of competition.  Never before in the history of the sport had a rookie team, rookie driver, and a rookie crew chief won this highest honor.  In 2008 the U-5/U-7 Racing team won more races and heats than any other team on the unlimited hydroplane racing circuit.  In 2009, the U-7 captured the U.I.M. World Championship for the team.  In 2010, the team expanded to 3 with the addition of the U-57, becoming the first team to enter and place 3 boats in a final heat in San Diego, California.

For 2011, the team is with preparing for a successful season with a truly powerful force of drivers, new additions to the crew, fresh turbines, gearboxes and propellers.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

2006 Regates de Valleyfield winner (U-7, Mike Allen)

2006 National High Points Champion (U-7)

2008 Indiana Governors Cup winner & 2008 Bill Muncey Cup winner (U-5, Jeff Bernard)

2009 Thunder on the Ohio winner and 2^nd place (U-5, Jeff Bernard; U-7 J. Michael Kelly)

2009 Oryx Cup & UIM World Champion (U-7, J. Michael Kelly)

2010 Owner of the Year

Crew Chief: Tom Anderson

Tom Anderson has been involved in unlimited hydroplane racing as a crew member for 27 years.  Tom has spent a majority of those years as a primary turbine engine mechanic and Crew Chief for owners Ron Jones Jr., Jim Harvey and Fred Leland in addition to his current role as Crew Chief for owner Ted Porter’s U-5 unlimited hydroplane.

Tom joined the PPE, LLC team as crew member and turbine mechanic on the U-7 unlimited hydroplane for the 2007 and 2008 seasons.  In 2008, Tom moved to the U-5 to serve as Crew Chief.  Tom has led the U-5 crew and driver Jeff Bernard to 3 race victories.  The first victory for U-5 came at the 2008 Indiana Governor’s Cup race in Madison, Indiana.  The U-5 became the only repeat winner in 2008 by capturing the Bill Muncey Cup in San Diego, California.  The U-5 scored a thrilling win at the 2009 Thunder on the Ohio in Evansville, Indiana after a deck-to-deck battle with teammate U-7.

Professionally, Tom left full time boat racing in the late 1990s to work in Boeing’s wind tunnels operating the Transonic and Super Sonic tunnels.  He has since left Boeing and is currently a plant supervisor for Puget Sound Energy.

Tom lives in Renton, Washington with his wife Kellie and son Brody.