2013 H1 Unlimited World Championship, round two
Big Wake Weekend, Folsom Lake, California – May 31/June-2, 2013
For immediate release
Wednesday, May 29th, 2013
KIP BROWN SET TO KICK-START SPIRIT OF
QATAR 95’S CHALLENGE IN AMERICAN H1 RACES
· Oh Boy! Oberto’s Steve David takes 130-point lead into second round of H1 series
SACRAMENTO (USA): Nearly four months since the opening round of the 2013 H1 Unlimited Championship graced the waters of Doha Bay for the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship, racers are back in action at this weekend’s Big Wake Weekend on Folsom Lake, Granite Bay, California.
Kip Brown replaced Dave Villwock at the helm of Spirit of Qatar 95 for that race – where Jimmy Shane collected his second Oryx Cup title – and Brown is back in action again in the Qatar boat, built and run by Ellstrom Racing. Kip currently lies fourth in the National High Points standings behind the experienced Lighthouse Point driver Steve David, Oryx Cup winner Shane and Jon Zimmerman in 9 Jones Racing.
The world’s fastest racing boats last appeared on Folsom Lake in 1966 and 1967 when the event ran as the Sacramento Cup. Names to grace the entry list in those days included Warner Gardner, Jim Ranger, Billy Schumacher and the legendary Bill Muncey. Officials at H1 Unlimited are delighted to return to the Sacramento venue at the base of the Sierra foothills.
With support from the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), Kip Brown is quietly confident that he can accumulate as many points as possible this weekend and maybe even push for the podium in an event where all the regular entrants are likely to race and the Big Wake Weekend should also see the return of 22 Webster Racing. This boat has been completely rebuilt in Pennsylvania following its crash at the Detroit APBA Gold Cup last July.
“I believe that Kip will run as hard as he can to get the boat to perform well and with Ellstrom Racing at his side they will work to get the boat as fast and competitive as possible,” said His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, president of the QMSF. “I do think that Ellstrom Racing have made the right driver selection and I hope to see Kip on the podium.”
H1 testing gets underway on Friday morning at 09.00hrs (PDT) and precedes a vintage hydroplane exhibition, vintage jet boats and testing for stock hydros. Further testing is planned on Friday afternoon and qualifying will take place from 14.30hrs.
There will be races for stock outboards, super stocks, crackerbox, vintage and classic jets on Saturday, but further testing for the H1 teams is scheduled for 10.00hrs. Heats 1A and 1B will take place at 16.00hrs and 16.30hrs.
The meat of the action takes place on Sunday, June 2. Heats 2A and 2 get underway from noon, the third heats start at 14.10hrs and the final roars into life at 16.00hrs (02.00hrs Monday Doha time).
H1 Unlimited Championship – positions after Oryx Cup
1. U-1 Steve David Oh Boy! Oberto 1825 points
2. U-5 Jimmy Shane Graham Trucking 1695 points
3. U-9 Jon Zimmerman Jones Racing 1610 points
4. U-95 Kip Brown Spirit of Qatar 1274 points
5. U-57 Mark Evans Formulaboats.com 1050 points
6. U-37 J. Michael Kelly Miss Beacon Plumbing 950 points
7. U-100 Ryan Mallow Miss Fox Plumbing 338 points
8. U-21 Brian Perkins Snoqualmie Casino 265 points
9. U-11 Tommy Thompson Miss Peters & May 265 points
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, Tel: + 1 206 618 8382, E-mail: scm@montgomerymarketing.com.
www.qmsf.org
www.h1unlimited.com