SEATTLE: Kip Brown’s 96 Spirit of Qatar caught the edge of another hydroplane’s rooster tail and flipped during heat 2A of the Albert Lee Appliance Cup at the Seattle Seafair on Lake Washington on Sunday.
The accident meant that the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF)-backed driver was not able to take part in the Albert Lee Appliance Cup final and add to his points’ tally at the fourth round of the 2014 H1 Unlimited Championship, having taken second place in heat 1B on Saturday.
He was not injured in the accident but the damage to the boat meant there was not enough time to make emergency repairs before the third heat.
Brown’s demise paved the way for J. Michael Kelly to win a thrilling Albert Lee Appliance Cup final after a video review deemed that he had not encroached upon Jimmy Shane’s lane in a final that he led from start-to-finish. Jon Zimmerman finished second and Shane completed the five-lap race in third with a broken front wing. Jeff Bernard and Cal Phipps were fourth and fifth.
Shane topped the qualifying times on Friday with a speed of 156.243mph after racing had been delayed over an hour because of strong winds and rain showers. Villwock had been the first driver on the water in the repaired 37 Beacon Plumbing and laid down the gauntlet with a speed of 144.138mph before the time was thrown out because of an N2 violation. Kip Brown’s 96 Spirit of Qatar qualified in fourth position – behind Shane, Zimmerman and J. Michael Kelly — with a speed of 148.883 mph.
Zimmerman and Kelly won the first of the two heats on Saturday but there was a fair share of drama out on the course and a collision between Villwock and Shane resulted in the former being suspended from the rest of the weekend’s action.
Zimmerman was the only driver in the top five of the National High Points standings to be drawn in heat 1A and he controlled the race from the inside line after runner-up Jeff Bernard had sneaked ahead at the start. Cal Phipps pipped Mike Webster to third place.
The drama unfolded in heat 1B when Shane and Villwock – jostling for position before the start – both turned into the infield to gain the advantage and the 37 Beacon Plumbing boat struck Shane’s 6 Oberto. He was not able to catch Kelly and Brown and the 96 Spirit of Qatar boat took second with Shane in third and Villwock suspended for dangerous driving.
Heat 2A featured Kelly, Zimmerman, Dave Warren, Tom Thompson, Mike Webster and Brown, but the 96 Spirit of Qatar driver caught Zimmerman’s rooster tail and flipped his new boat out of the original heat. Damage was minimal, but it meant that Brown was forced to miss the third heats and the Albert Lee Appliance Cup final. Kelly beat Zimmerman to the chequered flag in the re-run of 2A and Shane got the better of Phipps, Greg Hopp, Kelly Stocklin and Bernard to win heat 2B.
Zimmerman managed to fend off a strong challenge from Tom Thompson to take the spoils in heat 3A and Shane beat Kelly to the tape in 3B, with Mike Webster in third. The results meant that Kelly, Shane and Zimmerman were joined by Thompson, Phipps and Bernard in the final.
THE PENINSULA
