We're pretty much just ordinary folks. You too could be doing this!
So here is a little bit about each of us, in sequence from the oldest to the youngest since the web master is the old fart and I want to go first. If you take this stuff too seriously, you do so at your own risk. We try to have fun and not act like a bunch of pompous asses just because we show up with a race boat.
Walter R. Gulley III
Throttle Man and Chief Financial Officer
(that just means I pay the racing bills)
I came to offshore power boat racing kind of bass-ackwards. It's not too unusual to see some young fellow in the pits with a graphic on his boat that says something like "Sponsored by Mom & Dad!". I always found this kind of amusing, and met some nice people along the way when I asked about it. My son, Walt the 4th, is working on a Bachelor of Nursing degree at Eastern Michigan University. To support himself he also wrenches on boats and MerCruisers at Wilson Marine in Brighton, Michigan (Nice bunch of folks-tell Ron Wilson Walt Gulley sent you when you stop by). One day at a winter boat show he helped set up, son Walter got to talking with a performance boat dealer about how much he had always dreamed about having a real race boat instead of one that just went fast. A couple of days later he comes home and says, "Dad, I just bought a race boat. Now I'm out of money. You gotta help me race it!" Thus I became the throttle man for Hyperactive Racing. Things have been financially down hill ever since, but we have fun.
I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world.
And just to prove the old throttle man CAN drive a boat, here I am driving our little jet boat down a twisting bayou not much wider than the boat. This was taken during the summer of 1999 north of Pascagoula, Mississippi, where I grew up. Who knows, some day my son might even let me drive the race boat...
Vicki Hanson Gulley
Team Mom
(that just means she indulges us our little madness)
The team mom... Now, that's a special title! She is the one person who keeps us all going, whether at a race site or back at home waiting for us to return and regroup. (even after we do things like destroy the boat in a spectacular crash) To give you an idea of how well she treats us, let me tell you a little story.
During the winter after our first season the Throttle Man was all in a funk about how much this cost and how much we were gone on race weekends. Hoping she would pick up on my negative state of mind and question my sanity, I asked her if she thought we really should continue doing this next season. I really thought she would suggest something along the lines of "well...maybe not." Fat chance. She said, "Yea, go do it. You're turning into an old poop just sitting around here."
Now, I ask you, how many husbands would give their eye teeth to have a wife like that? I am truly blessed, and I know it. I love you Vicki.
Michelle Wheeler Gulley
Team Owner
(that just means she went along with son Walter buying the boat)
I am the only member of the Hyperactive Racing team who voluntered to be a Gulley.
{ Well, recently anyway. Vicki did too, but that was 30 years ago. web master }
I officially joined the clan on June 20, 1999. Walter the 4th and I got married, on a big boat of course. Nothing else would do. Three weeks later our race boat was beaten to bits by a wave. If we can make it through that, we can make it through anything. We are very appreciative that Advantage is taking care of us, and are looking forward to racing again next season.
I am a special education teacher in Fenton, Michigan. The team name "Hyperactive" was my brainstorm, and the family loved it. I have been on boats nearly all my life just like the Gulleys, but in a different capacity. I am a waterskiier. My family has always owned ski boats, and have been members of the Whitmore Lake Waterski Club since 1985, where we put on water ski shows. I have done ballet, swivel, doubles, pyramids, and even dabbled in barefooting. I always loved to be on the water. Thus, soon after I met Walter the 4th, it's not surprising that we bought an 18-foot checkmate and we spent a lot of time on Lake St. Clair. I always knew he wanted to race, so three boats later when the opportunity presented itself for us to buy a race boat, we jumped at it. We thought we could race together. However, the problem was once we bought the boat, we didn't have any money left to actually finance the racing. Walter called his father and asked him if he were interested, and of course he was. The deal was made. So now I am spending less time waterskiing on the water and more time flying over the water. I like the trade off.
Walter R. Gulley IV
Driver
(that just means he makes the boat payments so he gets first choice)
I have been around boats since the age of five. When I was little Dad took my picture at the helm of our old 38' 1965 Chris Craft Constellation. The spotlight was bigger than my head, but I was driving it! This is what it looked like from where I was driving. My need for speed on the water was a more recent occurence. In the last 5 years I have become fascinated by my mechanical ability to add simple things to a big block chevy engine and see them produce a variety of results. Just bolting on different exhaust manifolds or set the timing at slight advance or even just putting on a distributor and racing size(8.8mm) plug wires with a 65,000 volt coil. After all of these things were in my boat there was always a new style and brand of prop to try. After a while I started to think, wow!-racing would be fun to do, and that the thrill of competition can bring out the best you can be. I guess the fact I used to watch Miami Vice every weekend when I grew up during the mid to late eighties and loved the boat scenes is a big influence. Also, Don Johnson and Chuck Norris both got into Offshore Racing during the late eighties. Don raced and owned Team Revlon and Chuck drove the famous Popeye's race boat for owner Al Copeland. Watching them at the offshore races on ESPN was a thrill that made my scalp tingle with adrenaline because they were always right down to the finish line before the winner was known. Since that time in my early adulthood the excitement levels for me have always been high and many a time I told myself someday I would love to do that. That someday has now become reality thanks to Advantage Boats, Mercury/Mercruiser Racing, Imco Marine and of course the support of all the members of my family. I pay the boat and insurance and dad covers the race fees and costs (I got the better end of that deal I think).
{ He did! web master }
Tanya Gulley
Crew Chief
(that just means she gets to do the heavy lifting since she is into body building)
As the youngest member of this boat-nut family I seem to have the best part in all of this. I'm just along for the ride! I, too, have been around boats since I can remember. I remember being able to spend the weekend on them with the rest of the family. We had a 38' 1965 mahogany Chris-Craft Constellation that was truly elegant. It felt like home. My biggest job in this whole racing adventure was to help get the new race boat ready for her first race! That was a blast. Dad and I spent an entire Friday (I took it off of work just for that purpose too) putting the numbers on it along with various other decals and electronics. We made sure we had the proper equipment and all that jazz. When Walt the 4th came home for lunch he snapped a picture of dad and me up on the boat getting ready for our first race. I think that's my favorite picture. The best thing about this boat racing thing is that we can do it as a family.
My other passion in life is body building. I've been at it (thanks to Walt the 4th) for almost five years. Back when I first started I never dreamed I would decide to make a career at it. That's right, I left my cushy job with an attorney's office, became a personal trainer and started my own business. I named it Fitness Profiles. Since I can set my own hours, I can still leave myself time for racing. I guess once you get bit by the bug, it stays with you. I just wonder if it'll ever fade.