
When you feel the thunderous, automotive-powered hydroplanes of Grand Prix West take to the Bill Muncey Memorial Racecourse on Mission Bay during San Diego Bayfair, September 17-19, they'll be providing the Thunder, enhancing the already amazing H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (August 31, 2010) – H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes will return to San Diego's Bayfair on Mission Bay September 17 – 19 for the Air Guard Championship presented by Degree Men. In announcing
Unlimited hydroplane racing will return to San Diego's Mission Bay this September if a pending sponsorship with the National Guard is secured in the next few days.
Steve David in the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto and arch rival Dave Villwock in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar battled each other in the final heat of the 2010 Albert Lee Cup at Seafair with David using the inside advantage to take the win. As a result, David and the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto team will go to the final event of the year on Doha Bay in Qatar in November with a 506 point lead.
It was the battle Unlimited Hydroplane racing fans had been waiting for all season: Steve David in the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto in lane one with Dave Villwock in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar in lane two in the finals. David grabbed the lead in the first turn, but Villwock pushed him the whole way, catching up several times. David won the sprint to the finish on the final lap for the win in Seattle.
UPDATED
A week before her wedding, Kayleigh Perkins wins her second straight Unlimited Lights race in the Tri-Cities.
"It sucks," said Dr. Ken Muscatel, after hooking his boat in the Blue Bridge turn and putting his boat out of commission for the weekend, if not the rest of the year. "A wreck in the first heat sucks even more," said Muscatel. "Probably the end of the season."
The U-5 threw a prop in the first heat, blowing a hole through the boat. In the second heat, the U-25 rolled.
Saturday Heat Winners:
1A: U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto / Steve David
1B: U-96 Spirit of Qatar / Dave Villwock
A hot, hot weekend in Tri-Cities, Washington. 101 degrees hot along the Columbia River.
Sunday Heat Winners:
2A U21 Brian Perkins
2B U96 Dave Villwock
3A U1 Steve David
3B U96 Dave Villwock
Courtesy U-37.com. Go to U-37.com for the full sequence.
Watch video from the camera mounted on-board the U-37 Peters & May unlimited hydroplane as the skid fin breaks, sending driver JW Myers into a wall in Detroit at 100 mph.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (August 2, 2010) - As Dave Villwock in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar approached the checkered flag in the final heat of the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup, officials were announcing a one lap
SEATTLE (July 30, 2010) — The "Will she, won't she" debate is over – Kayleigh Perkins is scheduled to test an unlimited hydroplane at Seattle's Albert Lee Cup Saturday August 7. Perkins will be allowed
After Friday & Saturday qualifying, U-96 Spirit of Qatar/Dave Villwock and U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto/Steve David top the qualifying ladder.
INSIDE: Watch video of the Dash-for-Cash won by U-1 Steve David >>
Steve David and the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto have won the last two races in the Tri-Cities. "I don't think there have been many repeat winners at the Columbia Cup," said David. "We'll be going for a three-peat which would really be something special."
N. Mark Evans will drive the Formulaboats.com U-57 this weekend for the Porter family. Jimmy Shane had driven the boat earlier in the season. Jim Harvey will serve as crew chief, and the GP-12 crew from the Grand Prix boat Evans has been racing this season will provide support. Evans, a Chelan, Wash. native, will be in the pits on Thursday.
The U-37 Miss Peters and May Race team is proud to announce Jon Zimmerman will be filling in for JW Myers for the remainder of the 2010 season.
As the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane fleet heads to the Pacific Northwest for the third event of the 2010 racing season, the race for the season high point championship is tight enough that the event winner will probably come away with the points lead as well.
A wild final and a controversial call in the final turn of the final lap. It took away an apparent victory by Dave Villwock and the U-96 Spirit of Qatar. Instead, Steve David and the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto team won for the third straight years on the Columbia River.
UPDATED: Explanation of call by Official Mike Noonan, Reaction from Steve and Dave
U-37 Driver J.W. Myers crashed at the Gold Cup in Detroit, hitting the wall at speeds approaching 100 MPH. Luckily, he was left with just a broken foot.
VIDEO INSIDE: Myers talks about the moments leading up to the accident
It was the eighth Gold Cup championship for Villwock, tying him for second place with legendary Bill Muncey and three behind the all-time leader Chip Hanauer and it was his 60th career win as unlimited driver-one behind Hanauer and two behind Muncey for the all-time record.
INSIDE: Career win list
Some witnesses on the shore called Myers a hero for his actions. You won't get an argument from the race teams or the other drivers.
Dave Villwock in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar won his 8th Gold Cup and 60th career victory in the winner-take-all finals. It was a perfect weekend for Erik Ellstrom's unlimited hydroplane racing team, winning all four heats and the finals.
Dave Villwock in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar made it four first place finishes in four heat races on Sunday.
Heat Winners
3A U96 Dave Villwock
3B U1 Steve David
4A U7 J. Michael Kelly
4B U96 Dave Villwock
Saturday Heat Winners
1A U100 Greg Hopp
1B U96 Dave Villwock
1C U1 Steve David
2A U96 Dave Villwock
2B U17 Nate Brown
It appeared the skid fin let go on the U-37 unlimited hydroplane during heat racing in Detroit Saturday. Driver JW Myers managed to keep the boat away from the main pit area, but slammed into the Roostertail turn wall, sending pieces of the boat flying into the air.
INSIDE: Photos from Chris Denslow, Jim Simpson![]()
A fast field took to the water in Detroit for the 2010 Gold Cup.
Saturday Heat Winners
1A U100 Greg Hopp
1B U96 Dave Villwock
1C U1 Steve David
Talk about a fast field! 10 boats have qualified at 150 mph+! U-96 Spirit of Qatar leads Friday qualifying at the Gold Cup in Detroit, with U-1 second and, surprisingly, U-100 third.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (July 6, 2010) – U-21 Miss Albert Lee driver Brian Perkins has been selected as the recipient of the series' first "Light It Up" award presented by Streamlight. The award recognizes
The field of 11 Unlimited Hydroplanes expected to compete on the Detroit River will be one of the biggest and fastest in the history of the event.
Race fans around the world follow Unlimited hydroplane racing and the U-96 Spirit of Qatar.
The Meyers' Auto Tech S-81 Hydro has written it's named in the record books.
Scott Meyers and his team set the 2.5 Stock record last Sunday with an average speed of over 86mph.
Jeff Bernard in the U-5 FormulaBoats.com goes up and over in the Oryx Cup finals in Qatar.
Rusty Bladen's song "Ride That River" was featured during the 2007 hydroplane racing on the Columbia River.