2010 Oryx Cup UIM World Championship
Doha Bay, Qatar – November 18th-20th, 2010
For immediate release
Friday, November 19th, 2010
U-1’S STEVE DAVID REMAINS FIRMLY ON COURSE FOR
NATIONAL HIGH POINTS TITLE AT QATAR’S ORYX CUP
- Steve David and J. Michael Kelly win heats 1A and 1B
- Villwock and David take victories in heats 2A and 2B
- U-96 Spirit of Qatar’s Villwock crashes out of heat 1B
DOHA (Qatar): Florida-based Steve David remained firmly on course to take a third successive National High Points title after stealing the limelight from Dave Villwock and U-96 Spirit of Qatar in the first two pairs of race heats at the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship, the final round of the 2010 H1 Unlimited Championship, in Qatar on Friday.
At the helm of U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto, Steve David cruised to victory in heat 1A and surged through from the outside lane to take a comfortable win in heat 2B. “So far so good this weekend,” said a delighted David. “Everything is going according to plan so far.”
Villwock made headlines for all the wrong reasons. He began the day 166 points behind David in the race to the 2010 National High Points title, but a turn two incident on the first lap of heat 1B cost him his place in the finishing order and, more importantly, a potential 400 precious championship points. But he recovered to take a start-to-finish victory in heat 2A after sterling repair work was carried out on U-96 Spirit of Qatar by his team mechanics.
Last year’s Oryx Cup winner, J. Michael Kelly, was awarded victory in heat 1B after a delay when race officials considered imposing penalties on Kelly for blocking his rival at a turn buoy.
Heats 1A and 1B
Steve David, Jeff Bernard, Ken Muscatel, J. W. Myers and Mike Webster lined up in the first of the day’s four heats on a hot and humid afternoon in Doha Bay. Myers made the best of the rolling start from the outside, but he was beaten to the first turn by Florida-based David, who benefited from running on the inside line.
David began to edge away from Bernard as the lap progressed and had extended his advantage to two rooster tails by the time the five boats finished lap two. David duly held on to take 400 points for the heat win, with Bernard heading Myers, Muscatel and a distant Webster to the chequered flag.
Fastest qualifier Dave Villwock, J. Michael Kelly, Kip Brown, Greg Hopp and Brian Perkins filled the starting positions in heat 1B, but Villwock was forced to pass the start line from some distance behind Kelly and was beaten to the first turn by the U-7 driver, as Brown, Hopp and Perkins were all forced to shed speed at the start.
Kelly held his nerve through the first half of the lap, as Villwock applied the pressure down the back straight. But the U-96 Spirit of Qatar driver ventured too close to Kelly’s rooster tail, U-96 flipped up into the air and stalled out of the heat, stranded at turn two.
Kelly seized a glorious opportunity to cruise to the heat win, with Brown over half a lap behind in second position and Hopp and Perkins filling the minor places. Villwock had knocked a turn buoy before the incident in any case and may have been penalised, but race officials began an investigation into whether Kelly had jumped the start and obstructed Villwock at the crucial turn buoy.
Officials looked at video evidence, spoke to the drivers and decided that Kelly, Hopp and Perkins had all hit turn buoys and Villwock had not been obstructed at the turn. The decision handed an unlikely heat win to Kip Brown, with Kelly, Hopp and Perkins filling second, third and fourth places. But the original decision was overturned when a lap penalty was imposed and Kelly regained the controversial heat win from Brown, Hopp and Perkins.
“We will have our work cut out to get the boat ready for heat two, but we will give it our best shot,” said a disgruntled Villwock, who slipped a further 400 points behind David in the race for the 2010 National High Points title.
Heats 2A and 2B
Sterling work by the U-96 mechanics ensured that a new wing, turbine and side uprights were replaced on Dave Villwock’s boat and he managed to start heat 2A on the inside of Perkins, Hopp, Kelly and Webster. Villwock made a good start and was able to pull away from the chasing quartet to clinch a comfortable heat win. A fierce battle raged between Hopp and Kelly for second position and the pair were nose-to-tail until Hopp lost a little time with a half-spin at turn two. He recovered well to pressure Kelly to the chequered flag, with Perkins and Webster bringing up the rear of the field.
David found himself on the outside of Muscatel’s replacement Jon Zimmerman, Myers and Bernard at the start of heat 2B, with Brown missing out on the action with fuel control problems. Myers made a good start and headed into the first turn slightly ahead of Bernard with David threatening from the outside. Bernard managed to pass Myers, who was adjudged to have jumped the start in any case.
As Zimmerman withdrew with technical issues, David burst into the lead and began to pull away from the chasing Bernard and Myers. The trio held station over the remaining lap and a half and David managed to add another 400 points to his day’s tally as the blazing sun began to set over the grandstand in Doha Bay.
The Oryx Cup is being staged by the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), under the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, and H1 Unlimited, under the chairmanship of Sam Cole.
Tomorrow (Saturday), competitive action begins with an hour’s Unlimited testing on the course from 08.00hrs. Heats 3A and 3B get underway from 11.00hrs and the fourth pair of heats begin at 12.45hrs. The second Oryx Cup UIM World Championship, winner-takes-all, race is scheduled for 15.00hrs and will be followed by a podium presentation adjacent to the racecourse on the Doha Corniche.
Each of the race heats and the Oryx Cup final will be streamed live through the H1Unlimited.com website by Tampa Digital Studios, with the support of global shipping company Peters & May, the QMSF, 5 Axis Industries, Formula Boats, Clifty Engineering, Boneyard Grill in Madison, Schumacher Racing and Go Fast Turn Left Racing. Live news snippets are also being uploaded on www.H1Unlimited.com.
Timetable of events – Saturday, November 19th
08.00-09.00 Unlimited testing
11.00 Unlimited heat 3A
11.20 Unlimited heat 3B
11.35 Podium for heat winners 3A and 3B and draw for heats 4A and 4B
12.45 Unlimited heat 4A
13.05 Unlimited heat 4B
15.00 Oryx Cup UIM World Championship
15.30 Podium presentation
20.00 Gala dinner and awards’ presentation
Oryx Cup – UIM World Championship – H1 Unlimited Heats (Friday)
1A
|
1. |
U-1 |
Steve David |
Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison |
400 points |
|
3 |
U-5 |
Jeff Bernard |
Formulaboats.com |
300 points |
|
3. |
U-37 |
J. W. Myers |
Schumacher/Miss Peters & May |
225 points |
|
4. |
U-25 |
Ken Muscatel |
Superior Racing |
169 points |
|
5. |
U-22 |
Mike Webster |
Webster Racing/Great Scott! |
127 points |
1B
|
1. |
U-7 |
J Michael Kelly |
Graham Trucking |
400 points |
|
2. |
U-17 |
Kip Brown |
Our Gang Racing |
300 points |
|
3. |
U-100 |
Greg Hopp |
Leland Unlimited |
225 points |
|
4. |
U-21 |
Brian Perkins |
Go Fast, Turn Left Racing |
169 points |
|
U-96 |
Dave Villwock |
Spirit of Qatar |
DNF |
2A
|
1. |
U-96 |
Dave Villwock |
Spirit of Qatar |
400 points |
|
2. |
U-7 |
J Michael Kelly |
Graham Trucking |
300 points |
|
3. |
U-100 |
Greg Hopp |
Leland Unlimited |
225 points |
|
4 |
U-21 |
Brian Perkins |
Go Fast, Turn Left Racing |
169 points |
|
5. |
U-22 |
Mike Webster |
Webster Racing/Great Scott! |
127 points |
2B
|
1 |
U-1 |
Steve David |
Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison |
400 points |
|
2 |
U-5 |
Jeff Bernard |
Formulaboats.com |
300 points |
|
3. |
U-37 |
J. W. Myers |
Schumacher/Miss Peters & May |
225 points |
|
U-25 |
Jon Zimmerman |
Superior Racing |
DNF |
|
|
U-17 |
Kip Brown |
Our Gang Racing |
DNS |
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@googlemail.com and www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).
Or
Steve Montgomery, H1 Unlimited Media Officer, Tel: + 1 206 618 8382, E-mail: Steve@H1Unlimited.com