David, Villwock Grab Heat Wins in Seattle
The Air National Guard Hydroplane Series’ veteran drivers continue to show the younger drivers how it’s done on the racecourse by putting up convincing victories in preliminary heats Saturday in Seattle, Wash.
Steve David and Dave Villwock won their respective heats on a rough Lake Washington, picking up crucial points heading into Sunday’s heats. Both drivers led from start to finish and will face off in Sunday’s second heat. It’s the first time David and Villwock have met in a preliminary heat all season.
“Once I had the lead, I was just cooling it,” David said. “When they backed down late in the race, I could back down. Tomorrow won’t be as easy.”
Villwock was pushed early by Kip Brown, who was a perfect 5-for-5 in heat victories this season, before drawing Villwock in the same heat. The veteran driver and his Spirit of Qatar boat were too much for the field.
“I was elated how easy it was,” Villwock said with a laugh. “We needed a little breather. We were here late last night getting the boat repaired. Maybe it’ll be an early night.”
Brown said he knew his streak of consecutive of race wins would eventually come to an end. The team had been fighting some mechanical problems with the boat this weekend but fixed it in time for the heat.
“I tried not to think too much about a streak or anything like that,” Brown said. “If we had been winning heats and winning finals like Dave (Villwock) does—that’s a streak. We’ve been very fortunate with good draws and people making mistakes, and we’re there to capitalize on them.”
Driver Jeff Bernard took second place in the heat with Oh Boy! Oberto’s David, running an average lap speed of 130.059 mph on the 2-mile course. Teammate and rookie driver Scott Liddycoat in Valken.com took third in Heat 1A, while Mike Webster earned third in Heat 2B.
Just seven boats from the 13-boat field will make the afternoon final. The final will have six boats and a trailing boat.
Racing action continues today at the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series in Seattle with two more rounds of preliminary heats and the final is slated for 4:45 p.m. PDT. The heats and final will be streamed lived on www.h1unlimited.com.
David, Villwock Grab Heat Wins in Seattle
The Air National Guard Hydroplane Series’ veteran drivers continue to show the younger drivers how it’s done on the racecourse by putting up convincing victories in preliminary heats Saturday in Seattle, Wash.
Steve David and Dave Villwock won their respective heats on a rough Lake Washington, picking up crucial points heading into Sunday’s heats. Both drivers led from start to finish and will face off in Sunday’s second heat. It’s the first time David and Villwock have met in a preliminary heat all season.
“Once I had the lead, I was just cooling it,” David said. “When they backed down late in the race, I could back down. Tomorrow won’t be as easy.”
Villwock was pushed early by Kip Brown, who was a perfect 5-for-5 in heat victories this season, before drawing Villwock in the same heat. The veteran driver and his Spirit of Qatar boat were too much for the field.
“I was elated how easy it was,” Villwock said with a laugh. “We needed a little breather. We were here late last night getting the boat repaired. Maybe it’ll be an early night.”
Brown said he knew his streak of consecutive of race wins would eventually come to an end. The team had been fighting some mechanical problems with the boat this weekend but fixed it in time for the heat.
“I tried not to think too much about a streak or anything like that,” Brown said. “If we had been winning heats and winning finals like Dave (Villwock) does—that’s a streak. We’ve been very fortunate with good draws and people making mistakes, and we’re there to capitalize on them.”
Driver Jeff Bernard took second place in the heat with Oh Boy! Oberto’s David, running an average lap speed of 130.059 mph on the 2-mile course. Teammate and rookie driver Scott Liddycoat in Valken.com took third in Heat 1A, while Mike Webster earned third in Heat 2B.
Just seven boats from the 13-boat field will make the afternoon final. The final will have six boats and a trailing boat.
Racing action continues today at the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series in Seattle with two more rounds of preliminary heats and the final is slated for 4:45 p.m. PDT. The heats and final will be streamed lived on www.h1unlimited.com.