1998 Virginia Is For Lovers Cup
Race Summary
Qualifying:
| U # | Driver | Team | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-1 | Dave Villwock | Miss Budweiser (T-5) | 152.847 |
| U-1 | Dave Villwock | Miss Budweiser (T-3) | 151.007 |
| U-100 | N. Mark Evans | PICO American Dream '96 | 143.221 |
| U-2 | Steve David | Harvey Motorsports | 142.113 |
| U-9 | Mike Weber | Miss Carpenter Comm. | 131.066 |
| U-3 | Mark Weber | Master Tire | 125.287 |
| U-14 | Dr. Ken Muscatel | Vaurnet/Audio Bahn | option |
NOTE: The minimum qualifying speed for turbine powered Unlimited Hydroplanes is set at 130.000 mph. The minimum qualifying speed for piston powered Unlimited Hydroplanes is set at 120.000 mph. The U3 driven by Mark Weber is the only piston powered Unlimited on the circuit.
| World Records: The Qualifying Record for a 2 mi. course is 165.975 Miss Budweiser Chip Hanauer Evansville 1993 Norfolk course record for qualifying: Miss Budweiser (T-5) Dave Villwock 154.576, 1997 |
* * *
NORFOLK, VA (JULY, 19) — Under dazzling skies and before a huge crowd, Dave Villwock made it three straight wins as he piloted the legendary Miss Budweiser to victory on Willoughby Bay here today at the Virginia is For Lovers Cup for Unlimited Hydroplanes.
Over 100,000 sun baked fans saw Bernie Little's lightning quick Budweiser roar to its third straight victory of the Ralphs 1998 Thundertour presented by Las Vegas.
Villwock's win did not come easy, however, as he raced side by side with Mark Evans in PICO American Dream for two laps. Evans hit a turn buoy, however, and was penalized a lap. This put Mark Weber in the piston powered Miss Master Tire in second, one of Ed Cooper's boats top finishes.
Third place went to PICO and Evans. Steve David and Mike Weber failed to finish.
"This boat is simply unbelievable," said Villwock who returned to driving this season after a near fatal crash in Tri-Cities, Washington last July.
Ironically the next stop for the unlimited fleet will be Tri-Cities next Sunday, July 26. Going into that event Villwock holds a 1594 point lead in the season championship points race.
| HEAT 1A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | U-1 | Dave Villwock | Miss Budweiser | 130.984 | 400 |
| 2. | U-100 | N. Mark Evans | PICO American Dream | 124.067 | 300 |
| 3. | U-2 | Steve David | PrimeStar | DNS | |
| HEAT 1B | |||||
| 1. | U-9 | Mike Weber | Carpenter Comm. | 100.315 | 400 |
| 2. | U-3 | Mark Weber | Master Tire | 59.336 | 300 |
| 3. | U-14 | Ken Muscatel | Vuarnet pres. AudioBahn | DNS | |
| HEAT 2 | |||||
| 1. | U-1 | Dave Villwock | 124.514 | 400 | |
| 2. | U-2 | Steve David | 113.711 | 300 | |
| 3. | U-3 | Mark Weber | DNF | ||
| 4. | U-14 | Muscatel | DNF | ||
| 5. | U-9 | Mike Weber | DNF | ||
| 6. | U-100 | N. Mark Evans | DNS | ||
| HEAT 3 | |||||
| 1. | U-1 | Dave Villwock | 121.027 | 400 | |
| 2. | U-2 | Steve David | 115.105 | 300 | |
| 3. | U-3 | Mark Weber | 86.880 | 225 | |
| 4. | U-9 | Mike Weber | DNF | ||
| 5. | U-14 | Dr. Ken Muscatel | DNF | ||
| 6. | U-100 | N. Mark Evans | DNS | ||
| HEAT 4 | |||||
| 1. | U-1 | Dave Villwock | 127.057 | 400 | |
| 2. | U-100 | N. Mark Evans | 113.313 | 300 | |
| 3. | U-2 | Steve David | 106.498 | 225 | |
| 4. | U-9 | Mike Weber | DNS | ||
| 5. | U-3 | Mark Weber | DNS | ||
| 6. | U-14 | Dr. Ken Muscatel | W/D | ||
| Budweiser O'Doul's High Point Championship after 3 Races | ||
|---|---|---|
| BOATS | ||
| U-1 | Miss Budweiser | 5089 |
| U-2 | Harvey Motorsports | 3495 |
| U-100 | PICO American Dream | 2601 |
| U-9 | Carpenter Communications | 1807 |
| U-14 | Vuarnet pres. Audiobahn | 1563 |
| U-3 | Master Tire | 1415 |
| U-99 | R.S. Eastin Hotels | 1398 |
| U-8 | Llumar Window Film | 948 |
| U-20 | Appian Jeronimo | 874 |
| U-101 | PICO American Dream '98 | 765 |
| Budweiser O'Doul's High Point Championship after 3 Races | |
|---|---|
| DRIVERS: | |
| Dave Villwock | 5089 |
| Steve David | 3495 |
| Mark Evans | 2601 |
| Mike Weber | 1807 |
| Ken Muscatel | 1563 |
| Mark Weber | 1584 |
| Rick Christensen | 1229 |
| Nate Brown | 948 |
| Mitch Evans | 874 |
| Mark Tate | 765 |
(UHRA)