1988 Circus Circus U-31

 

  Boat Statistics

Boat Name:

 

Year:

Designation#:

 

Circus Circus

1988

 

U-31

Owner/Driver:

 

Year Model Built:

 

Tony Minalia

 

2010

Builder:

 

Construction:

 

 

Tony Minalia

 

Plywood and Foam

Motor:

 

Speed Controller:

 

Scorpion 3026-1900

 

Etti

Prop:

 

Paint Colors:

 

 

Octura

 

3 shades of pink, white and gold

Type of Graphics:

 Radio:

 

 

hand-painted

 

Futaba

The Model: A few years ago when Tony was just starting out, he decided to build the Circus as his first scratch built boat. Not having any dimensions, he winged it and started building. When the entire thing was skinned, he realized the boat was about 3 inches too wide and about 4 inches too short. Time passed and he finally built this new boat to finish what he started. During an off-season crash, he destroyed the cockpit. A month later repairs began. The boat has a good boat ride but gets up in the drivers face a bit. That doesn’t matter to Tony though, he likes to hang the boat out there. The Circus is one of two boats Tony will run in 2010.

The Real Boat: The boat started its life as the Miller American in 1987. Owner Fran Muncey switched sponsors in 1988 to Circus Circus. She brought on a lead-footed limited driver by the name of John Prevost who shared the cockpit with Chip Hanauer. The boat had a successful yet scary season in 1988. In San Diego, the boat was involved in the famed “double blowever” while going into the SeaWorld turn. The hull stayed as the Circus Circus until 1990 when the team and boat was sold to Steve Woomer. The boat still raced today under the title and colors of the U-13 Spirit of Detroit. It is the only hull to have won the Gold Cup in three different decades.