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David & Villwock Win Saturday Prelims

Steve David's U-1 Oh Boy Oberto championship Unlimited Hydroplane will be the favorite to repeat as the circuit's champion in 2009. (Photo courtesy ABRA) (The Spokesman-Review)
Doug Pace

Steve David and Dave Villwock head into Sunday’s final rounds of hyrdoplane racing in Tri-Cities with fresh of victories in Saturday’s heat races. Both will have good starting positions as the Columbia Cup continues to narrow the field to this afternoon’s finale.

Courtesy: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Series Media Relations

The two top qualifiers for the 2010 Lamb Weston Columbia Cup were drawn into seperate sections of the first heat and each used first lane choice to take the inside and cruise to an easy victory.

Steve David qualified second in the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto which gave him first lane choice in Heat 1-A.  David trailed Nate Brown in the U-17 Miss Red Dot at the start, but took the lead coming out of the first turn and led the rest of the way.

“Nate made a great start, he schooled me on that one,” said David. “But the boat ran great and we didn’t have to use everything we had, which is a good thing.  We would like to save something for the final.”

Brown finished second with  Brian Perkins in the U-21 Miss Albert Lee Appliance finishing third.
Villwock led Heat 1-B from start to finish, with the finish coming a little early.  Dr. Ken Muscatel’s U-25 Superior Racing dropped into a hole in the first turn of the final lap and spun violently.  The race was stopped and Villwock, who was approaching the finish line, was declared the winner.
The U-25 suffered extensive damage and has withdrawn from the event.
J Michael Kelly in the U-7 Graham Trucking was second and Cal Phipps placed third in the U-13 Spirit of Detroit.
Order of finish
Heat 1-A.
1.  U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto                   Steve David      400
2.  U-17  Miss Red Dot                   Nate Brown      300
3.  U-21 Miss Albert Lee Appliance  Brian Perkins   225
4.  U-22  Matrix Systems                Mike Webster  169
5.  U-57  Formulaboats.com            Mark Evans     127
U-5   Formulaboats.com            Jeff Bernard      DNF
Heat 1-B
1.  U-96 Spirit of Qatar                   Dave Villwock    400
2.  U-7  Graham Trucking               J Michael Kelly  300
3.  U-13  Spirit of Detroit                Cal Phipps         225
4.  U-37  Miss Peters & May         Jon Zimmerman  169
5.  U-100  Fleury Auto Parts          Greg Hopp         127
U-25  Superior Racing              Dr Ken Muscatel  DNF

* This story was originally published as a post from the blog "Keeping Pace." Read all stories from this blog