1998 Bayfair Bill Muncey Cup
Mission Bay, San Diego CA, September 20, 1998
Bill Muncey Cup
Mission Bay, San Diego, CA September 18, 19, and 20, 1998
SAN DIEGO COURSE RECORDS: Qualification lap: 172.166, Chip Hanauer (Miss Budweiser), 1995* Competition lap: 164.919, Mark Tate (Winston Eagle), 1993 7.5-mile heat: 161.712, Mark Tate (Winston Eagle), 1993 12.5-mile heat: 151.425, Mark Evans (Miss Budweiser), 1996 35-mile race: 151.256, Mark Tate (Smokin' Joe's), 1996 *World Record
RALPHS BAYFAIR BILL MUNCEY CUP SAN DIEGO, (September 20, 1998) - Sunday in San Diego Dave Villwock won his seventh race this season, the 20th of his career, clinched his second National Championship as a driver and secured an unprecedented 18th National Championship for Miss Budweiser owner Bernie Little.
Villwock described his flawless four heat performance as "another home run" for the Miss Budweiser team.
Villwock swept all three preliminary heats before averaging 147.9 mph in the 12.5-mile championship heat.
The final heat was interrupted after Nate Brown failed to hold his lane exiting turn 2 of the first lap and passed through the roostertail of Mark Weber and the U10 Wild Fire. The U8 LLumar Window Films boat rolled and landed upside down. Rescue personnel extracted a shaken but uninjured Brown who proceeded to acknowledge the appreciative crowd with a wave of his arms.
The final order of finish, after the restart, placed Dave Villwock atop the podium with Mitch Evans (U20) landing the second spot, Jimmy King (U16) finished third and Mark Weber finished forth. Mark Evans (U100) did not finish and Steve David (U2) did not start.
During Saturday morning qualifying for the Bill Muncey Cup the newly appointed Chairman of the the UHRA, Dr. Ken Muscatel, lost the skid fin on his hydroplane while passing through the apex of the North turn. The hydroplane's left side was severely damaged and the front wing destroyed. Dr. Muscatel was uninjured in the crash.
* * *
HEAT 3 RECAP: SAN DIEGO, (September 20, 1998) - Heat 3A was a near repeat of heat 2A. Dave Villwock, driving the Miss Budweiser managed to stay ahead of the PICO American Dream and Mark Evans, by only .4 of a second. The hard charging, Dave Villwock would not give into the PICO. By the end of lap two, the Budweiser had gained a one second lead over the PICO. PICO never could over come the Budweiser and had to settle for second place at the end of the final lap. LLumar, with Nate Brown, finished a distance third, while Jimmy King in the Miss E-Lam Plus missed a buoy and was penalized a lap and finished fourth. Heat 3B was won by Wild Fire and Mark Weber; the newly purchased hull from the late Steve Woomer. This is the first heat victory under the new ownership of Kim Gregory. After the victory, Gregory said, "That heat is dedicated to Steve Woomer and all his fans." He continued to say the team had fought several gremlins today but appear to have them solved. "My knees were knocking together in the final lap, I just wanted him to finish." Finishing a distant second was Deja Vu, with Steve David driving. The Appian Jeronimo went dead in the water after a half lap, and the U-9, Miss Vons went dead in the water prior to the start of the race.
* * *
HEAT 2 RECAP: The Miss Budweiser and driver Dave Villwock have won a deck-to-deck duel with PICO American Dream in heat 2A, a duel that lasted all the way to the finish line. Newly crowned O'Doul's National Champion, Bernie Little said, "That was one good heat and some damn good racing."
The Jeronimo, driven by Mitch Evans finshed a roostertail behind the Bud and PICO, followed by Deja Vu with Steve David at the controls, placed fourth. Heat 2B was another barn burner, with Nate Brown driving the LLumar, closely chased in all of the three laps by Jimmy King in the Miss E-Lam Plus. Brown keep his foot to the floor and managed to win the heat by only a few seconds over King and the E-Lam. Finishing third was the Wild Fire, driven by Mark Weber. Miss Vons, U-9 went dead in the water prior to the beginning of the race.
FRIDAY QUALIFYING: Miss Bud 163.890 Appian Jeronimo 162.569 LLumar Window Film 158.890 PICO 158.890 ELam 157.060 Wild Fire 153.087 Miss Vons 148.837 Deja Vu 147.208 SATURDAY QUALIFYING: Miss Budweiser 163.890 Appian Jeronimo 162.728 LLumar Window Film 158.890 PICO 158.181 Miss E-Lam 157.060 Wild Fire Unlimited 153.312 Miss Vons 148837 Deja Vu (U-2) 147.208 HEAT RESULTS WITH SPEED (MPH): 1A Miss Bud 147.751 LLumar 142.548 Wild Fire Unlimited 138.340 Deja Vu 128.848 Fastest lap, #1 Miss Bud 153.400 1B PICO 150.502 Appian 148.752 E-Lam 142.525 Miss Vons 131.502 Fastest lap #1 PICO 158.006 PICO lost points for N2 Violation 2A Budweiser 155.839 PICO 153.647 Appian 150.730 Deja Vu 128.637 Fast lap, #2 Budweiser 158.200 2B LLumar 148.151 Miss E-Lam 147.426 Wild Fire Unlimited 138.137 Miss Vons DNS Fast lap #2, Elam 150.615 3A Bud 154.585 PICO 148.052 LLumar 139.304 E-Lam 132.808 Fast Lap #2 Bud 155.841 3B Wild Fire 137.794 Deja Vu 124.838 Appian DNF Miss Vons DNS Fast lap Wild Fire 144.629 FINAL Bud 147.917 Appian 143.477 E-Lam 141.634 Wild Fire Unlimited 132263 PICO DSQ Deja Vu DNS Fastest Lap #1, Budweiser 153.163 U-100 Had a DSQ Due to Flagrant N2 Violation
(Reprinted from UHRA.com)
Some Thoughts on San Diego
By Fred Farley - APBA Unlimited Historian
The promoters called it the "World Series of Power Boat Racing." And they were certainly correct. Included on the crowded schedule were radio-controlled models, kneel-down stock outboards, OPCs, Offshores, drag boats, inboard flatbottoms, Unlimiteds, Unlimited Lights, etc.--as varied a racing program as has ever been assembled to do competitive battle.
If you've never been to San Diego's Bayfair, you don't know what you're missing.
The headline Bill Muncey Cup was won handily by Dave Villwock in Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser (Turbine-5). This was the seventh win this season for the Bud team.
The first lap of the Muncey Cup Final Heat was a heartstopper. Villwock and the Evans brothers--Mitch and Mark--occupied the three inside lanes. Mark jumped the gun with PICO American Dream, but all three drivers exited the first turn side-by-side. Miss Budweiser, PICO, and Appian Jeronimo stayed together down the first backstretch. Both Mitch and Mark were going all-out on the ragged edge. This writer was convinced that Mark was going to blow over in PICO American Dream. But he didn't.
In the second turn of lap-one, Villwock used his inside lane advantage and outcornered the PICO and the Appian. At the end of lap-one, Miss Budweiser led Mitch Evans by two seconds and Mark Evans by four seconds. Miss Budweiser extended her lead to five seconds after lap-two and was on her way to the bank.
Budweiser reeled off lap speeds of 153, 153, 145, 145, and 143 en route to the checkered flag. Appian Jeronimo did 148, 146, 144, 139, and 140. PICO American Dream recorded speeds of 146 and 145 before conking out on lap-three.
Checking in third and fourth respectively in the Final Heat were Jimmy King in Miss E-Lam Plus and Mark Weber in Wild Fire (the former Close Call).
The Wild Fire team also picked up the first-place award in the Unlimited Light Class at San Diego. Driver George Stratton averaged 102.413 in the Final Heat to 99.889 for Randy Haas and second-place Miss Leroi. Stratton expressed his gratitude to team owner Kim Gregory for the opportunity to drive the Wild Fire these past two seasons. George also had high praise for designer/builder Ron Jones, Sr. In Stratton's words, "Whenever Ron is with us at a race site, we usually win. I'll always be grateful to Ron for all of his valuable input."
And this writer will always be grateful to Jim Kidrick and the San Diego committee for such a memorable boat racing weekend. The action on the water was almost non-stop; "dead time" was virtually non-existent. Thanks, guys. You did yourselves proud.
© Fred Farley. For reprint rights to this article, please contact the author at <fredf@hotmail.com>
Hydroplane History Home
Page
This page
was last revised Thursday, April 01, 2010.
Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. Email us at wildturnip@gmail.com
© Leslie Field, 1999