1999 Season Summary
Statistics
1. | May 22, 23 | Budweiser Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest | Lake Havasu City, Arizona |
2. | June 20 | Budweiser Thunderfest East | Barrie, Ontario |
3. | June 27 | Budweiser Thunder on the Ohio | Evansville, Indiana |
4. | July 4 | Jasper Engines Indiana Governor's Cup | Madison, Indiana |
5. | July 10, 11 | Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup | Detroit, Michigan |
6. | July 18 | Virginia Is For Lovers Cup | Norfolk, Virginia |
7. | August 1 | Budweiser Columbia Cup With Wings | Kennewick, Washington |
8. | August 8 | General Motors Cup at Seafair | Seattle, Washington |
9. | August 15 | Budweiser Thunderfest West | Kelowna, British Columbia |
10. | September 18, 19 | Ralph's/Food4Less Bill Muncey Cup | San Diego, California |
11. | October 10 | JN Chevrolet Hydrofest | Honolulu, Hawaii |
Winner | Crew Chief | Designer | Builder | Engine | Course | Distance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5/23 | Miss PICO (1) | Ken Dryden | Fred Leland | Fred Leland | Lycoming | 2 Miles | 28 Miles |
6/20 | Miss Budweiser (22) | Mark Smith | Leland-Villwock | Ron Brown | Lycoming | 2 Miles | 28 Miles |
6/27 | Miss Budweiser (22) | Mark Smith | Leland-Villwock | Ron Brown | Lycoming | 2 Miles | 28 Miles |
7/4 | Miss PICO (1) | Ken Dryden | Fred Leland | Fred Leland | Lycoming | 2½ Miles | 35 Miles |
7/11 | Miss PICO (1) | Ken Dryden | Fred Leland | Fred Leland | Lycoming | 2½ Miles | 52½ Miles |
7/18 | Miss Budweiser (22) | Mark Smith | Leland-Villwock | Ron Brown | Lycoming | 2 Miles | 28 Miles |
8/1 | Miss Budweiser (22) | Mark Smith | Leland-Villwock | Ron Brown | Lycoming | 2½ Miles | 35 Miles |
8/8 | Miss Budweiser (22) | Mark Smith | Leland-Villwock | Ron Brown | Lycoming | 2 Miles | 28 Miles |
8/15 | Miss Budweiser (20) | Mark Smith | Brown-Jones | Ron Brown | Lycoming | 2 Miles | 22 Miles |
9/19 | Miss Budweiser (22) | Mark Smith | Leland-Villwock | Ron Brown | Lycoming | 2½ Miles | 35 Miles |
10/10 | Miss Budweiser (22) | Mark Smith | Leland-Villwock | Ron Brown | Lycoming | 2½ Miles | 35 Miles |
Built | Boat High Points | Total | Team High Points | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | (1997) | Miss Budweiser (22) | 12914 | (1-16934) |
2. | (1987) | YORK International | 10617 | (3) |
3. | (1998) | Miss PICO (1) | 10498 | (2-12958) |
4. | (1996) | Miss Pontiac | 8930 | |
5. | (1993) | Freddie's Club | 8352 | |
6. | (1988) | Llumar Window Film | 6245 | |
7. | (1984) | Miss Starrow Enterprises | 5862 | |
8. | (1996) | Appian Jeronimo (3) | 4879 | |
9. | (1995) | Miss Budweiser (20) | 4020 | |
10. | (1988) | Miss Madison (5) | 3926 | (9) |
11. | (1997) | MSD Ignition | 3700 | (10) ! |
12. | (1995) | Miss E-Lam Plus (2) | 3316 | (Id |
13. | (1999) | Northwest Unlimited | 2644 | (12) |
14. | (1998) | Miss PICO (2) | 2460 | |
15. | (1992) | Waikiki Trolley | 1592 | (13) |
16. | (1993) | Miss PICO (3) | 0000 |
Driver High Points | Total | |
---|---|---|
1. | Dave Villwock | 16934 |
2. | Mark Weber | 10617 |
3. | Greg Hopp | 10558 |
4. | Chip Hanauer | 10228 |
5. | Mike Hanson | 5862 |
6. | Steve David | 5184 |
7. | Mitch Evans | 4879 |
8. | Nate Brown | 4815 |
9. | Todd Yarling | 3926 |
10. | Mike Weber | 3700 |
11. | Mark Tate | 3168 |
12. | Ken Muscatel | 2644 |
13. | Jimmy King | 2529 |
14. | Mark Evans | 2217 |
15. | Jerry Hale | 1592 |
16. | Rick Christensen | 538 |
17. | Jerry Hopp | 264 |
Former Names | |
---|---|
2. | Miller American (2), Miller High Life (2), Miss Circus Circus (4), Winston Eagle (3), Smokin' Joe's (1) Close Call, Wild Fire, Miss Havasu, Miss 25 NBC Miss Pizza Time |
3. | PICO American Dream (5) |
4. | PICO American Dream (2), Miss Commercial Sealants, United Furniture Warehouse (2), Miss WIKY, Hopp Racing, Miss R.S. Eastin Hotels (4), Ms. Tri-Cities |
5. | Miss T-Plus (2), Miss D.O.C. Acuvue, Jim Harvey Motorsports, ARC Construction (6), Trendwest Resorts, Miss KISS 106, Molson Jackhammer, Dole Cannery, Miss Detroit Ford Dealers, Primestar, Gargoyles Nitro Pennzoil Pit Stop, Deja Vu (2), Miss Chrysler Jeep, Harvey Motor Sports (2), Miss Molson, Gaylord's |
6. | Mr. Pringles (2), Executone (4), Ellis Park, Super Range Golf, Ultra Bold Dash, Tide, Pizza Time/Exide Lynnwood Honda, Pflueger Honda, Miss Tri-Cities (6), Miss Molson Dry, Chaplin's, Spirit of Kelowna, Outrigger Hotels |
7. | Atlas Van Lines (Ll), Miller American (1), Miller High Life (1), Race Rock Motor City Diner, ARC Construction (4), Spirit of San Diego, American Spirit (1), Miss Circus Circus (5), Miss Exide (4) Miss Carpenter Communications, Cost Less Carpets (3), Miss K.C. (2), Jones Racing, Miss Go Bowling (2) Strike Force, Supply Depot of San Diego |
8. | Chaplin's Bellevue Mazda, Miss Vons (2), Stihl (1), Miss Wellness Plan (3), KGMB Channel 9, PICO American Dream (4) |
10. | Holset Miss Madison (2), Holset Miss Mazda, Holset Miss U.S. Star, Gaylord's At Kilohana, Valvoline Miss Madison (2), Kellogg's Tony The Tiger, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Miss Jasper Engines, DeWALT Tool |
11. | Master Tire (2), Spirit of Lake Chelan (2), Cooper's Express (2), Graham Trucking (2) |
13. | Miss Bell Forklift (2), Toyota Industrial Equipment, Tire Factory, Team Yamaha Kelowna (2) |
14. | Miss R.S. Eastin Hotels (3), Miss Bell Forklift, PICO American Dream (6) |
15. | The Brake Shop (2), Lytle State Rep., Miss U.A.W., Miss Hanalei Hotel, Dallas Motor Coach, ARC Construction (5), Tide's American Spirit, American Spirit (2), Miss Wellness Plan (2), Buehler's Buy Low, Kroeger's, Appian Renegade, Miss Rock KISW-FM (5), Miss Vons, Miss Columbia Communications, Waffle House, Miss Jennifer, Miss Welborn Health Plans, Miss R.S. Eastin Hotels, Performance Mortgage, Appian Jeronimo (2), Easter Seals, Tvetin's RV Mart{2) |
16. | Miss Rock KISW-FM (6), Coor's Light, Spirit of Hawaii, American Dream, PICO American Dream (1), Stihl (3), Miss Vons (3), Hire Power |
Speed Profile 99 [Pt.1 of 2] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Completion % Full Season - Rank | 5-23 | 6-20 | 6-27 | 7-4 | 7-11 | 7-18 | ||
Havasu 2 | Barrie 2 | Evansville 2 | Madison 2½ | Detroit 2½ | Norfolk 2 | |||
1. | Miss Budweiser (20) .916 |
Test | 151.515 | 156.250 | 157.746 | 159.207 | ||
Lap | 140.680 | 139.961 | 146.130 | |||||
Heat | 134.740 | 138.850 | 145.546 | |||||
(Finals - Finished 2 of 3) | ||||||||
2. | Miss Budweiser (22) 1000 .977 - 1st |
Test | 152.413 | 159.169 | 164.110 | 159.323 | 167.504 | 154.609 |
Lap | 150.871 | 154.308 | 156.669 | 141.165 | ||||
Heat | 141.651 | 142.434 | 148.802 | 132.700 | ||||
(Finals - Finished 8 of 8) | ||||||||
3. | Miss PICO (1) .861 .886 - 4th |
Test | 139.481 | 149.471 | 152.143 | 152.729 | 153.573 | 144.989 |
Lap | 136.217 | 143.093 | 147.167 | 145.026 | 154.758 | 135.351 | ||
Heat | 134.714 | 133.653 | 142.938 | 144.253 | 152.591 | 132.878 | ||
(Finals - Finished 7 of 8) | ||||||||
4. | Miss PICO (2) 1000 |
Test | 134.173 | 149.201 | 152.591 | |||
Lap | 138.834 | |||||||
Heat | 137.344 | |||||||
(Finals - Finished 2 of 2) | ||||||||
5. | Miss PICO (3) | Test | ||||||
Lap | ||||||||
Heat | ||||||||
6. | R.S.. Eastin Hotels (4) Hopp Racing .897 ~ 3rd |
Test | 135.542 | 140.529 | 146.586 | 145.189 | 144.809 | 130.788 |
Lap | 133.139 | 136.830 | 139.878 | 141.987 | 142.306 | 132.817 | ||
Heat | 130.162 | 126.122 | 136.147 | 140.750 | 139.302 | 127.582 | ||
(Finals - Finished 8 of 10') | ||||||||
7. | York International .904 - 2nd |
Test | 130.714 | 148.179 | 149.800 | 151.133 | 158.699 | 144.977 |
Lap | 131.702 | 139.418 | 143.190 | 130.921 | 144.711 | 132.716 | ||
Heat | 125.137 | 135.870 | 141.551 | 88.639 | 139.435 | 129.702 | ||
(Finals - Finished 8 of 9)) | ||||||||
8. | Freddie's Club 883 - 6th |
Test | 141.287 | 150.219 | 148.881 | 153.270 | 141.132 | |
Lap | 117.446 | 131.661 | 142.214 | 139.082 | 139.982 | 128.080 | ||
Heat | 113.110 | 127.968 | 137.085 | 136.591 | 133.955 | 126.929 | ||
(Finals - Finished 7 of 8) | ||||||||
9. | Llumar Window Film .885 - 5th |
Test | 135.782 | 144.942 | 141.721 | 150.150 | 137.483 | |
Lap | 128.845 | 142.880 | 140.676 | 140.222 | ||||
Heat | 120.367 | 137.652 | 132.013 | 133.689 | ||||
(Finals - Finished 4 of 5) | ||||||||
10. | Miss E-Lam Plus (2) .875 |
Test | 140.611 | |||||
Lap | 131.711 | |||||||
Heat | 129.946 | |||||||
(Finals - Finished 2 of 3) | ||||||||
11. | Appian Jeronimo (3) .920 |
Test | 131.483 | 143.695 | 141.748 | 149.990 | ||
Lap | 131.380 | 137.609 | 141.247 | 136.651 | ||||
Heat | 122.810 | 131.601 | 138.621 | 132.904 | ||||
(Finals - Finished 4 of 4) | ||||||||
12. | Jones Racing Miss Go-Bowling (2) .800 - 7th |
Test | 127.811 | 139.806 | 139.969 | 144.367 | 150.346 | 139.241 |
Lap | 105.125 | 123.254 | 127.562 | 131.172 | 124.600 | 131.298 | ||
Heat | 96.441 | 122.061 | 125.594 | 129.032 107.381 | 129.079 | |||
(Finals - Finished 2 of 5) | ||||||||
13. | Miss Madison (5) | Test | 142.775 | 101.260 | 137.893 | 145.091 | 132.979 | |
.900 | Lap | 137.968 | 129.646 | 135.048 | 137.790 | 133.427 | ||
Heat | 135.900 | 126.923 | 128.956 | 124.769 | 131.838 | |||
(Finals - Finished 2 of 2) | ||||||||
14. | Northwest Unlimited .680 |
Test | 128.548 | 125.626 | 136.298 | 123.612 | ||
Lap | 129.900 | 116.054 | ||||||
Heat | 124.585 | 110.946 | ||||||
(Finals - Finished 1 of 2) | ||||||||
15. | Tvetin's RV Mart (2) .909 |
Test | ||||||
Lap | ||||||||
Heat | ||||||||
(Finals - Finished 1 of 1) | ||||||||
16. | Master Tire (2) .657 - 8th |
Test | 105.592 | 129.887 | 123.616 | 125.254 | 137.137 | 122.175 |
Lap | 106.971 | 125.488 | 120.757 | 120.642 | 130.118 | 100.874 | ||
Heat | 104.776 | 123.192 | 119.364 | 119.583 | 126.381 | 98.767 | ||
(Finals - Finished 1 of 2) |
Speed Profile 99 [Pt.2 of 2] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Completion % Full Season - Rank | 8-1 | 8-8 | 8-15 | 9-19 | 10-10 | 2½ Mile | ||
Pasco 2½ | Seattle 2 | Kelowna 2 | San Diego 2½ | Hawaii 2½ | Course Optimum | |||
1. | Miss Budweiser (20) .916 |
Test | 167.100 | 154.067 | 159.833 | 167.100 | ||
Lap | 143.790 | 148.@@@ | ||||||
Heat | 138.934 | 145.546 | ||||||
(Finals - Finished 2 of 3) | ||||||||
2. | Miss Budweiser (22) 1000 .977 - 1st |
Test | 170.471 | 163.793 | 163.388 | 173.384 | 167.193 | 173.384 |
Lap | 158.520 | 151.051 | 159.665 | 155.642 | 159.665 | |||
Heat | 148.463 | 140.491 | 153.952 | 148.820 | 153.952 | |||
(Finals - Finished 8 of 8) | ||||||||
3. | Miss PICO (1) .861 .886 - 4th |
Test | 166.750 | 166.107 | 169.693 | 169.693 | ||
Lap | 157.011 | 158.042 | 134.937 | 158.042 | ||||
Heat | 151.244 | 155.119 | 132.910 | 155.119 | ||||
(Finals - Finished 7 of 8) | ||||||||
4. | Miss PICO (2) 1000 |
Test | 155.783 | 152.873 | 154.363 | 160.@@@ | ||
Lap | 148.717 | 143.249 | 153.@@@ | |||||
Heat | 145.998 | 137.342 | 150.@@@ | |||||
(Finals - Finished 2 of 2) | ||||||||
5. | Miss PICO (3) | Test | 148.099 | 153.@@@ | ||||
Lap | ||||||||
Heat | ||||||||
6. | R.S.. Eastin Hotels (4) Hopp Racing .897 ~ 3rd |
Test | 150.135 | 145.053 | 146.966 | 157.748 | 157.57 | |
Lap | 141.748 | 127.188 | 134.559 | 155.258 | 155.25 | |||
Heat | 140.831 | 121.784 | 125.282 | 149.701 | 149.70 | |||
(Finals - Finished 8 of 10') | ||||||||
7. | York International .904 - 2nd |
Test | 160.142 | 152.159 | 149.620 | 158.593 | 160.239 | 160.23 |
Lap | 148.351 | 141.928 | 153.364 | 152.001 | 153.36 | |||
Heat | 146.179 | 136.978 | 147.606 | 150.240 | 150.24 | |||
(Finals - Finished 8 of 9)) | ||||||||
8. | Freddie's Club 883 - 6th |
Test | 154.358 | 149.945 | 150.291 | 158.340 | 159.002 | 159.00 |
Lap | 144.681 | 135.934 | 135.790 | 152.243 | 146.783 | 152.24 | ||
Heat | 139.529 | 132.907 | 134.052 | 147.095 | 143.544 | 147.09 | ||
(Finals - Finished 7 of 8) | ||||||||
9. | Llumar Window Film .885 - 5th |
Test | 156.179 | 142.851 | 145.957 | 158.314 | 153.400 | 158.314 |
Lap | 136.108 | 132.406 | 129.695 | 148.258 | 144.678 | 148.258 | ||
Heat | 133.878 | 128.034 | 124.662 | 145.223 | 141.346 | 145.223 | ||
(Finals - Finished 4 of 5) | ||||||||
10. | Miss E-Lam Plus (2) .875 |
Test | 158.136 | 150.128 | 159.830 | 159.830 | ||
Lap | 147.107 | 138.496 | 148.544 | 148.544 | ||||
Heat | 141.967 | 134.865 | 146.848 | 146.848 | ||||
(Finals - Finished 2 of 3) | ||||||||
11. | Appian Jeronimo (3) .920 |
Test | 153.317 | 145.619 | 154.975 | 154.970 | ||
Lap | 144.189 | 133.060 | 145.393 | 145.394 | ||||
Heat | 134.199 | 127.129 | 142.994 | 142.998 | ||||
(Finals - Finished 4 of 4) | ||||||||
12. | Jones Racing Miss Go-Bowling (2) .800 - 7th |
Test | 153.631 | 141.052 | 143.098 | 151.474 | 144.472 | 153.631 |
Lap | 141.576 | 126.256 | 125.740 | 139.986 | 135.528 | 141.576 | ||
Heat | 136.453 | 124.593 | 121.624 | 138.211 | 133.458 | 138.211 | ||
(Finals - Finished 2 of 5) | ||||||||
13. | Miss Madison (5) | Test | 147.@@@ | |||||
.900 | Lap | 142.@@@ | ||||||
Heat | 140.@@@ | |||||||
(Finals - Finished 2 of 2) | ||||||||
14. | Northwest Unlimited .680 |
Test | 135.009 | 143.793 | 140.630 | 137.667 | 134.154 | 148.006 |
Lap | 126.495 | 128.528 | 127.914 | 130.267 | 133.@@@ | |||
Heat | 122.853 | 126.178 | 118.385 | 126.991 | 131.006 | |||
(Finals - Finished 1 of 2) | ||||||||
15. | Tvetin's RV Mart (2) .909 |
Test | 142.597 | 130.293 | 143.032 | 143.032 | ||
Lap | 134.116 | 126.129 | 134.082 | 134.116 | ||||
Heat | 130.144 | 118.418 | 132.411 | 132.411 | ||||
(Finals - Finished 1 of 1) | ||||||||
16. | Master Tire (2) .657 - 8th |
Test | 133.521 | 128.194 | 114.161 | 137.137 | ||
Lap | 131.704 | 119.885 | 120.020 | 131.704 | ||||
Heat | 128.567 | 115.410 | 117.813 | 128.567 | ||||
(Finals - Finished 1 of 2) |
1999
In yet another effort to even up the competition the UHRA instituted a rule that an entry winning two consecutive races could not use lane one in the following regatta. Three consecutive victories would put a boat in lane three and so on. However, if the streak was broken then it would be back to square one or lane 1 until another two consecutive wins occurred. In the Gold Cup the rule did not apply.
Another initiative - this time to add boats to the field - provided for an equal division of prize among those participating in an event. Thus with regard to prize money there were no winners or losers. Since the highly financed teams were in Unlimited racing primarily for the publicity, losing purse money would not cause them too much angst.
After two years on the beach, Chip Hanauer decided to return to the sport. He signed a three year contract with PICO to drive for Fred Leland. Last year after a difficult season PICO was only two m.p.h. behind Budweiser before they withdrew from the circuit after San Diego.
Appian Jeronimo was about equal in speed to Budweiser at the last race of the season in Honolulu. Most of the year they were three to five m.p.h. off the pace. Possibly Appian should have won in Hawaii or at Seattle - the other contest in which they were close to Budweiser in speed. Unfortunately owner Jerry Rise chose to cut back his financial support, which left the boat's status as a contender uncertain.
Miss Budweiser 1995 started the campaign for owner Bernie Little at Lake Havasu, a new race site but well known in speedboat circles. Budweiser won all of her preliminary heats. Appian Jeronimo was no threat. PICO 98 only took one of her three elimination heats handicapped in the first two by the rule book as Chip Hanauer was a "rookie" driver under its standards and had to make outside lane starts. Hanauer had not looked like the world beater of old in the preliminary heats.
Nevertheless in the final heat Chip Hanauer got off to a perfect start and led Miss Budweiser, who had backed off at the gun to avoid jumping the clock, into the first turn. PICO was ahead of Miss Commercial Seal at the end of lap one by two seconds. Miss Budweiser was another second back in third place. Budweiser captured second place in lap two and was only two seconds behind,having turned a lap four m.p.h. faster than PICO, at the end of the lap. Nevertheless the slower PICO maintained this advantage in lap three and added another two seconds in lap 4 to win the Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest.
Baseball's Ted Williams in the early fifties came back from Korea and took up where he had left off when he was 35 years old. Boxing's Sugar Ray Leonard came back after three years at 30 to win the middlewieght championship from Marvin Hagler. Now Chip Hanauer has come back after nearly three years to join these sporting greats by winning the first time out on his comeback.
The hydros next ventured north of the border for a new event at Barrie, Ontario. The course was a rather cramped triangle. PICO's Chip Hanauer again looked rather ragged in his elimination heats, but led Miss Budweiser 1997, who again won all of her preliminary heats, into the first turn of the championship heat. This time Budweiser had 7 m.p.h. on PICO 98 as opposed to 4 m.p.h. at Havasu and sped away to win the regatta. Also Budweiser driver Dave Villwock was not handicapped by a bad start.
In the initial running of the final heat, interrupted by YORK International going over, PICO led up the first backstretch with Budweiser in third place behind the Greg Hopp driven United Furniture Warehouse. Then the heat was halted by the accident. Interestingly, this was the setting for PICO's triumph at Havasu.
At Evansville PICO 98 and Budweiser 97 were masters of the preliminaries with Budweiser showing a 7 m.p.h. advantage over the rest of the fleet. Therefore PICO had to make another perfect start to have a chance in the championship heat, however driver Hanauer cut it too close and jumped the gun. Still Miss PICO had a three second advantage at the end of lap 2 before Budweiser driver Dave Villwock got news of the premature start. Thereafter he relaxed and took an easy first to win Thunder-on-the-Ohio.
Parity between PICO 98 and Budweiser 95 was achieved at Madison. This parity was not tested in the Indiana Governor's Cup as Miss Budweiser flipped over in a hail of roostertails in the first turn of the initial running of the final heat. Of interest was that Budweiser followed Miss PICO and her companion entry Hopp Racing into this turn. In the re-run PICO took the lead rafter the start and was never seriously challenged although Appian Jeronimo was close at the finish.
The Gold Cup at Detroit followed and the apparent parity between PICO 98 and Budweiser - this time the 1997 hull - continued. Miss PICO and Budweiser met twice in the elimination heats and the Fred Leland entry was defeated both times - in heat 2-B Budweiser came from behind to win.
Nevertheless in the determinative contest for the Gold Cup the PICO team installed a new engine which gave them an extra 7 m.p.h. Once again as at Havasu Chip Hanauer made an excellent start and Budweiser's Villwock in comparison left something to be desired. Miss PICO was in front going up the initial backstretch and Budweiser was behind YORK International. At the end of lap one PICO, on the inside, had half a roostertail on Miss Budweiser. The next lap it was a full roostertail and at the finish Miss PICO was Gold Cup champion by eight seconds over the Bernie Little entry. It was Chip Hanauer's 10th Gold Cup without assistance and must have been one of his most satisfying.
Unlike last year a good field of ten boats showed up at Norfolk for the Virginia is for Lovers Cup. Miss Budweiser 97 captured all of her preliminary heats and had an easy time of it in the final heat when Miss PICO 98 failed to start. PICO had had recurrent engine problems in the preliminaries.
Once again Miss Budweiser 97 and PICO 98 appeared to be equal entries at the Tri-Cities. Both Budweiser and PICO won their preliminary heats heading into their confrontation in heat 3-A. PICO had the inside, but Budweiser had the lead going up the initial backstretch. Miss PICO was four boat lengths back when she got caught in Budweiser's roostertail and flipped over. There was no penalty and in the re-run Budweiser had no problems in taking the heat.
Emulating Seafair 1997 PICO was repaired in time to run in the championship heat. However, unlike Mark Evans in 1997, Chip Hanauer was not able to recover to drive in the crucial heat. He was replaced by Mike Weber who finished eight seconds behind the winning Miss Budweiser.
Chip Hanauer had whiplash and although he gave it a shot at Seattle, he had to defer to Greg Hopp who was looked upon as a promising chauffeur by the people in the sport. Since his comeback in 1992, Hanauer had driven only one season out of six without a relief pilot.
In addition the number one Miss PICO was in need of such repairs that she was kept out of the pits until San Diego. This necessitated racing the team's second boat built in 1998 to be known as PICO 99. PICO 99 had not been developed to the point of PICO 98 and was a hard steer although a duplicate hull. If Chip Hanauer needed any convincing, his difficulties with this boat made the difference.
Greg Hopp got two m.p.h, less out of the boat than Hanauer during the qualification period. The Leland team even trotted out their more or less outmoded 1994-95 American Dream that had triumphed in six regattas and then decided to go with the difficult PICO 99 instead.
Amazingly the newest PICO swapped victories with Budweiser 1997 in the elimination heats even though the Fred Leland entry was short about three m.p.h. in speed. Unfortunately PICO 99 got wet down at the start of the final heat and Budweiser had another easy win in the Seafair General Motors Cup.
Of the 12 entries at Seattle only nine made it up to Kelowna for the Budweiser Thunderfest. Budweiser 95 and PICO 99 were equal boats at Kelowna - a tribute to the Leland team. As at Seafair and in heat 1-B, PICO got caught in a roostertail in the championship encounter and Budweiser scored yet another triumph.
For San Diego both Chip Hanauer and PICO 98 were back to oppose Miss Budweiser 1997. Once again nearly equal boats were competing.
Miss Budweiser won all of her preliminary heats while PICO won two out of three - having a sick engine in heat 2-A.
In the final Miss Budweiser would have to start in lane four since she had prevailed in four consecutive events on the circuit. Perhaps in a defensive measure Budweiser driver Dave Villwock tried to cut off PICO's Chip Hanauer several times before the start. However to the annoyance of Hanauer he was not penalized. At any rate Budweiser was ahead by 4 seconds at the end of lap one and increased it to six seconds when Gregg Hopp in Miss Pontiac flipped over in lap three. The heat was stopped down, nevertheless Budweiser won the Bayfair Bill Muncey Cup since she had completed three of the five scheduled laps.
The season ended in Hawaii with Miss PICO 98 taking on Miss Budweiser 1997. There were eight boats in the pits with six making the front line in the determinative heat together with one trailer.
Miss PICO had engine problems with only 225 points after two heats. At this point she was the #7 entry for the championship encounter. Northwest Unlimited had no points and Bill Wurster's Outrigger Hotels was just ahead of PICO with 300 points.
Outrigger Hotels finished first in her next heat after Miss Budweiser suddenly lost 35 m.p.h. in boat speed. Now PICO would have to win heat 3-B to tie Freddie's Club for the last front line position in the final heat assuming the latter failed to finish. Freddie had been penalized in one of her heats so PICO figured to break the tie if it occurred.
Miss PICO declined to enter heat 3-B as she was out of good engines. Miss Budweiser therefore had a trouble free victory in the final heat to win the JN Chevrolet Hydrofest.
In 1999 the best 2½ mile course competition lap for Budweiser was 159.665 m.p.h. PICO in comparison had 158.042 m.p.h.
[Statistics from Greene, V.2]