Brian and Kayleigh with 18 month old Allyson Stokoe of Okanogan	JMK and Jeff with 10 year old Toby Deibert of Arlington

On the Wednesday afternoon before the Albert Lee Cup at Seafair, four young drivers spent some time with young fans who are patients at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Jeff Bernard, J Michael Kelly, Brian Perkins and Kayleigh Perkins Mallory had pictures, coloring books, and matchbox sized hydros for the kids, who are in Seattle from all over the Northwest for medical treatment.

The drivers met kids in the playroom and the dialysis area, as well as some in their private rooms.  All promised to follow the exploits of their new heroes on television during the Seafair Race.

Seafair Saturday  Heat 1B                       Photo-Chris Denslow

As racing got underway in the Albert Lee Cup at Seafair, the favorites held court in heats 1A and 1B.

Steve David led heat 1A from Start to finish in the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto and Dave Villwock in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar won heat 1B just as easily.

There was good racing behind the leaders in both heats as Greg Hopp in the U-100 Lay's Kettle Cooked and Brian Perkins in the U-21 Miss Albert Lee Appliance were both among the front runners in heat 1A until Perkins was penalized a lap for stiking a bouy and Hopp had an engine stall while running in second place.

Gregg Hopp surpised the sport by qualifying the boat second on the Friday qualifying ladder, ahead of Series High Points leader Steve David in the U-100 O Boy! Oberto.

U-96 Photo-Jim Simpson

As expected, Dave Villwock put the U-96 Spirit of Qatar at the top of the Friday Qualifying ladder at the Albert Lee Cup at Seafair with a morning lap of 155.888.

But no one expected what happened next.  Greg Hopp in the U-100 Lay's Kettle Cooked outqualified Steve David in the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto 148.701 to 148.484 to grab second spot on the ladder.