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From yesterday's Detroit News:
By Paul Scurlock / The Detroit News
ST. CLAIR — In an unlimited hydroplane season filled with outlaw races, small fields of boats and general lack of direction, one of the few bright stars has been 25-year-old rookie driver J. Michael Kelly.
Kelly of Puyallup, Wash., a Seattle suburb, started his racing career at age 9 and has progressed to the Unlimited Class with Jim Harvey’s U-2 racing team.
“I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to race,” Kelly said. “I moved right from five liters to the unlimiteds, a jump like going from Class A ball to the major leagues.
“My first start in Tri-Cities, Washington, was great. I had guys I grew up with watching, trying to give me pointers and help. My second start was in Seattle, at home and all of my friends and family were there, it was great. I can’t wait to have the chance to race in Detroit and the other cities on the circuit.”
With third- and fifth-place finishes from his new driver, team owner Jim Harvey sees good things.
“He has changed the entire team’s attitudes with just his enthusiasm” Harvey said. “He’s made it fun to go racing again for all of us.”
Kelly finished second in his only heat Saturday during the Budweiser Bluewater International Hydrofest on the St. Clair River.
Heavy freighter traffic forced a delay of more than two hours in Saturday’s heats. Instead of running two four-boat heats, race officials were forced to run two three-boat heats.
Race spokesman Paul Dingeman said it was an unusually high amount of freighter trafic.
“We have had over 25 ships come through in two days. That’s normally a week’s worth,” he said.
The situation was complicated by a rule requiring a one-hour break between heats.
Race officials were in contact with the Sarnia control center.
“They would tell us that we had traffic coming in 45 minutes and suddenly the boat was here in 20 minutes. We couldn’t give the teams the break mandated in the rules, so the only thing we could do was go to three-boat heats,” Hydro/Prop Director of Competition Rick Sandstrom said.
In Saturday morning’s final qualifying session, Dave Villwock and the Miss Budweiser established a new Hydro-Prop record of 163.788 miles per hour, breaking the existing mark of 162.666 set by Nate Brown in the U-16 Miss Elam Plus in 2002 on the Columbia River in Washington State.
When heat 1A was finally run, Villwock and the Bud took an easy flag-to-flag victory, turning a fast lap of 153.730. Terry Troxll and the Elam were second.
Today’s activities begin with testing at 8:30 a.m. Heat 2A is scheduled for 11:30 and the final is set for 3:40 p.m.
You can reach Paul Scurlock at (313) 223-1482 or pscurlock@detnews.com.
Hydroplane racing
Rookie makes waves
Kelly adjusts quickly to hydroplane racing's top Unlimited Class
Rookie makes waves
Kelly adjusts quickly to hydroplane racing's top Unlimited Class
By Paul Scurlock / The Detroit News
ST. CLAIR — In an unlimited hydroplane season filled with outlaw races, small fields of boats and general lack of direction, one of the few bright stars has been 25-year-old rookie driver J. Michael Kelly.
Kelly of Puyallup, Wash., a Seattle suburb, started his racing career at age 9 and has progressed to the Unlimited Class with Jim Harvey’s U-2 racing team.
“I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to race,” Kelly said. “I moved right from five liters to the unlimiteds, a jump like going from Class A ball to the major leagues.
“My first start in Tri-Cities, Washington, was great. I had guys I grew up with watching, trying to give me pointers and help. My second start was in Seattle, at home and all of my friends and family were there, it was great. I can’t wait to have the chance to race in Detroit and the other cities on the circuit.”
With third- and fifth-place finishes from his new driver, team owner Jim Harvey sees good things.
“He has changed the entire team’s attitudes with just his enthusiasm” Harvey said. “He’s made it fun to go racing again for all of us.”
Kelly finished second in his only heat Saturday during the Budweiser Bluewater International Hydrofest on the St. Clair River.
Heavy freighter traffic forced a delay of more than two hours in Saturday’s heats. Instead of running two four-boat heats, race officials were forced to run two three-boat heats.
Race spokesman Paul Dingeman said it was an unusually high amount of freighter trafic.
“We have had over 25 ships come through in two days. That’s normally a week’s worth,” he said.
The situation was complicated by a rule requiring a one-hour break between heats.
Race officials were in contact with the Sarnia control center.
“They would tell us that we had traffic coming in 45 minutes and suddenly the boat was here in 20 minutes. We couldn’t give the teams the break mandated in the rules, so the only thing we could do was go to three-boat heats,” Hydro/Prop Director of Competition Rick Sandstrom said.
In Saturday morning’s final qualifying session, Dave Villwock and the Miss Budweiser established a new Hydro-Prop record of 163.788 miles per hour, breaking the existing mark of 162.666 set by Nate Brown in the U-16 Miss Elam Plus in 2002 on the Columbia River in Washington State.
When heat 1A was finally run, Villwock and the Bud took an easy flag-to-flag victory, turning a fast lap of 153.730. Terry Troxll and the Elam were second.
Today’s activities begin with testing at 8:30 a.m. Heat 2A is scheduled for 11:30 and the final is set for 3:40 p.m.
You can reach Paul Scurlock at (313) 223-1482 or pscurlock@detnews.com.
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