Villwock victor at Atomic Cup

KENNEWICK, Wash. – Veteran unlimited hydroplane driver Dave Villwock steered Miss Elam Plus to a surprise victory Sunday in the Atomic Cup race on the Columbia River after flipping on the first lap of a preliminary heat.

Villwock, 52, of Auburn was a surprise entrant in the final after his accident. It’s extremely rare for a driver who flips in a preliminary heat to come back and win a race.

Villwock had a close duel in the winner-take-all final with Jimmy King, driving Conover Insurance, and J.W. Myers, driving Solutions Plus.

“The win was probably probably one of the best,” he said, praising his crew for their efforts getting the boat back in the race.

On the second lap of the final, King’s boat blew an engine, putting him out of the race. At that point, Villwock began to pull away from Myers for a convincing win with an average speed of 142.272 miles, with Myers second.

Third place went to Steve David, driving Oh Boy! Oberto, while Jean Theoret, driving Miss Beacon Plumbing finished fourth. Fifth went to Mike Allen, driving Formulaboats.com.

It was Villwock’s 51st unlimited hydroplane win in his 14-year career. He ranks third in all-time wins: 11 behind the late Bill Muncey and 10 behind Chip Hanauer.

Villwock flipped his boat during Sunday’s heat 2A, forcing a halt to that race, which had been delayed two hours by high winds.

J. Michael Kelly, 27, of Orting, driving Acura of Bellevue, also was involved in a boat flip. No one was injured.