Dave Villwock came from behind late in the final to overtake Steve David to win a thrilling Air National Guard Hydroplane Series race in Tri-Cities, Wash.

 Villwock was able to break David’s three consecutive race victories on the Columbia River by capping a perfect weekend that included three preliminary heat victories. The win was hardly easy for Villwock, who had the cowling blow off his boat and the turbine engine was smoking when he returned to the docks.

 “We’ve kind of used the boat up,” said Villwock with a laugh. “It looks like a top fuel car going through the lights on fire with parts throwing out of it. We’ll get it back in shape for Seattle.”

 David got out to an early lead and the two veteran drivers were neck-and-neck for 2 1/2 laps. But by Lap 3, Villwock, who was running on the outside, was able to chase down David and pass him. From there Villwock extended the lead and earned his seventh Lamb Weston Columbia Cup.

 With the victory, Villwock earned his 64^th career victory. He’s the sport’s all-time winningest driver after passing the sport’s legendary driver Bill Muncey earlier this month at the APBA Gold Cup in Detroit.

 David overcame a disastrous start on the weekend where he passed the score up buoy too early and finished last in his heat. In the next heat, he was penalized for encroaching on another driver and again finished last. He won his next heat and earned enough points to make the seven-boat final.

 David was back in the driver’s seat after sitting out a race because of an injury he sustained in a crash during the season opener in Madison, Ind. The team also spent nearly $100,000 repairing damage to the boat. The Oh Boy! Oberto driver was nursing sore ribs but was frustrated by his mental mistakes.

 “I’m the one that messed up, they gave me a great boat all weekend,” David said. “Since the rebuild, it took me a couple of heats to get used to it.”

 Third-place finisher Kip Brown has been perfect in the preliminary heats, winning all five heats he’s competed in this season. Brown was unavailable to drive in Detroit and the team used a backup driver.

 “Where we finished in the final is nothing to hang our head about,” Brown said. “To finish behind those two guys, they’re heavy hitters in our class, I’m happy with the weekend.”

 Brown is among the national high point champions in the series. He came into the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series race in Tri-Cities leading but Villwock’s Spirit of Qatar was able to overtake them.

 “I’m lucky to have a good team,” Villwock said. “And we have a good team too.”

 The event in Tri-Cities reported record attendance over the three-day weekend. Organizers estimate that more than 120,000 people attended the race on the Columbia River.

 The Air National Guard Hydroplane Series moves to Seattle this weekend for Seafair as the tour is in the midst of its western swing.

 Top 5 Final Results for the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series in Tri-Cities

 Position, driver, boat, speed

1. Dave Villwock, Spirit of Qatar, 150.422 mph

2. Steve David, Oh Boy! Oberto, 140.528 mph

3. Kip Brown, Miss Red Dot, 139.412 mph

4. Jeff Bernard, Graham Trucking, 137.338 mph

5. J Michael Kelly, Degree Men, 137.057 mph

 Preliminary Heat Results for Sunday at Air National Guard Series in Tri-Cities

 Heat 2A: 1. Kip Brown, 145.908 mph, 2. JW Myers, 3. Jon Zimmerman.

Heat 2B: 1. Scott Liddycoat, 147.653 mph, 2. Jeff Bernard, 3. Greg Hopp.

Heat 2C: 1. Dave Villwock, 146.776 mph, 2. J Michael Kelly, 3. Mike Webster.

Heat 3A: 1. Steve David, 146.02 mph, 2. J Michael Kelly, 3. Mike Webster.

Heat 3B: 1. Kip Brown, 144.941 mph, 2. Brian Perkins, 3. N. Mark Evans.

Heat 3C: 1. Dave Villwock, 145.393 mph, 2. Jeff Bernard, 3. Scott Liddycoat.

Sunday July 31
(Revised 12:50 PM PDT)
8:15 AM Unlimited Hydroplane Testing
9:30 AM Grand Prix West Testing
10:15 AM Vintage Hydroplane Testing
11:00 AM Opening Ceremonies
11:30 – 1:30 HAPO Community Credit Union Over the River Air Show
1:50 PM Connell Oil Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 2A
2:10 PM American Family Insurance Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 2B
2:30 PM Atomic Screen Printing Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 2C
2:50 PM Legends Casino Vintage Heat 3
3:30 PM  Plumbers & Steamfitters UA Local 598 Unlimited Heat 3A
3:50 PM Cascade Natural Gas Unlimited Heat 3B
4:10 PM Connell Oil Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 3C
4:40 PM Atomic Screenprinting Grand Prix West Final
5:10 PM Lamb Weston Columbia Cup Unlimited Final
5:30 PM Awards Ceremony – ANG Stage

SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Images by Jim Simpson, Chris Denslow & Lisa Courneya

July 31, 2011
Kennewick, WA

Images by Chris Denslow

A clever maneuver by driver Kip Brown before the start helped the national high points leader win his heat Saturday at the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series in the Tri-Cities, Wash.

Dave Villwock, the sport’s all-time career race winner, and driver Jeff Bernard won their respective heats during action on the Columbia River. But it was Brown’s early maneuvering to outduel the veteran Steve David that was that the talk among fans on the shores.

In the fight for lanes, David along with drivers Jon Zimmerman and Ken Muscatel had the inside lanes but were running slowly. Brown sped past the group of boats, circled around and took away one of the inside lanes. David in the Oh Boy! Oberto missed the 1 minute start buoy and was penalized a lap. It was David’s first race back after being injured in a crash three weeks ago.

“The leapfrog is something we do on a pretty regular basis in the 5-litres,” Brown said. “If you’re going to do something that Steve (David) did…get up there and park long before the start, you have to take advantage of it.”

The heat victory was the third of Brown’s career. He picked up his first two career heat wins at the season opener in Madison. The team leads the national points standings and is being pursued by Spirit of Qatar.

Bernard collected a heat victory after holding off teammate Scott Liddycoat in a hard-fought race. Averaging 145.478 mph on the 2.5-mile course, Bernard in the Graham Trucking boat won by several boat lengths.

“The (Valken.com) was really fast and it took some time to get around them,” Bernard said. “Once we were able to get around them we were able to settle in.”

Villwock had a great start in his heat and was able to stay well ahead of J Michael Kelly in the 88 Degree Men boat. Kelly pushed Villwock but the Spirit of Qatar had too much speed in the heat.

“With this many boats here, it’s real important to get points,” Villwock said. “We got a lot of points there and that’s good.”

Thirteen boats are competing in the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series race in Tri-Cities race. The racing continues today with two more rounds of heats and the final for the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup is slated for 4:50 pm. PDT.

Race fans were lining up Saturday to sign banners at the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series booth in Tri-Cities, Wash., to thank the troops for their service.

The banners will be sent to units where troops have been deployed to overseas military operations. Air National Guard started the banner program last year at another sporting event and relaunched for the Tri-Cities race.

“When I was deployed, banners and notes like these mean a lot to the soldiers,” said Capt. Rondal Perry, division chief for ANG Recruiting Marketing and Resources. “The soldiers take the time to look and read them. They appreciate that people are thinking about them.”

By mid-morning more than 400 people had signed the banner that was in front of the Air National Guard display hydroplane. Small children and parents took a few moments to write small messages such as “Thanks for everything you do,” and “Be safe.”

Betsy Leedle of Vancouver, Wash., stopped to sign the banner. Between her children and grandchildren, the Leedle family added 10 signatures to the banner.

“We wanted to thank them for all the hard word and their efforts,” Leedle said.
Air National Guard will have banners available for fans to sign at races in Seattle next weekend and San Diego, Sept. 16-18. Race fans can also go to www.goang.com/thanks

to sign a virtual card.

Saturday July 30
8:15 AM Grand Prix West Testing
9:10-11:10 AM Unlimited Hydroplane Testing
11:30 H1 Driver’s Meeting
11:30 – 1:30 HAPO Community Credit Union Over the River Air Show
12:00 PM Metz Mobile Marine Hydro Drivers Autograph Session
1:50 PM Legends Casino Vintage Heat 1
2:20 PM Babcock Services Grand Prix West Heat 1
2:30 PM Air Show Performer Autograph Session
2:50 PM Cascade Natural Gas Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 1A
3:10 PM Plumbers & Steamfitters UA Local 598 Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 1B
3:30 PM Western States Insurance Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 1C
Unlimited Heat 1 Awards Ceremony
4:00 PM AHBL, Inc. Grand Prix West Heat 2
4:20 PM Legends Casino Vintage Heat 2

Sunday July 31
8:15 AM Unlimited Hydroplane Testing
9:30 AM Grand Prix West Testing
10:15 AM Vintage Hydroplane Testing
11:00 AM Opening Ceremonies
11:30 – 1:30 HAPO Community Credit Union Over the River Air Show
1:50 PM Connell Oil Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 2A
2:10 PM American Family Insurance Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 2B
2:30 PM Legends Casino Vintage Heat 3
3:10 PM Plumbers & Steamfitters UA Local 598 Unlimited Heat 3A
3:30 PM Cascade Natural Gas Unlimited Heat 3B
3:50 PM Atomic Screenprinting Grand Prix West Final
4:30 PM Lamb Weston Columbia Cup Unlimited Final
4:45 PM Awards Ceremony – ANG Stage

ALL TIMES PDT
SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Images by Jim Simpson, Chris Denslow & Lisa Courneya

July 30, 2011
Kennewick, WA

Driver Dave Villwock turned a 160.892 mph lap on the Columbia River to become the top qualifier Friday at the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series race in Tri-Cities, Wash.

 Villwock earned the “Fast Lap Friday” award for the third consecutive race by edging rival driver Steve David on the 2.5-mile course. David ran 159.204 mph.

 “The boat is running pretty good, so far so good,” said Villwock, who is the sport’s all-time winningest driver with 63 career race victories. “As much as we fight ourselves, we pride ourselves on being consistent.”

 The qualifying session marked the return of David, who sat out the race in Detroit nursing spiral fractures in his ribs. He suffered the injury during a crash with Villwock in the season opener. He also had his Oh Boy! Oberto boat back after the crew made $100,000 in repairs.

 “We’re never happy with second but considering what the team did in 21 days to come out and run 1 mph off the top dog that was impressive,” David said.

 Air National Guard Series points leader Kip Brown posted a 156.565 mph lap speed to place third. JW Myers in Stevenson Roofing Presents Peters & May grabbed fourth with 153.149 mph and Jeff Bernard in Graham Trucking was the fifth fastest at 152.261 mph.

 David is looking for his fourth consecutive Lamb Weston Columbia Cup. He won in 2010 when the leader Villwock was called for an infraction on the final turn on the last lap, giving David the victory.

 Racing at the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series continues today with three heats and two more rounds of heats on Sunday. The final is set for Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

 For more information on the Air National Guard Series, visit www.h1unlimited .com

 Top 5 Qualifiers for Air National Hydroplane Series in Detroit

 Place, Driver, Boat Name, Top Speed

 1. Dave Villwock, U-96 Spirit of Qatar, 160.892 mph

2. Steve David, U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto, 159.204 mph

3. Kip Brown, U-17 Miss Red Dot, 156.565 mph

4. JW Myers, U-11 Stevenson Roofing Presents Peters & May, 153.149 mph

5. Jeff Bernard, U-5 Graham Trucking, 152.261 mph

Images by Chris Denslow

Images by Lisa Courneya, Chris Denslow & Jim Simpson

July 29, 2010
Kennewick, WA

Images by Chris Denslow

July 28, 2010
Kennewick, WA

Images by Jim Simpson

July 28, 2011
Kennewick, WA

Friday July 29
All Day Free Fries Fryday
8:15 AM Grand Prix West Testing
9:10 AM Unlimited Hydroplane Testing
11:30 – 1:30 HAPO Community Credit Union Over the River Air Show
1:50 PM Unlimited Qualifying – H1 Unlimited Fast Lap Friday
4:00 PM Vintage Unlimited Hydroplane Exhibition
4:40 PM Grand Prix West Challenge Race
5:10 PM Western States Insurance Unlimited Hydroplane Dash for Cash

Saturday July 30
8:15 AM Grand Prix West Testing
9:10 AM Unlimited Hydroplane Testing
11:30 – 1:30 HAPO Community Credit Union Over the River Air Show
12:00 PM Hydro Drivers Autograph Session
1:50 PM Legends Casino Vintage Heat 1
2:20 PM Babcock Services Grand Prix West Heat 1
2:30 PM Air Show Performer Autograph Session
2:50 PM Cascade Natural Gas Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 1A
3:10 PM Plumbers & Steamfitters UA Local 598 Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 1B
3:40 PM AHBL, Inc. Grand Prix West Heat 2
4:00 PM Legends Casino Vintage Heat 2

Sunday July 31
8:15 AM Unlimited Hydroplane Testing
9:30 AM Grand Prix West Testing
10:15 AM Vintage Hydroplane Testing
11:00 AM Opening Ceremonies
11:30 – 1:30 HAPO Community Credit Union Over the River Air Show
1:50 PM Connell Oil Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 2A
2:10 PM American Family Insurance Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 2B
2:30 PM Legends Casino Vintage Heat 3
3:10 PM Plumbers & Steamfitters UA Local 598 Unlimited Heat 3A
3:30 PM Cascade Natural Gas Unlimited Heat 3B
3:50 PM Atomic Screenprinting Grand Prix West Final
4:30 PM Lamb Weston Columbia Cup Unlimited Final
4:45 PM Awards Ceremony – ANG Stage

ALL TIMES PDT
SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Lamb Weston Columbia Cup Schedule shows Unlimited testing at 9:10am with Fast Lap Friday Qualifying at 1:50pm PDT. Link to live coverage will be right here