A Recent History: Columbia Cup
A Recent History: Columbia Cup
Along the banks of the Columbia River in South Central Washington, the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland are known as the Tri-Cities. The Tri-Cities have hosted H1 Unlimited races since 1966 when Bill Brow won the Atomic Cup driving Bernie Little’s Miss Budweiser. The annual Columbia Cup is held on a 2.5-mile course which features wide sweeping turns leading to fast speeds and thrilling racing.
The Columbia Cup has produced some memorable races throughout the event’s history. In 2012, the series defending National High Point Champion Jimmy Shane claimed his first career H1 Unlimited victory. Shane, driving the Miss Graham Trucking was able to edge J. Michael Kelly at the start finish line in the closest finish in Columbia Cup history. Another memorable Columbia Cup occurred in 1989, when a driving infraction against Tom D’Eath eliminated him and the famed Miss Budweiser from contention. Mitch Evans took advantage of D’Eath’s mistake and scored a major upset victory. The win was the first H1 Unlimited victory for Evans and current Go 3 Racing owner Ed Cooper Jr.
With the H1 Unlimited Series returning to the northwest this weekend, let’s review the previous five Columbia Cups…
2022: JIMMY SHANE AND MISS HOMESTREET WIN IT ALL AT THE TRI-CITIES
KENNEWICK, Wash. — It was a clean sweep for Jimmy Shane and Miss HomeStreet as he won everything there was to win this weekend and took the 2022 HAPO Columbia Cup in H1 Unlimited Series action. Shane, 36, of San Antonio, Texas, was not only the fastest qualifier but won every preliminary heat that he entered and finished the event with a wire-to-wire victory in the final.
J.Michael Kelly, 43, of Bonney Lake, Washington, took second place while driving Lynx Healthcare presents Miss Tri-Cities and Jamie Nilsen, 37, of Gig Harbor, Washington, finished third driving Miss Joker’s Casino. Nilsen has taken third-place honors in each of the races held so far this season.
Shane’s teammate on the Madison Racing Team, Jeff Bernard in Miss Goodman Real Estate, crossed the starting line too early and was penalized an extra lap in the winner-take-all final. Shane was the first to start legally, pushed ahead of the others going through the first turn, and then extended his lead. He finished the race ahead of Kelly by two roostertail lengths.
Shane also dominated during preliminary-heat action earlier in the day. He came out ahead after battling Bernard in Heat 3, led from start to finish in Heat 4, and finished ahead after a close race in Heat 5.
On Saturday, two hydroplanes were knocked out of the race with damage. J. Michael Kelly aboard Lynx Healthcare presents Miss Tri-Cities and Jimmy Shane in Miss HomeStreet came away as heat winners in the first day of competition in the HAPO Columbia Cup.
The most spectacular event of Saturday happened at the start of Heat 2 when Miss Beacon Plumbing suddenly went airborne, flipped in midair, and crashed into the river. Driver Dave Villwock, 68, of Monroe, Washington, climbed out of his enclosed cockpit, was checked by medical personnel, and was found to be uninjured. The boat, however, suffered enough damage that the team had to withdraw from the event.
The Griggs presents Miss Ace Hardware also met misfortune earlier on Saturday during a test run. The boat, a fan favorite that is the only craft in the field powered by a World War II fighter plane engine, lost a propeller blade as it crossed the start/finish line and that flying blade caused enough damage to also end the race team’s weekend.
As for the action on the racecourse, Kelly, 43, of Kent, Washington, drove Lynx Healthcare presents Miss Tri-Cities to victory in the day’s first heat, with Villwock placing second in Miss Beacon Plumbing. After the second heat was restarted following Villwock’s accident, Shane, 36, of San Antonio, Texas, drove to a comfortable victory over Kelly.
2021: COREY PEABODY TAKES TRI-CITIES HAPO COLUMBIA CUP
KENNEWICK, Wash. — Corey Peabody drove Pinnacle Peak Consulting from behind during the last lap of the final heat and won the 2021 HAPO Columbia Cup in the Tri-Cities, Washington. It was the third stop of the H1 Unlimited Series, which features the fastest race boats in the world.
The event was dominated by Jimmy Shane, 35, of Covington, Washington, for most of the day, winning each of his preliminary heats driving Miss HomeStreet and being the fastest qualifier. But, in the winner-take-all final, he found himself caught behind the others at the start and could never catch up.
The start instead belonged to Peabody, 42, of Kent, Wash., and J. Michael Kelly in Miss Tri-Cities, his teammate on the Strong Racing Team and a friend since they were in grade school together. Kelly, 42, of Bonney Lake, Wash., held the lead through most of the heat but his boat received damage to its rear wing and Peabody was able to get past him during the final lap.
The victory was the first in Peabody’s career driving in the H1 Unlimited Series. The victory also gave his team its second one-two finish of the season. Kelly was the winner in Guntersville, Alabama, while Peabody placed second. The Strong Racing Team is new to the H1 Unlimited circuit this season.
Kelly finished the final in second place, followed by Shane in third, and in fourth was Jamie Nilsen of Gig Harbor, Wash., driving the J&D’s sponsored hydroplane. Nilsen won one of the preliminary heats earlier in the day, his first heat victory of the season. Dave Villwock, 67, the sport’s greatest champion, finished in fifth place driving Miss Beacon Plumbing.
2019: J. MICHAEL KELLY TAKES COLUMBIA CUP WIN OVER TATE, SHANE IN TRI-CITIES FINAL
KENNEWICK, Wash. (July 28, 2019) –J. Michael Kelly from Bonney Lake, Wash., drove his U-12 “Graham Trucking” unlimited hydroplane to victory in the Columbia Cup after holding off his nearest competitor, Andrew Tate from Walled Lake, Mich., in the U-1 “Delta/Real Track” for five laps on the Columbia River’s 2-1/2-mile racecourse on Sunday.
Prior to the start, Kelly had to settle for lane two after Jeff Bernard from Kent, Wash., in the U-1981 “Oberto Super Salami,” grabbed lane one.
But that didn’t fluster Kelly and he went deck-to-deck with Tate for several laps after the start until Kelly began to slightly pull away from Tate by several boat lengths.
“I felt comfortable in lane two,” Kelly said. “The start was close. I gave the gas an extra burp and it got me a little too close (to the starting line). But we got through that lane 2 clean.”
Bernard fell back by a quarter of a lap but had to fend off Bert Henderson in the U-7 “Boitano Homes.” Jimmy Shane slipped into fifth with his U-6 “Miss HomeStreet” hydroplane.
Brian Perkins in the U-99.9 “Darrell Strong presents PayneWest Insurance” dropped back with Corey Peabody in the U-98 “Graham Trucking American Dream.”
Kelly and Tate continued their battle as Tate tried hard to keep it close. At the end of five laps, Kelly won by several boat lengths.
“We’ve been struggling,” said Kelly after the win. “We have a good boat, but we were unable to get over that hump. We’ve just been throwing stuff at that boat all weekend. And whatever our guys (crew) have put in there it just gets faster. And I have to tell you, this is some of the most fun I’ve ever had racing this weekend.”
“It’s really hard to pass anyone in unlimited hydroplane racing,” Tate admitted.
A second challenge developed for third and fourth, as fifth-place position driver Shane began closing ground on Bernard and Henderson. By the last lap, Shane passed Henderson and as he closed in on the finish line, passed Bernard by only a few feet, ending the race in third.
“I just got washed down in that first turn,” said Shane. “But I was back too far on the start. I thought maybe those guys were early to the start, but I was off on my timing starts. All weekend long I was hitting my timing marks. And then I’m off the final. And that first turn got really ugly.”
The final order of the 54th annual HAPO Columbia Cup had Kelly the winner, in the U-12 “Graham Trucking,” second place went to Tate in the U-1 “Delta/RealTrac,” and third was Shane in the U-6 “Miss HomeStreet.”
Bernard had to settle for fourth in the U-1918 “Oberto Super Salami.” The field was rounded off with Henderson in the U-7 “Boitano Homes” in fifth, Perkins in the U-99.9 “PayneWest Insurance” was sixth, and last place was Peabody in the U-98 “Graham Trucking American Dream.”
Pure and simple, Tate said, “J. Michael just nailed that start.”
In earlier action on Saturday in Heat 2B, on lap one, going into turn one, Henderson hit choppy waters and was forced to slow, losing his momentum again, and Tate and King quickly pulled ahead. Nilsen settled into third. As Tate and King battled in a near replay of their first heat of the day, Henderson began to regain speed and went side-by-side with Nilsen. At the checkered flag it was Tate, King followed by Henderson, who eventually caught and passed Nilsen. Echols finished fifth.
Heat 2A saw Shane in the U-6 “Miss HomeStreet” going deck-to-deck with Kelly for the first lap and pulled ahead by two boat lengths on lap two. By the second lap, Shane had pulled ahead of Kelly by a full roostertail. Bernard followed well behind the two faster boats but had to keep Perkins behind him as the two battled for third place. Peabody followed in fourth. On the final lap, the boats were all equally spaced by several roostertails, looking more like a parade than an unlimited hydroplane race.
In the first round of preliminary heat action, Shane in the U-6 “Miss HomeStreet” took a slight lead in the four-lap preliminary Heat 1A over the U-12 “Graham Trucking” driven by Kelly. Shane increased his lead during each lap and at the checkered flag had won over Kelly by a half of a roostertail. Henderson’s U-7 “Boitano Homes” finished in third, a quarter of lap behind the leaders, followed by the U-440 “Bucket List Racing.” U-11 “J&D’s Reliable Diamond Tool” with Jamie Nilsen driving did not finish.
Defending National Champion, Tate, in the U-1 “Delta/RealTrac” came to the starting line side-by-side with the U-3 “Griggs presents Miss Ace Hardware” driven by King, and Bernard in the U-1918 “Oberto Super Salami.” King tried hard to keep up with Tate and trailed between a half-roostertail in the turns and one-roostertail in the straightway. Bernard in the “Oberto” dropped back several roostertails by lap two and struggling in the rough water produced by the leaders. U-99.9 “Darrell Strong presents PayneWest Insurance,” with Brian Perkins at the helm, finished third. The team found a replacement for its escape hatch after losing it Friday in the bottom of the Columbia River. A crewmember flew back to Seattle with a handful of competitors’ shop keys to look for a replacement that would fit their newly christened hydroplane. The team ended up finding one in Mark Evans’ shop in Chelan, Wash., on Evans’ former U-96 “Spirit of Qatar” unlimited hydroplane. Fifth place went to Peabody in the U-98 “Graham Trucking American Dream.”
2018: TATE SCORCHES THE COMPETITION IN TRI-CITIES
Andrew Tate (Walled Lake, Mich.), driving the U-9 Les Schwab Tires, was never threatened in the winner-take-all final of the HAPO Columbia Cup, held in 100+ degree heat in Kennewick, WA. His victory was his first on the Columbia River 2-1/2-mile course. At the beginning of the race, he was briefly challenged by Brian Perkins (North Bend, Wash.) in the U-21 PayneWest Insurance, however, Perkins hit a buoy, resulting in a one-minute penalty. That dropped Perkins back to fourth place overall. Cal Phipps (Avon Lake, Ohio), in the U-1918 Oberto Beef Jerky, finished second. J. Michael Kelly (Bonney Lake, Wash.) in the U-12 Graham Trucking, who overcame a weekend of issues, placed third.
“When I came out of turn two near the blue bridge I let out a sigh of relief,” Tate said. “We kind of watched what all the drivers were doing this weekend and we were taking notes.”
“I couldn’t be happier for Les Schwab Tires, Lori and Mike Jones, and the entire team,” said the 28-year old driver Tate. “The team worked their butts off. They stayed late Saturday night and were back in the pits at 5:00 a.m.”
Jimmy Shane (Maple Valley, Wash.) was in the hunt and crossed the finished line second, but H1 Unlimited hydroplane officials determined he encroached on Tom Thompson in the U-11 J&D’s, causing him to lose power, “affecting the outcome of the race,” said Doug Shelton, chief referee. He was disqualified from the final.
Thompson, later restarted and finished fifth, and Dustin Echols in the U-440 Bucket List Racing finished sixth.
“All five boats were going up the back stretch tight,” Shane said. I saw the U-9 moving back and forth in lane two and three, and I needed to make a move before I got boxed in. It was 100 percent my fault. I feel terrible that I affected the outcome of U-11. I never wanted to do that. I truly apologize.”
The win for Tate increases his H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Series national points lead over Shane by 1,920. Thompson now takes over second in the standings but is also far behind Tate by 1,173.
On Saturday, during the HAPO Columbia preliminary heat 2B, Shane won the battle against Tate and added to his overall total of 15 heat wins against the Michigan driver. The two hit the start line tied, but Shane pulled slightly ahead in lane one. The two battled up side-by-side until the third lap when Shane pulled away.
“I knew he had it by lap three,” Tate said. He said he needed to save the equipment for Sunday’s preliminary heats and final and needs those valuable H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Series national high points to stay in the points lead. “We need to save it for another battle in another race, for another day.”
The two drivers are now tied with three victories each this season when they have gone up against each other.
The winner Jimmy Shane said, “You have two competitive drivers and two competitive teams and we put on a great show for the Tri-Cities fans. That is what H1 Unlimited hydroplane racing is all about, deck-to-deck racing.”
Shane had the fastest lap speed of 157.585 mph.
Third place in preliminary heat 2B was Brian Perkins (North Bend, Wash.) in the U-21 PayneWest Insurance.
Tate said that turn one is the usual rough Columbia River turn one. “The only good thing about being behind Shane was I could see the rough water coming. He had to go through the same stuff I did.”
U-11 J&D’s with Tom Thompson did not start.
Preliminary Heat 2A saw Cal Phipps get to the first turn on the opening lap in lane two, while Kelly took lane one. But Phipps made a great turn and pulled away. Kelly was not a threat, finishing second, but later was disqualified for a fuel flow violation. Dustin Echols in the U-440 Bucket List Racing finished second.
Earlier in Heat 1A, U-9 Les Schwab Tire driver Andrew Tate came to the start line with Brian Perkins in the U-21 PayneWest Insurance, and Cal Phipps in the U-1918 Oberto Beef Jerky. Phipps led into the first turn of lap one, but Tate passed Phipps in the backstretch and stayed in the lead for the remaining two laps. Perkins overtook Phipps on lap two for second place and remained until the checkered flag. Dustin Echols in the U-440 Bucket List Racing trailed the field almost a half of lap behind the leaders. U-12 Graham Trucking, with J. Michael Kelly driving, went dead in the water after he crossed the start line at the beginning of the race.
Prior to the start of Heat 1B, Jimmy King washed down Jimmy Shane in the U-1 Miss HomeStreet in the U-3 Ace Hardware, forcing Shane to go dead-in-the-water. He was able to restart his engine and catch the field for the start. Shane pulled out ahead of the U-11 J&D’s with Tom Thompson driving on lap one, and held the lead for the remaining three laps. Thompson made an attempt to make up ground on Shane but could not catch him. King’s boat went dead in the water just as he crossed for the start. He was later penalized 150 points for cutting Shane off in the milling period. Aaron Salmon and the U-99.9 CARSTAR powers Miss Rock was unable to start, suffering from a relay switch malfunction.
2017: GRAHAM TRUCKING WINS HAPO COLUMBIA CUP
J. Michael Kelly, driver of the U-12 Graham Trucking, started outside of most of the other competitors on the Columbia River today, beat them to the first turn, and ran away to victory in the winner-take-all final heat of the 2017 HAPO Columbia Cup in the Tri-Cities, Washington. The U-3 Grigg’s Ace Hardware finished second, the defending champion U-1 Miss HomeStreet was third, and the U-9 Les Schwab Tires was fourth.
As the boats prepared for the start of the final heat, Jimmy King in the Grigg’s Ace Hardware managed to grab the inside lane from the others, typically the most advantageous place to be at the start of a hydroplane race. However, Kelly had other ideas.
Before the race, he and his crew chief developed a plan not to contest for the inside lane. “We decided we weren’t going to play the game of getting up there early with these guys,” Kelly explained. “We hung back. You never know what’s going to happen. I started from the outside, led them going into the first turn, and never looked back.”
Behind him, King and Jimmy Shane in the Miss HomeStreet battled for second place throughout the heat, but King got to the finish line first driving a boat that is powered by a World War II fighter plane engine, as opposed to the turbines used by all the other teams. Andrew Tate in the Les Schwab was caught behind and was not able to catch up.
Finishing in fifth was the U-99.9 CARSTAR powered Miss Rock, with Greg Hopp driving and the U-11 Miss DiJulio presents J&D’s was not able to finish the final heat. Tom Thompson was the pilot of that boat.
The Graham Trucking boat was completely rebuilt during the off-season and hadn’t had a chance to make test runs until it appeared in the Tri-Cities this week. The team had spent much of the weekend sorting out various issues and going back and forth with engines. “It’s pretty cool to win from the outside, especially when we’ve been trying to find speed all week long,” Kelly said. “It’s amazing. I’m so grateful. I’m a lucky guy who gets to go 200 miles per hour on the water.”
The day got underway with a great heat of racing between Tate in the Les Schwab and Thompson in Miss J&D’s. Thompson grabbed the inside lane at the start, with Tate beside him and King in Grigg’s Ace Hardware on the outside. Thompson led going into the first turn, but Tate pulled slightly ahead down the backstretch. Though Thompson held the inside lane throughout, Tate remained immediately to his outside and managed the boat speed necessary to maintain a narrow lead to the finish line. King finished third and Hopp in Miss Rock was fourth.
The winner of the day’s second preliminary heat was essentially settled before the boats even started. In preparing for the start, Kelly cut across the bow of Miss HomeStreet, thus earning a one-minute penalty for encroachment. As for the race itself, Shane took the inside lane at the start, pulled ahead of Kelly, and went on to an easy victory. A third boat in the heat, the 440 Bucket List Racing with Dustin Echols in the cockpit, was far behind the other two and spun out in a turn before it could finish.
In the second round of preliminaries, King took the inside lane at the start of Heat 4A in his Grigg’s Ace Hardware, but Kelly soon passed him in the Graham Trucking and went into the lead with Shane following behind in Miss HomeStreet. That’s when it was announced that Kelly had jumped the gun, forcing him to run an extra lap. As a result, King won the heat while Shane took second and Kelly finished third.
Heat 4B was a repeat of 3A, with Thompson in Miss J&D’s and Tate in Les Schwab again battling it outside by side through the entire run. This time, however, it was Tate holding the inside lane. The two were never more than a boat length apart and it was Tate who got across the finish line first. Hopp in the Miss Rock finished third.
In other news from the Tri-Cities race, the U-21 Darrell Strong presents PayneWest Insurance was trailered back to its shop in Maple Valley, Washington, so the team could repair the damage the boat suffered when it spun out during yesterday’s first preliminaries. Also, race officials lifted a disqualification that had been assessed against Thompson in Heat 1B yesterday. The result gave him a second-place finish and the accompanying points.
A Recent History: Columbia Cup
A Recent History: Columbia Cup
Along the banks of the Columbia River in South Central Washington, the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland are known as the Tri-Cities. The Tri-Cities have hosted H1 Unlimited races since 1966 when Bill Brow won the Atomic Cup driving Bernie Little’s Miss Budweiser. The annual Columbia Cup is held on a 2.5-mile course which features wide sweeping turns leading to fast speeds and thrilling racing.
The Columbia Cup has produced some memorable races throughout the event’s history. In 2012, the series defending National High Point Champion Jimmy Shane claimed his first career H1 Unlimited victory. Shane, driving the Miss Graham Trucking was able to edge J. Michael Kelly at the start finish line in the closest finish in Columbia Cup history. Another memorable Columbia Cup occurred in 1989, when a driving infraction against Tom D’Eath eliminated him and the famed Miss Budweiser from contention. Mitch Evans took advantage of D’Eath’s mistake and scored a major upset victory. The win was the first H1 Unlimited victory for Evans and current Go 3 Racing owner Ed Cooper Jr.
With the H1 Unlimited Series returning to the northwest this weekend, let’s review the previous five Columbia Cups…
2022: JIMMY SHANE AND MISS HOMESTREET WIN IT ALL AT THE TRI-CITIES
KENNEWICK, Wash. — It was a clean sweep for Jimmy Shane and Miss HomeStreet as he won everything there was to win this weekend and took the 2022 HAPO Columbia Cup in H1 Unlimited Series action. Shane, 36, of San Antonio, Texas, was not only the fastest qualifier but won every preliminary heat that he entered and finished the event with a wire-to-wire victory in the final.
J.Michael Kelly, 43, of Bonney Lake, Washington, took second place while driving Lynx Healthcare presents Miss Tri-Cities and Jamie Nilsen, 37, of Gig Harbor, Washington, finished third driving Miss Joker’s Casino. Nilsen has taken third-place honors in each of the races held so far this season.
Shane’s teammate on the Madison Racing Team, Jeff Bernard in Miss Goodman Real Estate, crossed the starting line too early and was penalized an extra lap in the winner-take-all final. Shane was the first to start legally, pushed ahead of the others going through the first turn, and then extended his lead. He finished the race ahead of Kelly by two roostertail lengths.
Shane also dominated during preliminary-heat action earlier in the day. He came out ahead after battling Bernard in Heat 3, led from start to finish in Heat 4, and finished ahead after a close race in Heat 5.
On Saturday, two hydroplanes were knocked out of the race with damage. J. Michael Kelly aboard Lynx Healthcare presents Miss Tri-Cities and Jimmy Shane in Miss HomeStreet came away as heat winners in the first day of competition in the HAPO Columbia Cup.
The most spectacular event of Saturday happened at the start of Heat 2 when Miss Beacon Plumbing suddenly went airborne, flipped in midair, and crashed into the river. Driver Dave Villwock, 68, of Monroe, Washington, climbed out of his enclosed cockpit, was checked by medical personnel, and was found to be uninjured. The boat, however, suffered enough damage that the team had to withdraw from the event.
The Griggs presents Miss Ace Hardware also met misfortune earlier on Saturday during a test run. The boat, a fan favorite that is the only craft in the field powered by a World War II fighter plane engine, lost a propeller blade as it crossed the start/finish line and that flying blade caused enough damage to also end the race team’s weekend.
As for the action on the racecourse, Kelly, 43, of Kent, Washington, drove Lynx Healthcare presents Miss Tri-Cities to victory in the day’s first heat, with Villwock placing second in Miss Beacon Plumbing. After the second heat was restarted following Villwock’s accident, Shane, 36, of San Antonio, Texas, drove to a comfortable victory over Kelly.
2021: COREY PEABODY TAKES TRI-CITIES HAPO COLUMBIA CUP
KENNEWICK, Wash. — Corey Peabody drove Pinnacle Peak Consulting from behind during the last lap of the final heat and won the 2021 HAPO Columbia Cup in the Tri-Cities, Washington. It was the third stop of the H1 Unlimited Series, which features the fastest race boats in the world.
The event was dominated by Jimmy Shane, 35, of Covington, Washington, for most of the day, winning each of his preliminary heats driving Miss HomeStreet and being the fastest qualifier. But, in the winner-take-all final, he found himself caught behind the others at the start and could never catch up.
The start instead belonged to Peabody, 42, of Kent, Wash., and J. Michael Kelly in Miss Tri-Cities, his teammate on the Strong Racing Team and a friend since they were in grade school together. Kelly, 42, of Bonney Lake, Wash., held the lead through most of the heat but his boat received damage to its rear wing and Peabody was able to get past him during the final lap.
The victory was the first in Peabody’s career driving in the H1 Unlimited Series. The victory also gave his team its second one-two finish of the season. Kelly was the winner in Guntersville, Alabama, while Peabody placed second. The Strong Racing Team is new to the H1 Unlimited circuit this season.
Kelly finished the final in second place, followed by Shane in third, and in fourth was Jamie Nilsen of Gig Harbor, Wash., driving the J&D’s sponsored hydroplane. Nilsen won one of the preliminary heats earlier in the day, his first heat victory of the season. Dave Villwock, 67, the sport’s greatest champion, finished in fifth place driving Miss Beacon Plumbing.
2019: J. MICHAEL KELLY TAKES COLUMBIA CUP WIN OVER TATE, SHANE IN TRI-CITIES FINAL
KENNEWICK, Wash. (July 28, 2019) –J. Michael Kelly from Bonney Lake, Wash., drove his U-12 “Graham Trucking” unlimited hydroplane to victory in the Columbia Cup after holding off his nearest competitor, Andrew Tate from Walled Lake, Mich., in the U-1 “Delta/Real Track” for five laps on the Columbia River’s 2-1/2-mile racecourse on Sunday.
Prior to the start, Kelly had to settle for lane two after Jeff Bernard from Kent, Wash., in the U-1981 “Oberto Super Salami,” grabbed lane one.
But that didn’t fluster Kelly and he went deck-to-deck with Tate for several laps after the start until Kelly began to slightly pull away from Tate by several boat lengths.
“I felt comfortable in lane two,” Kelly said. “The start was close. I gave the gas an extra burp and it got me a little too close (to the starting line). But we got through that lane 2 clean.”
Bernard fell back by a quarter of a lap but had to fend off Bert Henderson in the U-7 “Boitano Homes.” Jimmy Shane slipped into fifth with his U-6 “Miss HomeStreet” hydroplane.
Brian Perkins in the U-99.9 “Darrell Strong presents PayneWest Insurance” dropped back with Corey Peabody in the U-98 “Graham Trucking American Dream.”
Kelly and Tate continued their battle as Tate tried hard to keep it close. At the end of five laps, Kelly won by several boat lengths.
“We’ve been struggling,” said Kelly after the win. “We have a good boat, but we were unable to get over that hump. We’ve just been throwing stuff at that boat all weekend. And whatever our guys (crew) have put in there it just gets faster. And I have to tell you, this is some of the most fun I’ve ever had racing this weekend.”
“It’s really hard to pass anyone in unlimited hydroplane racing,” Tate admitted.
A second challenge developed for third and fourth, as fifth-place position driver Shane began closing ground on Bernard and Henderson. By the last lap, Shane passed Henderson and as he closed in on the finish line, passed Bernard by only a few feet, ending the race in third.
“I just got washed down in that first turn,” said Shane. “But I was back too far on the start. I thought maybe those guys were early to the start, but I was off on my timing starts. All weekend long I was hitting my timing marks. And then I’m off the final. And that first turn got really ugly.”
The final order of the 54th annual HAPO Columbia Cup had Kelly the winner, in the U-12 “Graham Trucking,” second place went to Tate in the U-1 “Delta/RealTrac,” and third was Shane in the U-6 “Miss HomeStreet.”
Bernard had to settle for fourth in the U-1918 “Oberto Super Salami.” The field was rounded off with Henderson in the U-7 “Boitano Homes” in fifth, Perkins in the U-99.9 “PayneWest Insurance” was sixth, and last place was Peabody in the U-98 “Graham Trucking American Dream.”
Pure and simple, Tate said, “J. Michael just nailed that start.”
In earlier action on Saturday in Heat 2B, on lap one, going into turn one, Henderson hit choppy waters and was forced to slow, losing his momentum again, and Tate and King quickly pulled ahead. Nilsen settled into third. As Tate and King battled in a near replay of their first heat of the day, Henderson began to regain speed and went side-by-side with Nilsen. At the checkered flag it was Tate, King followed by Henderson, who eventually caught and passed Nilsen. Echols finished fifth.
Heat 2A saw Shane in the U-6 “Miss HomeStreet” going deck-to-deck with Kelly for the first lap and pulled ahead by two boat lengths on lap two. By the second lap, Shane had pulled ahead of Kelly by a full roostertail. Bernard followed well behind the two faster boats but had to keep Perkins behind him as the two battled for third place. Peabody followed in fourth. On the final lap, the boats were all equally spaced by several roostertails, looking more like a parade than an unlimited hydroplane race.
In the first round of preliminary heat action, Shane in the U-6 “Miss HomeStreet” took a slight lead in the four-lap preliminary Heat 1A over the U-12 “Graham Trucking” driven by Kelly. Shane increased his lead during each lap and at the checkered flag had won over Kelly by a half of a roostertail. Henderson’s U-7 “Boitano Homes” finished in third, a quarter of lap behind the leaders, followed by the U-440 “Bucket List Racing.” U-11 “J&D’s Reliable Diamond Tool” with Jamie Nilsen driving did not finish.
Defending National Champion, Tate, in the U-1 “Delta/RealTrac” came to the starting line side-by-side with the U-3 “Griggs presents Miss Ace Hardware” driven by King, and Bernard in the U-1918 “Oberto Super Salami.” King tried hard to keep up with Tate and trailed between a half-roostertail in the turns and one-roostertail in the straightway. Bernard in the “Oberto” dropped back several roostertails by lap two and struggling in the rough water produced by the leaders. U-99.9 “Darrell Strong presents PayneWest Insurance,” with Brian Perkins at the helm, finished third. The team found a replacement for its escape hatch after losing it Friday in the bottom of the Columbia River. A crewmember flew back to Seattle with a handful of competitors’ shop keys to look for a replacement that would fit their newly christened hydroplane. The team ended up finding one in Mark Evans’ shop in Chelan, Wash., on Evans’ former U-96 “Spirit of Qatar” unlimited hydroplane. Fifth place went to Peabody in the U-98 “Graham Trucking American Dream.”
2018: TATE SCORCHES THE COMPETITION IN TRI-CITIES
Andrew Tate (Walled Lake, Mich.), driving the U-9 Les Schwab Tires, was never threatened in the winner-take-all final of the HAPO Columbia Cup, held in 100+ degree heat in Kennewick, WA. His victory was his first on the Columbia River 2-1/2-mile course. At the beginning of the race, he was briefly challenged by Brian Perkins (North Bend, Wash.) in the U-21 PayneWest Insurance, however, Perkins hit a buoy, resulting in a one-minute penalty. That dropped Perkins back to fourth place overall. Cal Phipps (Avon Lake, Ohio), in the U-1918 Oberto Beef Jerky, finished second. J. Michael Kelly (Bonney Lake, Wash.) in the U-12 Graham Trucking, who overcame a weekend of issues, placed third.
“When I came out of turn two near the blue bridge I let out a sigh of relief,” Tate said. “We kind of watched what all the drivers were doing this weekend and we were taking notes.”
“I couldn’t be happier for Les Schwab Tires, Lori and Mike Jones, and the entire team,” said the 28-year old driver Tate. “The team worked their butts off. They stayed late Saturday night and were back in the pits at 5:00 a.m.”
Jimmy Shane (Maple Valley, Wash.) was in the hunt and crossed the finished line second, but H1 Unlimited hydroplane officials determined he encroached on Tom Thompson in the U-11 J&D’s, causing him to lose power, “affecting the outcome of the race,” said Doug Shelton, chief referee. He was disqualified from the final.
Thompson, later restarted and finished fifth, and Dustin Echols in the U-440 Bucket List Racing finished sixth.
“All five boats were going up the back stretch tight,” Shane said. I saw the U-9 moving back and forth in lane two and three, and I needed to make a move before I got boxed in. It was 100 percent my fault. I feel terrible that I affected the outcome of U-11. I never wanted to do that. I truly apologize.”
The win for Tate increases his H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Series national points lead over Shane by 1,920. Thompson now takes over second in the standings but is also far behind Tate by 1,173.
On Saturday, during the HAPO Columbia preliminary heat 2B, Shane won the battle against Tate and added to his overall total of 15 heat wins against the Michigan driver. The two hit the start line tied, but Shane pulled slightly ahead in lane one. The two battled up side-by-side until the third lap when Shane pulled away.
“I knew he had it by lap three,” Tate said. He said he needed to save the equipment for Sunday’s preliminary heats and final and needs those valuable H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Series national high points to stay in the points lead. “We need to save it for another battle in another race, for another day.”
The two drivers are now tied with three victories each this season when they have gone up against each other.
The winner Jimmy Shane said, “You have two competitive drivers and two competitive teams and we put on a great show for the Tri-Cities fans. That is what H1 Unlimited hydroplane racing is all about, deck-to-deck racing.”
Shane had the fastest lap speed of 157.585 mph.
Third place in preliminary heat 2B was Brian Perkins (North Bend, Wash.) in the U-21 PayneWest Insurance.
Tate said that turn one is the usual rough Columbia River turn one. “The only good thing about being behind Shane was I could see the rough water coming. He had to go through the same stuff I did.”
U-11 J&D’s with Tom Thompson did not start.
Preliminary Heat 2A saw Cal Phipps get to the first turn on the opening lap in lane two, while Kelly took lane one. But Phipps made a great turn and pulled away. Kelly was not a threat, finishing second, but later was disqualified for a fuel flow violation. Dustin Echols in the U-440 Bucket List Racing finished second.
Earlier in Heat 1A, U-9 Les Schwab Tire driver Andrew Tate came to the start line with Brian Perkins in the U-21 PayneWest Insurance, and Cal Phipps in the U-1918 Oberto Beef Jerky. Phipps led into the first turn of lap one, but Tate passed Phipps in the backstretch and stayed in the lead for the remaining two laps. Perkins overtook Phipps on lap two for second place and remained until the checkered flag. Dustin Echols in the U-440 Bucket List Racing trailed the field almost a half of lap behind the leaders. U-12 Graham Trucking, with J. Michael Kelly driving, went dead in the water after he crossed the start line at the beginning of the race.
Prior to the start of Heat 1B, Jimmy King washed down Jimmy Shane in the U-1 Miss HomeStreet in the U-3 Ace Hardware, forcing Shane to go dead-in-the-water. He was able to restart his engine and catch the field for the start. Shane pulled out ahead of the U-11 J&D’s with Tom Thompson driving on lap one, and held the lead for the remaining three laps. Thompson made an attempt to make up ground on Shane but could not catch him. King’s boat went dead in the water just as he crossed for the start. He was later penalized 150 points for cutting Shane off in the milling period. Aaron Salmon and the U-99.9 CARSTAR powers Miss Rock was unable to start, suffering from a relay switch malfunction.
2017: GRAHAM TRUCKING WINS HAPO COLUMBIA CUP
J. Michael Kelly, driver of the U-12 Graham Trucking, started outside of most of the other competitors on the Columbia River today, beat them to the first turn, and ran away to victory in the winner-take-all final heat of the 2017 HAPO Columbia Cup in the Tri-Cities, Washington. The U-3 Grigg’s Ace Hardware finished second, the defending champion U-1 Miss HomeStreet was third, and the U-9 Les Schwab Tires was fourth.
As the boats prepared for the start of the final heat, Jimmy King in the Grigg’s Ace Hardware managed to grab the inside lane from the others, typically the most advantageous place to be at the start of a hydroplane race. However, Kelly had other ideas.
Before the race, he and his crew chief developed a plan not to contest for the inside lane. “We decided we weren’t going to play the game of getting up there early with these guys,” Kelly explained. “We hung back. You never know what’s going to happen. I started from the outside, led them going into the first turn, and never looked back.”
Behind him, King and Jimmy Shane in the Miss HomeStreet battled for second place throughout the heat, but King got to the finish line first driving a boat that is powered by a World War II fighter plane engine, as opposed to the turbines used by all the other teams. Andrew Tate in the Les Schwab was caught behind and was not able to catch up.
Finishing in fifth was the U-99.9 CARSTAR powered Miss Rock, with Greg Hopp driving and the U-11 Miss DiJulio presents J&D’s was not able to finish the final heat. Tom Thompson was the pilot of that boat.
The Graham Trucking boat was completely rebuilt during the off-season and hadn’t had a chance to make test runs until it appeared in the Tri-Cities this week. The team had spent much of the weekend sorting out various issues and going back and forth with engines. “It’s pretty cool to win from the outside, especially when we’ve been trying to find speed all week long,” Kelly said. “It’s amazing. I’m so grateful. I’m a lucky guy who gets to go 200 miles per hour on the water.”
The day got underway with a great heat of racing between Tate in the Les Schwab and Thompson in Miss J&D’s. Thompson grabbed the inside lane at the start, with Tate beside him and King in Grigg’s Ace Hardware on the outside. Thompson led going into the first turn, but Tate pulled slightly ahead down the backstretch. Though Thompson held the inside lane throughout, Tate remained immediately to his outside and managed the boat speed necessary to maintain a narrow lead to the finish line. King finished third and Hopp in Miss Rock was fourth.
The winner of the day’s second preliminary heat was essentially settled before the boats even started. In preparing for the start, Kelly cut across the bow of Miss HomeStreet, thus earning a one-minute penalty for encroachment. As for the race itself, Shane took the inside lane at the start, pulled ahead of Kelly, and went on to an easy victory. A third boat in the heat, the 440 Bucket List Racing with Dustin Echols in the cockpit, was far behind the other two and spun out in a turn before it could finish.
In the second round of preliminaries, King took the inside lane at the start of Heat 4A in his Grigg’s Ace Hardware, but Kelly soon passed him in the Graham Trucking and went into the lead with Shane following behind in Miss HomeStreet. That’s when it was announced that Kelly had jumped the gun, forcing him to run an extra lap. As a result, King won the heat while Shane took second and Kelly finished third.
Heat 4B was a repeat of 3A, with Thompson in Miss J&D’s and Tate in Les Schwab again battling it outside by side through the entire run. This time, however, it was Tate holding the inside lane. The two were never more than a boat length apart and it was Tate who got across the finish line first. Hopp in the Miss Rock finished third.
In other news from the Tri-Cities race, the U-21 Darrell Strong presents PayneWest Insurance was trailered back to its shop in Maple Valley, Washington, so the team could repair the damage the boat suffered when it spun out during yesterday’s first preliminaries. Also, race officials lifted a disqualification that had been assessed against Thompson in Heat 1B yesterday. The result gave him a second-place finish and the accompanying points.