San Diego Bayfair officials bill it as three full days of diversified, high-powered thunderboat racing of the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series. But in reality, those sparkling Mission Bay waters could be a dramatic 200 mph duel in the sun come Sept. 16-18. Rivals Dave Villwock and Steve David will continue their points battle through qualifications, heats and the five-lap final on the 2.5-mile Bill Muncey Memorial racecourse, chasing after the Air National Guard’s trophy. Fans will line the shores early to be entertained. Gates open at 7 a.m. It’s been that kind of year so far, with each driver securing a pair of victories on the circuit. Villwock, a 57-year-old Washingtonian, set an all-time record in wins this year, topping Bill Muncey’s 30-year-old mark of 62 with Detroit’s Gold Cup in July. David, 57, a three-time series titleholder from Florida, looks at it this way: “Dave’s only disadvantage is when you put pressure on him,” said David, a 20-year hydro veteran who drives the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto boat. “His boat has been so good he hasn’t had to face that much pressure. We have to bring the competition to him. “Every one of us drivers has a weakness,” he said. “When it gets tight out there, that’s when we have to focus and capitalize on the situation. If he (Villwock) gets out front, it’ll be all over.” The duo’s battle actually wound up in a crash at Madison, Ind., when David’s boat bounced off Villwock’s stalled Spirit of Qatar. David won the race but suffered a rib injury. The boat took longer to repair than thought, and David missed the next race in the series. In the field, there are several young lions who, despite being down on horsepower, are capable of picking up more than the spoils. Among those skilled drivers are Kip Brown in Miss Red Dot, J. Michael Kelly in 88 Degree Men and Scott Liddycoat in Valken.com. The new starting procedure this season is a bit funky as boats fight for lanes. Because they want the shortest inside lane, drivers start trolling at five mph two minutes before the race. The sneak attacks might wash out another boat. Meanwhile, it’s veteran program director Bob Davies’ job to juggle three days of water combat that includes the Lucas Oil drag boats, Grand Prix West’s piston-driven hydros, offshore series newcomer P1 USA, Cracker Box outboards and stock hydros. “Putting this whole three-ring circus together is a balancing act,” Davies said about the last-days-of-summer family beach festival and sports competition. Returning to Mission Bay after a one-year hiatus, the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series expects as many as 120 boats to churn up the water in front of Crown Point. Top Fuel Hydros can achieve 260 mph on a quarter-mile course. Drag boats are competing in 11 classes. The Grand Prix West boats are two feet shorter than the Unlimiteds, but are powered by supercharged, big-block V8s, racing at over 160 miles per hour. The P1 USA-A series will determine its super stock champion this weekend. It will be match-and-endurance racing with outboard-powered 28-foot, twin-engine V-bottom boats. Cracker Boxes have engines in front of a driver and an observer in flat-bottom runabouts that reach speeds up to 100 mph. Stock hydros are agile and fast watercraft where more than 15 riders compete off Crown Point. For more information, visit www.sandiegobayfair.org/.
