Oberto Team Earns Tough Columbia Cup H1 Victory

After driving a badly damaged and patched boat to victory at the 49th HAPO Columbia Cup in Kennewick, Wash., Oh Boy! Oberto driver Jimmy Shane was quick to recognize the crew that worked so hard to get the hydroplane ready after Beacon Plumbing driver Dave Villwock brushed a turn buoy in Heat 3B and veered hard into Shane’s left sponson.

Somehow the Oh Boy! Oberto crew—with help from the Peters & May guys—repaired the team’s boat in time for the Columbia Cup finals after the left sponson was damaged in an accident in Heat 3. Photo by Cameron Foard

“The crew absolutely deserves the credit for this victory,” said Shane, who won the APBA Detroit Gold Cup two weeks earlier and holds a 115-point lead in the H1 Unlimited season high points standings. “And you have to include Scott Raney and the guys from the Peters & May team. They stepped right in and were a major part of the repair. It shows what a great community H1 and boat racing is, and I am so happy we were able to get back on the water and win another one for the Oberto/Madison fans.”

Jon Zimmerman won two prelims in the Les Schwab Tires/Team RedDOT boat and finished second to Shane in the final. Third on the water went to Cal Phipps in the Graham Trucking boat but a one-lap penalty took him off the podium and Kip Brown took third in the new Spirit of Qatar boat, which made its season debut at the race.

Shane said the repaired boat handled much differently than it had earlier in the weekend. “I was fighting it more than usual but it stayed together and got us to the checkered flag,” he said.

Villwock and J. Michael Kelly in the other Graham Trucking boat scored preliminary heat wins before being taken out of the competition by accidents and damage.

The fourth round of the H1 Unlimited series will be the Albert Lee Cup at Seattle Seafair this weekend.

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