1999 Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest

Race Summary

Schedule And Ticket Information

The Inaugural Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest - Havasu Cup Challenge, will take place May 21, 22 and 23 on beautiful Lake Havasu, in Mohave County's Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The event will be taped for broadcast on ESPN2.

Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson has been a major proponent in helping bring Arizona's first ever hydroplane race to Mohave County. "As race day draws closer, I'm seeing excitement build within the country. An event of this caliber has never been held outside the Phoenix Metropolitan area."

The record certified 2-mile oval race course will be positioned in front of Windsor Beach State Park and Crazy Horse RV Resort & Campgrounds. This will be the first time in history that the Hydros™ will bring their international racing program to the hot-boat capital of Lake Havasu. This will be the first stop on the Hydros™ International Thunder Tour Series for 1999.

The Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest '99, brought to you by K-ROCK 101 FM & 96 FM and hosted by the Ramada Inn - Lake Havasu City (Official Hydros™ Hotel) will include three days and four evenings of awesome speed & thunder, family entertainment, "Performance Alley" displays, "Taste of Mohave" food court and beverage gardens, and a variety of merchandise vendors. This family racing festival will feature the world's fastest fire breathing, 3,000 horsepower turbine powered - Unlimited Hydros, reaching speeds over 200 miles per hour, deep throated-big block, automotive powered- Unlimited Light Hydros presented by Empire Power Systems, reaching speeds over 160 miles per hour, and the ever popular Grand National Inboard Enduro racing program featuring a new group KVRA Blown Boats presented by Hoss Trailers and Rayson Boats.

General Admission Prices:

Adult 3-day weekend pass: $35

Adult 2-day weekend pass: $25

a. Children 7 to 14 half price
b. Children under 6 free (with ticketed adult)
c. Senior discounts 10%
d. Single day passes are available at TicketMaster locations and at the gate day of show.

Schedule of Events:
Friday, May 21, 1999 - Gates Open at 10:00 am

a. Unlimited Hydros testing and qualification time trials.
b. Unlimited Light Hydros testing throughout the day.
c. Grand National Inboard Endurance classes 1,2 & 3 testing throughout the day.
d. Special "Thunder and Speed" exhibitions and demonstrations will take place throughout the day with such race crafts as the world famous Anaconda - (a 150 mph - 32' Douglas Skater offshore boat.)
e. At the close of the racing program on Friday, race fans, teams and officials will be invited to continue with Hydrofest activities at the London Bridge Shopping Center's "Hydro Bash" from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Admission is free! Activities include Race Boat displays, Race Team autograph and photo opportunities, great food, beverages, live music and an assortment of merchandise vendors.

Saturday, May 22, 1999 - Gates Open at 10:00 am
a. Unlimited Hydros will compete in qualification heats throughout the day in order to complete their qualifications.
b. Unlimited Light Hydros will compete in heats throughout the day.
c. The Grand Nationals will compete in 15 minute Grand Prix heats throughout the day.
d. "Thunder and Speed" exhibitions will be included throughout the day.
e. At the close of the racing program on Saturday, race fans, teams and officials are invited to enjoy the "night life festivities" of Lake Havasu City and the surrounding Colorado River Communities.

Sunday, May 23, 1999 - Gates Open at 10:00 am
a. Unlimited Hydros finish their qualifying heat schedule and compete in the "Winner Take All Final" - Havasu Cup Challenge.
b. Unlimited Light Hydros will finish their heat schedule and compete in the semi-final and the "Winner Take All Final" - Havasu Cup Challenge.
c. The Grand Nationals will compete in their semi-final and the "Winner Take All Final" - Havasu Cup Challenge.
d. "Thunder & Speed" exhibitions will fill out the high intensity race schedule.
e. At the close of the inaugural Budweiser MOHAVE UNLIMITED HYDROFEST - Havasu Cup Challenge for 1999, the "Winner Circle Award Party" will be hosted by the RAMADA INN, Lake Havasu City, from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. The Winning Race Boats and Teams will be on hand to receive their awards. Admission is free and the public is invited. Food and beverages will be available.

For Hydrofest Race Weekend information call 520.505.5313 / 888.724.9376
Hydrofest Lodging and Ticket Packages: 888.343.7666

* * *

Friday Morning Update (May 21, 1999):

Chip Hanauer, seven-time National Champion, arrived in Lake Havasu City, AZ Thursday looking fit both mentally and physically, to compete as one of Hydroplane Racing's most winningest drivers. Sporting a close-cropped haircut that would make a Navy Seal proud, Hanauer appears more than ready to go racing at the Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest, Unlimited Hydroplane Racing's season opener.

Chief rivals Dave Villwock, Mark Weber and Mitch Evans eagerly anticipate his return and the chance to take him on in sponson to sponson competition.

Unlimited Roster:

Dave Villwock, U-1, Miss Budweiser
Steve David, U-2, Harvey Motorsports
Mike Weber, U-3, Master Tire
Michael Hanson, U-9, Jones Racing
Mark Weber, U-10, YORK International presents Miss Havasu
Greg Hopp, U-15, Hopp Racing
Jimmy King, U-16, Miss E-Lam Plus

Unlimited Light Roster:

Bo Schide, UL-16, Alamo
Steve Weber, UL-23, Apex Laser
Phil Bononcini, UL-72, Pocket Mechanic
Randy Haas, UL-110, Miss Comp Air
(Three more UL teams are expected to arrive in the pits on Friday)

* * *

Friday Qualifying:
May 21, 1999

After the first day of testing and qualifying, Driver Dave Villwock leads the pack in speed at the Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest - Havasu Cup Challenge. Villwock, in the Miss Budweiser (T5) Unlimited Hydroplane, reached a lap speed of 152.413 mph in the second lap of his first qualifying attempt. Villwock also captured the second fastest qualifying speed in the Miss Budweiser T3 hull with a lap speed of 151.515 mph.

"My guys do a really good job," said Villwock. "Both hulls are doing really well. We have to work with different setups through this weekend and hopefully we'll have the right answer on Sunday. That's when all of the marbles are attainable."

Qualifying will resume 10 a.m. Saturday morning. The Unlimited Heat 1A is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. Heat 1B is scheduled to run at 4:30 p.m. Two additional Heats will be run on Sunday, with the final scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

Other weekend race action will include the Unlimited Lights and Grand National Inboard Endurance boats.

Unlimited Hydroplane Friday Qualifying Speed Highlights

Minimum lap speed needed for qualification is 130 mph for turbine, and 120 mph for piston power.

Driver Boat number Boat name Speed
Dave Villwock U-1 Miss Budweiser T5 152.413 mph
Dave Villwock U-1 Miss Budweiser T3 151.515 mph
Chip Hanauer U-100 Miss PICO 139.481 mph
Chip Hanauer U-101 Miss PICO 134.173 mph
Mitch Evans U-20 Appian Jeronimo 131.483 mph
Mark Weber U-10 Miss Havasu 128.526 mph
Gregg Hopp U-15 Hopp Racing 128.457 mph
Mike Hanson U-9 Jones Racing 127.811 mph
Mike Weber U-3 Coopers Master Tire 105.952 mph
Jimmy King U-16 Miss E-Lam Plus DNQ (Sponson damage,
will attempt to qualify on Saturday)
Steve David U-2 Freddie's Club DNQ (Boat will arrive in pits on Saturday)

 

Saturday Morning Qualifying:
May 22, 1999

Saturday Morning Qualifying times for Unlimited Hydroplanes at the Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest - Havasu Cup Challenge.

Miss Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane driver Dave Villwock continues to lead in qualification at the Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest - Havasu Cup Challenge. Villwock scored a qualifying time of 152.412 mph this morning. A surprising second place lap speed was made by Jimmy King in the U-16 Miss E-Lam.

"The guys worked on the boat most of all last night and we qualified second today. Everybody's happy with it," said an elated King. "We're going to go out to test one more time and then we'll have the heat in the afternoon."

Third place in qualifying is out-of-retirement champion Chip Hanauer in the U-100 Miss PICO, with a time of 139.481 mph.

Qualifying continues from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. with Heat 1A scheduled for 4:10 p.m. and 1B scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

So far five boats have qualified to run in the Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest - Havasu Cup Challenge. Their times are:

Driver Boat number Boat name Speed
Dave Villwock U-1 Miss Budweiser T5 152.413 mph
Dave Villwock U-1 Miss Budweiser T3 151.515 mph
Jimmy King U16 Miss E-Lam Plus 140.611 mph
Chip Hanauer U-100 Miss PICO 139.481 mph
Chip Hanauer U-101 Miss PICO 134.173 mph
Mitch Evans U-20 Appian Jeronimo 131.483 mph
Mark Weber U-10 Miss Havasu 130.714 mph
Greg Hopp U-15 Hopp Racing 128.457 mph*
Mike Hanson U-9 Jones Racing 127.811 mph*
Mike Weber U-3 Coopers Master Tire 105.952 mph*
Steve David U-2 Freddie's Club DNQ

 

Minimum lap speed needed for qualification is 130 mph for turbine, and 120mph for piston power.

* * *

Saturday Afternoon Update:

The first turn of the first unlimited light heat, driver Randy Haas in the Miss Comp Air flipped his boat, yet escaped injury. Apparent cause was wind and water conditions.

We are currently under a 30-minute standby for referees to determine if today's heats will continue in to be delayed or canceled to be run Sunday.

Quote from Bo Schide driver of Alamo UL-16:
"I'm not going out and I rarely say that, but I've been around for 15 years and I know."

Possible 4:35 Heat 1A run

Draw results for Heats 1A and 1B:
1A:
Dave Villwock, Miss Budweiser, U-1
Steve David, Freddie's Club, U-2
Mark Weber, Miss Havasu, U-10
Mike Hanson, Jones Racing, U-9
Greg Hopp, Hopp Racing, U-15
1B:
Jimmy King, Miss E-Lam, U-16
Mike Weber, Master Tire, U-3
Mitch Evans, Appian Jeronimo, U-20
Chip Hanauer, Miss PICO, U-100

* * *

Results of Heats 1A and 1B:
Saturday, May 22, 1999

Defending National Champion Dave Villwock in the U-1 Miss Budweiser took the first victory of the 1999 Hydros Unlimited Racing season. This first win did not come easy due to high wind and water conditions.

"We had it. We knew it was out there. But actually it was so rough it beat all my watches off the dash and everything else. Maybe the same thing happened to Mark (Weber) . It was rough, but we got through it," said Villwock.

Chip Hanauer, driver of the U-100 Miss PICO, took his first win with his first outing in Heat 1B. Hanauer, as well as Mitch Evans in the U-20 Appian Jeronimo and Jimmy King in the U-16 Miss E-Lam, jumped the start and had to take an extra lap around.

"It 's the roughest water I've seen in a long time," said Hanauer upon his victorious return to shore.

Heat 2A is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. PST. In that heat will be Dave Villwock in the U-1 Miss Budweiser, Mark Weber in the U-10 YORK International presents Miss Havasu, Jimmy King in the U-16 Miss E-Lam Plus, Mitch Evans in the U-20 Appian Jeronimo, and Chip Hanauer in the U-100 Miss PICO.

Heat 2B, scheduled for 1 p.m. PST, will feature Greg Hopp in the U-15 Miss Commercial Sealant, Steve David in the U-2 Freddie's Club, Mike Hanson in the U-9 Jones Racing and Mike Weber in the U-3 Master Tire.

Heat 3A is scheduled for 2 p.m., 3B at 2:30 p.m., the provisional at 3:20 p.m. and the final at 4:40 p.m.

Saturday Heat 1A and 1B Results :

Heat 1A:
Order of Finish, Driver, Number, Sponsor, Speed (mph), Points

1. Dave Villwock, U1, Miss Budweiser, 115.601, 400
2. Mark Weber, U20, YORK International presents Miss Havasu, 109.587, 300
3. Greg Hopp, U15, Miss Commercial Sealant, 102.245, 225
4. Mike Hanson, U9, Jones Racing, 92.991, 169
5. Steve David, U2, Freddie's Club, DNS

Fast Lap: #1, Dave Villwock, U1, Miss Budweiser, 122.073mph

Heat 2A:

1. Chip Hanauer, U100, Miss PICO, 120.702, 400
2. Jimmy King, U16, Miss E-Lam Plus, 100.100, 300
3. Mitch Evans, U20, Appian Jeronimo, 97.564, 225
4. Mike Weber, U3, Master Tire, DNF, 0

Fast Lap: #1, U100, Miss PICO, Chip Hanauer, 128.926mph

* * *

HEAT 2 RESULTS:

Dave Villwock leads the points race in the U-1 Miss Budweiser at the 1999 Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest - Lake Havasu Cup Challenge. Villwock led Heat 2A much of the race, with Jimmy King in the U-16, Miss E-Lam Plus, finishing second. The Miss PICO, driven by Chip Hanauer, finished third.

"We'll just try to keep doing more of the same," said Villwock upon his return to the beach. "The boat's handling good, the conditions are good and we don't have any problems."

In a surprise upset, rookie driver Greg Hopp took top points in Heat 2B in the U-15 Miss Commercial Sealant. Steve Weber, brother of driver Mark Weber, took second in the piston-powered U-3 Master Tire. Mike Hanson did not finish the race after he was forced to shut down his U-9 Jones Racing after the boat nearly barrel rolled in the first straightaway. He was not injured.

"That was just amazing," said the victorious Hopp. "The water conditions were a little off, but this boat just flies over everything. This is by far the best handling boat I've ever driven. You think it would turn you upside down, but it just goes right through it."

Heat 3A is scheduled to run at 12:20 p.m. PST, with 3B following at 12:40 p.m.

In Unlimited Lights Action: UL-16 driver Bo Schide took first place in the rerun of heat one. The victory was a photo finish against the UL-10 Earl's Performance driven by Charlie Wiggins.

Fast Lap: #2, 133.139, Greg Hopp, U15, Miss Commercial Sealant

Heat 2A Results:
Order of Finish, Driver, Number, Sponsor, Speed, Points

1. Dave Villwock, U1, Miss Budweiser, 134.740, 800
2. Jimmy King, U16, Miss E-Lam Plus, 129.945, 600
3. Chip Hanauer, U100, Miss PICO, 127.119, 625
4. Mitch Evans, U20, Appian Jeronimo, 122.810, 394
5. Mark Weber, U10, YORK International/Miss Havasu, 120.235, 427

Fast Lap: #1, 140.580, Dave Villwock, U1, Miss Budweiser

Heat 2B Results:

1. Greg Hopp, U15, Miss Commercial Sealant, 122.185, 625
2. Mike Weber, U3, Master Tire, 104.778, 300
3. Mike Hanson, U9, Jones Racing, DNF, 0
4. Steve David, U2, Freddie's Club, DNS, 0

Fast Lap: #1, 123.788, Greg Hopp, U15, Miss Commercial Sealant

Unlimited Lights Heat 1 Restart:

UL# Boat Driver Speed Points

UL-16 Alamo, Bo Shide, 96.477, 400
UL-10 Earl's Performance Products, Charley Wiggins, 95.235, 300
UL-72 Pocket Mechanic, Phil Bononcini, 87.324, 225
UL-23 Apex Laser, Steve Weber, 86.805, 168
UL-110 Miss Compair, Randy Haas, 0

* * *

Sunday Preliminary Heat Results:
May 23, 1999

Heat three results for the 1999 Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest - Havasu Cup Challenge

U-1 Miss Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane driver Dave Villwock sped to another win in Heat 3A.
He now leads in points in this the inaugural points race of the Ralph's Unlimited Hydroplane Thunder Tour '99.

Rookie Greg Hopp in the U-15 Miss Commercial Sealant sped to his second win of the day in heat 3B. In heat 2B, his greatest competition, Mike Hanson in the U-9 Jones Racing did not finish the race. But it was different in this heat as he drove against racing legend Chip Hanauer and seasoned veteran Mark Weber.

"I knew we were fairly fast, but I didn't think were going to be able to drive away from people like that," said an elated Hopp. "That was something, especially with an all-volunteer group. Guys who take time out of their day to help me do this. It's just amazing."

The next time the Unlimiteds take to the water will be for the Final at 2:45 p.m. PST. The provisional race was canceled due to two boats withdrawing from competition. They are the U-2 Freddie's Club and the U-3 Master Tire. Both sustained hull damage.

Heat 3A Results: (12:20 p.m.)
Order of Finish, Driver, Number, Sponsor, Speed, Points

1. Dave Villwock, U-1, Miss Budweiser, 132.439, 1200
2. Jimmy King, U-16, Miss E-Lam Plus, 127.316, 900
3. Mitch Evans, U-20, Appian Jeronimo, 122.293, 619
4. Steve David, U-2, Freddie's Club, 113.110, 169

Fast Lap: #1, 140.250, Dave Villwock, U1, Miss Budweiser

Heat 3B Results: (12:40p.m.)

1. Greg Hopp, U-15, Miss Commercial Sealant, 130.162, 1025
2. Mark Weber, U-10, YORK International/Miss Havasu, 125.137, 727
3. Chip Hanauer, U-100, Miss PICO, 106.569, 850
4. Mike Hanson, U-9, Jones Racing, 96.441, 338

NOTE: This is a points race. It is not an exhibition.

* * *

Chip Hanauer wins the first ever Havasu Cup Challenge! Returning from a three-year absence from Unlimited Racing, Hanauer, in the U-100 Miss PICO, easily took the win in the final heat of this weekend's racing.

"He (Hanauer) is a great driver. And he's going to make the sport better and more equal," said Fred Leland, Miss PICO owner. "I'm just happy that the competition was so good."

When asked when Hanauer knew he was leading the pack, he said: "Not till I saw the checkered tablecloth."

"Dave is so good and the Budweiser is so good, we just pushed every lap," said Hanauer. "I was on the radio with Ken Dryden, my crew chief, he wouldn't let me let up. He said 'don't let up, don't let up,' that's what I kept hearing in my helmet."

After a vigorous battle with Greg Hopp in the U-15 Miss Commercial Sealant, Dave Villwock drove his U-1 Miss Budweiser to a second place finish.

"It's been one heck of a day. It's a day that I'll remember for the rest of my life," said Hopp. "We were scrapping and digging and fighting. Oh, it was a battle."

This is Hopp's rookie year. He qualified as an Unlimited Hydroplane driver last July in Tri-Cities, WA. Boat racing is not new to him. He began racing J-Stock Outboards when he was nine years old and, as many other of today's drivers do, worked his way up to this class.

Although winning all three of his preliminary heats, this was a disappointing day for Villwock and the Miss Budweiser team.

"The crew did a fantastic job on the boat, and I got on the gas and it accelerated better than it has all weekend," said Villwock. "We got about a second earlier where we needed to be, so I had to get off the gas when everybody was getting on the gas. Then I had to play catch-up from there and then keep the boat in its RPM limit. That's the way it goes. I made a little mistake at the start and there went the boat race."

Final Heat Results for the Unlimiteds:
Place   Boat   Name   Driver   Speed
1st U-100 Miss PICO Chip Hanauer 134.714
2nd U-1 Miss Budweiser Dave Villwock 132.754
3rd U-15 Miss Commercial Sealant Greg Hopp 129.625
4th U-16 Miss E-Lam Plus Jimmy King 123.170
5th U-20 Appian  Jeronimo Mitch Evans 121.609
6th U-10 York International Presents Miss Havasu Mark Weber 120.787

 

DNS - U-3 Master Tire and U-2 Freddie's Club did not enter final due to hull damage.

Fastest lap speed in the final was 139.833 by U-1 Miss Budweiser driven by Dave Villwock.

Here's how the points add up:

Teams:
U-1  Miss Budweiser 1540
U-100  Miss PICO 1273
U-15  Miss Commercial Sealant 1267
U-16 Miss E-Lam Plus 1099
U-10 York Int. Presents Miss Havasu  832
U-20 Appian Jeronimo 759
U-9  Jones Racing 338
U-3 Master Tire 300
U-2 Freddie's Club 169

 

Drivers:
U-1  Dave Villwock 1540
U-100 Chip Hanauer 1273
U-15 Greg Hopp 1267
U-16 Jimmy King  1099
U-10 Mark Weber  832
U-20 Mitch Evans 759
U-9  Mike Hanson 338
U-3  Mike Weber 300
U-2 Steve David 169

 

Unlimited Light Final Heat Results:
Place U # Boat Name Driver Speed Pts.
1st UL-10 Earl's Performance Products Charley Wiggins 91.288 925
2nd UL-72 Pocket Mechanic Phil Bononcini 89.448 750
3rd UL-38 B&B Racing Dave Bender 87.682 577
4th UL-23 Apex Laser Steve Weber DNF 169
5th UL-16 Alamo Bo Schide DNF 625
6th UL-110 Miss Compair Randy Haas DNF 0

 

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