1997 Budweiser Columbia Cup
Columbia River, Tri-Cities, WA, July 27, 1997

Hydroplane Accident Hospitalizes Villwock
By Tom Fuller

Seattle Times staff reporter Arthur Santana also contributed to this report.

Budweiser's Loss is PICO's Gain
By Jeff Morrow, Herald Sports Editor

Mark Evans jumped into his boat early Sunday morning for a test run on the Columbia River and promptly ripped off a speedy 164.618 mph lap. Later, after winning Heat 1A of the Columbia Cup with Wings, he confidently stated, "I think it's gonna be a great day."

In fact, it couldn't have gone any better for the 41-year-old Wenatchee driver.

Evans survived rough water, attrition of boats and some tense moments in the pits to win the 1997 Tri-City race aboard the U-1 PICO American Dream.

It was the first victory of the season for Evans and the PICO team since their marriage in the offseason.

In 1996, Evans was driving for the Budweiser team and struggled all season before winning the final two races of the year. PICO won the national title last year with driver Dave Villwock.

But last winter, Villwock left PICO to drive the Bud, forcing Evans out. PICO picked Evans up this season, but the team has had its troubles. Until Sunday.

"It wasn't a monkey," said Evans. "This was an ape hanging on my back." The stage for Evans to win was set just 30 minutes earlier when Villwock lost control of the Bud on the first lap of the final.

Starting in Lane 2 of the seven-boat final, Villwock got a late jump into the east turn as Mark Tate and the Close Call was first in. But coming out of the turn, the right sponson swooped up and the boat flipped over and landed upside down.

"I saw him go straight up into the air - about the length of his boat. That high," Evans said. "That scared me because I thought he was going to land on somebody. Mark Weber (of the U-99) had to dive under him to avoid him."

It scared Weber.

"I had a box seat to that," he said. "Once his boat started flying toward the shore, I sort of squared the boat and pushed it out a bit. I know I pushed Mark Tate out, but at that time I didn't care. That was 6,000 pounds flying through the air."

The final was stopped and rescue sleds raced to Villwock, who was knocked unconscious, with his helmet and oxygen mask knocked off. Villwock was revived and sent to Kennewick General Hospital. But he suffered a broken right arm, a possible concussion, a bad cut across the top of his right wrist and other minor injuries.

By Sunday evening, Villwock was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was unavailable for comment.

"At this point, nothing is life-threatening," said Mark Wilson, public relations director for Bud Racing. "Dave is going to go in for an evaluation. But everything looks fine. After the doctors look at him, they will likely release him first thing in the morning."

Budweiser owner Bernie Little later addressed the crowd at the awards ceremony.

"Dave's going to be all right," said Little. "But he's not going to be driving any more this year."

Little wouldn't discuss a backup driver, but Wilson said an announcement might be made today.

It was a tough ending to an already rough day for Little and his team, which could have tied the record for consecutive heat victories at 20 (held by the late Bud driver Dean Chenoweth) if it had won the final. Even worse, Little, 71, lost a close friend Sunday afternoon when Gene Susa succumbed to a heart attack near the pits.

"I've known Gene for over 20 years. He was a good friend," said Little, who nearly broke down. "He was a very nice guy who loved boat racing and loved everybody."

With Bud lying upside down in front of the dock, it was time for PICO to shine. That happened just before the first final, when the team was forced to change engines with six minutes before the gun.

"We had a test run on the motor while the boat was on the trailer," said PICO crew chief Ken Dryden. "We always do a diagnostic test and with six minutes to go, somebody brought the card back and said, 'We've got some problems with the motor.' " The team scrambled to change motors - it was almost like a NASCAR pit stop - and switched motors in less than five minutes and the boat out on the course.  "I think that might be a record," Dryden said.  With the good motor in and the restart under way, Evans lost the early lead to Tate.

But going into the east end turn on the second lap, Tate and the Close Call launched into the air, going over a few lanes before landing hard. Tate was able to keep the boat running, but Evans took the lead for good when he carved through the turn flawlessly.   "That's when I got the win," Evans said. "That's when the race was over, as far as I'm concerned."

Tate knew it too.

"The boat hit a hole and pitched itself. I hit the water so hard it broke the restrainer on my shoulder," Tate said. "I did something to my shoulder and my back. I was just hanging on, and I got slower and slower each lap." Evans finished the final at 146.489 mph, while Tate held on for second at 140.649.

Weber, in the U-99 Team Stihl, was third at 136.318, while Mike Hanson and the U-6 DeWALT Tools was fourth at 135.142 mph.

Rookie Jerry Hale placed fifth in the U-9 Red Robin/Miss Exide at 120.803 mph, and Mitch Evans in the U-19 Appian Jeronimo was sixth at 108.851 mph.

(Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald, Monday, July 28, 1997)

Bud Driver Nearly Loses Hand in Flip
By Jeff Morrow, Herald Sports Editor

Diver Mark Allen knew Dave Villwock was in trouble Sunday as soon as he saw the right hand of the Miss Budweiser driver.

"When I went under (the boat), I saw the hand basically was almost all the way amputated," Allen said. "I had to make sure it stayed attached. And I knew seconds counted on this."

Allen, a primary diver for the Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Association, was one of the first people to reach Villwock after the standout driver flipped the Budweiser in the final heat, landing the 6,000-pound boat upside down.

Villwock was revived, rushed to Kennewick General Hospital, then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Sunday night. By midnight Sunday, Villwock was in surgery "for the near amputation of his right hand," said Harborview spokesman Larry Zalin. "The surgery lasted six hours. The team was led by Dr. Thomas Trumble, who performed microsurgery to repair damage to tendons, nerves and arteries. And the surgery was successful."

Physicians gave Villwock a few hours to recover before sending him back into surgery at 9:45 a.m. Monday to repair his fractured right forearm.

Surgery was completed at 11:38 a.m.

As of 10:45 p.m. Monday, a Harborview nursing supervisor upgraded Villwock from serious to satisfactory condition.

"He had a concussion but has been awake and alert," Zalin said. The fact that Villwock is alive is a testament to the work of the dive and rescue team, said race officials.

"Thank God for the rescue team," Budweiser owner Bernie Little said Sunday afternoon.

UHRA Commissioner Bill Doner said the flip was one of the worst he'd ever seen.

Allen, a veteran diver from Kennewick who got a lot of his training with the Columbia Basin Dive and Rescue team, agreed.

"It was definitely one of the worst crashes for the driver," Allen said. "Dave's a super guy. I knew him when they came down here for testing. Most drivers don't talk to us much. But Dave always invited us over. He's a super guy. That's why this gets to me."

In addition to Allen, Kay Metz, Skip Stoker, Terry Thrall, Eric Steilau and Dave Miller were on the UHRA rescue sled. "And the Water Follies rescue team was right on top of it," Allen said. "They did a good job."

As the team arrived, one diver popped up above the water line. "He said it was a mess under there, and there was no way to get the driver from underneath," Allen said.

Allen's job is to go under the boat in a situation like that. That's when he saw Villwock's hand. The canopy was ripped open and filled with water. Villwock was unconscious and sitting upside down.

"It was bloody, and the water was murky, too," Allen said. "I felt for his head, and he didn't have his helmet on. So I put my hand on his face to see if his oxygen mask was on. It wasn't."

That's when Allen knew he had to work fast because it had been at least two minutes since Villwock first went under water.

"The canopy was jagged fiberglass. I'm surprised I didn't get cut myself," Allen said. "If I had given him air underneath the water, he might wake up, freak out and start fighting me."

Allen had to fight to get the steering wheel off. It was bent. Rescuers from above opened the escape hatch and pulled on the legs of Villwock, who stands 6-foot-5. Allen pushed up from underneath, using a collar to keep from damaging Villwock's neck.

Once Villwock reached the surface, the team worked to clear his throat until he could start breathing again.

"They talked to him, asking him questions and trying to get a response from him," Allen said. "You know, where he was? Things like that. He started answering some of them. That felt good."

The team put Villwock in a transfer boat and started stabilizing his hand. Villwock was then taken to an ambulance. While Villwock is expected to recover, his driving career is over for this season. Perhaps longer.

Villwock won the national title last year with the PICO American Dream. He was hired by Little to replace longtime driver Chip Hanauer, who retired last year after being hurt in a crash while qualifying for the Gold Cup in Detroit.

On Monday, The Associated Press reported Hanauer said that Little had asked whether he would be available to drive, as did Jim Lucero, manager of the Close Call racing team.

Driver Mark Tate sustained minor neck injuries in Sunday's race, and Lucero was unsure whether he could compete this weekend at Kelowna, British Columbia. Hanauer declined both offers.

"I appreciate the offers from both teams, but I am not interested in being a back-up or fill-in driver," he said.

Little, reached Monday at a Seattle hotel, had not talked to Villwock on Monday because of all the surgery.

"I'll be there (today)," Little said. "I want to see how coherent Dave is and talk to him about a backup driver. It's Dave's boat whenever he's ready to come back." Little said he expected to announce a driver today for the Kelowna race, so that whoever it is can get fitted into the cockpit of the T-3 boat.

"I'll tell you, though, I'll never be without a backup driver again," Little said. "I had Mark Evans under contract for two years. But Fred Leland wanted to sign him to a deal, and I honored that."

Asked about Hanauer, Little said "Chip's not going to go boat racing, in my opinion. I called Chip (on Sunday) because I wanted to talk about drivers. He made a recommendation to me about a year ago. And I wanted to talk about this driver."

Little did say there were a lot of drivers who have thrown their hats into the ring. Speculation is that it could be U-99 driver Mark Weber, but Little declined to confirm.

"I'm not trying to hide anything from you," Little said. "Whichever driver it is, we'll decide after I talk to Dave."

Little said he's concerned mostly about Villwock's health--as are most people.

"For me, that was probably the worst flip," said Allen. "I've been a diver for a long time and seen a lot of flips, but that definitely was the most damaging.

"Thank God he's going to be OK."

(Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald, Tuesday, July 29, 1997)

Injured Bud Driver Loses Finger
By Bob Condotta

SEATTLE - Dave Villwock's return to health took a turn for the worse Wednesday when the pinky on his injured right hand was amputated during an unexpected surgery at Harborview Medical Center. Villwock, 42, was listed in satisfactory condition after almost three hours of surgery, which resulted after the hydroplane driver began experiencing circulation problems in his right ring finger and pinky, said Larry Zalin, Harborview media director.

Villwock, who is left-handed, was injured Sunday when he flipped in the Miss Budweiser during the final heat of the Columbia Cup unlimited hydroplane race on the Columbia River. Villwock underwent almost nine hours of surgery Monday to reattach what was described as a near-amputation of his right hand and also fix a severely fractured right forearm.

Villwock also sustained a concussion in the accident, but doctors said it didn't appear serious. Villwock was moved out of intensive care Tuesday.

The Auburn native had driven the Miss Bud to victory in the first four races of the season and had won 19 straight heats before the accident Sunday.

With Villwock unable to drive for the rest of the season, Bud owner Bernie Little on Tuesday signed Mark Weber, 33, to drive the boat for the rest of the season starting Sunday with a race in Kelowna, B.C. Weber had driven the Team STIHL to a third-place finish in the Columbia Cup.

Team STIHL owner Fred Leland said Wednesday that he won't race that boat this weekend, but not because he is upset that Weber left. "I don't mind losing the driver," said Leland, who also owns the PICO American Dream, the boat that won the Columbia Cup after Villwock flipped.

Instead, Leland is mad about how the Team STIHL was assessed almost $7,000 in fines by the Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Association for running at more than 110 percent of engine capacity during the final heat.

The rule was established this off-season to cut costs and create parity, although Leland said it does neither. Leland said the STIHL did not run illegally, and instead says he is being picked on. "They needed to set a precedent," Leland said.

UHRA commissioner Bill Doner said, however, that the STIHL boat had several infractions during the race, and has had numerous infractions all season.

"We've bent on the rules all along but we couldn't bend any longer," Doner said, adding he thinks Leland is frustrated after winning the national title with the PICO last year but falling behind the Bud this year after Villwock changed camps.

"It looks like we created a real monster," Doner said. Leland also said he doesn't want to race the PICO this weekend, either, but that he will if the sponsors want him to. As of Wednesday, he had yet to talk to the sponsors.

(Reprinted from the Tacoma News Tribune, Thursday, July 31, 1997

Championship Heat, Budweiser Columbia Cup, July 27, 1997

FINAL (5 laps, 12.5 miles)

1. Mark Evans, Wenatchee, Wash., PICO American Dream, 146.489; 
2. Mark Tate, Canton, Mich., Close Call, 140.649; 
3. Mark Weber, St. Clair Shores, Mich., Team STIHL, 136.318; 
4. Mike Hanson, Madison, Ind., DeWALT Tools, 135.142; 
5. Jerry Hale, Hayward, Calif., Miss Exide, 120.803; 
6. Mitch Evans, Chelan, Wash., Packet Engines/Appian Jeronimo, 108.851; 
DSQ--Dave Villwock, Auburn, Wash., Miss Budweiser 
(crash in first lap stopped the first running of the final 
and forced a re-run) 
(fast lap, Tate, 1st, 148.972).

See also these external links for further coverage:

The Tri-City Herald has several pages devoted to this race including André Ranieri's photo sequence of the Bud flip.

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