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With the “Black Boat” nearly completed we were asked to put the project on hold to finish another hydroplane and race it in the first race of the 2010 ULHRA Season at Firebird Lake in Chandler, Arizona. It was quite an effort put forth by a number of people. The nearly impossible task was finished on time. Only to be bit by gremlins on Saturday. The new hydroplane, owned by Pat Rankin, had its first glimpse of water, through the escape hatch that didn’t seal. Needless to say, the hydro took on water. We were craned back to the trailer and made the needed repairs. With no opportunity to test, we were on the water for our assigned heat. The other boat we were racing against got out to the race course late. The X-Man slowed the hydroplane down to allow it to catch up. The engine went dead, while attempting  to restart we had a spectacular stack fire. Fortunately there was no damage.  Mr. Rankin purchased a new carburetor which the ‘X-Man’ and small crew installed Saturday night. We knew Sunday was going to be another day to prove the race worthiness of the new hydroplane. Mother Nature had a different plan in store. Not just for the UL-929 but the entire ULHRA contingency. High winds and even a sand storm cut short the racing activities. Xaudaro Racing and the alternate UL-929 didn’t get the opportunity to race. It was quite a challenge to get the boats from the dock back to their trailers.  We were flying 2500lb kites in 45 mph winds. The crane operator is to be commended for completing the task with no damage or injuries. We have handed the reigns of the alternate 929 to another team.