Jean Theoret had problems all weekend, getting penalties in two out of the three heats he raced and flirted with not even making the finals. The only way to make it into the finals was to win the final heat - something Theoret hadn't done all season. But, he went out and got it done, winning Heat 4-B to get a front row position in the Gold Cup finals.
In the final, he grabbed lane one early and ran in front the entire race, barely missing a buoy in the final lap, before getting the checkered flag. Theoret ran 120 miles per hour faster than the winner in the first Gold Cup in 1904.
"It's a miracle we made it in the finals," said Theoret on the victory stand. The Gold Cup winner gave thanks to his crew. "They gave me a helluva boat."
"Man, did he win this final," U-6 driver Steve David said about Theoret. The U-6 had its own troubles in the final. "Cracked a prop right at the start," said David.
"What a fight out there," said Nate Brown, driver of the backup U-1 boat. "(Theoret) is a great Gold Cup champion," said U-2.25 drive Ken Muscatel. "It's really, really rough... he ran a great race."
More comments and details on the final
GOLD CUP FINALS - Results
1. U-37 Jean Theoret
2. U-3 Jimmy King
3. U-6 Steve David
4. U-1 Nate Brown
5. U-2.25 Ken Muscatel
6. U-7 Mike Allen
Sunday Heats
Heat 3-A
1. U-7 Mike Allen
2. U-3 Jimmy King
3. U-37 Jean Theoret (one lap penalty)
DNF U-10 J.W. Myers
DNF U-100 Greg Hopp
Heat 3-B
1. U-6 Steve David
2. U-1 Nate Brown
3. U-2.25 Ken Muscatel
4. U-21 Kevin Aylesworth
5. U-5 Mike Weber (one lap penalty - jumped gun)
Heat 4-A
1. U-6 Steve David
2. U-1 Nate Brown
3. U-2.25 Ken Muscatel
4. U-21 Kevin Aylesworth
5. U-5 Mike Weber
Heat 4-B
1. U-37 Jean Theoret
2. U-3 Jimmy King
3. U-7 Mike Allen
DNS U-100 Greg Hopp
Unlimited Lights
Not a great weekend for Greg Hopp and the U-100 in the Unlimited Class, but a better weekend for the same Greg Hopp in Unlimited Lights, winning the Silver Cup for the third year in a row at Detroit. "We've had a wonderful time, " sad Hopp. "We're so proud."
Saturday Heats
The U-13 failed the tech inspection Saturday morning. It's reportedly 700 pounds too light for the Unlimited class.
Ken Muscatel and David Williams teamed up, each driving a heat, to take first place in the point totals after the first day. When told by reporters that he was the Saturday points leader, Muscatel seemed surprised. "We are?" he asked. Muscatel said, "we got some breaks and some luck. Here we are. There's a long way to go..."
Mike Weber and the U-5 ended Saturday is in second place after the first day of racing, but woke up to find that he'd been assessed a penalty for hitting a buoy, dropping his point total. "It's a perfect way to start the weekend. We qualified pretty well. It's a long weekend and the river is a tough place to race. You really have to stay out of trouble," said Weber prior to learning of the penalty.
Heat 1-A
1. U-2.25 Ken Muscatel
2. U-21 Kevin Aylesworth
DNF U-3 Jimmy King
DNS U-10 J.W. Myers
DNS U-100 Greg Hopp
Heat 1-B
1. U-5 Mike Weber
2. U-7 Mike Allen
3. U-6 Steve David
4. U-1 Nate Brown
5. U-37 Jean Theoret (one lap penalty - hit a buoy)
Heat 2-A
1. U-10 J.W. Myers
2. U-2.25 David Williams
3. U-21 Kevin Aylesworth
4. U-37 Jean Theoret (one lap penalty - jumped the gun)
5. U-5 Mike Weber (1 min. penalty - hit buoy)
Heat 2-B
1. U-3 Jimmy King
2. U-7 Mike Allen
3. U-100 Greg Hopp
4. U-6 Steve David
5. U-1 Nate Brown
LINK: U-2.25 is Point Leader after Saturday
POINT TOTALS
Updated Sun. 2:00pm PCT
POINTS BOAT
1479 U-6
1401 U-37
1400 U-3
1390 U-7
1307 U-2.25
1065 U-1
893 U-21
831 U-5
440 U-10
255 U-100
Friday
Nine boats qualified on Friday. Jimmy King and the U-3 led the pack with the top speed on Friday. More qualifying takes place Saturday morning.
| BOAT
U- 3 Miss Chrysler Jeep | DRIVER
Jimmy King | SPEED
159.332 |
| U- 37 Miss Seattle | Jean Theoret | 156.695 |
| U- 5 FormulaBoats.com | Mike Weber | 153.634 |
| U- 7 FormulaBoats.com II | Mike Allen | 153.128 |
| U- 6 Oh Boy! Oberto | Steve David | 152.223 |
| U- 10 Miss Emcor | JW Myers | 150.476 |
| U- 2 Michigan Mortgage Consultants | Ken Muscatel | 141.462 |
| U- 21 Miss Simpatico | Kevin Aylesworth | 139.671 |
| U- 100 Little Will | Greg Hopp | 134.298 |
It's been a strange season so far. U-1 Miss Elam and Dave Villwock have dominated every race they've won - but they won't be there. Five different drivers have won the last five years at Detroit:
| 2001 | Mike Hansen | U-9 |
| 2002 | Dave Villwock | U-1 |
| 2003 | Mitch Evans | U-3 |
| 2004 | Nate Brown | U-10 |
| 2005 | Terry Troxell | U-13 |
11 boats are scheduled to be on the river, including the back-up hull from the U-1 Elam due to Dave Villwock's number one boat losing a skid fin and tearing up the bottom when it went into the rock bed at Valleyfield. Villwock will sit out the Detroit Race, which he's won five times in the past. Nate Brown will pilot the back-up boat.
The Gold Cup's reportedly the oldest trophy in all of motor sports. It originated on New York's Hudson River in 1904 before moving to Detroit in 1916. Celebrating the rich history of the event will be none other than legend Chip Hanauer taking to the water for a re-enactment of the 1982 Gold Cup when Miss Budweiser taking on the Atlas Van Lines. Hanauer will be driving a restored Atlas Van Lines. David Williams will pilot the restored 1980 Atlas Van Lines.
