SWX Right Now-Sports for Spokane, CdA, Tri-Cities, WAMADISON 2011: Accident in the Unlimited Hydroplane finals; Steve David declared winner

MADISON, Indiana - After the U-21 Unlimited Hydroplane collided with a rescue boat in heat racing on Sunday in Madison, Indiana sending three people to the hospital, H1 Unlimited officials decided to scrub the rest of the heat races for Sunday and move straight to the finals.

Another accident marred the finals with the first and second place boats tying up.  In the end, Steve David and the hometown Madison, Indiana boat U-1 was declared the winner.  

"It's a heck of way to win a boat race," David said after being released from the hospital. "Without the safety advances in the sport and top-notch inspectors, neither Dave (Villwock) and I would be here to talk about the accident."

LINK:  MORE DETAILS ON HEAT 3A ACCIDENT >>

The accident marred a strong start to the 2011 Unlimited Hydroplane racing season with veterans Dave Villwock in the U-96 and Steve David in the U-1 racing to heat victories and a perfect two-for-two for Kip Brown in the U-17 in heat wins.

LINK: Heat 1A, 1B, 1C Results >>
Villwock, David, Brown win heat races on Saturday

LINK: Heat 2A, 2B, 2C Results >>
Villwock, David, Brown win heat races on Sunday
Heat 3A Stopped after Accident

Making a strong start also was rookie driver Scott Liddycoat in his first time in an Unlimited seat.  Liddycoat turned in a solid performance, showing some serious boat speed in qualifying and heat racing in Ted Porter's U-7.  That got Liddycoat a seat in the finals in the front row and moving teammate Jeff Bernard into the trailer position in the finals.

Bernard had been leading in heat 3A when the accident happened.  A heat win there would have let him race in the front row for the finals.  WIth the accident, the heat was shut down and no winner was declared.

FINALS LINE-UP

That set up these boats in the finals:

Front Row

U-96 David Willwock (900 points)
U-1 Steve David (880 points)
U-17 Kip Brown (870 points)
U-7 Scott Liddycoat (660 points)

Trailer

U-5 Jeff Bernard (650 points)

The Finals

It was setting up to be exactly what fans expected.  Veterans Dave Villwock and Steve David running one-two and Villwock taking the win to become the winningest driver in Unlimited Hydroplane history.  But wait a minute!  Villwock was in the lead on the fourth lap of the five lap winner-take-all final in lane two when it appears the U-96 hooked.

The boat appeared to move over into lane one, which was where Steve David in the U-1 was in 2^ND place. The U-1 then hit the U-96.  The race was stopped after the collision and declared final. According to the rules, the boat that causes the stoppage was disqualified. In this case, the U-96, giving Steve David in the U-1 the win.

"I know I got kind of small in the cockpit when the boat came around," said Villwock, anticipating a possible collision. "Unfortunately, we both came out wrecked, kind of like the last lap at Talladega or Daytona."

Final Results – Governor's Cup 2011
Madison, Indiana

1. U-1 Steve David

2. U-17 Kip Brown

3. U-7 Scott Liddycoat

4. U-5 Jeff Bernard
   
   DSQ. U-96 Dave Villwock

There is a fair amount of damage to both the U-1 and U-96, but both drivers were checked out on the sidelines and seem okay.

The call by the referees was controversial for many fans, but it's the correct call according to the rulebook. The rules states that the boat causing the stoppage will not be awarded any points and the order of the boats on the course at that time will be considered final. Since the U-96 caused the collision by moving into the U-1, the U-96 was awarded no points. The U-1 was in second at the time of the stoppage and was declared the official winner.

Still, a good weekend of racing and some fine performances.  Of note were two heat wins and a second place finish in the final by Kip Brown and the U-17 team and the debut of rookie driver Scott Liddycoat, who finished third in the finals in the U-7.

"It was obviously a tough weekend of racing," Brown said. "I was running really strong in the final. You hate to see an accident like Steve (David's) and Dave (Villwock's) end the race like that. But I'm glad those guys are fine and will be racing again."

With the APBA Gold Cup set for next weekend in Detroit, the two teams with damaged boats will be working feverishly to get them repair. Villwock expects his boat to be repaired but the Oh Boy! Oberto may have to rent a backup boat to compete in the Gold Cup, which is considered unlimited hydroplane's most prestigious race.

"We'll work hard to get there one way or another," David said.