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Madison Regatta 2011
The Madison Courier
Mallory & Bononcini Talented females racing to break H1 gender barrier
Saturday, June, 25, 2011
By DAVID CAMPBELL
F
Courier Staff Writer
or the past 65 years, Unlimited hydroplane racing has been almost exclusively a “man’s world.” Other than Brenda Jones’ brief cup of coffee in the early 1980s, no woman has made any sort of mark in the sport. But two young women are trying to change that and years from now, 2011 could be remembered as the year that women broke through the gender barrier. Bianca Bononcini and Kayleigh Perkins Mallory are both set to make their marks in the sport this season. But while Bononcini will serve as backup driver for the U-57 Formulaboats.com as part of that team’s driver development program, Mallory is still trying to build on the success of her test aboard the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison last season to become a fully qualified driver. It is a situation that has one driver giddy with anticipation and the other frustrated by the lengthy process it takes for a driver to break into the sport. Mallory, just 24 years old, is already a three-time national champion at the Unlimited Lights level and currently sits fourth on that series’ career wins list with 10. Considered by many to be one of the rising stars in the sport, she finally got a chance to show what she could do in one of the big boats when she pulled a 148 mph lap in the Oberto at Seattle last year, which would have been good for fifth-fastest in qualifying had the mark counted. “It was like driving a school bus. It accelerated hard. But it was amazing,” Mallory said. “I didn’t realize I was going as fast as I was.” Part of the reason Mallory got the chance to test the Oberto was to show what she could do. She believed the success of the test might lead to a ride in the Unlimiteds this season, but so far, she has had no luck. “I thought it might lead to something this year but nothing has come of it,” she said. “I think I surprised some people. I know I surprised myself. But apparently it wasn’t enough.” There was a possible deal being worked to drive the Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison backup boat but that plan was dropped when the team sold the craft to the U-22 Webster Racing Team. Mallory admits that she was upset when she heard about the news concerning the Oberto sale and that she did not handle it well. “I was excited about it and I know (Miss Madison Team Manager) Charlie (Grooms) was excited. But it was a business decision and that is something that I have to get used to,” she said. “This sport is 100 percent business. In this sport, nothing is concrete until you get on the water, and then sometimes not even then. I kind of got caught up in the emotion of it earlier in the year. It was a harsh reality but it is something I need to get used to.” Getting a ride at the Unlimited level has always been one of the hardest chores in professional sports. Dave Villwock, who sits atop the all-time wins list with 62, didn’t get a shot at an Unlimited ride until he was 37 years old. But Mallory also believes that being a woman has made it more difficult for her to break through. “I think (being a woman) has a lot to do with it,” Mallory said. “There is another girl who is getting her chance and I wish her luck. But I didn’t do this last year to prove that any woman could do it, I did it to prove that I could do it. It’s going to be very difficult for her and if something happens, she’s going to hear a lot about it. I hope she’s ready for it.” About the same time that Mallory saw a potential ride slip-
Bianca Bononcini (above) and Kayleigh Perkins Mallory (right) ping away, Bononcini was being informed that her dream was about to come true. While not as experienced as Mallory, Bononcini, 25, has had her share of success at the 1-Litre level over the past three years. The daughter of veteran driver Phil Bononcini — ironically, one of the drivers Mallory is trying to catch on the ULHRA all-time list — Bianca has been around the sport her entire life. “I’m so excited. I just feel so fortunate to have the chance,” Bononcini said. “Growing up in a family of racers, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I feel so blessed that they are giving me this chance.” Bononcini’s chance comes as part of the Precision Performance Engineering Race Team’s Driver Development Program. She will be paired with veteran driver Mark Evans who will show her the ends and outs of Unlimited hydroplane racing and serve as her mentor. “He has seen everything, done everything. I just love him. I’m fascinated by him,” Bononcini said of Evans. “He’s always talking and has these great stories. Following my dad around to races I had seen a lot but I had no idea about all of the behind the scene stories. He’s just a class act. He’s a great guy.” Like Mallory, Bononcini believes that the fact that she is a woman has overshadowed her accomplishments on the race course. “I’ve heard a lot from critics about how I’ve only raced in 1-Litres and blah, blah, blah,” Bononcini said. “But two of the guys currently racing came straight from the outboards and a lot of Unlimited drivers had only raced in the flat-bottoms. “At the end of the day, racing is racing whether you’re a boy or a girl. Turn left, then go straight.” Bononcini said that her father was not initially happy when he found out she wanted to continue the family business, but he has since turned into her biggest fan. “I’ve always idolized my dad. He wasn’t thrilled when I started racing. I mean, I’m his little girl,” she said. “But after I got started, he’s been very supportive. He took me out into the
driveway and set up cones and made me walk around them, timing myself to the next cone. It’s the way he learned when he was getting started.” Bononcini will be in Madison with the U-57 team next weekend and owner Ted Porter has already said he is hoping to give her some seat time on Madison’s suddenly small mile and two-thirds course. “One of our goals is to get Bianca out there,” Porter said. “That small course should be perfect for her. It’s more of what she’s used to.” Mallory, on the other hand, will be skipping Madison as well as all other Unlimited races. With no ride imminent, she prefers to concentrate on her smaller boats. “I’m very frustrated. I thought that I had proven myself. This sport is extremely frustrating but it is also very rewarding,” Mallory said. “This may not be what I want right now, but I’m having a blast this year. I have my Unlimited Light and my 1Litre and we have a great team and I’m concentrating on that.” However, Mallory was also quick to note that she doesn’t plan on being away from Madison long. “I plan on racing in Madison someday, you can count on that,” she said. “Everything happens for a reason but I promise you, I’ll be there.”