Valleyfield
is one of the premier hydroplane venues in
North America
, and Frank learned the sport from one of the best
pilots around, Jules Leboeuf. He started crewing for Jules when he was
only 13 years old, and over the next few years rose to the ranks to become,
at age 16, Jules’ Crew Chief. Frank also crewed for Jules’ son, and it
was he that gave Frank his first opportunity to pilot. After that, Frank
was hooked. “I knew I had to have my own boat,” he says. “A few days
later, on a return trip from
Montreal
, I spotted one, parked in some guy’s driveway. Two
days later I first saw it, I bought it. I didn’t own a car, and I
didn’t even have a driver’s license.”
Frank
works for the Bank of Canada as a security officer and has a second job as
a firefighter with the Prescott-Russell fire station. He’s been a
firefighter for several years, first in
Valleyfield
and now closer to his home in
Limoges
, just outside of
Ottawa
. Frank has been a consistent winner in his class. He
won the
New Jersey
Grand Prix two years in a row, in 1998 and 1999, and
he has placed in the top 10 in every race that he has competed in since
his first race 22 years ago. Frank is all about going fast, adrenaline and
competition. He travels with a crew of eight, including his girlfriend
Joanne. How she feel about his racing? “She’s scared.” How about him?
Does he feel the fear? I asked him. His response was to laugh…. Frank is
fearless!
Ville-Marie 1994
Interceptor CS-300 |
Ville-Marie 1996
Sans Façon CE-400
The first 5 litre Claude Bergeron Built |
Ville-Marie 1997
CE-447 |
Taschereau 1998
CE-28 Illegal |
2007
CE-5 Team Canadian Tire |
Venise-en-Quebec 2007
CE-5 Team Canadian Tire |
Team
name & Number: Team
Canadian Tire CE-5
Q. How do
you feel about next season?
Very enthusiastic! The first year was to get everything together since the
purchase, and last year was to fix the pealing bottom and a paint job, so
for this year, almost everything has been done, with a fresh engine
being done over the winter, we will be ready to attack.
Q.
. So far in your career, what is your proudest moment in hydroplane Racing?
When
I won the New-Jersey State Championships in two different classes (in the
jersey-speed skiff “Blue by You” with Ed Kersey) and 1st Canadian ever
to win,
and my 5L “Sans-Facon” in 1998.
Q. What do you expect of your team for the 2008 season?
We
are looking for consistency.
Q. Do you have any plans (this winter and spring) to improve performance?
A new engine.
Q. What is the strength of your team? (i.e. driver, hull, sponsor engine,
crew
etc.)
The crew behind it!
Q.
Who do you think will be your biggest threat and why?
To win at least one race with it side by side!
Q.
Besides
Valleyfield
, where is your favourite
place to race?
Every where there’s water.
By Paul Davidson
