HPROP: Dave Villwock Madison Regatta summary

(Madison, Ind.) - Dave Villwock and Miss Budweiser won today's Budweiser Madison Regatta supported by Belterra Casino Resort at Madison, Indiana, the second race of the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series presented by Boat Shopper® magazine. The weekend was highlighted by rough waters and consistently changing weather conditions which resulted in high flying action packed racing for the Unlimiteds. In two weeks of Unlimited competition, the Ohio River has produced some of the most thrilling and spectacular deck-to-deck racing witnessed in the sport.

Villwock completed a perfect weekend at Madison by being the fastest qualifier, winning all three of his preliminary heats, winning the final and taking the maximum championship points available for the event.

As the boats crossed the starting line in the final, Mike Weber caught some air under the front of his Unlimited and flipped end over end doing a complete revolution landing right side up. The final was rescheduled due to the flip but unfortunately for Weber, the boat sustained damage and he was not able to start the rescheduled final.

Villwock took control of the restart and led the entire way for his 40th career victory. The battle for second was between Mark Evans in the U-8 Llumar Window Film and Michael Hanson in the U-9 Miss Bello's Pizza. Evans was too strong and took second, his first podium finish in three years, while Hanson followed in third. Rounding out the top five were Terry Troxell in the U-2 Miss Trendwest and Dr. Ken Muscatel in the U-25 Mister Home Loan.

Joe Little, who took over the reigns of the Miss Budweiser after his father, Bernie Little, passed away earlier this year, secured his first victory as a team owner. Bernie had won a remarkable 134 race victories and 22 world championships during his Unlimited Hydroplane career.

"Today's victory is dedicated to Bernie," said Villwock. "I wanted to win this race for Bernie and for Joe. Without Bernie's commitment to this sport and this team, none of us would be here today. He was a legend and will always be remembered for his vivacious spirit. The team did a remarkable job preparing this boat and they should all be applauded for their efforts."

"The team wanted to make up for the disappointing final at Evansville where we had a mechanical failure," continued Villwock. "At Evansville, we were strong all weekend and we were looking forward to starting the season off with a win. But in racing, anything can happen and did happen. This team has the remarkable ability to rebound. We are currently leading in championship points and are looking forward to the West coast races."

"I know my father is looking down on all of us today and could not be more proud," said Joe Little. "I have some big shoes to fill but I am looking forward to that challenge and to win as many races as we can. My father had the heart of a champion and he installed in me the same ideals and goals. We race to win and win championships and we are prepared to handle all challengers."

* Piston Powered Unlimited Withdraws

Mitch Evans and his piston powered U-3 Master Tire withdrew from the event after suffering hull damage and the loss of two engines during the weekend. Evans had entered the weekend leading the O'Doul's High Points World Championship after producing the first piston powered Unlimited victory in 14 years last weekend at Evansville.

* O'Doul's High Point World Championship Standings

With each preliminary heat, the O'Doul's High Points World Championship race constantly changed until Dave Villwock was able to surge ahead with his victory in the final. Villwock currently leads the championship with 280 points over Mike Weber with 241 points. The current top five include:

<pre> Driver O'Doul's High Points 1 Dave Villwock 280 2 Mike Weber 241 3 Michael Hanson 236 4 Mark Evans 213 5 Mitch Evans 179

Budweiser Madison Regatta supported by Belterra Casino Results: 1. U-1 Miss Budweiser, Dave Villwock 2. U-8 LLumar Window Film, Mark Evans 3. U-9 Miss Bello's Pizza, Michael Hanson 4. U-2 Miss Trendwest, Terry Troxell 5. U-25 Mister Home Loan, Dr. Ken Muscatel 6. U-10 Miss EMCOR, Mike Weber

Did Not Make Final: U-16 Miss Elam Plus, Nate Brown U-3 Master Tire, Mitch Evans U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto, Steve David U-100 Mariann Travel Inn, Greg Hopp

The Budweiser Madison Regatta supported by Belterra Casino will be televised on SPEED Channel on Sunday, July 20 at 2:00 PM (EDT).

* Unlimited's Head West

After two consecutive races on the Ohio River, the Unlimited Hydroplanes head west for their annual events in the state of Washington. The Unlimiteds will have three weeks to prepare for the challenging waters at Tri-Cities and Seattle. The Budweiser Columbia Cup, Tri-Cities, Wash. will be held July 25-27, with the General Motors Cup at Seafair, Seattle, Wash. scheduled for the following weekend, August 1-3.