Lake Washington today, London tomorrow?
Well, maybe not quite that soon. But for Auburn’s Dave Villwock, a veteran in the cockpit of a waterborne jet better known as an unlimited hydroplane, that possibility isn’t as remote as it might first seem.
“We’re looking at locations to see if we can put on events in Dubai and Europe at other times of the year,” said Villwock, who’s back home this weekend for the Chevrolet Cup at Seafair regatta. “It might be possible to build large events there because of the money and because there’s (no competition from) pro football or baseball or basketball.
“We’ve just thought about what things are possible if you look at how Europe and points east have embraced Formula One (auto racing). It might be better suited to fit our product rather than NASCAR or hot rods.”
This isn’t just idle chatter from one of the best drivers on the circuit.
At the controls of the Miss Ellstrom Elam Plus, Villwock came to Seattle last year seeking an unprecedented 6-for-6 sweep of the schedule, having won the first four stops: Evansville and Madison, Ind., the Gold Cup in Detroit, and the Columbia Cup in Kennewick.
That streak ended here with a fourth-place finish as the Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison took the crown. But Villwock still went on to win his ninth driver’s championship and ended the season with 55 career victories, eight of which have come at Seafair.
He’s still seeking No. 56. Seafair will be just his second race of the year after he and the Ellstroms – owner Sven and crew chief Erick — made the decision to skip the three Eastern U.S. races.
That choice partly was in the interest of focusing on their long-distance dreams – and the long-term growth of their sport, which has struggled to expand its reach beyond the six traditional U.S. sites.
“Erick had some business concerns that needed attending to. A week before we left, we (had to decide) whether to do it or not do it,” Villwock said of skipping the eastern swing. “That’s what we decided to do.”
Long-range vision
That’s what they decided. But nobody said it was easy.
“(Villwock) understands. He’s extremely supportive, but disappointed at the same time,” Erick Ellstrom said.
“It brought tears to all of our eyes. You’re a competitor – how do you relinquish it? It’s not a normal thing, Ellstrom added. “We kept thinking, ‘How can we do both?” There was just no way.”
In the short term, that means another driver’s championship will have to wait. Edging closer to the all-time hydroplane kings – the late Bill Muncey had 62 victories (with nine at Seafair); the retired Chip Hanauer logged 61 – also will have to wait.
But that was part of the deal for Villwock to see if he and the folks who keep him in he cockpit can make some waves elsewhere.
“I think some of the people (in Europe and the Middle East) have seen (hydros) on TV at times,” Villwock said. “We’re looking at a person who drives a Porsche rather than a pickup truck. That customer might better fit our product if we present it to them properly.”
Erick Ellstrom, whose family business (Ellstrom Manufacturing of Seattle) supplies parts and engineering to many of the world’s best racers, is in the same fast lane of that thought process.
“We’ve used our connections to see what may be available, and to see if we can bring our sport over there,” he said.
For this weekend, though, the sport is here. And Villwock is eager to get back on track. He and the Elam wound up fifth in the Columbia Cup last weekend after being penalized an extra lap in the final.
“We’re ready to get going. We had a lot of engines and equipment to get running, and had a little bit of work to do,” he said.
“It was a last-minute decision not to go east, so we lost some of the experience that other people got there,” Villwock added. “We’re going to race as hard as we can, and harder than I’ve raced here in a long, long time.”
All of it with the intention of taking their sport a long, long way.
Even halfway around the world.
Notes: Unlike the days when the now-gone Miss Budweiser program dominated the circuit, each of this year’s three races has had a different winner. The U-37 Beacon Plumbing, driven by Jean Theoret, won the Thunder on the Ohio in Evansville; the U-5 FormulaBoats.com with driver Jeff Bernard of Kent won the Governor’s Cup in Madison; and the Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison with Steve David at the helm won the Columbia Cup last week. The Gold Cup in Detroit, hydro racing’s version of the Super Bowl, never finished. It was canceled after two rounds of heats because of windy conditions. … The Oberto/Miss Madison is the defending Seafair champion. … Of the various racing teams, two of them sport rather catchy names. The U-17 team is Our Gang Racing, while the two-boat U-48 and U-50 team dubs itself Go Fast Turn Left Racing.
CHEVROLET CUP AT SEAFAIR
• What – The 58th annual Lake Washington stop on the unlimited hydroplane circuit.
• When – Today and Sunday, Some racing is scheduled for today, with the bulk of it on Sunday. In addition to the unlimiteds, the regatta also will feature the unlimited ‘lights.’
• Where – Stan Sayres Pits, on the south end of Lake Washington.
• Schedule – Today: Unlimited hydros qualifying, 11:15 a.m.; Unlimited lights heats 1A and 1B, 12:10 p.m. and 12:25 p.m. Unlimited hydros heats 1A, 1B and 1C, 2:45 p.m., 3 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. Unlimited lights heats 2A and 2B, 5:35 p.m. and 5:50 p.m. Sunday: Opening ceremonies, 9:50 a.m. Unlimited hydros heats 2A, 2B and 2C, 10:40 a.m., 10:55 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. Unlimited hydros heats 3A and 3B, 12:15 p.m. and 12:35 p.m. Unlimited hydros provisional heat, 2:30 p.m. Unlimited lights B-main, 2:45 p.m. Unlimited lights final, 4:25 p.m. Unlimited hydros Chevrolet Cup final, 4:45 p.m. Awards, 5:15 p.m.
• Defending champion – Oh Boy! Oberto, driver Steve David.
• Tickets – Today and Sunday, $25 in advance, $30 on site. Seniors 65 and older are $5 each day in advance or on site. Active military with ID and children under 12 with a paid adult are free. Two-day tickets, good for today and Sunday, are available at Union 76 stations for $25. Pit passes are an ADDITIONAL $10; pit tours are an ADDITIONAL $5.
• On the air – Full-day coverage on Sunday on KIRO Channel 7 and on KPTK 1090 AM.
• More information – (206) 728-0123, or online at www.seafair.com or www.abrahydroplanes.com.
