Air National Guard Series Heads to Detroit for Gold Cup
The Spirit of Qatar at the Gold Cup in 2010.
There is no clear cut favorite going into the Air National Guard Series’ race in Detroit this weekend as two of the tour’s top teams were involved in a spectacular collision in the season opener and scramble to get boats ready to compete for the APBA Gold Cup.
Dave Villwock continues his quest to overtake the legendary Bill Muncey as the sport’s all-time career race win leader. Villwock, who has captured seven Gold Cups in his career, will be back in the seat of Spirit of Qatar after it was badly damaged in last weekend’s final in Madison, Ind.
The driver of the other boat involved in the collision, Steve David, won’t be in Detroit for the Air National Guard Series because he needs time to heal from a minor rib injury sustained in the accident. The team secured a backup Oh Boy! Oberto boat and named Jon Zimmerman as a replacement driver for Detroit.
“I would love to be in Detroit to defend my driver championship,” said David, who won the race in Madison after Villwock’s boat spun out in front of him and they collided. “I have to think long term for the team and not short term. They need someone who can go out there and drive the boat 100 percent and I can’t do that right now.”
David is expected to return for the race in Tri-Cities, Wash., July 29-31. Zimmerman is filling in for a driver who has won three consecutive high points championships. “I’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill. I want to get comfortable with the boat and win the race for the city of Madison,” he said.
Villwock and his team have been busy in fellow team owner Ed Cooper’s Evansville, Ind., shop replacing a large section of the deck, the rear wing supports and the turbine damaged in the collision. Cooper’s racing shop was also helping repair the U-21 Miss Lakeridge Paving, which was damaged in an earlier incident.
After several late nights, Villwock said the boat will be in perfect running condition when the Gold Cup gets underway Friday. He has won the race three times since 2007.
“We were about three seconds away from getting the record and the water gave out,” said Villwock, who is tied with Muncey for 62 career race wins. “We’ll keep running that play until we get it right.”
This weekend’s Gold Cup also marks driver JW Myers’ return to the Detroit River after a breathtaking accident in 2010. The metal skid fin on Myers’ old hydroplane failed, causing him to crash into a seawall. He escaped, remarkably, with just a broken foot.
Myers said he is looking forward to getting back on the river with his new team and the new Peters & May boat.
“I think after three or four laps, any nerves I might have will be gone,” Myers said. “I’m going to be cautious because it’s a new boat and I’m still trying to learn its personality.”
Rookie driver Scott Liddycoat is coming off a remarkable debut in Madison, where he finished third in the final. Just 48 hours earlier he was getting qualified so he could compete in unlimited hydroplane heats. He piloted the Valken.com boat to two second-place finishes and looked more like a veteran driver than a rookie making his debut in unlimited hydroplane racing.
Team owner Ted Porter interviewed six drivers to pilot the Air National Guard hydroplane but particularly liked what Liddycoat brought to the team. Early on, it appears that Porter has made the right decision.
“He came highly recommended by some members of the team,” Porter said. “I looked at his ability as an inboard driver and his ability to run the canard (the boat’s front wing) and was impressed with him.”
Coming off a second-place finish in Madison, driver Kip Brown will step aside to let backup driver Cal Phipps run Miss Red Dot in the Gold Cup. The Detroit native is an accomplished driver in the lower ranks having won seven national championships and setting two world records. Phipps will have a fast boat—it was one of the three fastest qualifiers at the season opener.
The adrenaline will be flowing as the driver’s battle it out in unlimited hydroplane racing’s most prestigious race. The Gold Cup is the oldest active trophy in all of motorsports and was first given out in 1904. By comparison, the first Indianapolis 500 race was held in 1911.
Air National Guard racing starts Friday with testing and qualification. Four heats and the final on Saturday and Sunday will determine the Gold Cup champion. The heats and final will be streamed live on www.h1unlimited.com.
Air National Guard Series Heads to Detroit for Gold Cup
The Spirit of Qatar at the Gold Cup in 2010.
There is no clear cut favorite going into the Air National Guard Series’ race in Detroit this weekend as two of the tour’s top teams were involved in a spectacular collision in the season opener and scramble to get boats ready to compete for the APBA Gold Cup.
Dave Villwock continues his quest to overtake the legendary Bill Muncey as the sport’s all-time career race win leader. Villwock, who has captured seven Gold Cups in his career, will be back in the seat of Spirit of Qatar after it was badly damaged in last weekend’s final in Madison, Ind.
The driver of the other boat involved in the collision, Steve David, won’t be in Detroit for the Air National Guard Series because he needs time to heal from a minor rib injury sustained in the accident. The team secured a backup Oh Boy! Oberto boat and named Jon Zimmerman as a replacement driver for Detroit.
“I would love to be in Detroit to defend my driver championship,” said David, who won the race in Madison after Villwock’s boat spun out in front of him and they collided. “I have to think long term for the team and not short term. They need someone who can go out there and drive the boat 100 percent and I can’t do that right now.”
David is expected to return for the race in Tri-Cities, Wash., July 29-31. Zimmerman is filling in for a driver who has won three consecutive high points championships. “I’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill. I want to get comfortable with the boat and win the race for the city of Madison,” he said.
Villwock and his team have been busy in fellow team owner Ed Cooper’s Evansville, Ind., shop replacing a large section of the deck, the rear wing supports and the turbine damaged in the collision. Cooper’s racing shop was also helping repair the U-21 Miss Lakeridge Paving, which was damaged in an earlier incident.
After several late nights, Villwock said the boat will be in perfect running condition when the Gold Cup gets underway Friday. He has won the race three times since 2007.
“We were about three seconds away from getting the record and the water gave out,” said Villwock, who is tied with Muncey for 62 career race wins. “We’ll keep running that play until we get it right.”
This weekend’s Gold Cup also marks driver JW Myers’ return to the Detroit River after a breathtaking accident in 2010. The metal skid fin on Myers’ old hydroplane failed, causing him to crash into a seawall. He escaped, remarkably, with just a broken foot.
Myers said he is looking forward to getting back on the river with his new team and the new Peters & May boat.
“I think after three or four laps, any nerves I might have will be gone,” Myers said. “I’m going to be cautious because it’s a new boat and I’m still trying to learn its personality.”
Rookie driver Scott Liddycoat is coming off a remarkable debut in Madison, where he finished third in the final. Just 48 hours earlier he was getting qualified so he could compete in unlimited hydroplane heats. He piloted the Valken.com boat to two second-place finishes and looked more like a veteran driver than a rookie making his debut in unlimited hydroplane racing.
Team owner Ted Porter interviewed six drivers to pilot the Air National Guard hydroplane but particularly liked what Liddycoat brought to the team. Early on, it appears that Porter has made the right decision.
“He came highly recommended by some members of the team,” Porter said. “I looked at his ability as an inboard driver and his ability to run the canard (the boat’s front wing) and was impressed with him.”
Coming off a second-place finish in Madison, driver Kip Brown will step aside to let backup driver Cal Phipps run Miss Red Dot in the Gold Cup. The Detroit native is an accomplished driver in the lower ranks having won seven national championships and setting two world records. Phipps will have a fast boat—it was one of the three fastest qualifiers at the season opener.
The adrenaline will be flowing as the driver’s battle it out in unlimited hydroplane racing’s most prestigious race. The Gold Cup is the oldest active trophy in all of motorsports and was first given out in 1904. By comparison, the first Indianapolis 500 race was held in 1911.
Air National Guard racing starts Friday with testing and qualification. Four heats and the final on Saturday and Sunday will determine the Gold Cup champion. The heats and final will be streamed live on www.h1unlimited.com.