Villwock Top Qualifier in Air National Guard Seattle Race
Running before his hometown fans, driver Dave Villwock ran a 151.879 mph lap on Lake Washington to earn top qualifier Friday afternoon at the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series race in Seattle, Wash.
Villwock grabbed the “Fast Lap Friday” award for the fourth-consecutive race, narrowly topping Steve David’s 150.835 mph lap on the 2-mile course. David went out a second time in an attempt to beat Villwock and the Spirit of Qatar’s speed but still fell short.
“We were ready to go back out if we needed to,” said Villwock, who lives in Seattle suburb of Auburn. “When the Oberto didn’t beat our speed, we knew we could turn our attention to racing tomorrow.”
Drivers and teams have a little more incentive to win this weekend at Seattle Seafair. Organizers are putting up a $25,000 purse with the winning driver and owner splitting the purse. That money is on top of the prize money they receive from the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series.
The Oh Boy! Oberto team says it has found additional speed in the boat after looking at footage of David running the boat out on the water. David is confident the team will be faster come Sunday.
“Mike Hanson (crew chief) watched the video and we learned something about a part of the boat and we’re going to make the change,” David said. “We learned a lot for the race.”
Rookie driver Scott Liddycoat of Suffolk, Va., was the third-fastest qualifier by posting a 149.950-mph lap on the course. Brian Perkins ran 148.453 mph to earn the fourth qualifying position and JW Myers in Stevenson Roofing Presents Peters & May was fifth fastest at 146.564 mph.
Racing continues today with one round of preliminary heats. Two more rounds of preliminary heats take place on Sunday with the final scheduled for approximately 4:35 p.m. All heats will be streamed live on the Internet at www.h1unlimited.com.
For more information on the Air National Guard Series, visit www.h1unlimited .com.
Villwock Top Qualifier in Air National Guard Seattle Race
Running before his hometown fans, driver Dave Villwock ran a 151.879 mph lap on Lake Washington to earn top qualifier Friday afternoon at the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series race in Seattle, Wash.
Villwock grabbed the “Fast Lap Friday” award for the fourth-consecutive race, narrowly topping Steve David’s 150.835 mph lap on the 2-mile course. David went out a second time in an attempt to beat Villwock and the Spirit of Qatar’s speed but still fell short.
“We were ready to go back out if we needed to,” said Villwock, who lives in Seattle suburb of Auburn. “When the Oberto didn’t beat our speed, we knew we could turn our attention to racing tomorrow.”
Drivers and teams have a little more incentive to win this weekend at Seattle Seafair. Organizers are putting up a $25,000 purse with the winning driver and owner splitting the purse. That money is on top of the prize money they receive from the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series.
The Oh Boy! Oberto team says it has found additional speed in the boat after looking at footage of David running the boat out on the water. David is confident the team will be faster come Sunday.
“Mike Hanson (crew chief) watched the video and we learned something about a part of the boat and we’re going to make the change,” David said. “We learned a lot for the race.”
Rookie driver Scott Liddycoat of Suffolk, Va., was the third-fastest qualifier by posting a 149.950-mph lap on the course. Brian Perkins ran 148.453 mph to earn the fourth qualifying position and JW Myers in Stevenson Roofing Presents Peters & May was fifth fastest at 146.564 mph.
Racing continues today with one round of preliminary heats. Two more rounds of preliminary heats take place on Sunday with the final scheduled for approximately 4:35 p.m. All heats will be streamed live on the Internet at www.h1unlimited.com.
For more information on the Air National Guard Series, visit www.h1unlimited .com.