WIGGINS RACING
MISS APOLLO
WIGGINS RACING
MISS APOLLO
Dave Villwock began racing in 1992 and is among the greatest champions the sport has ever known. He has won a total of 67 races, making him the most successful driver in the sport’s 119-year history.
In addition, his 10 national titles is the most by any driver in history, he won seven of those in a row (the longest streak in history), won nearly half of the races he entered (again, the best), won a total of 340 heats (the most), and at over 67%, has the sport’s best percentage of heats won of those he has finished.
- Ten APBA Gold Cups (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
- Ten National Championships (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011)
- 67 Career Wins (#1 Overall)
- World Kilometer Straightaway Record – 220.493 MPH driving Miss Budweiser
- World Lap Record – 173.384 MPH driving Miss Budweiser
Wiggins Hydroplane Racing Team is based in Rainbow City, Alabama and is owned and managed by racing veteran Charley Wiggins, who started his racing career at the age of 14 and competed in multiple classes, eventually driving the Oh Boy! Oberto Unlimited hydroplane in 2000.
Over the years, the team has owned and raced in many different inboard classes from 1-Liters to Unlimited Hydroplanes, at times campaigning as many as three boats.
In February of 2015, Wiggins struck a deal with Nate Brown and the Our Gang Racing Team to purchase their U-17 H1 Unlimited Hydroplane. The U-27 Wiggins Team made their Unlimited debut in 2015 with Cal Phipps in the cockpit. The hull had blowovers in Madison, IN and Seattle, WA, resulting in the team taking a hiatus from racing.
Veteran driver Dave Villwock joined the team in 2022 with the goal of rebuilding the U-27 hull for the 2023 season. The hull did not get finished in time to join the circuit, but will race in 2024.
- Home Port: Rainbow City, AL
- Founded: 2015
- Hull Built: 2007
- Hull Rebuilt: 2024
- Boat Colors: Blue/White/Red
- Builder: Charley Wiggins/Dave Villwock
- Crew Chief: Charley Wiggins
- Length: 30′
- Width: 14′ 5″
- Weight: Minimum 6575 pounds
- Engine: Lycoming T55 Turbine, 2650 HP
Our name says it all.
Our founder, Bruce Ratchford, was inspired by the Apollo space missions: the American spirit, the unification of the American people, the ultimate team. Each member played an integral part in the success of the program – contributing to the team’s ability to achieve one of the greatest accomplishments in history.
From Apollo’s earliest beginnings, Bruce held the belief that building something truly great requires the efforts of every team member. From our first home (a small garage in Eastern Washington) to our current facilities in locations across the United States, Apollo’s success is built on the contributions of each and every member of our team.
The U-27 began life as the U-17 (hull# 2007-17) and was flipped in Madison, IN in 2017 and Seattle, WA in 2018.
After an extensive rebuild, the hull will carry hull #2024-27.