|
CHARLEY WIGGINS TO DRIVE MISS MADISON A boat racer for 17 of his 31 years, Charley Wiggins of Gadsden, Alabama, is making his debut in the Unlimited Class this year as pilot for the community-owned MISS MADISON from southern Indiana. A member of the prestigious APBA Hall of Champions, Wiggins has in recent years compiled an outstanding record as a driver in the Unlimited Light Class, which is the official support class for the larger Unlimited hydroplanes. Between 1995 and 1999, Charley posted seven victories with the UL-10 racing team, owned by his father Milton Wiggins. Charley's first win in the Unlimited Light Racing Series (ULRS) occurred at the 1995 Madison Regatta on the Ohio River at the wheel of HIGH PRESSURE. Wiggins won the Final Heat at an average speed of 99.585 miles per hour. He outran second-place Mike Mammano who did 96.301 with McCUBBIN FORD. And just to prove that the Madison win was anything but a fluke, Charley made it two-in-a-row two weeks later with a victory in the UL competition at the Texas Hydrofest on Lake Lewisville, near Dallas. Another victory with HIGH PRESSURE occurred in 1998 on the Ohio River at Evansville, Indiana, where he outran Randy Haas in MISS LEROI and Alan "Bo" Schide in THE ALAMO in the championship heat. Prior to the 1999 campaign, the Wiggins family upped its ante in Unlimited Light racing by purchasing the WILD FIRE, a proven winner, from Kim Gregory. Designed and built by Ron Jones, Sr., this state-of-the-art craft had finished second in ULRS National High Points in 1998 with George Stratton driving. Charley won four races (including three in a row) in 1999 under the sponsorship of EARL'S PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS and FREDDIE'S CLUB CASINO. Wiggins staged a side-by-side battle all summer long with Bo Schide and THE ALAMO. Charley finished within a few hundred points of Bo, who totaled 10,358 markers to Wiggins's 9,851. Victories were achieved at Lake Havasu City (Arizona), Barrie (Ontario), Evansville, and the Tri-Cities (Washington), and also in the Automotive Gold Cup--a special exhibition event contested at Detroit and a highlight of the Unlimited Light Racing Series. The season-long duel between EARL'S and THE ALAMO treated the fans to some of the finest racing imaginable. And at San Diego, Charley pushed the UL-10 to an eye-popping 120.543 miles per hour in competition on a 1.67-mile course. Wiggins brings to the MISS MADISON team some impressive credentials. These include National High Point Championships in 1990-91-92 in the 1-Litre Modified Class and the North American Championship in 1991 in the 2.5-Litre Stock Class. He won the 1991 and 1992 National Championship Races in 1-Litre Mod and was undefeated for six straight years, starting in 1989, at the APBA Eastern Divisionals, also in 1-Litre Mod. Prior to entering Unlimited Light racing, Charley was APBA Grand National Series Champion in 1993 and 1994 and has eight victories in the Grand National Hydroplane Class. As driver for the oldest (since 1961)
Unlimited hydroplane team, Charley has some prominent shoes to fill.
Previous pilots for MISS MADISON include the likes of Marion Cooper,
George "Buddy" Byers, Jim McCormick, Milner Irvin, Ron Snyder,
Mike Hanson, and Todd Yarling.
|
