1999 Chrysler-Jeep APBA Gold Cup at Detroit

1999 Chrysler - Jeep APBA Gold Cup at Detroit
Detroit River, Detroit, Michigan, July 11, 1999

CHYSLER - JEEP APBA GOLD CUP AT DETROIT:

HANAUER WINS 11th CAREER APBA GOLD CUP
Hanauer's Victory Places Him One Win Away From Bill Muncey's Career Wins Record

Detroit, MI (July 11, 1999) - Returning to competition after a nearly three year hiatus, Chip Hanauer, driving the U-100 Miss PICO, held off three-time defending APBA Gold Cup Champion Dave Villwock in the U-1 Miss Budweiser to capture his eleventh career APBA Gold Cup. Hanauer has taken the Detroit sponsored Miss PICO to victory in three of the five 1999 Ralph's Unlimited Hydros Thunder Tour presented by Las Vegas events.

"My first Gold Cup here in 1982 with Fran Muncey and Atlas Van Lines was the most satisfying of my career, but this is very special and ranks number two," said Hanauer. "We had a pretty tough week. When I got here to the pit area at 8:00 Thursday morning, our boats weren't here yet. Later, I learned that we had scraped up a sponson on a freeway overpass. We never got to run our primary boat on Thursday, and then it was too windy to run on Friday. We were using the preliminary heats just to learn how to set the boat up for the final. Once we got the lead on the start, we were able to control the racecourse. Once you have the lead here, you can make it very tough for the guy behind to pass."

Hanauer's win capped off an exciting Hydros final that saw Dave Villwock in the U-1 Miss Budweiser chasing Hanauer to the finish line only to finish second. U-10 York International & Young Country present Miss Detroit Yacht Club driver Mark Weber, from nearby St. Clair Shores, gave his hometown crowd something to cheer about by finishing third in this year's Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup.

Rookie Greg Hopp again demonstrated why he is the odds-on favorite for Rookie of the Year honors, winning Heat 4-B and bringing home the U-15 R.S. Eastin Hotels in fourth place in the final.

Hanauer's 1999 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup victory places him just one win away from Bill Muncey's all-time career wins record of 62. Already a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame, Hanauer's Gold Cup record is impressive:

He is the last driver to win the Gold Cup in a piston-engined boat (Atlas Van Lines 1983-Evansville).

He was the first driver to win the Gold Cup in a turbine powered hydroplane (Atlas Van Lines 1984 Pasco, WA)

Hanauer's Gold Cup victories have come in five different cities: Detroit (1982; 1986; 1992;1993;1995; 1999); Evansville (1983,1988); Pasco, WA (1984); Seattle (1985) and San Diego (1987).

Hanauer wins his 11th APBA Gold Cup and 61st career victory to move one win away from Bill Muncey's record of 62.

Since 1982, Hanauer has now entered 15 Gold Cups, started 14 Gold Cups, started in 13 Gold Cup final heats and won an unprecedented 11 APBA Gold Cups.

1999 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Results:
Position Driver Number Boat Name Speed
1 Chip Hanauer U-100 Miss Pico 152.591 MPH
2 Dave Villwock U-1 Miss Budweiser 148.802 MPH
3 Mark Weber U-10 Young Country presents Miss DYC 136.638 MPH
4 Greg Hopp (R) U-15 R.S. Eastin 134.754 MPH
5 Steve David U-2 Miss Chrysler Jeep 128.195 MPH
6 Ken Muscatel U-14 Miss Bell Forklift/Toyota Industrial Equip. DNS

Fast Lap: #5, U-100, Miss Pico, Chip Hanauer, 154.748 MPH

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UL FINAL:
In the Unlimited Light final, it was deck-to-deck racing the entire way. In the end, it was Bo Schide in the UL-16 beating the UL-10 with Charley Wiggins.

VILLWOCK FOUR-FOR-FOUR; ROOKIE HOPP CLAIMS HEAT VICTORY

(Detroit, MI) - Three-time defending APBA Gold Cup Champion Dave Villwock and rookie sensation Greg Hopp took victories in the fourth and final round of elimination heats leading to the 1999 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup finals. Villwock, driving the U-1 Miss Budweiser, and Chip Hanauer in the U-100 Miss PICO, hit the start side-by-side and in full stride, but Villwock pulled into the lead by the entry to the first turn and continued to draw away for his fourth consecutive heat victory of the weekend.

Rookie Greg Hopp, driving the U-15 R.S. Eastin Hotels, battled Mitch Evans, driving the U-20 Appian Jeronimo at the start of Heat 4-B, before pulling away for the win. Dr. Ken Muscatel managed to bring home his U-14 Miss Bell Forklift/Toyota Industrial Group in third place despite losing his rear stabilizer.

HEAT 4A RESULTS:
Position Driver Number Boat Name Speed (mph)
1 Dave Villwock U-1 Miss Budweiser 141.410
2 Chip Hanauer U-100 Miss Pico 135.976
3 Steve David U-2 Miss Chrysler Jeep 133.127
4 Mark Weber U-10 York Int'l & Young Country presents Miss DYC 129.674
5 Nate Brown U-8 Llumar Window Films 117.260
6 Todd Yarling U-6 Miss Madison 113.317

Fast Lap: #1, U-1, Miss Budweiser, Dave Villwock, 152.908

HEAT 4B RESULTS:
Position Driver Number Boat Name Speed (mph)
1 Greg Hopp (R) U-15 R.S. Eastin Hotels 137.998
2 Mitch Evans U-20 Appian Jeronimo 132.904
3 Ken Muscatel U-14 Miss Bell Forklift/Toyota Industrial Equip.116.444
4 Mike Hanson U-9 Carpenter Communications 103.944
5 Mike Weber U-3 Master Tire DNF

Fast Lap: #4, U-15, R.S. Eastin Hotels, Greg Hopp, 140.187

HEAT 3A RESULTS:
Position Driver Number Boat Name Speed (mph)
1 Dave Villwock U-1 Miss Budweiser 135.480
2 Ken Muscatel U-14 Miss Bell Forklift/Toyota Industrial Equip.124.583
3 Todd Yarling U-6 Miss Madison 111.059
4 Steve David U-2 Miss Chrysler Jeep N/A*
5 Nate Brown U-8 Llumar Window Films N/A*
6 Mitch Evans U-20 Appian Jeronimo DNF

Fast Lap: #1, U-1, Miss Budweiser, Dave Villwock, 145.363 MPH
*One Lap Penalty For Jumping the Gun.

HEAT 3B RESULTS:
Position Driver Number Boat Name Speed (mph)
1 Chip Hanauer U-100 Miss Pico 140.077
2 Mark Weber U-10 York Int'l & Young Country presents Miss DYC 133.377
3 Greg Hopp (R) U-15 R.S. Eastin 128.038
4 Mike Weber U-3 Master Tire 110.547
5 Mike Hanson U-9 Carpenter Communications DNF

Fast Lap: #2, U-100, Miss Pico, Chip Hanauer, 145.124 MPH

SATURDAY:

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VILLWOCK, HANAUER, WEBER POST HEAT VICTORIES

(Detroit, MI) - Defending champion Dave Villwock and the U-1 Miss Budweiser, returning champion Chip Hanauer and local favorite Mark Weber turned in top performances in the first day of elimination heats for Sunday's Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup here on the Detroit River.

Villwock, seeking an historic fourth consecutive APBA Gold Cup victory, won both of his preliminary heats, charging from third place in the latter heat with a dramatic last straightaway pass of Hanauer's U-100 Miss Pico.

"We had to dig pretty deep to come from behind on Chip," said Villwock, whose Miss Budwesier stood on its right side and nearly rolled over in the jockeying for position seconds before the start of Heat 2-B. "We've been telling ourselves all day that you can't win the Gold Cup on Saturday, but you certainly can lose it. We had a tight call."

Earlier, Weber, driving the U-10 York International & Young Country presents Miss DYC, took the victory in Heat 2-A in a one-two finish with his brother Mike in the U-3 Master Tire.

Two additional rounds of elimination heats will precede the winner-take-all final on Sunday.

UNLIMITED HEAT 2A:

Heat 2A saw two boats jump the gun and Mike Weber in the piston powered Master Tire take a high finish.

HEAT 2A:
1st: Mark Weber, U10, Miss DYC 139.435 mph
2nd: Mike Weber, U3, Master Tire 126.384
3rd: Mitch Evans, U20, Appian Jeronimo 125.553
4th: Mike Hanson, U9, Carpenter's Communication 107.381
5th: Steve David, U2, Miss Chrysler Jeep * (speed not available)
6th: Todd Yarling, U6, Miss Madison * (speed not available)

* 1 lap penalty for jumping the gun

UNLIMITED HEAT 2B:

Heat 2B had controversy and a near accident involving Dave Villwock in Miss Budweiser. As the boats were milling in the infield before the start, many thought Villwock had cut off Chip Hanuer in Miss PICO. Hanauer nearly lost power after taking Villwock's spray. Then as the boats were coming to the start Villwock rode up what looked to be U-15's roostertail, nearly ending the race like the final in Madison. However, this time U-1 came down right side up and under power. Villwock then passed Hanauer on the backstretch of the last lap for the win.

HEAT 2B:
1st: Dave Villwock, U1, Miss Budweiser 147.394 mph
2nd: Chip Hanauer, U100, Miss Pico 143.022
3rd: Nate Brown, U8, Llumar 133.689
4th: Greg Hopp, U-15, R.S Eastin Hotels/Boatscape.com 130.641
5th: Dr. Ken Muscatel, U14, Miss Bell Forklift 117.148

Unlimited Light Heat 2:

In the unlimited lights, only two boats finished after all the boats that wanted to run were combined into one heat. Randy Haas, who was racing down the front straight toward the finish, flew his propeller in the wrong direction. As Haas was going down river, his propeller decided to go back up river and sheared off the shaft.

UL Heat 2:
1st: Bo Schide, UL-16 (Alamo)
2nd: Charlie Wiggins, UL-10 (Earl's Performance Products)
DNF: UL-72 (Pocket Mechanic)
DNF: UL-141 (Authorized Cellular)
DNF: UL-110 (Miss Compair)

In the pits for tomorrow is a new boat to this weekend, but not a new boat to the fans. The old High Pressure, now numbered UL-102, will attempt to make the field tomorrow with a rookie driver at the helm. The boat is associated with McGregor Manufacturing, a local Detroit business. UL-23 actually broke an engine in warm-up to heat 1. The team worked to get a new engine in place to make the field in heat 2, but simply ran out of time. They did hear from the sponsor who was pleased with the day. You see the UL-23 (Miss Bad Frog Beer) was stuck in the middle of the course throughout the UL heat 1 and through the Unlimited heats that followed.
The sponsor was pleased to see the advertisement on the water all that time. As has been said in the past, there is no bad press.

We mentioned earlier that UL-38 went out, returned to the pits then made its way back out to race. In tracking down the details we learned that there are some very shallow portions of the course. The UL-38 went out and got its prop curled up in weeds in the water. It made its way back to the pits to untangle then returned to race.

Now that's dedication!

Many thanks to Charles and Cindy Moore for this report.

HEAT 1 RESULTS:

Former APBA Gold Cup Champions Chip Hanauer and Dave Villwock took the victories in the first round of preliminary heats at the Chrysler-Jeep APBA Gold Cup. Chip Hanauer, driving the U-100 Miss Pico, took the lead from Mark Weber in the U-10 Miss DYC in the Roostertail Turn and drove away to a three roostertail-length victory in Heat 1-A. Dave Villwock, driving the U-1 Miss Budweiser, passed rookie Greg Hopp in the U-15 R.S Eastin Hotels shortly after the start and pulled away for an easy victory in Heat 1-B.

Hanauer and Villwock will meet in Heat-2B.

HEAT 1A:
Position Driver Number Boat Name Speed

1 Chip Hanauer U-100 Miss Pico 143.656 MPH
2 Mark Weber U-10 Young Country presents Miss DYC 137.369 MPH
3 Nate Brown U-8 Llumar Window Films 127.197 MPH
4 Ken Muscatel U-14 Miss Bell Forklift/Toyota Indust. Equip. 109.049 MPH
4 Mike Weber U-3 Master Tire N/A
5 Mike Hanson U-9 Carpenter Communications DNS

Fast Lap: #2, U-100, Miss Pico, Chip Hanauer, 145.523 MPH

HEAT 1B:

Position Driver Number Boat Name Speed

1 Dave Villwock U-1 Miss Budweiser 147.209 MPH
2 Greg Hopp (R) U-15 R.S. Eastin 139.302 MPH
3 Steve David U-2 Miss Chrysler Jeep 133.955 MPH
4 Mitch Evans U-20 Appian Jeronimo 126.677 MPH
5 Todd Yarling U-6 Miss Madison 124.769 MPH

Fast Lap: #1, U-1, Miss Budweiser, Dave Villwock, 156.544 MPH

Here are the draws for UL heats 2A and 2B and unlimited heats 2A and 2B.

UL Heat 2A: Ul-10, UL-15, UL-38, UL-110
UL Heat 2B: UL-16, UL-23, UL-72, UL-141

Unlimited Heat 2A: U-2, U-6, U-20, U-9 (trailer), U-10, U-3
Unlimited Heat 2B: U-14, U-15, U-100, U-1, U-8

UL Heat 1A:
Unlimited light action saw one boat go to to the pits only to return to the course shortly thereafter. Also, the first lap looked to be a close race, but UL-141 had been penalized 1 minute for cutting the course in the wrong area. And if that wasn't enough for a bad day, UL-141 ran through the roostertail of UL-10 and then took out a straightaway buoy.

1st: Charlie Wiggins, UL-10 (Earl's Performance Products)
2nd: UL-38 (BASF)
DNF: UL-141 (Authorized Cellular)
DNF: UL-15 (Happy Go Lucky)

UL Heat 1B:
Cal Phipps had the best seat in the house for heat 1B, but it wasn't the seat he wanted. UL-23 (Bad Frog Beer) went down before the start and drifted down the front straight. He had boats going on either side of him for the entire race.

1st: Bo Schide, UL-16 (Alamo)
2nd: UL-110 (Miss Compair)
3rd: UL-72 (Pocket Mechanic)
DNS: UL-23

Saturday Qualifying:

8:00-9:30 a.m., Saturday, July 10, 1999:
Hydros practice/qualifications were extended into Saturday because poor weather cancelled Friday's sessions. Following first day qualifications on Thursday, three boats had yet to qualify, the U-100 Miss Pico driven by 10-time APBA Gold Cup champion Chip Hanauer, the U-8 LLumar Window Film driven by Nate Brown, and the U-14 Bell Forklift/Toyota Industrial Equipment driven by Dr. Ken Muscatel. All three drivers took to the course during this morning's session and posted qualifying speeds of 153.573 MPH, 147.269 MPH and 132.298 MPH, respectively.

Hanauer and Brown exercised their "Commissioner's Option" during Friday's heat draw. Muscatel, who has not competed in any of the previous events on the 1999 Ralph's Unlimited Hydroplane Thunder Tour presented by Las Vegas, did not have a Commissioner's Option and will start Heat 1A as the "trailer." Because only five boats may start the race side-by-side, the sixth boat (the one with the lowest season point total) must start behind the other five.

Note:

View the Gold Cup Pits LIVE! via the Thunderfest Pit Cam [now disabled. --LF]

WORX FM 96.7 of Madison, IN will have hourly Gold Cup updates beginning at 12:48pm EST

Final Qualification Results - Saturday, July 10, 1999

Position, Number, Driver, Sponsor, Speed (mph)

1. U-1   Dave Villwock, Miss Budweiser, 164.847
2. U-10 Mark Weber, York Int'l & Young Country present Miss DYC, 157.728
3. U-100 Chip Hanauer, Miss PICO, 153.573*
4. U-9   Mike Hanson, Carpenter Communications, 149.902
5. U-2   Steve David, Miss Chrysler Jeep, 149.470
6. U-20 Mitch Evans, Appian Jeronimo, 147.739
7. U-8   Nate Brown, LLumar Window Film, 147.269*
8. U-6   Todd Yarling, Miss Madison, 143.900
9. U-15 Greg Hopp, R.S. Eastin Hotels, 143.841
10. U-3   Mike Weber, Master Tire, 136.728
11. U-14 Dr. Ken Muscatel, Bell Forklift/Toyota Ind. Equip., 132.298*

*Denotes new qualifier

Friday Qualifying:

9:00 a.m., Friday, July 09, 1999:
Practice and testing for the Unlimiteds scheduled to start. Poor weather and strong winds prevent activity.

10:00 a.m., Friday, July 09, 1999:
Rain has subsided. Winds still problematic. No activity.

11:00 a.m., Friday, July 09, 1999:
Continuing strong winds. No activity.

1:00 p.m., Friday, July 9, 1999:
Strong winds persist. No activity.

2:00 p.m., Friday, July 09, 1999:
Strong winds persist. No activity.

Announcement to be made at 3:00 p.m. EDT to determine whether Hydros will
run today. Drivers meeting held. Draw for Heat 1 completed.

Heat 1 - Draw

Heat 1A:
U-3 Mike Weber Master Tire
U-9 Mike Hanson Carpenter Communications
U-100 Chip Hanauer Miss Pico
U-8 Nate Brown Llumar Window Films
U-10 Mark Weber York International & Young Country present Miss DYC

Heat 1B:
U-1 Dave Villwock Miss Budweiser
U-20 Mitch Evans Appian Jeronimo
U-6 Todd Yarling Miss Madison
U-15 Gregg Hopp R.S. Easton
U-2 Steve David Miss Chrysler Jeep

*U-14 Ken Muscatel still has the opportunity to qualify for Heat 1

Thursday Qualifying Results:
Position, Number, Driver, Sponsor, Speed (mph)

1. U-1   Dave Villwock, Miss Budweiser, 164.847
2. U-10 Mark Weber, York International & Miss DYC, 157.728
3. U-9   Mike Hanson, Carpenter Communications, 149.902
4. U-2   Steve David, Miss Chrysler Jeep, 149.470
5. U-20 Mitch Evans, Appian Jeronimo, 147.739
6. U-6   Todd Yarling, Miss Madison, 143.900
7. U-15 Greg Hopp, R.S. Eastin Hotels, 143.841
8. U-3   Mike Weber, Master Tire, 136.728

Yet to qualify:

    U-8   Nate Brown, LLumar Window Films
    U-14 Dr. Ken Muscatel, TOYOTA Ind. Equip./Miss Bell Fork Lift
    U-100 Chip Hanauer, Miss PICO

CHRYSLER JEEP APBA GOLD CUP ACTION STARTS THURSDAY

When the Ralph's 1999 Unlimited Hydro Tour arrives in Detroit this week, the most prestigious powerboat trophy will once again be on the line. The Detroit River will be the site for the Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup with qualifying starting Thursday, July 8. The big Unlimited Hydroplanes will race on Saturday, July 10 and then again on Sunday, July 11 as the action leads to a winner-take-all final at 3:10 pm.

Who will take the trophy home is truly a legitimate question this year. Chip Hanauer returned to the hydroplane wars and won the first race on the circuit at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Then, on the Fourth of July on the Ohio River, Hanauer took the Miss Pico to its second win on the tour and 60th career triumph with the Jasper Engines and Transmission Governor's Cup title in Madison, Indiana.

Dave Villwock and the Miss Budweiser won two races in a row, taking events in Barrie, Ontario and Evansville, Indiana. As he was looking for his third straight win, Villwock found himself upside down in the final heat of the Indiana Governor's Cup regatta after his Miss Budweiser flipped in the first turn of the first lap.

A total of 11 different unlimited race teams will make the stop in Detroit, the first time in over a decade that many teams will grace the Bill Muncey Memorial Pits.

Steve David in the Miss Chrysler Jeep thinks Detroit could be a turning point for his team.

"I really think by the time we get to Detroit, we could be poised as the spoiler," said David. "Our boat is very strong, but we have a challenge to find the right gear and propeller combination to run within the technical rules."

Owner and team manager Jim Harvey are closing in on that combination. In Madison the team placed fourth, only a fraction of a second away from giving Hanauer a run for the title. David just jumped the gun but lead Hanauer and the Miss PICO through most of the first lap. A change in the boat's hull along with the addition of canard wings should make the Miss Chrysler Jeep a real threat.

Hometown favorite Mark Weber in the U-10 Young Country presents the Miss Detroit Yacht Club also should prove to be a threat to Hanauer and Villwock. Weber, a St. Clair Shores resident, won the season finale in the Honolulu last year. In Madison, Weber could have had his worst day in racing, hitting three buoys and finding himself on the beach during a preliminary heat as the turbine boat was unable to answer the starting call. But one week earlier in Evansville, Weber took home a second place finish behind Villwock.

Tickets for the Chrsyler Jeep APBA Gold Cup are available at TicketMaster (248-645-6666) or at the Spirit of Detroit Thunderfest Office (800-359-7760). Eleven viewing locations are available along the Jefferson side of the Detroit River. Pit tours and group rates are available. Free viewing is available on Belle Isle.

Website: http://www.thunderfest.com

For RealAudio and RealVideo visit... http://www.thunderfest.com/photogal/99/videos/index.html

(Republished from Hydros™; text and images �Hydros™; used by permission)

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� Leslie Field, 2000

	He is the last driver to win the Gold Cup in a piston-engined boat (Atlas Van Lines 1983-Evansville).
	He was the first driver to win the Gold Cup in a turbine powered hydroplane (Atlas Van Lines 1984 Pasco, WA)
	Hanauer's Gold Cup victories have come in five different cities: Detroit (1982; 1986; 1992;1993;1995; 1999); Evansville (1983,1988); Pasco, WA (1984); Seattle (1985) and San Diego (1987).
	Hanauer wins his 11th APBA Gold Cup and 61st career victory to move one win away from Bill Muncey's record of 62.
	Since 1982, Hanauer has now entered 15 Gold Cups, started 14 Gold Cups, started in 13 Gold Cup final heats and won an unprecedented 11 APBA Gold Cups.