Tri-Cities Sunday finale summary

U-16 Miss Ellstrom Elam Plus takes fourth consecutive victory

TRI-CITIES, Wash -- Dave Villwock (Auburn, Wash.) earned his fourth consecutive win in the American Boat Racing Association Unlimited Hydroplane Series with a victory in the winner-take-all final of the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup for Unlimited Hydroplanes in Tri-Cities, Washington. Villwock piloted the U-16 Miss Ellstrom Elam Plus from lane four past a hard-charging Steve David (Lighthouse Point, Fla.) in the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto in the final turn of lap two and never looked back winning by three roostertails. The U-16 averaged a speed of 145.013 mph around the 2-1/2 mile Columbia River course with a fast first lap of 154.442.

J. Michael Kelly (Puyallup, Wash.) in the U-13 Spirit of Detroit started in the trailer position -- five seconds behind the field --- and managed to move up three positions to finish fourth behind David Bryant (Mesa, Ariz.) in the U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors. The U-5 Formulaboats.com driven by Jeff Bernard (Gig Harbor, Wash.) finished fifth and the U-9 Miss Conover Insurance driven by Chris Bertram (Eatonville, Wash.) finished sixth. Jean Theoret (Maple Grove, Quebec) driving the U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing was penalized one lap for a lane encroachment in the second turn of lap one, and finished seventh.

Tri-Cities was the first race on the 2007 ABRA circuit where no significant boat damage occured, so the fleet will be in prime shape as it moves north to Seattle, Washington for the Chevrolet Cup at Seafair on August 3-5.

-credit: abra