Another Hydro Flips On Texaco Course

The drivers in today’s Texaco Cup unlimited hydroplane race will head into the first turn hard, but they may do so a little more warily than usual.

The always dangerous entrance to the first turn claimed its third victim in two days Saturday when Dave Villwock flipped in the PICO American Dream during a morning testing run on the Lake Washington course.

Villwock, an Auburn, Wash., resident, was dazed but apparently otherwise uninjured in the crash, which did surprisingly little damage to the boat.

Villwock, who qualified at 157.995 mph on Friday, had just completed a lap at about 139 when he flipped.

Unlimited driver Rick Christensen and limited driver Phil Bononcini suffered blowovers in the same turn on Friday.

The blowover was the third of Villwock’s career, but the first in which the boat landed upside down.

“Everything worked just fine,” Villwock said of the boat’s enclosed canopy and safety systems. Villwock got out through the escape hatch on the bottom of the boat, and stood on the boat as it was pulled to shore.

Villwock will likely race a backup hull, which earlier this year won the Gold Cup. PICO has won four of six races this season and leads the season points standings by 1,398 over Smokin’ Joe’s.

“They know that boat well enough,” said Smokin’ Joe’s driver Mark Tate. “I expect them to be very competitive.”

Drivers say the entrance to the turn is dangerous because of tricky winds that blow through it.

“That corner’s always been like that,” said Tate, who has never flipped a boat there. “Tradewinds blow out of it, and it’s always been a bad point.

“You don’t back off heading into it, you just settle the boat and make sure it’s under control.”

Villwock, however, said his accident may have been caused by a broken propeller shaft.

Still, he acknowledged the danger of the first turn, and called it “Hanauer’s hollow,” referring to Chip Hanauer’s history of flips in that area. Villwock said he’ll have “no problem” getting back in a boat today.

“It just made us mad,” said Villwock, who won the Columbia Cup a week ago in the Tri-Cities. “We’ll be coming back harder (today).”

Meanwhile, Spokane’s hydroplane, the Appian Jeronimo, will race in Heat 2 at noon.

Tate gets Smokin’

Lost in the hubbub of Villwock’s blowover was apparent improvement by Tate and the Smokin’ Joe’s.

The Smokin’ Joe’s improved its qualifying time during a morning qualifying run, then went even faster during a one-lap test in the afternoon.

“Finding it late is better than not finding it at all,” said owner Steve Woomer.

Woomer, who now lives in Kent, Wash., has never won on his hometown course in 12 tries.

Christensen ready to get back

Christensen was back in the Stan Sayres Pits a day after his blowover and said he was anxious to get back in his boat, the Spring Air Mattress.

Christensen suffered minor injuries in the accident, and was discharged from Harboverview Medical Center Friday night after brief observation.

“I would have like to have been in the boat this morning,” said the 41-year-old Christensen, an Eatonville, Wash., resident.