SEATTLE (Aug. 4) - One would have thought that, after flipping their primary hull during a qualifying run Saturday morning, the PICO American Dream team might be a bit concerned. Instead, crew members were noted eating their food calmly at lunch, and while they did work hard on their backup boat that afternoon, they had an air of confidence about them and never even bothered to test that backup boat until Sunday morning.

Obviously, Fred Leland, Ken Dryden and company had something up their sleeves — called the L-2 hull, the one that won the Gold Cup in Detroit this year and won here in Seattle in 1994.

That version of the PICO American Dream was never seriously challenged in four heats of racing in the 1996 Texaco Cup at Seafair. From the green flag in each heat, Dave Villwock guided his ride to comfortable victories; even when the wind lifted his boat into the air in Heat 2B, it came down flat and far ahead of the competition.

For driver Dave Villwock, it was especially sweet to win a race in his hometown. "All the people that work hard on this race boat to make it go fast are right here," he said on the award stand. The awards ceremony was delayed by the only mishap the boat suffered all day--running out of fuel on its parade lap.

With a perfect day, Villwock moved over 1500 points ahead in the O'Doul's National High Point Standings over second-place Smokin' Joe's and Mark Tate.

The real battle on the race course was for second place. Mark Evans, on the outside in the U-1 Miss Budweiser, tried to run away from Mark Tate in the U-10 Smokin' Joe's. However, Tate used his inside advantage and never fell more than a roostertail behind the Bud. In the final turn, the two boats started to lap Scott Pierce in the U-98 Chaplin's Bellevue Mazda. Evans went just wide enough that when he hit a patch of rough water, Tate managed to sneak by on the buoyline for second place.

HEAT 1A - A great race opened up coming out of the first turn for second place after Dave Villwock started running away with the lead in the U-100 PICO American Dream. Ken Muscatel held second in the U-14 Allied Telesyn/Computers & Applications, but Steve David was charging on the outside in the U-2 Miss Kiss 106. It took David two laps to get by him, but held about a roostertail lead at the end of the heat. The battle was actually all for naught as Muscatel had beared out in the first turn and had been given a $500 fine and one-lap penalty (his right sponson was also damaged in the incident). A steady third was Jimmy King in the U-8 Lynnwood Honda and Graham Trucking, who had Scott Pierce in the U-98 Chaplin's Bellevue Mazda/Subaru on his hip the entire race. Mitch Evans' engine popped in the U-3 Chelan's Mill Bay Casino in the first turn, but the boat finished. Mike Jones could not start the U-11 Miss Exide 2.

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HEAT 1B - Mark Evans surprised the field by leading into the first turn in the Miss Budweiser. Mark Tate popped out second on the inside in the Smokin' Joe's, but never managed to make up any ground as Evans left him no more than a lane for the rest of the heat. Tate told KIRO-TV he couldn't use all the power he had. However, it was almost all for naught when the Budweiser's propeller was found to be larger than 16" in diameter and it was disqualified, meaning that the Smokin'Joe's had won the heat. After further discussion, it was decided that the Budweiser had committed only a Class II violation, which entails a warning and $500 fine, not a disqualification, and the Bud victory was preserved. Mike Hanson was an easy third in the U-6 DeWALT Tools. Larry Lauterbach moved to the inside in the U-19 Appian Jeronimo in an attempt to pass Nate Brown in the U-16 Miss E-Lam Plus, but couldn't catch up. Dennis Parker in the Outback Steakhouse/ Aussie Endeavor passed Mark Weber in the U-9 Muckleshoot Casino Presents Miss Exide by the end of the first lap. Weber had been slightly off-line at the start and was unable to hold his lane in the first turn, putting him in easy striking distance of the Australian boat. Furthermore, the U-9 died shortly after finishing the race.

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HEAT 2A - It's looking like a long day for the Camel-Powered Smokin' Joe's. Coming from the outside, it took Mark Tate the full three laps to get around the U-6 DeWALT Tools and Mike Hanson who jumped out to an early lead. The two yellow boats went deck-to-deck for nearly the whole race, with Tate establishing a three-boatlength lead on the backstretch of lap 3 but swinging wide on the final turn and leading to a photo finish. The third yellow boat in the heat, Larry Lauterbach's U-19 Appian Jeronimo, was penalized one lap and $500 for encroaching on Mark Weber in the U-9 Muckelshoot Casino Presents Miss Exide in the first turn. Meanwhile, Steve David maintained a steady third in the U-2 Miss Kiss 106 despite having no radio contact with his crew. Mark Weber restarted to finish fourth in the U-9, while his boss Mike Jones in the U-11 Miss Exide 2 finished fifth. The U-19 Appian Jeronimo failed to finish while Ken Muscatel stayed on the beach with the U-14 Allied Telesyn/Computers & Applications Epson Color with severe sponson damage.

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HEAT 2B - This heat was flighty--too flighty for comfort. Leaving the pits, Jimmy King spun out the U-8 Lynnwood Honda and Graham Trucking. He managed to restart, but with whitecaps on the water and the wind continuing to pick up, the spinout was an omen of things to come. Dave Villwock provided yet another surprise by jumping out in the lead in the U-100 PICO American Dream. Mark Evans stayed within a roostertail in the Miss Budweiser until he caught a gust of air and beared outward in the third turn. By the time he settled down, he was in a battle with Nate Brown in the Miss E-Lam Plus for second, which he promptly ended with superior acceleration. Meanwhile, out front, Dave Villwock caught a gust of air and nearly flipped the PICO American Dream in the middle of the straightaway. After seeing that, all three boats slowed down, giving Jimmy King a chance to close in with the U-8 Lynnwood Honda and Graham Trucking. He didn't manage to pass Brown and ended up fourth. Scott Pierce was a solid fifth in the U-98 Chaplin's Bellevue Mazda/Subaru, while Mitch Evans maintained sixth in the U-3 Chelan's Mill Bay Casino. Dennis Parker made an "Australian turn" in the first corner with his U-15 Outback Steakhouse and ended up in the infield. He was told to shut down his boat, taking him out of competition for the day.

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HEAT 3A - Approaching the one-minute gun, things looked bleak for Larry Lauterbach in the U-19 Appian Jeronimo. With only 127 points, he sat dead on the infield. However, he spooled up his boat, got back onto the starting line, and ran away with the start, leading the field into the first turn. Mark Tate in the Smokin' Joe's took the lead down the backchute and won the heat, giving him 1100 points on the day. However, by holding off Jimmy King in the U-8 Lynnwood Honda and Graham Trucking, Lauterbach put himself in a position to either make the final or have good lane choice in the Provisional Heat. The two Exide boats went lost power several times each but eventually finished, while Mitch Evans had his U-3 Chelan's Mill Bay Casino expire.

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HEAT 3B - "He had fifteen seconds to spare." Four boats were lined up and ready to start Heat 3B as the one-minute gun approached, and top qualifier and top-point getter for the day and the year, the PICO American Dream, was not on course. However, Dave Villwock fired up his boat and powered into lane 2 for a clean start, and he led nearly wire-to-wire for his third straight heat victory on the day. Mark Evans, on the inside in the Miss Budweiser, seemed content for second, especially after flying badly into the first turn of lap number three. Steve David tried to make a race of things in the U-2 Miss Kiss 106, but Mike Hanson held his ground in the DeWALT Tools for third. Nate Brown brought the U-16 Miss E-Lam Plus back to the pits on the second lap after a variety of parts started falling off his boat. Scott Pierce stayed on the beach in the U-98 Chaplin's Bellevue Mazda/Subaru.

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PROVISIONAL - Larry Lauterbach on the inside in the U-19 Appian Jeronimo and Scott Pierce in the U-98 Chaplin's Bellevue Mazda/Subaru put on a side-by-side race for two laps before Pierce pulled away for the victory and trailer spot in the final. Lauterbach lost power in the first turn of lap number three after Pierce moved in to the buoy line after establishing a legal overlap, leaving second for Mark Weber in the U-9 Muckleshoot Casino Presents Miss Exide, who fell behind at the start and took 2 1/2 laps to pass Mitch Evans in the U-3 Chelan's Mill Bay Casino, who ended up third.