2000 Ralph's/Food4Less Bill Muncey Cup
Stratton's Death Overshadows Bud Win
Shocked in San Diego
by Mac Clouse and Niles Mayfield
In 1982 at Tri-Cities, Dean Chenoweth lost his life when Miss Budweiser flipped while qualifying.
In 1985, the Budweiser team introduced the canopy, and although there have been many spectacular flips and crashes, no driver since Dean had died. The canopy, boat designs, and materials of today seemed to remove the driver risk. Sadly, the reality of the risk reappeared when George Stratton died at San Diego from injuries suffered when Appian Jeronimo blew over in Sunday-morning testing. A race that had no meaning to the national point and driver championships suddenly had even less meaning. In front of a shocked and subdued crowd, Dave Villwock in Miss Budweiser won the Ralphs/Food 4 Less Bill Muncey Cup. It was Dave's third straight Mission Bay win and his fifth there overall, both records.
Testing and Qualifying
Twelve boats participated in qualifying. The T3 '95 Bud also was there, but there was no plan to race it. Friday morning had fog, flat water, and no wind. Only testing was allowed because not all the walkways from the pit shore to the floats were installed. Drivers and crews couldn't get to the floats!
Everyone qualified in the afternoon. The wind picked up, so speeds were slower than in testing. The 2½ mile, wide-turned course and 3.9 gpm of fuel would be a challenge for Budweiser. "It will be near impossible to win, but we did it in Seattle," said Dave. In spite of his reduced fuel flow, he found the speed with T5 '97 to be the top qualifier at 156.272. Close behind were Znetix II (Terry Troxell) at 154.663, E-Lam Plus (Mark Evans) at 154.178, and Sun Harbor (Mike Hanson) at 153.262. Over 150 were Oh Boy! Oberto (Nate Brown) at 152.019 and Appian Jeronimo (George Stratton) at 150.676. Other qualifiers were YORK (Mark Weber) at 144.569, LLumar (Jimmy King) at 139.628, Miss Freei (Ken Muscatel) at 136.190, and U-3 "Bardahl Special" (Mitch Evans) at 132.517. Znetix (Greg Hopp) lost its 156.9 and Freddie's Club (Mark Tate) lost its 152 because of fuel flow violations; they each were given 130.000.
| Fast Man Qualifies The most interesting part of Friday afternoon was Russ Wicks T3 '95 Budweiser. He needed two laps of 130 to complete his driver qualification. His first lap was 130, and his second was an impressive 146. Russ thanked the Bud team for letting him drive their boat. "There are lots of differences between their boat and the Freei. I'm used to. I think Dave had a remote control system so he could control the boat from the dock! But I'm confident that I'm now ready for competition," he said. Russ' laps almost didn't happen. "I almost came in. I hit a bump, and my mask popped off. I got it snapped, but my earpiece fell out. I couldn't hear what they were saying to me." When asked about next year's plans, he said. "I plan on racing the full season. I am keeping all my options open. 1 may have my own team or be with an existing team. All my sponsors - Freei, Egghead.com, and Hewlett-Packard - want to come back with me next year. Two years ago, I started talking to race teams. I always planned to start with the speed record. It is a value-added for the sponsors. I plan to do a boat and a car (IRL) next year." |
Saturday morning was hazy, warm, and muggy with no wind. The smooth water allowed 10 boats to increase their qualifying speeds. The most significant increase was Bud's increase to 159.909. Dave was able to squeeze even more speed out of his 3.9 gpm and was now over 3 mph faster than the field. "I thought we could do more, but we're being conservative. "
At the drivers' meeting, Troxell was told he could not start in lane 1 or 2 in the first heat. The restriction would be reviewed after the heat. The fleet would also experiment with a seven-boat-length overlap requirement.
Heat 1
Saturday afternoon had a temperature in the low 80s, sun, and a light breeze blowing across the course.
As the boats formed up for 1A, LLumar was early in the backstretch in lane 1. Freei came from the infield to grab lane 2. Znetix was well back in lane 1 and when Muscatel took lane 2 there was no place for Hopp. He moved to lane 5 and was late to the start.
Stratton was first to and through the turn from lane 3, led by a roostertail after lap 1, and won easily by two roostertails. Hanson and Tate battled for second for a lap; then Mike pulled away. After his late start, Hopp moved up to fourth. Muscatel was fifth, and King, who lost most of his power, slowly finished sixth. Later Greg and Jimmy lost their points because of fuel violations.
Greg said he made a mistake at the start. "I got out of position, had to take lane 5, and was late. In the first turn, Mike moved out a bit, and Mark T. came in. They closed my door, and I had to roll out of the throttle. They had seven boat lengths so they were legal to move over. I went dead and re-started twice. Then I still caught two boats. It would have been an interesting heat. "
Mike didn't like his lane 4 start. "I knew George was hot, and I thought Mark T. would be there, but he was outside. All the inside lanes were taken. Here you need to be inside. We're trying to go all weekend with one engine, so we'll wait to be aggressive in the final. " Mark T. couldn't get up with the leaders. "I just don't have the speed. The fuel system isn't what it should be. I have no speed coming out of the turns. "
In 1B, YORK and Bud cut across the infield to get lane 1 as the other boats moved up the backstretch. Weber got there first, and Villwock pulled in behind him. When Dave moved towards lane 2, Mark Evans then moved into lane 3, and Troxell took lane 4. With nowhere else to go, Dave moved towards lane 5 and forced Mitch Evans to move out to lane 6.
Brown was first across the start, but Mark E. was first out of the turn. Mark E. led up the backstretch with Nate and Mark W. together close behind. At the end of the lap, Mark E. led Mark W. by one roostertail, with Nate one more roostertail back. Terry was fourth with Dave one-quarter lap back in fifth and Mitch in sixth.
Mark E. extended his lead to win by two roostertails. Dave used lane 1 to pass Nate in lap 2 and Terry in lap 3. Terry passed Nate for fourth in lap 3 but later lost his points to a fuel violation.
Mark E. wanted lane 2. "I thought I'd get lane 2. But the boat ran well; everything is there." Terry was avoiding trouble. "I saw Mark moving to lane 3 at the start. I didn't want to get in trouble, so I conceded the lane to him. In lap 3, I knew Dave was coming up on the inside, but I didn't know if I had the seven boat lengths to move inside. " Mark W. was pleased to have another heat complete.
"It was my first time in competition since the flip in Seattle. I had to get rid of the heebie-jeebies. But just like on a horse, I had to get back in the saddle again. " Dave explained his start and third place. "I don't have any power to get anywhere and people were moving all different directions. I just had to wait until they settled in and then I can go racing. "
As the crowd left Saturday afternoon, people were talking about Stratton's impressive win and Villwock's distant third. How different things would be on Sunday.
| The Fatal Flip
San Diego mornings usually have a haze that burns off by late a.m. This year fog engulfed the far half of the course. About 8:45 the fog lifted, and boats were allowed to test. Stratton was on the course by himself about 9:15. He had done quite a few laps already and was moving up the backstretch. He approached Crown Point, where a seabreeze often comes through the channel. (Near this spot the famous double flip — Madison and Circus — occurred.) Appian took a couple of hops and then became airborne. It went straight up about two boat lengths, then upside down. The bow began to drop, and the boat dove steeply into the water. The nose and left sponson hit first. Pieces flew, and when the spray settled, Appian Jeronimo was upside down. The rescue team got there quickly, but it seemed to take longer than normal to get George out of the boat. As the medical boat neared the dock, one of the medics was giving him CPR. At that point, it was obvious that this accident wasn't like previous flips where drivers walked away. George was airlifted to a hospital. At 10:25. all the drivers were summoned to the Hydro-PROP trailer. They were told that George went to surgery, but that it did not look good. At 10:40, all the USA team members were called to their camp; George's injuries were fatal. In fact, he had died instantly from massive head injuries. The damage to the boat was surprising. The right-hand canard was gone, the other barely attached. The left sponson was bent upward at a 15-degree angle; it was broken in front of the skid fin but still attached there and also attached to the spar connected to the boat's nose. The cowling and snorkel were gone, but the damaged uprights and tail were still there. Unfortunately, the canopy was gone. Appian's canopy had two parts. The front part, like a windshield, was gone. The second part, the hatch, was brought in unattached to the boat with a small crack on each side. The lack of a canopy made the accident like an open-cockpit crash. What happened to the canopy wasn't clear. The canopy and front of the boat took the full force of the crash. Coming straight down into the water, the left sponson may have hit the shallow bottom of the man-made bay, which could explain why it was bent upward. The movement of the left sponson may have separated the windshield from the canopy, resulting in a huge rush of water into the cockpit. There was also speculation that the canard may have hit the windshield, causing it to break. If the boat had entered the water a few- degrees more or less titan it did, things might have been different. Mac and Niles |
Heat 2
The mood in the pits was very somber, with lots of tears and hugs. Even Mother Nature was involved: The fog rolled back in, and the race was put on hold.
YORK was in 2A. In honor of Stratton, Weber started the heat, ran one lap on the outside of the course, and then returned to the pits. The team then withdrew.
Sun Harbor was first across the line from lane 2. Hanson and Tate were side by side up the backstretch, but Mike's inside position allowed him to pull ahead in turn 2 and lead by a roostertail at the end of lap 1. LLumar, Oberto, and Freei followed. The boats finished three laps in this order, but Tate and Brown were penalized for jumping the gun. That call moved King to second and Muscatel to third.
While forming up for 2B, Villwock found himself in a similar position to his 1B predicament. E-Lam had lane 1 with Bud behind.
The Znetix boats had lanes 2 and 3. As Dave tried to squeeze into lane 2, Hopp moved towards Evans to close the opening. Troxell moved closer to Greg to close lane 3. Dave got 4 after taking water from all three boats.
Mark E. was first to the turn and led Terry in lap 1. Dave was late at the start and fifth across the line. He passed Mitch Evans in lap 1. In lap 2, Mark continued to lead Terry. Greg got in their roostertails and died in turn 1, and Dave passed him. Mark won by one roostertail over Terry. Dave was one-half straightaway behind Terry. Greg re-started to take fourth; Mitch was fifth. Later Terry's points were taken away for a fuel violation. Mark was happy with the win. "That was for George and his family. We're all pretty emotional right now. "
Heat 3
Heat 3A was the best of the day. After trailing Znetix for 2¾ laps, Sun Harbor pulled even in turn 2 and won the drag race to the finish. Freddie's was third. Freei was fourth but lost its points because of a fuel violation. LLumar did not finish; it lost its fuel control.
Hanson had fun. "I noticed in lap 2 that Greg was bogging down in turn 2. I thought I might be able to get him there on the next lap." When asked about his team's improvement, he said, "We knew we had some decent motors last year but no ride. We waited until the national meetings to learn the new rules. Then we built our boat to meet the rules. In Seattle, we finally got our computer system. Now we can get dialed in for fuel and keep it there."
In 3B, Oberto needed a win to make the final. Brown cut across the infield, and Mark E. moved out to lane 2 to let him take lane 1. Villwock was in lane 3, Troxell in 4, and Mitch E. in 5.
Mark E. was first across the line and led Nate and Dave up the backstretch. Nate used lane 1 to take the lead in turn 2. In lap 2,
Nate led Mark by one-half roostertail. Dave trailed Mark by one roostertail. Mark challenged Nate in lap 3, but again the inside enabled Nate to hold on to win by a roostertail. Dave was third followed by Terry and Mitch. Mark, Dave, and Terry got the white flag: They all jumped. Their extra laps moved Mitch to second, which put him in the final.
Nate got the 400 points he needed. "The boat is handling well, but we have no top-end speed. Mark helped by pushing the others wide. I like the inside lane, because you can escape to the infield. In any other lane, you have two walls of water, and it's a crapshoot. With what has happened today, I don't want to gamble."
Hopp easily won the provisional. Surprisingly, there were no fuel violations.
Final
Entering the final, Villwock's 694 points were 'way behind Hanson's 1,100 and Mark E.'s 1,025. In Seattle, Dave was not the points leader, but he won the final. Could he do it again? "Just like Seattle, someone will have to leave the door open. Everyone thought we were holding back, but in the final we just found some open space, and we had to have a perfect start. Everything went right. "
The door opened for Dave as the boats formed up in the backstretch. Brown again was in lane 1. It looked like Mark E. had lane 2, but Dave moved between Nate and Mark to take it. Although he wanted lane 2, Mike got lane 4. Mitch was in 5, Mark T. in 6, and Greg trailed.
It was a good start by everyone. Mark E. and Dave were first to the turn. Dave used the inside to take the lead and led Mark by one-half roostertail at the end of the lap.
Mike was one boat length behind Mark, followed by Nate, Greg, Mitch, and a very slow Mark T. In lap 2, Dave extended his lead to two roostertails over Mike, who passed Mark E. Mark T. and Mitch both shut down, Tate with gearbox problems and Mitch with an electrical problem. Dave extended his lead to win by two roostertails. Mike finished second for the second race in a row.
Mike was pleased with his finish. "We had to be inside to beat the red boat. I thought Dave was boxed in, but he burrowed his way in. We're a player now; we're not just here."
As Mike talked, a race official told him he had a fuel "occurrence." Mike said, "That's a $100 fine. That's okay; it's our first violation of the year. "When the official results were released, Mike learned that he had been disqualified for a "flagrant" fuel violation.
After returning to shore, Mark E. went straight to the officials' tent. He wanted to see the videos of the forming up. "There wasn't room for Dave to take lane 2. I had it! I had to get sideways to keep from getting hit by him." Mark was told that the video camera was not watching the incident nor were any of the referees.
Nate had a compressor stall all through the first turn. Then the engine cleaned up, but the field was gone. "It was my race to lose. I don't know if I would have won, but I would have been inside of Budweiser."
So how did Dave win? "Mark E. didn't give me room for lane 2; I took it. I was tired of getting run over all day. So I took a big gulp of Nate's roostertail and forced my way into lane 2. Then I just stood it on the propeller. I was either going to win or crash, but I would have had all winter to rebuild.
We put an all-or-nothing prop on that wouldn't have let us run in lanes 3, 4, or 5 without being illegal. It gave us a little more acceleration and more rpms, but mostly I just flew the boat."
At the awards ceremony, each driver expressed his thoughts for Stratton and his family. Members of the USA Racing Partners team were absent from the subdued ceremony, because they were holding a memorial service for George. Dave's final comments reflected many people's thoughts. "I raced lots of boats with George. We raced as hard as we could. I couldn't find myself all day, but I knew George would want me to do the best I could. This win is for my team, Anheuser-Busch, and George Stratton and Team USA."
It was a shocking end to a season that saw Miss Budweiser dominate despite rules focused against it, a new organizational structure and sport owner, only seven races, and the loss of a driver. May the 2001 season bring more races, more boats, parity, and most important, safety for all the participants.
(Unlimited NewsJournal, October 2000)