Video is a joint project of ABRA, KNDU-TV and HydroInsider.com
Dave Villwock in the U-1 Ellstrom presents Amos W. Hoss wins Heat 1B at Seafair.
NOTE: No audio play-by-play on this clip... not sure why.
The U-3 blew its last engine in Seattle. Jimmy King, standing on top of the U-3 after it went dead in the far turn, can only watch the rest of the Heat.
PHOTO: Craig Barney, Unlimiteds.net
View all of Craig's Seattle photos at Unlimiteds.net >>
Video is a joint project of ABRA, KNDU-TV and HydroInsider.com
Steve David in the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto / Miss Madison win Heat 1A.
Here are the heat draws for 2A and 2B, which will be run at 10:40 and 10:55 p.m. (PDT) Sunday.
Heat 2A presented by 76 Quality PROclean gasoline
U-25 Miss Procraft Windows, Dr. Ken Muscatel
U-5 FormulaBoats.com, Jeff Bernard
U-50 Miss Albert Lee presents Spirit of the Navy, Brian Perkins
U-100 MirageBoats.com, Greg Hopp
U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto, Steve David
U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors, David Bryant
Heat 2B presented by Tide
U-48 Albert Lee presents Lakeridge Paving, David Williams
U-7 FormulaBoats.com, Jimmy Shane
U-1 Ellstrom presents Amos W. Hoss, Dave Villwock
U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing, Jean Theoret
U-13 Graham Trucking Spirit of Detroit, J. Michael Kelly
U-17 Our Gang Racing Team, Kip Brown
Since there's nothing more regarding the unlimiteds on today's schedule, we're going to call it a day from the pits. We'll be back in the pits tomorrow by about 8 a.m.
The schedule for Sunday (all times PDT) is as follows:
8:30-9:30 a.m. - Unlimited hydroplane testing
10:40 a.m. - Unlimited hydroplane heat 2A presented by 76 Quality PROclean gasoline (U-25 Miss Procraft Windows; U-5 FormulaBoats.com; U-50 Miss Albert Lee presents Spirit of the Navy; U-100 MirageBoats.com; U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto; U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors)
10:55 a.m. - Unlimited hydroplane heat 2B presented by Tide (U-48 Albert Lee presents Lakeridge Paving; U-7 FormulaBoats.com; U-1 Ellstrom presents Amos W. Hoss; U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing; U-13 Graham Trucking Spirit of Detroit; U-17 Our Gang Racing Team.
12:15 p.m. - Unlimited hydroplane heat 3A
12:35 p.m. - Unlimited hydroplane heat 3B
2:30 p.m. - Unlimited hydroplane provisional final
4:45 p.m. - Unlimited hydroplane Chevrolet Cup final
The Our Gang Racing Team viewing perch.
While the unlimited lights were running, the U-10 team was doing a little community relations work on their own boat.
John Williams of the U-25 Miss Procraft Windows team works on installing new bras to the bowblocks of the boat.
The U-787 Boeing presents Salute to Seafair.
Mike Allen helping out with the backup U-7.Understandibly, the U-3 Hoss Mortgage Investors Too team is disappointed in the fact that all three motors have blown, and they're back to the drawing board once the boat returns to Indiana.
(We also did an interview with J. Michael Kelly, but the video equipment had some technical difficulties, so we lost the interview. We'll try again tomorrow).
2008 Chevrolet Cup at Seafair -- Miss Beacon Plumbing the boat to beat? >>
SEATTLEPI.COM
Great photos and article...
"We broke a bottom end of the engine yesterday, and broke two today," U-3 owner Ed Cooper told Brad Luce on KPTK radio after the boat went dead in Heat 1A at Seafair. "It's been a run of bad luck. I hate saying that, but I don't know what else to call it," he said.
Cooper said that in qualifying the boat was on its way to its fastest lap ever in Seattle when they lost the engine on Friday.
Probably the best race of the day came down to a two-boat dual between Jean Theoret in the U-37 and David Bryant in the U-10.
Theoret started in lane 1, with Bryant just to his outside. Through the first two laps, Bryant stayed right with the Miss Beacon Plumbing despite the shorter course that the U-37 had. Theoret pulled away at the end of the front straightway at the beginning of lap number three, and was able to put Bryant on his hip and push him to the outside just enough to gain nearly a full-roostertail advantage out of the turn, and use that to gain a heat victory in 1C.
For the first lap, there was also a race for third and fourth, while Jimmy Shane and David Williams went deck-to-deck before Shane was able to pull away and easily take third place.
1. U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing, Jean Theoret
2. U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors, David Bryant
3. U-7 FormulaBoats.com, Jimmy Shane
4. U-48 Albert Lee presents Lakeridge Paving, David Williams
Five to the five for heat 1C, which will start at 3:25 p.m. (PDT)
Not really much of a surprise in the winner of this heat, as the U-1 Ellstrom presents Amos W. Hoss ran away from the rest of the fleet.
But the start was great. Greg Hopp had lane 1 with the U-100 MirageBoats.com, Dave Villwock in lane 2 and Ken Muscatel in lane 3 driving the Miss Procraft Windows. Brian Perkins was a little bit back in the U-50 Miss Albert Lee presents Spirit of the Navy.
Hopp led the fleet through the first turn on lap one with Muscatel in second place. Villwock, though, didn't take long to bolt into first place, jumping out of the tunnel at the exit pin. After that the best racing came as Perkins picked off Muscatel to move into third place, then pursued Hopp for two laps. At the finish, Hopp held off Perkins by a couple of boat lengths to take second.
1. U-1 Ellstrom presents Amos W. Hoss, Dave Villwock
2. U-100 MirageBoats.com, Greg Hopp
3. U-50 Miss Albert Lee presents Spirit of the Navy, Brian Perkins
4. U-25 Miss Procraft Windows, Dr. Ken Muscatel
(results are unofficial until ABRA verifies them)
Great first lap to this heat, but it quickly turned into a parade with Steve David as the grand marshall.
Jeff Bernard led the fleet across the start finish line in lane two and tried to hold David to the buoys, but the Oberto had too much speed in the back chute, and pulled away just before reaching the north turn.
Once David got his commanding lead, Bernard settled back in to second place to save equipment, as did J. Michael Kelly in the U-13.
We lost the U-3 Hoss Mortgage Investors Too in the north turn just at the end of the first lap. Might be the end of their weekend as the boat flashed a yellow light and went dead in the water. It was the last engine that was available to the team.
Final results (unofficial)
1. U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto, Steve David
2. U-5 FormulaBoats.com, Jeff Bernard
3. U13 Graham Trucking, J. Michael Kelly
4. U-17 Our Gang Racing Team, Kip Brown
DNF U-3 Hoss Mortgage Investors Too, Jimmy King
Well...as soon as we posted that we were at five to the five, the ABRA decides to go on a five minute hold for the start of Heat 1A, due to a delay of a crane operator getting to the U-3 and U-5 in time to get both boats in the water.
We're currently holding to go to the official five-to-the five in about one more minute.
Here are the heat draws for this afternoon's round of unlimited racing on Lake Washington.
Heat 1A
U-17 Our Gang Racing Team, Kip Brown
U-13 Graham Trucking, J. Michael Kelly
U-3 Hoss Mortgage Investors Too, Jimmy King
U-5 FormulaBoats.com, Jeff Bernard
U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison, Steve David
Heat 1B
U-100 MirageBoats.com, Greg Hopp
U-1 Ellstrom presents Amos W. Hoss, Dave Villwock
U-25 Miss Procraft Windows, Dr. Ken Muscatel
U-50 Miss Albert Lee presents Spirit of the Navy, Brian Perkins
Heat 1C
U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing, Jean Theoret
U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors, David Bryant
U-48 Albert Lee presents Lakeridge Paving, David Williams
U-U-7 FormulaBoats.com, Jimmy Shane
Nearly everyone in the pits is taking a good lunch break today, with a few exceptions. Here's an update at the midway-point of Saturday's action.
U-1 - The Ellstrom presents Amos W. Hoss boat appears to be ready for this afternoon's heats. There's a decent crowd of fans around the Ellstrom pits checking out the U-1 merchandise that's offered for sale.
U-3 - The last motor available to the team is now in the boat. Crew member John Walcker said the waste gate stuck open the last time the boat was out running, and the boost was stuck at 80. Walcker said there was a lot of horsepower for awhile, and the engine blew. The team did put the last available turbo Allison into the boat, and is asking that fans simply root for them to be able to start and finish heats without destroying any more motors.
U-5 - There's not a sole around the U-5 FormulaBoats.com in its pit area right now. Occasionally, we'll see some fans invited up on deck to sit in the cockpit, or have a picture taken. But all-in-all, it looks like the team is set for the heat racing later today.
U-6 - Calm is also the order in the Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison pits, as the team and its supporters have a chance to take in the air show.
U-7 - The second FormulaBoats.com entry is one of the active hotspots in the pits, where the crew continues to try and find more speed for Jimmy Shane. Both Mike Allen -- two broken ribs and all -- and Jim Harvey are helping out.
U-10 - The cowling is on the U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors hull, and things seem to be pretty quiet in their pits. Looks like there may be a little bit of adjustment type work going on in the cockpit.
U-13 - There is a little bit of activity in the U-13 Graham Trucking presents Spirit of Detroit pit, as the team is working on fine-tuning. They're down to one engine and one prop for the rest of the weekend. Other teams have offered props, if the U-13 needs one. The team, of course, is hoping they won't need one.
U-17 - Over at the Our Gang Racing Team pit area, the team appears to be making adjustments to the motor, likely trying to find a little more speed for Kip Brown as the boat moves into competitive heats this afternoon.
U-25 - The Miss Procraft Windows team his working hard to get Dr. Ken Muscatel a better ride. Dr. Ken is quoted on the ABRA website as saying, "The boat is running too light. It gets aired out when I'm only one-fourth of the way down the chute. I'm losing at least ten miles per hour because I can't keep my foot in it. The ride is good, but it's just too light. We've tried changing the wing, we've added weight to the front, and I'm using the canard as much as I can, but nothing seems to help."
As a result, the team is currently making changes to the adjustable surfaces of the boat. They've already made a rather significant changes to the canard to give Muscatel more downforce with the canard. The team has also added weight to the right front of the boat by installing sandbags. Lastly, the team is changing the "bras" on the bow blocks of the boat to try and pack less air under the hull.
U-37 - Judging by the lack of serious activity in the Miss Beacon Plumbing pits and the successful qualifying speeds earlier today, this team seems ready for this afternoon's heat racing.
U-48 - The Albert Lee presents Lakeridge Paving was unable to make it back to the pits under its own power when out for its last test session of the morning. The problem? The boat ran out of fuel. "We're doing our part to conserve fuel," said crew member Patrick Gleason. In all seriousness, Gleason said, the team decided it didn't need to run a full 60 gallons aboard the boat, with the design of controlling the weight of the boat.
"We're really pleased though," Gleason added, "we're within just a little bit of the other boat (the U-50 Miss Albert Lee), and we feel good about that."
U-50 - Quiet in the pits as the team just makes sure they're ready for the first heats of the day.
U-100 - There was virtually no one in the U-100 pits when we made our pass through, looking for stories to report, so all must be good with them...and they must be ready to race.
U-787 - Not sure if we're through seeing the U-787 Boeing presents Salute to Seafair on the water for today or not, but it did qualify for the race at over 147 mph, making the Boeing executives on site very happy.
Heat draws for 1A, 1B, and 1C have not been announced as of yet. We'll post them as soon as we find out what they are.
KPTK Radio in Seattle is streaming right now and will be on the air for the rest of Saturday's action.
Listen >>
U-1 Ellstrom Elam Plus presents Amos W. Hoss
Dave Villwock
155.857
U-5 FormulaBoats.com
Jeff Bernard
154.615
U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto
Steve David
152.94
U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors
David Bryant
152.807
U-37 Beacon Plumbing
Jean Theoret
152.419
U-13 Graham Trucking
J. Michael Kelly
148.545
U-787 Boeing
Chip Hanauer
147.631
U-3 Hoss Mortgage Investors Too
Jimmy King
147.299
U-17 Our Gang Racing
Kip Brown
144.224
U-50 Miss Albert Lee
Brian Perkins
141.975
U-48 Albert Lee presents Miss Lakeridge Paving
David Williams
140.312
U-100 Mirageboats.com
Greg Hopp
139.524
U-25 Miss Procraft Windows
Ken Muscatel
138.744
U-7 Formulaboats.com
Jimmy Shane
132.43
Well, the Saturday morning session is over, so it's time for us to make a pass through the pits to see what we can find out from various teams and see what they think of their testing and how things went.
We will also check in with the U-48 and U-3 teams to see their status after both were brought back to the pits on tow ropes.
And, of course, it's almost lunch time. We'll get back to you soon.
Jeff Bernard is running the U-5 FormulaBoats.com around the course right now, and has been joined by Jean Theoret in the U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing.
- Both boats ran untimed laps and returned to the pits.
- Black flag is up on the course, which means the Ted Jones Memorial Race Course is now closed for unlimited hydroplanes.
- Qualifying is complete for the Chevrolet Cup at Seafair, and the sun is starting to break through the clouds at noon, as promised by the television weather forecasters this morning.
- The hydroplanes will return to the water this afternoon at 2:45 when heat 1A takes to the water. Heat 1B is scheduled for 3 p.m., and Heat 1C at 3:15 p.m. (All times are Pacific Daylight Time).
Steve David is making a very slow run down the front straightaway, must be simulating a start. He's picked it up on the backstretch.
Lap 1 - Couldn't hear the announcement because of the loud UL trailer firing next to us, but it looked fast.
Lap 2 - 149.346
Lap 3 - 151.489
- Just like yesterday, four Blue Angels officers just arrived in the pits in crimson colored convertible Corvettes, with a police escort.
- Jeff Bernard just left the dock with the U-5.
Brian Perkins just entered the course with the U-50 Miss Albert Lee presents Spirit of the Navy for the second time this morning.
Lap 1 - 141.556
Lap 2 - no speed reported by ABRA
Lap 3 - no speed reported by ABRA
- The U-10 USA Racing Partners are currently doing a little "community relations" work, inviting fans to sit in the cockpit, and close the lid to see what it's like to be David Bryant inside the boat.
- The U-5 FormulaBoats.com is being lowered into the water for another run during this session, which is scheduled to end at noon (PDT).
- We're starting to see some of the unlimited lights heat 1A participants being lowered into the water, which means we're not far from a long break in the unlimited action for today.
- Heat racing for the unlimiteds begins with heat 1A at 2:45 p.m. (PDT).
- Steve David has just left the dock for his last run of this session.
Kip Brown is currently spooling up the U-17 and taking it out to the course for his second run of the morning.
Lap 1 - 142.171
Lap 2 - 117-plus (Kip ran a simulated start and a quick timing run)
Lap 3 - 112.642 (another simulated start and timing run)
- On the deck of the U-3 Hoss Mortgage Investors Too, crew members look to be in pretty good spirits despite the fact that the team is changing an engine for the second time this weekend.
- The Oh Boy! Oberto and the U-37 are also preparing to go out in the last 10 minutes of this session.
JW Meyers is going for a run in Fred Leland's U-100 MirageBoats.com, normally driven by Greg Hopp.
Lap 1 - 132.018
Lap 2 - 133.712
Lap 3 - no lap time reported for the third lap, and J-dub is returning to the pits.
- On the last lap, JW took the long way around the course, running in about lane 3.
- JW Meyers is a former unlimited driver for the U-8 Llumar Window Film, and the Ellstrom Racing Team, and is an accomplished driver in several inboard and outboard classes.
- Over on the east side of the pits, we see the U-50 on its sling, being moved from the trailer into the water.
- On the north point of the Stan Sayres pits, we see the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto being placed into the water.
- The U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing is being lowered into the water.
The bright orange U-1 Ellstrom presents Amos W. Hoss, driven by Dave Villwock, is back on the course.
Lap 1 - 151.777
Lap 2 - 154.281
Lap 3 - 155.857 (fastest lap of the weekend)
- Lap No. 3 was scary for the rest of the field. Villwock drove the Elam 155.857 around the course in lane 5.
- The team tested the U-1 and the U-787 on July 1 here at Stan Sayres pits, and did not go back east for the first three races of the season.
- Dave is running in different lanes this time out, to get a feel for the course, running across his own wake in some cases.
- The boat ride looks much better this time out.
- The U-10 just finished a successful trailer test of their turbine.
While they tow the U-48 Albert Lee presents Lakeridge Paving back to the pits, we can look around and see that:
- The U-3 is currently pulling out the turbocharged Allison
- The U-5 and U-7 guys are working on preparations of their own
- Things are pretty quiet, with the cowling on, at the U-17 pit
- The U-1 has just been lowered back into the water. the U-100 is also currently being taken off the trailer.
- Sounds like there was just a successful trailer fire in the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto Miss Madison pits.
- There's just 35 minutes left in the current test/qualifying session.
- The U-1 just left the dock for another run.
Here are some photos from this morning's session. Thanks to Ryan from ABRA for lending us his card reader so we can post decent photos from our good camera. Thanks to Dawn for the photography.
David Williams is out for a second time today in the Albert Lee presents Lakeridge Paving.
Lap 1 - 135.168
Lap 2 - 140.312 (his fastest lap of the weekend)
Lap 3 - did not complete.
- On the end of the second lap, the bow of the Lakeridge Paving boat got very high in the air, but David was able to bring it back down.
- David's ride ended early, as the boat died coming out of the north turn as it was approaching the finish of the third lap. The cockpit is open and David appears to be OK, but he'll be coming back to the pits at the end of a tow rope.
- David Williams is the executive director of the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum, and is an accomplished author of several hydroplane books, including his latest, "Hydroplane Racing in the Tri-Cities," which was released earlier this summer.
- One of the best quotes of the weekend, so far, has come from Dr. Ken Muscatel of the U-25 Miss Procraft Windows, "Life is made up of big victories and small victories. It's the small victories that matter."
Jean Theoret and the U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing is now on the water.
Lap 1 - 148.668
Lap 2 - missed the speed announcement
Lap 3 - 151.457
- Theoret won the first race of the season, at Evansville, Ind., and had a commanding lead in the Columbia Cup final last week in Tri-Cities, before a broken prop and damage to the right rear of the boat caused him to not finish after three and a half laps.
Greg Hopp has Fred Leland's red, white and blue U-100 MirageBoats.com back on the water for the first time today.
Lap 1 - 136.822
Lap 2 - 139.524
Lap 3 - did not complete the lap and returned to the pits
- Leland Unlimited is again running the U-100 with the snorkel over the cockpit.
- This boat was brand new in 1998, and was driven to a Chevrolet Cup at Seafair championship by N. Mark Evans.
- The U-48 is being lowered back into the water.
- Fred Leland, according to PA Announcer Mark Allen, still has a total of three boats in his "Leland Navy", after having sold two of his boats to the Go Fast, Turn Left Racing Team (those boats are now the U-48 and the U-50).
Jimmy Shane is out in the U-7 right now, for the first time today.
Lap 1 - 130.175
Lap 2 - 132.430
Lap 3 - 131.149
- This is the FormulaBoats.com backup boat, which was readied just in time for last week's Tri-Cities Lamb Weston Columbia Cup, and finished fourth in the final.
- Mike Allen is in the pits this morning, supporting the team and signing autographs.
- The primary U-7 is being repaired here in Seattle, presumably at the Hydroplanes, Inc. boat shop where it was built as the Miss Budweiser T-5 in 1998.
- Looks like the team is still trying to find some more speed from the boat, as Team Manager Mark Hooten stated yesterday. We'll see what we can find out from the team during the airshow.
David Bryant in the U-10 is on the course right now, working on a simulated start timing run.
Lap 1 - 149.284
Lap 2 - 151.841
Lap 3 - 152.451
National high points leader, and defending Chevrolet Cup winner, Steve David is on the course again right now.
Lap 1 - 150.316
Lap 2 - 152.290
Lap 3 - 149.408
Here's the U-13 Graham Trucking presents Spirit of Detroit for the first time this morning.
Lap 1 - 145.834
Lap 2 - 148.056
Lap 3 - 148.545 (his fastest time of the weekend)
- J. Michael Kelly has the boat on the course, and looking like he's feeling everything out at a slow speed, but on plane right now, going down the backstretch. He kicked up his speed in the north turn. Looks like he's simulating a start from lane 4, and he's really on it now as he start the first timed lap.
- The U-13 is still running with the salt-water snorkel on the front of the cowl.
- The Detroit Unlimited Racing Team also owns the former Trendwest boat, last ran as the U-2.25 under the Superior Racing Team banner. They're currently working on the boat back at the shop over this season and next to make as many of the parts as interchangable as possible and have a backup boat and a primary boat.
- U-6 is on the water now.
Kip Brown is out with the U-17 Our Gang Racing Team hull right now.
Lap 1 - 140.586
Lap 2 - 144.224 (his fastest time of the weekend)
Lap 3 - 106-plus on a timing run
- Nate Brown ran the boat a couple of times yesterday morning, but in the afternoon and today, it's been all Kip.
- The team tested the boat on June 7-8 at Tastin' and Racin' on Lake Samammish.
- The U-10 is in the water again, preparing for another run.
- Mike Webster, who is currently building a new unlimited team, the U-22 Webster Racing Team, is here this weekend racing an unlimited light.
The U-50 Miss Albert Lee presents Spirit of the Navy is now on the race course.
Lap 1 - 141.975
Lap 2 - returned to the pits
- Brian Perkins drove the U-21 last season on the western swing, and was named the driver of the U-50 early this year when Greg O'Farrell purchased the U-50.
- Perkins is driving a nice tight line around the course.
- In 1996, the two boats that are currently in the Go Fast Left Turn Racing Team were partner boats (U-99 and U-100) for Fred Leland, and the U-100 won the national championship as the Pico American Dream.
- The current U-100 is being lifted into the water right now.
Jeff Bernard is now on the course.
Lap 1 - 151.585
Lap 2 - 153.987 (his fastest of the weekend)
Lap 3 - 154.615 (his fastest of the weekend)
- With the speeds the team is laying down there's no question today that the U-5 is one of the top three fastest boats in the pits this weekend.
- The U-5 is not running with its snorkel today, and it has helped the speeds go up since it came off yesterday during testing.
Chip Hanauer is now out in the U-787 Boeing presents Spirit of Seafair, making another qualification run. The boat will only do exhibition runs and qualifying runs for Seafair this weekend. They're doing testing for Boeing and for Ellstrom.
Lap 1 - 141.251
Lap 2 - 146.160
Lap 3 - 147.631
- The Boeing boat is running on biofuel, a mixture that includes 80 percent biofuels.
- This boat is the former Elam Plus hydroplane, and the times that Chip Hanauer is recording today are comparable to the speeds the boat used to post in its heyday for the Ellstrom team.
Dr. Ken Muscatel is out with the U-25 Miss Procraft Windows this morning. It's good to see him out in the boat, getting some testing time this weekend. It's the first extensive testing the team has had this season.
Lap 1 - 132.503
Lap 2 - 138.688
Lap 3 - 138.744 (his fastest time of the weekend)
- Dr. Ken Muscatel is known as the "world's fastest forensic psychologist", due to his career away from boat racing. He's a forensic psychologist who has advised legal counsel testified as an forensic expert in more than 500 murder cases.
- Ken Muscatel has raced in 16 Seafair races. He has raced here every year since 1991. Steve David has 18 appearances in the Seafair race.
- Muscatel is a critical player in the rebirth of the San Diego race, having taken over the management of the event. He has attracted supporters such as Boeing for the title sponsorship of the race.
- Jimmy King's U-3 is coming back on a tow rope from the start-finish area.
- The U-787 Boeing presents Spirit of Seafair is out next with Chip Hanauer at the wheel.
Jimmy King has the U-3 Hoss Mortgage Investors Too. is on the course now.
Lap 1 - no time recorded
- This boat holds the record for piston-powered unlimited hydroplanes.
- Jimmy King ran just one lap in the U-3.
- The engine did make some popping sounds in the south turn...and has not returned to the pits yet. We'll see what happens next.
- U-25 Miss Procraft Windows is out next.
David Williams is on the water with the U-48 Albert Lee presents Lakeridge Paving.
Lap 1 - 133.037
Lap 2 - 116.792
Lap 3 - not announced, but Williams was on a timing run
- After a quick shakedown run yesterday afternoon, David Williams never recorded a qualifying speed. He looks more determined to set down a qualifying speed right now.
- The boat is running just a little bit loose on the straightaway this morning.
- Another timing run on the second and third laps for David Williams. Looks like he's working on establishing his marks for starts later today and tomorrow.
- This was a brand new team in 2007, running just the Tri-Cities and Seafair races last year with the U-48. They added the U-50 during the offseason, and have run the full season so far with that boat.
- The U-787 Boeing presents Spirit of Seafair is in the water, now too.
- Over in the U-100 MirageBoats.com pits, they've just completed a trailer fire...looks and sounds like everything is OK.
- U-3 is out next.
David Bryant has the U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors on the course now.
Lap 1 - 152.807
Lap 2 - 148.426
Lap 3 - 152.581
- Dave Bryant seems to have a more smooth boat ride than other boats have this morning. His sponsons don't seem to be walking quite as much as others have on the straightaways.
- The U-17 Our Gang Racing Team boat is now being lifted into the water.
- On the U-7 FormulaBoats.com, the team is rolling up carpets, putting the cowling on and hooking up the slings. Looks like Jimmy Shane will be on the water soon.
Here comes Jean Theoret in the U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing.
Lap 1 - 151.171
Lap 2 - 152.419
Lap 3 - no time announced
- After recording a 152-plus lap, Jean Theoret worked slowly around the course, setting his timing marks for the start on this two-mile course.
- The U-50 Albert Lee Appliances presents Spirit of the Navy is now being lowered into the water.
- Interesting contrast in styles today. The U-13 is still trying the snorkel to see if it helps stabilize the ride on this rough water, but over in the U-5 camp, they've taken the snorkel off because they had the second-fastest time yesterday, while running without the snorkel (after it fell off early in the test run). The snorkel was recovered, but has a place on the T-6's trailer right now.
Dave Villwock has the U-1 Ellstrom presents Amos W. Hoss out on the Ted Jones Memorial race course now.
Lap 1 - 152.581
Lap 2 - 154.119 (fastest lap of the weekend so far)
Lap 3 - 155.249 (fastest lap of the weekend so far)
- Over in the U-13 pits, some due diligence after the course closed last night found no significant damage to either the hull or the motor after the team broke a short shaft and lost a prop yesterday in testing. They trailer fired this morning and everything seemed in order.
- The U-3 and U-10 are now in the water, as is the U-37.
- The U-1 seems to be sponson-walking quite a bit down the straightaways, no doubt a victim of the parallel rollers that are common on the Ted Jones Memorial Race Course.
- The U-5 is on the sling, and will likely go after the two new fast speeds laid down by Dave Villwock during this run.
First unlimited on the water this morning is the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto, driven by Steve David.
Lap 1 - 151.937
Lap 2 - 152.940
Lap 3 - 151.745
- Steve David and the Oberto are leading the ABRA National High Points chase this season.
- David got around the course very quickly in his setup lap before going on the clock. He's holding the boat tight to the buoy line and appears to have as good a boat ride as you can have in Seattle.
- Oberto/Miss Madison has 21 podium finishes in the last 29 races, according to PA announcer Mark Allen.
- Around the pits, there doesn't seem to be any thrashing going on. Everyone seems to have everything ready to go, and most teams have already trailer fired this morning.
Welcome everyone, to the Stan Sayres pits along the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle, Washington.
It's Saturday morning, and we're greeted on the pit tower by lots less wind than yesterday, though there's still a slight breeze...but nothing like yesterday's. The skies are cloudy and there's a slight chance of a sprinkle or two this morning, but the skies are expected to clear up by this afternoon. Pretty typical for race weekend in Seattle.
As the unlimited lights make their way to the water for the first testing session of the day (8:30-9:30), we'll share today's schedule for the unlimiteds, and then go see what we can find out in the pits.
All times are Pacific Daylight Time
9:30 a.m. - Unlimited hydroplane testing
11:15 a.m. - Unlimited hydroplane qualifying
2:45 p.m. - Unlimited hydroplane heat 1A presented by Graham Trucking
3 p.m. - Unlimited hydroplane heat 1B presented by KeyBank
3:15 p.m. - Unlimited hydroplane heat 1C
6 p.m. - Ted Jones Memorial Race Course closes
In terms of hydroplane racing, today's schedule is pretty heavy with the unlimited lights, as they will be running heats 1A, and 1B as well as 2A and 2B today.
As we take a quick glance around the pits, we can see that the U-10 and U-1 are on their slings already. The Elam is being put into the water -- but the course is not open to the unlimiteds until 9:30 a.m., which is still 40 minutes away as we write this.
The U-3 pit is pretty quiet, they're trailer firing a turbine on the U-5, and it looks like the U-7, U-17, and U-787 are all ready to go.
For your reading pleasure..
- Villwock sizzles at Seafair >>
- Propeller breaks on J. Michael Kelly’s U-13 boat; it sinks to bottom of lake but spares boat >>
- A little wind, a little calm, a lot of speed >>
- Miss Beacon's had a little work >>
- Hydroplane racer hits top qualifying time of 153 mph >>
- Auburn’s Dave Villwock has vision to take hydro racing global >>
- Hydro goes green, too >>
- Rescuing hydros from extinction >>
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