San Diego Bayfair, September 12, 13, 14 2014

[Serious News]

http://www.sandiegobayfair.org/

09/12/14 Friday


07:15-0725 Working/Perimeter boat roll call
0830 H1/GP Driver/Crew Chief meeting - H1 Office
8:00-9:30 BREAK USED FOR ESCORTS
9:30-11:00 H1/GP Testing
11:00-12:00 BREAK USED FOR ESCORTS
12:00-13:00 H1/GP Testing
13:00-13:30 BREAK USED FOR ESCORTS
13:30-15:30 H1 qualifying
15:30-16:00 GP qualifying

09/13/14 Saturday

07:15-0725 Working/Perimeter boat roll call
7:30-9:00 Antique water car Water around T-Dock area MUST BE settled.
7:30-9:00 BREAK USED FOR ESCORTS
0800 H1/GP PHYSICALS
9:30-11:30 H1/GP testing
11:30-12:30 BREAK USED FOR ESCORTS
11:30 H1 Driver/Crew Chief meeting - H1 Office
12:00-12:30 Muncey Memorial
12:30-13:00 H1 testing
12:30 GP Driver/Crew Chief meeting - H1 office
13:00-13:20 GP heat 1A - 2mi course
13:20-13:40 BREAK USED FOR ESCORTS
13:40-14:00 H1 heat 1A -2.5mi course
14:00-14:20 H1 heat 1B -2.5mi course
14:20-14:35 BREAK crane time
14:35-14:55 GP heat 2A - 2mi course
15:00-15:45 H1 autograph session @ entertainment stage

09/14/14 Sunday

07:15-0725 Working/Perimeter boat roll call
0900 H1/GP PHYSICALS
10:00-11:00 H1 testing
11:00-11:30 GP testing
12:00-12:20 Opening Ceremonies
11:30-12:20 BREAK USED FOR ESCORTS
12:20-12:40 H1 heat 2A
12:40-13:00 H1 heat 2B
13:00-13:30 BREAK USED FOR ESCORTS
13:30-13:50 GP heat 3A
13:50-14:05 BREAK crane time
14:05-14:25 H1 heat 3A
14:25-14:45 H1 heat 2B
14:45-15:00 BREAK crane time
15:00-15:20 GP Final
15:20-15:30 BREAK crane time
15:30-15:50 H1 Final

 

[Serious News]

H1 Unlimited Leads All-Star Lineup

With a commitment from the fastest boats in the world, H1 Unlimited hydroplanes, and the piston-powered Grand Prix West Series, San Diego Bayfair promises to once again bring the finest powerboat competition to San Diego’s Mission Bay this September.

Oh Boy! Oberto driver Steve David will be back to defend his Bayfair crown, September 13-15, on the 2.5-mile course that is considered some of the fastest water in the country. At least eight H1 Unlimited teams are expected to compete in the final North American race of the season for the tour.

Joining H1 Unlimited are the always exciting Grand Prix West Series, featuring big-block engines and return to Mission Bay after a one-year hiatus. The hydroplanes race on a smaller course but are just as exciting as their turbine-powered siblings.

Jeff Thomas, Bayfair Chairman noted, “We are very fortunate to have the finest hydroplane racing in the world today back in San Diego,” said Jeff Thomas, Bayfair chairman. “Our loyal fans deserve the best powerboat racing we can draw, and we’ve done that.”

Also adding to the on-water entertainment is RPM Racing Enterprises, which features nearly a dozen smaller racing classes that will compete between the H1 Unlimited and Grand Prix West hydroplanes.

The Lucas Series Drag Boats has chosen to race other venues and will not appear at Crown Point Shores this year. Though missed by the quarter-mile race fans, the H1 Unlimiteds and Grand Prix West more than make up the on-water racing time required for ‘hard-fought’ competitions, Thomas said.

Bayfair also continues to create additional shoreline entertainment and fans can surely expect more live entertainment than ever before, great food and vendors and of course the opportunity to overnight in motorhomes in the park, special only to Bayfair!

Additional motorsports entertainment is expected to be added in the coming weeks. Announcements will be made when city approvals are obtained.

Check back frequently to www.sandiegobayfair.org for updates on the event.

 

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San Diego Bayfair History

San Diego Bayfair has a long and rich tradition in Mission Bay Park. The first race was staged in 1964 thanks to the foresight of the great Unlimited hydroplane racer Bill Muncey. Muncey was the driving force behind Bayfair and getting the racecourse built to host the event.

Bill MunceyA Master Plan for Mission Bay was approved by the City of San Diego in 1958 and set in motion the creation of the racecourse between East Vacation Island and Fiesta Island. (Neither island existed until a massive dredging project formed them.) The shorelines were curved to accommodate a 2.5-mile oval course and beaches were sloped to dissipate waves from motorboats and hydroplanes.

The parking lot and launch ramp on East Vacation Island was designed as a pit area for hydroplanes. The light posts were set in a line to facilitate easy access for the hydroplanes, trucks and equipment.

To ensure boat racing on Mission Bay, San Diego Municipal Code allows “to hold a boat race in the course of which unmuffled engines may be used by the contestants… for a period of time not exceeding ten (10) days in all.” The Municipal Code also includes, “In addition to the aforementioned 10 day permit, the Director may issue a permit for unlimited hydroplane racing, provided such permit shall be for a period of time not exceeding four (4) additional days in any calendar year.”

The 2.5-mile racecourse, which was named after the late Bill Muncey, is the longest and fastest racecourse on the H1 Unlimited hydroplaneBlimps circuit. Driver Dave Villwock set the World Lap Speed Record of 173.384 mph in 1999 at Bayfair. Villwock has won a record nine Bill Muncey Cups, including his first ever Unlimited hydroplane race victory on the waters of Mission Bay. For a complete list of past winners, click here.

Over the years, more than 5 million people have enjoyed the races on Mission Bay. Bayfair has grown from just a hydroplane race in 1964 to an event that featured drag boats, international competitors, live music and aerial demonstrations. Boat-racing tours including Formula One tunnel boats, Grand Prix West, P1 USA, Pacific Offshore Powerboat Racing Association and various semi-professional classes have competed at Bayfair.

Bayfair is a nonprofit 501(c)4 event organized and run entirely by volunteers. An eight-member Board of GovernorsAwardsHistory directs and oversees more than 700 volunteers to stage the three-day festival, which takes places each September. More than 500 RV owners, friends and family get the rare opportunity to stay in Mission Bay Park for the festival weekend. The event is featured on national television and in local and national print publications.

In 2012, Bayfair was responsible for generating 13,600 room nights and in excess of $1.7 million in hotel revenue, according to a survey performed by VisionQuest.

 

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Nine boats qualify for Bayfair, Oberto fastest as hydros in San Diego

Updated with Friday’s results.

Jimmy Shane qualified the Oberto hydroplane at just over 162 mph Friday afternoon to be top qualifier at this weekend’s Bayfair hydroplane race in San Diego. Shane was followed by Kip Brown who qualified the Spirit of Qatar at just under 160 mph.

A total of 9 boats qualified for the racing Saturday including our own local Edmonds hydroplane Miss Peters and May, driven by Tom Thompson to speed of just under 148 mph. Two boats remain to qualify and will be given the chance Saturday morning.

Racing starts in the early afternoon with the first set of preliminary heats. Two more sets of preliminary heats as well as a winner-take-all final will be held on Sunday.

Eleven unlimited hydroplanes are now in San Diego for the final stop of the U.S. portion of the hydroplane tour. After this weekend’s race, the only thing left on the 2014 schedule is the Oryx Cup in Doha, Qatar.

Shane in the Oberto and J. Michael Kelly in the Graham Trucking have been fighting all year for the season championship. Shane has a 923-point lead with 3,200 points available in the final two races. Three other boats are still mathematically eligible for the championship, but are so far back as to leave these two as the only logical contenders.

Miss Peters and May, owned by Shannon and Scott Raney and driven by Tom Thompson, is currently in sixth place and out of contention for the season crown. The team has shown promise at the Seafair race and could be a contender for the race win in San Diego.

Dave Villwock, all-time leading race winner, was seen Thursday in the pit area. He is serving as team manager for the Beacon Plumbing hydroplane, although he won’t be driving the boat. Villwock was suspended from driving for this race as a result of a collision at Seafair.

Complete reports of the action all weekend long will be available on My Edmonds News.

– By Harry Gatjens

http://myedmondsnews.com/2014/09/ms...rafficferry-events-links-scanner-shop-five-c/

 

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Shane to race hard at Bayfair despite big lead

David Campbell
Courier Sportswriter

Last season, Jimmy Shane used the second-to-last race of the year to erase a huge deficit and propel him to his first national championship. This year, Shane is trying to defend a big lead.

Shane carries a 923-point lead over second-place J. Michael Kelly into this weekend's Bayfair on Mission Bay in San Diego. With just two races left in the 2014 season, a strong weekend will all but assure the 28-year-old driver from Covington, Wash., his second-straight crown.

But unlike last year when Shane, driving the Graham Trucking, made up a 663-point deficit to catch the Oh Boy! Oberto, he will be trying to bring home a fifth national title in seven years to the City of Madison as the pilot of the Oberto/Miss Madison.

Shane knows better than anyone how tenuous any lead can be and he doesn't plan to thottle down and play it safe anytime soon.

"(We'll) race like we always do, run hard every heat and score as many points as possible," Shane said. "We would like to increase the lead before we go to Doha."

Only five teams are mathematically still alive to win the National High Points title but in reality, only two have a true shot at the crown.

The other driver still within striking distance is Kelly, who replaced Shane in the cockpit of the Graham Trucking after Shane departed for the Oberto. Kelly has had the best season of his 11-year career, winning the opener at Madison on Fourth of July weekend and scoring a second win at Seattle last month.

Kelly's victory on the 2-mile Lake Washington race course sent a message to Shane, who was dominate in wins at Detroit and Tri-Cities. Kelly secured lane one, nailed the start and then proceeded to hold off Shane through five pressure-packed laps.

"The Graham Trucking is obviously very fast and Mike is a great driver," Shane said. "I know that boat very well and I know what it took to beat the Oberto boat last year, so I know where they have to be."

While Kelly was impressive at Seattle, the 2.5-mile Mission Bay course seems to be set up perfectly for Shane, who has dominated the long courses this season. Shane qualified the Graham Trucking at nearly 161 mph last year at San Diego en route to the victory and all signs point to an even faster speed this year.

"We love the San Diego race course. It's one of our super speedways." said Shane. "Our goal will be to continue to improve and qualify faster than the boat did there last year, as we have at every race this year."

Kelly's teammate Cal Phipps sits third in the points standings, 1,548 points back in the Graham Trucking II while Jon Zimmerman is fourth aboard the Team Red Dot and trails by 1,832 points.

Sitting in fifth place is the GoFastTurnLeft Racing Team, which sits 2,072 points back of the Oberto. The team's primary boat was badly damaged in an accident at Tri-Cities but the team has reached an deal to put its No. 21 on the Schumacher Racing entry, which will be driven by Scott Liddycoat this weekend.

The agreement between GoFast and the Schumacher's appears to cover the season finale in November at Doha, Qatar, as well.

"It's great for us and the Schumachers since it will benefit them at both of the remaining races and it keeps the 21 number active for us," said owner Greg O'Farrell, whose number has been on three boats already this season and Liddycoat will officially be the team's fourth driver. "We plan to be back using the number next season."

A total of 11 Unlimiteds are expected to compete this weekend. Testing begins on Friday with qualifying set for 4:30 p.m. EDT. The first set of heats will be at 4:40 p.m. on Saturday with the final set for 6:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday.

2014 SAN DIEGO BAYFAIR

Boat Roster

No. - Boat - Driver

1 - Graham Trucking - J. Michael Kelly

6 - Oberto/Miss Madison - Jimmy Shane

7 - Graham Trucking II - Cal Phipps

9 - Team RedDOT - Jon Zimmerman

11 - Peters & May - Tom Thompson

12 - Miss DiJulio - Greg Hopp

18 - Bucket List Racing - Kelly Stocklin

21 - Schumacher Racing - Scott Liddycoat

22 - Big 5 Sporting Goods - Mike Webster

96 - Spirit of Qatar - Kip Brown

100 - Tony Roma's - Dave Warren

http://madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=18&SubSectionID=895&ArticleID=85658

 

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Covington's Jimmy Shane drove the U-6 Oberto to the fastest speed in the Friday afternoon qualifying session at San Diego's Bayfair on Mission Bay but saw his 162.557 lap threatened by Bonney Lake's Kip Brown in the new U-96 Spirit of Qatar.

Brown turned a lap of 161.963 on his second lap and had the Oberto crew ready to return to the race course as he started his third lap. But Brown slowed the Qatar on the backstretch and returned to the pits, leaving Shane and the Oberto team at the top of the ladder and keeping their top qualifying record intact.

Both drivers reported very rough water in turn one on the Bill Muncey Race Course, which appears to be very smooth from the shore.

Shane said he would have been back on the course if Brown had topped his speed.

"We were ready to run again if we had to. The boat is a good setup for rough water and that's a good thing because it does get very rough."

Brown said, "We only took on enough fuel for two laps to see what the boat could do with a light load and that was it."

Brown got some bad news from the tech truck when his fast lap was disallowed due to an N2 violation, but his 159.678 run earlier stood and kept him in second place.

Shane has been the fastest qualifier at every event on the H1 tour in 2014 and has beaten the team's previous best at every event so far. Steve David was the top Bayfair qualifier in the Oberto in 2013 with a speed of 161.571.

Jon Zimmerman's second-round speed of 157.585 put the 9 RedDOT/Les Schwab Tires in third place and Bonney Lake's J. Michael Kelly, winner of the last stop on the tour at Seattle's Seafair, finished fourth with a speed of 157.285.

Eleven teams are in the pit area on Vacation Island and will be drawn into the first section of heats, set to begin at 1:40 pm Saturday.

http://www.auburn-reporter.com/sports/275012291.html

 

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96 Spirit of Qatar’s Kip Brown takes heat win, qualifies second



After a minor technical issue, 96 Spirit of Qatar’s Kip Brown was not able to start the final of the San Diego Bayfair, round five of the 2014 H1 Unlimited Championship, held in Mission Bay, California, on Sunday. But the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF)-backed driver heads to Doha Bay in November in upbeat mood after qualifying in second place on Friday and winning heat 1A on Saturday.


J Michael Kelly was deemed the winner of Sunday’s final after an official review by race officials. Pre-race favourite Jimmy Shane lined up alongside Kelly, Brown, Cal Phipps, Mike Webster and Tom Thompson and Kelly grabbed the inside lane and the early lead after Brown had not been to start 96 Spirit of Qatar.

Kelly raced neck and neck with Shane through the five-lap final. Shane crossed the finish line first, but was told to run an extra lap while officials reviewed the heat and he was later told that he had been penalised for bearing down on Kelly entering turn one at the start of the fourth lap. This dropped Shane to fourth, handed Kelly the Bayfair title and lifted Phipps to second and Webster to third.

Shane’s 6 Oberto/Miss Madison claimed the 100 points for topping the qualifying times on Friday with a speed of 162.557mph, but Brown was in superb form with 96 Spirit of Qatar and topped the 160mph barrier on one run that was nullified after an N2 fuel violation. Brown went on to set a legal 159.679mph run in rough conditions on the Bill Muncey Race Course and settled into second position, the QMSF-backed driver netting 80 points.

“We only took enough fuel for two laps to see what the boat could do with a light load and that was it,” said a delighted Brown. Jon Zimmerman clocked third place in 95 Red Dot/Les Schwab Tires.

Zimmerman led the field into the first turn in Heat 1A, but the boat spun violently, forced the stoppage of the heat and put the American out of the running for the rest of the weekend. Brown took the inside after the restart and controlled the heat to take maximum points. Cal Phipps was second and Scott Liddycoat was third. “We made a fairly easy start. I didn’t want to get over the line too soon,” said Brown. “By the time we left turn one we were clear of the field and just went for a boat ride. I love driving this boat.”

Shane won the battle for the inside line to seal heat 1B over Kelly. Tom Thompson finished third, but Schumacher Racing’s 21 Miss Beacon Plumbing – which had incurred a technical violation and been disqualified on Saturday - filed an appeal and chose not to run on Sunday.

Kelly took a tense heat 2A win from Shane on Sunday afternoon, but heat 2B was a disappointing one for Brown in 96 Spirit of Qatar.

Qatar’s Oryx Cup is the final round of the 2014 H1 Unlimited Championship and will take place in Doha Bay on November 20-22. It is being organised by the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF).

http://www.gulf-times.com/sport/192...’s-kip-brown-takes-heat-win,-qualifies-second

 

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J. Michael Kelly won the Bill Muncey Cup at San Diego Bayfair on Sunday, capping the 50th anniversary celebration for the three-day event on Mission Bay.

Kelly was declared the winner after the leader Jimmy Shane was ruled by H1 Unlimited officials to have veered into Kelly’s lane on Lap 4 in the Final. Shane, who won Bayfair in 2013, was penalized one lap and received a monetary fine.

An emotional Kelly soaked in the victory that became official about 30 minutes after the final was completed on the 2 ½-mile Bill Muncey course. Fran Muncey, wife of the late Bill Muncey, presented the trophy to Kelly on the 50th anniversary.

“It’s very cool to be a part of the history of Bill Muncey,” Kelly said. “Knowing I’ll never have what he’s done, but to be part of that history is pretty special.”

 

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Kelly Bayfair winner after Shane penalty

For all the money and technology invested in sports instant replay, there are still calls that come down solely to an official’s judgment. While that may leave Chargers and Padres fans upset, they can take comfort in knowing that the condition extends to plenty of other sports as well — even hydroplane boat racing.

In Sunday’s H1 Unlimited final at San Diego Bayfair, race leader Jimmy Shane was assessed a one-lap penalty for “bearing out” with his Oberto boat while negotiating the first turn in the fourth of five laps, essentially knocking him out of contention and gift wrapping a win for J. Michael Kelly and the Graham Trucking boat.

It was a decision — it was handed down by chief referee Brian Hajney approximately 45 minutes after the race’s conclusion — that naturally was viewed differently by the two principal drivers.

“We were just running deck to deck,” Kelly said. “He must have hit a huge roller or something came unhooked, and by the time he turned, I was almost hitting the outside course marker. So by the time I came out of the turn, I was pretty much done there. I knew right away that it was just a matter of whether the officials up in the air had seen it.”

Shane said the ruling he was given was that he intentionally forced Kelly’s boat to the outside.

“I got to watch the video, and I didn’t see anything other than good, clean hard racing,” said Shane, who with his one-lap penalty finished fourth and also suffered a broken rib in the race.

“It was really unfortunate that they made a call on that. There’s a difference between doing something intentional and hard racing,” Shane added.

Shane had won two heats earlier this weekend and entered the final leading in points, which gave him the inside lane.

Kelly won one heat and was in Lane 2, and in the final trailed Shane by no more than two roostertails until the incident in the fourth lap.

Kelly had won just one H1 Unlimited race before this year, in 2009, but has been racing well this season and entered Bayfair having won races in Madison, Wis., and Seattle in 2014.

Adding his name Sunday to the Bill Muncey Cup made it all the more memorable.

“I couldn’t be happier with this No. 1 boat,” Kelly said.

“For us to run like that in the final from the outside, it really shows how hard these guys work. Normally we have to be on the inside of the Oberto boat to beat them, and we were able to run with them on the outside. That just shows how good this boat is.

“There’s all the history with Bill Muncey here, and now I get to be a part of that.

“I might not ever be in that category, but I get to do what I love to do, and it’s pretty amazing.”

Bayfair is the final U.S. stop on this season’s six-event H1 Unlimited schedule.

The racing series will conclude with an event in Doha, Qatar, Nov. 20-22.

Shane’s Oberto boat holds a 932-point lead in the high-points standings heading into the final event.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/14/kelly-bayfair-hydroplane-racing/

 

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THUNDER ON THE BAY: Bayfair powerboat races mark 50 years of thrills, spills
by JOHNNY MCDONALD

Jimmy Shane’s Oberto hydroplane was the first across the finish line, but, instead, runner-up J. Michael Kelly got the checkered flag, signaling that he was the Bayfair race victor for the coveted Bill Muncey Cup during the weekend of Sept. 12-14.

Race officials ruled that Shane crossed in front of Kelly at the start of the five-lap feature. Shane was penalized a lap and later fined for the infraction.

However, Shane earlier posted two convincing wins in heat races to maintain his points lead for the championship heading into the season finale at Doha, Qatar from Nov. 20-22.

An emotional Kelly soaked in the victory that became official about 30 minutes after the final was completed along the

2 1⁄2-mile Bill Muncey course. Fran Muncey, wife of the late Bill Muncey, presented the trophy to Kelly on the 50th anniversary of the Bayfair races.

“It’s very cool to be a part of the history of Bill Muncey,” Kelly said. “Knowing I’ll never have what he’s done, but to be part of it all.”

It was a bizarre conclusion to the three-day festival that included other class speedboats, a car show and bands on three stages.

The weekend began when the board of governors was advised that the city would not lift its order to ban spectators from bringing alcohol in to the event. Board members said they felt this will create a future financial hardship and affect the number of recreational vehicles that normally circle the course.

Also, in a surprise move, the sanctioning H1 Hydroplane series announced that chairman Sam Cole was being replaced by Steve David on an interim basis. David, a Florida real-estate executive, is a former hydroplane champion. Cole had been chairman for 10 years.

Board president Jeff Thomas said the board of governors would conduct a post-race meeting in a few weeks to discuss the future of Bayfair and to discuss a possible meeting with the San Diego City Council over the alcohol issue.

Thunderboats Inc. is a nonprofit organization to promote powerboat racing in San Diego and tourism in the beach area. Bayfair is funded in part by the San Diego Tourism Marketing District Corporation with tourism marketing district assessment funds.

Although final attendance figures have yet to be compiled, organizers report a strong turnout over the three-day race period.

“We’re thankful to the 700-plus volunteers that come together each year to stage this family event,” said Thomas. “Mission Bay Park was built for hydro-plane racing, and we’re proud to showcase it.”

http://sdnews.com/pages/full_story/...ark+50+years+of+thrills-+spills+ &id=25795195

 

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9/15/2014 3:00:00 PM

Bad Break for Shane, Oberto
Hard hop in Oberto costs Shane a broken rib, Muncey Cup win

SAN DIEGO BAYFAIR

David Campbell
Courier Sportswriter

A hard hop in the first turn of the fourth lap broke one of Jimmy Shane's ribs and cost the Oberto/Miss Madison driver victory in San Diego on Sunday.

Shane, who secured lane one before the start, led J. Michael Kelly through four laps when his hydroplane hit a rolling wave and went slightly airborne. The hard smack back on the Mission Bay water broke a rib, but it also caused Shane's hydroplane to veer to the right and encroach on Kelly's Graham Trucking.

After making Shane run a precautionary extra lap, H1 Unlimited officials spent 45 minutes deciding whether a penalty should be assessed. In the end, Shane was penalized one lap and Kelly was awarded his third win of the season.

It was a similar situation to what the two drivers went through at Seattle six weeks ago. In that race, Kelly had lane one and spent five laps running Shane all over the course, at one point veering out into lane six. Officials likewise reviewed that situation after the race but did not call a penalty.

Shane saw little difference between the two incidents and couldn't believe a penalty was called on Sunday.

"There's a difference between an intentional lane change and hard racing," Shane said, moments before leaving for an area hospital to get his broken rib attended to. "When I entered the turn, I left plenty of room for Mike and we got called for hard racing in the best heat of the day."

Kelly saw it a different way.

"He hit a roller and pushed me out practically to the insurance buoy," Kelly said. "It's a fairly obvious call."

Kelly's teammate Cal Phipps finished second in the Graham Trucking II while Mike Webster picked up the first podium finish of his career by placing third aboard the Big 5 Sporting Goods. Shane finishing fourth, Tom Thompson, who was penalized one lap for jumping the starting gun, was fifth in the Peters & May and Kelly Stocklin was sixth in the Bucket List Racing.

The penalty in the final heat overshadowed what was an impressive week-long duel between Shane and Kelly. The two drivers, who had split the four previous races between them, were matched up in every preliminary heat.

Shane won two of the three prelims, but all three were close. In Heat 1B on Saturday, Shane seized lane one and led the whole way, but Kelly was deck-to-deck for two and a half laps. Kelly turned the tables in 2A on Sunday when he used lane one to fend off Shane.

Kelly got lane one again in Heat 3B but had to slow down so much at the start that Shane was able to get through turn one first. While Kelly was never more than three boat-lengths back, he couldn't make up that ground on Shane.

Kip Brown and Jon Zimmerman had arguably the roughest weekends. The rudder on Zimmerman's Team Red Dot failed in the first turn at the start of Heat 1A on Saturday and the subsequent hook and spin caused enough damage to force the team to withdraw for the weekend.

Brown, the second fastest qualifier aboard the Spirit of Qatar, won the restart of Heat 1A but had his own trouble in the second heat when he rode up Phipps' roostertail before the start and did not finish. After taking a third in the next heat, Brown's boat failed to even start in the final.

Phipps' penalty against Brown opened the door for Webster to claim just the third heat win of his career. Phipps recovered from his penalty in the second heat to win Heat 3A.

One team that ended up missing most of the race was the Miss Beacon Plumbing and new driver Scott Liddycoat, whose boat was wearing the GoFastTurnLeft Racing team's No. 21 for the weekend.

Liddycoat was the fifth-fastest qualifier and finished third in Heat 1A. But late Saturday night, the team was disqualified from the event for possessing what new H1 Chairman Steve David has described as a "non-stock part."

According to chief referee Brian Hanjy, the part in question appeared to have been designed and constructed to alter the boat's N2 RPM readings - standards that if exceeded usually result in disqualification and/or fines.

As a result, the team received no points for the event. Although team owners Billy and Jane Schumacher filed an appeal with H1, they later decided to pull out of the event and the boat left the pits late Saturday night.

It was the second disqualification the team has received this year. Driver Dave Villwock, who is also the team manager, was disqualified at the Seattle race after striking the Oberto in the infield and suspended for the San Diego race.

The fleet now heads from the west coast to the east coast to be shipped across the Atlantic Ocean for the season-ending UIM Oryx Cup World Championship in Doha, Qatar. The top 10 boats in points will make the trip. The ninth boat in the standings is the Bucket List Racing, which appeared in only three races this season, while the 10th is the Leland Unlimited, which saw action in only two events. Only eight teams competed in all five domestic races this year. Of those, only the Miss DiJulio and driver Greg Hopp failed to finish in the top 10.

Despite the penalty and loss, Shane maintains an 832-point lead in the National High Points standings over Kelly. Phipps, who is 1,642 points back, is the only other driver still mathematically alive for the championship.

http://madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=18&SubSectionID=289&ArticleID=85736

 

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