2013 Diamond Cup August 30, 31, Sept 1 Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

[Serious News]

2013 Diamond Cup SCHEDULE


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FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2013


9AM

10AM–12PM

ALL Driver/Crew Chief Pre-Water Meeting

Testing: H1 Unlimited & Grand Prix West


12:15-12:45

1PM-2PM

2:15-2:45

3PM–5PM

Monster Wakeboard Demo

Testing: H1 Unlimited & Grand Prix West

Monster Wakeboard Demo

H1 Unlimited Qualifying


5:15PM

5:30PM

Vintage Hydroplane Exhibition

Super 1 Foods Grand Prix West Dash for Cash





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SATURDAY, AUG 31, 2013


8: 00AM

8:30-9:30AM

H1, Vintage, GPW Physicals

Grand Prix West Qualifying


9:30-11:00AM

H1, GPW Testing


11:00AM

Vintage Heat 1 Limited


11:30AM

11:45AM

12:15PM

12:15-12:45PM

Vintage Heat 1 Unlimiteds

H1 Drivers Meeting

GPW/Vintage Drivers Meeting

Monster Wakeboard Demo


1:00PM

Grand Prix West Heat 1A


1:30PM

Rex Manchester Memorial H1 Unlimited Heat 1A


2:00PM

Bardahl Corporation H1 Unlimited Heat 1B


2:30-3:30 PM

2:30-3:30 PM

H1 Autograph Session

Monster Wakeboard Demo


3:30PM

Grand Prix West Heat 2A


3:50PM

Vintage Heat 2 Limiteds


4:10PM

4:30PM

4:50PM

Vintage Heat 2 Unlimiteds

H1 Challenge Heat(s)

Press Conference Media Tent (All Drivers)



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SUNDAY, SEPT 1, 2013


8:00AM

8:30AM

H1, Vintage, GPW Physicals

Testing H1/GPW


10:00AM

Hagadone Hospitality Vintage Exhibition


10:30AM

Opening Ceremonies


11:00AM

Unlimited News Journal.Net H1 Unlimited Heat 2A


11:30AM

12:00-12:45

Atomic Screenprinting H1 Unlimited Heat 2B

Monster Wakeboard Demo


1:00PM

Beacon Plumbing H1 Unlimited Heat 3A


1:30PM

1:45-2:30

1:45-2:15

Les Schwab H1 Unlimited Heat 3B

Monster Wakeboard Demo

H1 Drivers Autograph Session


2:45PM

NAPA Auto Parts H1 Provisional Heat


3:00PM

3:30PM

Hagadone Hospitality Vintage Finale

Universal Funding Corporation Grand Prix West Final


4:00PM

4:30PM

5:00PM

Riverstone Development H1 Unlimited Diamond Cup

AWARDS CEREMONY

Press Conference Media Tent (All Drivers)


Diamond Cup Boat Roster






# Boat Name Driver Hometown

1 Oh Boy! Oberto Steve David Lighthouse Pt. FL
5 Graham Trucking Jimmy Shane Havre de Grace, MD
9 Team RedDOT Jon Zimmerman Maple Valley, WA
11 Peters & May Tom Thompson Cambridge, MD
14 Miss DiJulio Greg Hopp Lake Stevens, WA
22 Darrell Strong presents Mike Webster Reading, PA
PayneWest Insurance
37 Miss Beacon Plumbing J. Michael Kelly Bonney Lake, WA
57 FEDCO N. Mark Evans Chelan, WA
95 Spirit of Qatar Kip Brown Ravensdale, WA

100 Miss Sahara Pizza Dave Warren Lake Stevens, WA

[Serious News]

[Serious News]

1959

[Ratickle]

The Diamond Cup and H1 Unlimited Hydroplane racing will be returning to Lake Coeur d'Alene this Labor Day Weekend, 2013 after a forty-five year hiatus. The race will take place around Silver beach (see map below) in what is one of the fastest race courses H1 has to offer. We're expecting a large turnout for the event, so make sure to buy your tickets early.

Coeur d'Alene Diamond Cup Hydroplane Races

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Love this clip, even though I was there when they hit the wall and it makes me cringe every time I see it.

[Ratickle]

Sure wish I could be there, but I'll see them in San Diego. Read the entire article here:

The Long Return



In the 1960s, Fitzsimmons attended the Diamond Cup as a crew member for the Fascination. By 1969, his interest in the sport burgeoned into a 44-year stretch of broadcasting hydroplane races across the country and researching Diamond Cup history.

Now Fitzsimmons sits at a round table in the downtown Coeur d’Alene KXLY broadcast building where he hosts his radio show, Newscope. Memorabilia dot the table where he thumbs through his acquired collection of Diamond Cup relics, including black-and-white photos of hydroplanes and their drivers, crew uniform patches, his own pit pass from 1966, and a picture of the famous boat Miss Spokane, a shovel-nosed “Queen of the Inland Empire.”

“While Coeur d’Alene had no race boat, Spokane had a race boat and Coeur d’Alene had a race,” Fitzsimmons says. “So the Miss Spokane was the unofficial host boat of the first Diamond Cup.”

The Spokane racing team got their boat by petitioning Bill Boeing Jr. (son of the Boeing Company founder) to sell them the duplicate of his boat, Miss Wahoo. But they had to fundraise to buy it, selling ownership certificates for a few dollars and 100-miles-per-hour-and-more rides in the boat. After racing from 1958 to 1961, the team ran out of money and sold the boat.

Eventually, the Diamond Cup fizzled, too. Money and volunteers ran dry. In 1968, Coeur d’Alene held the last Diamond Cup, and there it ended.

Every five to 10 years or so another group tried to revive the races, says Diamond Cup President Doug Miller. But whether it was permit problems or lack of funding, it took until this Labor Day weekend for the races to return.

“That’s how long it’s taken to get the permit process to pose a fully sanctioned H1 Unlimited race,” Miller says.

[Ratickle]

Friday: Watch for free as race teams take practice and qualifying runs on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Fees for fairgrounds parking and pit access still apply on Friday.

Saturday-Sunday: Grand prix heats are scheduled in between the H-1 unlimited heats on both days. Finals Sunday, 3:30 p.m.

Parking: Ticket holders are urged to park at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds on Government Way for $10 a day per vehicle and ride free shuttle buses to and from the shoreline. (Parking and shuttle are included in ticket packages.

Big, flat boats propped up on trailers are appearing all over Coeur d’Alene – a sure sign something big is about to begin.

The Miss Everett, which competes in the Grand Prix West circuit, was parked Wednesday outside its local sponsor, Porky G’s Authentic Southern Style Barbecue on Northwest Boulevard.

Boat owner Tom Eckenberg, of Everett, pulled in Tuesday night. He said he’s enthusiastic about the rebirth of the Diamond Cup races in Lake Coeur d’Alene after an absence that spanned four and a half decades.

“We hope it works. We like it here,” Eckenberg said.

The grand prix heats will be Saturday and Sunday in between the H-1 unlimited heats. On Friday, race teams will take to the water for practice and qualifying runs. Admission is free that day.

Unlike the turbine-powered unlimited-class boats that tend to hog the spotlight, the automotive-powered grand prix hydroplanes top out around 165 mph and are closer to the definition of deafening.

“You can tell us by the noise,” Eckenberg said. “They’re loud.”

That’s what appeals to Gary Stinnett, the owner of Porky G’s. “The thing I like about these is these are like the old thunderboats,” Stinnett said. “These are loud.”

He hopes to do brisk business with rib specials the next few days, then plans to enjoy the final day of racing Sunday on his pontoon boat, rooting for the Miss Everett.

Out near the race course at Silver Beach, Chuck McClain, of Coeur d’Alene, paused Wednesday on his daily Centennial Trail trek to take in the changing scenery as final preparations were made for the three-day event.

“I think it’s awesome,” McClain said. “It will bring a lot of revenue to Coeur d’Alene, that’s for sure.”

He has attended auto racing but never a hydroplane race. “If this (trail) will be open, I’ll be down here,” he said. “I mean, I still want to do my workout.”

The Centennial Trail as well as East Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive will remain open through the holiday weekend, but the Diamond Cup and the thousands of fans expected to turn out will create significant congestion.

The popular trail will be detoured away from the lake and behind bleachers and vendors that are going up along a stretch of the shoreline.

Starting today, Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive, a state highway, will be reduced to one lane from Potlatch Hill Road to just west of Sunnyside Road – a distance of about 2 miles. Flaggers will be posted at both ends as traffic takes turns passing by the course site.

No public parking will be available in the race area. Spectators are encouraged to use free shuttle buses from the Kootenai County Fairgrounds (where parking will cost $10 per day) or downtown shuttle services. Vehicles blocking emergency access or on private property will be towed, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

Fans may ride bicycles to the races and park them in a secure corral on the north end of the Silver Beach Marina parking lot for a nominal daily fee.

Residents and others who need access east of the race venue are encouraged to use an alternate route, such as Interstate 90 to Mullan Trail to Sunnyside Road, the sheriff’s office said.

Officials also cautioned boaters to look out for course buoys and log booms in the water near Silver Beach.

Final touches prepare CdA for Diamond Cup - Spokesman.com - Aug. 29, 2013

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Diamond Cup Facebook Link

https://www.facebook.com/DiamondCupR...ocation=stream

[Serious News]

Lake Couer d'Alene
Shane hopes to carve into David's 663-point lead


David Campbell
Courier Sportswriter

With just two races left on the 2013 H1 Unlimited schedule, it is now or never for Jimmy Shane in his pursuit of the National High Points title.

Shane enters this weekend's race in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, fresh off a victory in Seattle earlier this month. But despite picking up his second win of the season - and fourth of his young career - Shane could not stop Steve David from increasing his lead in the season points race.

David currently stands 663 points ahead of Shane with eight heats of racing left. Gold Cup champion Kip Brown is a distant third, 1,786 points back.

David has driven the Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison to wins at Sacramento and Tri-Cities, Wash., this season and has the red and green sausage boat on track for its fifth national title in the past six years.

To do so, David will not only have to fend off Shane and the rest of the field, he will have to do so on a brand-new course, one that none of the current drivers have ever competed on.

Lake Couer d'Alene in the stovepipe of Idaho hosted Unlimited hydroplane races in the 1950s and 1960s but the last Diamond Cup was contested in 1968. That year, a young Billy Schumacher drove the Miss Bardhal to victory on the mountain lake's waters.

Schumacher will be back this weekend, but as an owner not a driver.

"Coeur d'Alene was one of the most beautiful places I ever raced in my career," said Schumacher, whose Miss Beacon Plumbing entry will be driven by J. Michael Kelly. "Jane (Schumacher) and I are thrilled to be part of the renewal of the Diamond Cup and really looking forward to showing one of our favorite areas to our race team."

In addition, Schumacher's Miss Bardhal will be on hand. The boat has been restored and will be doing exhibition runs on the lake.

This marks the second site this season that has returned to the schedule after a long hiatus. The Sacramento race was last run in 1967 and like Couer d'Alene, was last won by Schumacher. David won the return race in June.

While the 59-year-old David will be the favorite, the 26-year-old Shane has proven himself to be a driver to be contended with in his brief career. The Havre de Grace, Md., native has won four of the last nine races aboard the Graham Trucking dating back to last season.

Shane is not the only contender. After a slow start aboard the Spirit of Qatar, Brown has picked up his game in recent weeks with a win at the Gold Cup in Detroit that jump-started a run that has moved him into third in the points standings.

Jon Zimmerman, driving the Miss Red Dot, currently sits in fourth place while Kelly is fifth. Mark Evans, aboard the FEDCO, Tim Thompson in the Peters & May, Mike Webster in the PayneWest Insurance and Greg Hopp in the Miss DiJulio round out the top nine in the standings and all will be in attendance.

The U-100 Leland Unlimited entry will back on the circuit after missing the last race in Seattle. Drivers Ryan Mallow and Kelly Stocklin flipped the boat in consecutive races and the team skipped Seattle in effort to get a different boat ready for this weekend.

Rookie Dave Warren will be the team's third driver in its last five heats of competition and will be making his Unlimited debut. The boat will be sponsored by Miss Sahara Pizza.

Testing for the 2013 Diamond Cup begins at noon EDT today with qualifying from 6-8 p.m.

Qualifying and all heat action will be streamed live at H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Series at a cost of $6 for the three-day weekend.

Shane hopes to carve into David's 663-point lead - The Madison Courier Daily Newspaper - Madison, Indiana - Madison, IN

[Serious News]

2013 Coeur d'Alene Diamond Cup: First Test Session

[Serious News]

Heart-Pounding Hydros: Rescue Divers Train Underwater For Crashes

KHQ-TV updated 8/30/2013 11:49:37 AM ET


COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho – For the first time in 45 years, the heart-pounding hydroplane races are coming back to Lake Coeur D'Alene this weekend, with H1 unlimited boats racing at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. But with the big race comes big risk.

"We've had in the last two races, I think, three boats go over, but that's kind of rare," H1 Director Of Rescue Dennis Olsen told KHQ's Kelsey Watts. That's why every boat driver – and rescue diver – has to go through an underwater capsule test simulating a crash.

The drivers have to practice getting themselves out safely in case their boat crashes and flips upside down in the water. Likewise, rescue divers take turns playing ‘drivers' in the capsule and have to rescue each other.

"It's totally disorienting when you first hit the water, and it's coming from the wrong direction, you're upside down and the water's flooding your face," rescue diver Jerry Robinson said after his first capsule test, adding that the 30 seconds underwater felt like five minutes.

"It felt a lot like a roller coaster," Jeremyah Polito with Diversified Diver Specialties explained. "I could feel [the capsule] slowly sinking, and then when they popped the hatch I actually felt it settle, and somebody reached up and grabbed my harness, and unclipped me, unbuckled me."

The capsule training was done in a nearby hotel pool on Wednesday and Thursday – where the conditions are far more calm than they will be on the lake waters come race day. The training gives experienced divers who follow the race circuit the chance to train with local divers from Coeur D'Alene, Kootenai County, Montana and Tri-Cities.

In a real crash, the boat drivers can usually get themselves out before rescue divers arrive – but that's not always the case. "Occasionally they get tangled up or they get knocked a little loopy from the impact and we have to get them out," Olsen added. "Hopefully we're going to be on scene within 15-30 seconds and can get the driver out in another 30 seconds."

On race day, the drivers will be on air-tanks to give them extra time should something go wrong. And while the rescue divers hope they won't be needed this weekend, they'll be ready. "With all the things I've done in life, that was fun," Polito added, smiling.
Heart-Pounding Hydros: Rescue Divers Train Underwater For Crashes - Local News - Spokane, WA | NBC News

[Serious News]

Shane tops qualifying at Coeur d'Alene hydroplane races

Jimmy Shane, the weekend’s top qualifier, led his U-5 Graham Trucking boat to a narrow victory over Tommy Thompson and his U-11 Peters and May in Heat 1A Saturday at the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane races on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

With the win, the 28-year-old Shane has accumulated the highest points total among all drivers heading into today’s two heat races and final round.

The top six teams in points will earn a spot in the final to be run at 4 p.m. just off Silver Beach.

Defending series champion Steve David and the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto took the win in Heat 1B despite a strong effort from J. Michael Kelly and the U-37 Beacon Plumbing. David brings the second-highest points total into today with Kelly, Thompson, Kip Brown and the U-95 Spirit of Qatar and Mark Evans in the U-57 rounding out the top six in overall points.

In Heat 1A, Shane and Thompson were the first two boats onto the course once released from the pit area at the 5-minute gun to the start of the race. Shane jumped into the preferred inside lane with Thompson settled into lane two. Mark Evans and the U-57 FEDCO were the last boat on the course but managed to catch the field and nestled into lane three as the race got underway.

Thompson grabbed a brief lead heading into turn No. 1 as Shane powered out of the corner and into the backstretch and overtook Thompson heading into turn No. 3.

Halfway through the three-lap race, Shane, Thompson and Evans settled into a smooth run with Greg Hopp and Dave Warren trailing in fourth and fifth place, respectively. As the final lap got underway Thompson found some speed in his boat and closed the gap on Shane but was unable to overtake the eventual race winner.

“It was a great heat between us and Thompson,” Shane said. “Those guys are definitely catching up on us.”

In Heat 1B, Kelly grabbed lane one over David to start the race and led the field into turn No. 1. David used the horsepower in the boat to pull alongside Kelly and take the lead as the pair headed toward turn No. 3. From there, David and Kelly put considerable distance between themselves and third-place running Brown to finish 1-2-3 at the checkers with Mike Webster running fourth.

Racing continues today with Heat 2A at 11 a.m., Heat 2B scheduled for 11:30, Heat 3A set for 1 p.m. and Heat 3B taking the green at 1:30. The Grand Prix West finale is will run at 3:30. The 2013 Diamond Cup final will start at 4.


Shane tops qualifying at CdA hydroplane races - Spokesman.com - Sept. 1, 2013

[Serious News]

Posted: Sunday, September 1, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 10:26 am, Sun Sep 1, 2013.

By DEVIN HEILMAN/Staff writer | 0 comments




COEUR d’ALENE — The pins on Aaron Walker’s hat were tokens of hydroplane history.

“That hat has every Diamond Cup button, every year plus two from this year,” said Dave Walker, Aaron’s dad. The lifelong Coeur d’Alene residents walked on the Centennial Trail on Saturday during the second day of the 2013 Coeur d’Alene Diamond Cup and H1 Unlimited Hydroplane racing event. Dave said he was impressed with the much-anticipated return of the Diamond Cup, and it brought back plenty of childhood memories.

“We rode our bikes down and hung out in the pits, and went home with spark plugs, booster buttons, anything we could get our hands on. It was a lot of fun,” he said. Although he sold many of the buttons, “the Diamond Cup ones I always kept.” Dave said the Diamond Cup was better than Christmas when he was a kid, but this weekend was an awesome time for it to return.

“This is the premier water racing sport,” Dave said. “It’s the top of the line. These guys race in Qatar, so I mean this is a world (event). This is like the Formula 1 of boat racing, and so to have Coeur d’Alene back on the circuit is pretty amazing.”

And they are like Formula 1 race cars, flying across the top of the lake, sending geysers of water spraying behind them.

They’re loud, they’re powerful, and thousands of people have made their way to Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive to witness the appearance of these monster watercrafts speeding along the circuit for the first time in generations.

Terry Treend of Post Falls said she came to the races because it was new to her, but she also thought a large draw was “the water, being outdoors and the community itself.” She said it’s a good event for Coeur d’Alene to be hosting, and she was impressed with the day’s activities.

“When the (announcer) was talking, he said there weren’t very many of these races all over,” she said. “Seattle, Detroit and Tri-Cities. So to be on that venue I think is awesome for Coeur d’Alene.”

Treend said she thought the crowd was very well managed, and she had a smooth experience getting right into the event.

“They put it on greatly,” she said. “I think a lot of people wondered, and I know a lot of people didn’t come because they didn’t want deal with the crowds. They didn’t want to bike in or want to be bused in because it would be way too crowded, but I think they (organizers) handled it very well.”

Moments before driver David Warren of Lake Stevens, Wash., came in second place in the Grand Prix West Heat 2A, he said it’s the crowds of people and cheering fans that make the races so exciting.

“The happier the fans are, the more we get pumped up,” Warren said. “We want to interact with the people. Ultimately, we’re putting on a show for the fans. If we can do that and they’re happy, then we’re happy.”

Warren, who has been racing hydroplanes for nine years, said it is also the camaraderie and teamwork that makes for a fulfilling experience.

The need for speed is also exhilarating.

“It’s almost like an alter-ego that kicks in when the hatch shuts,” he said. “All of a sudden, you’re just like a different person. You go out there and you’re just like a machine. You’re looking for the next buoy and you’re looking to beat the next guy.”

The noise and power of the boats mixed with the excitement of a unique event meant a multitude of people, from all over the States, wandering around the event and watching the action on the water.

Nancy Cowley of Coeur d’Alene is volunteering all weekend. She said she thought part of the allure of the hydroplanes was curiosity and mechanical intrigue.

“My dad and my brother-in-law and my nephews came this morning,” she said. “They love the boats and they wanted to see the engines.” She said she heard more than a few men get excited when they heard an engine fire up.

“People seem to be really enjoying themselves,” she said. “After being out here for two days, I’d support it coming back.”

New memories of the weekend’s historic event can still be made. Activities will resume at 8 a.m. today and continue until about 5 p.m.


Full-throttle fun - Coeur d'Alene Press: Local News

[Serious News]

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho -- After a 45 year hiatus, a successful Diamond Cup came to a close Sunday.

The hydroplane races provided an economic boost for the Coeur d’Alene area.

Oh Boy! Oberto racer Steve David said it was exciting to be part of the Lake City’s history.

"A lot of drivers weren't born then,” David said, “so it's kind of interesting there's old guys and young guys.”

“There's a great legacy here, tremendous fan base - you would think there were a race that had been going on forever,” David added. “It's great for the sport and we look forward to bring it back next year."

The first year back brought more than 50 thousand people to the shores of Coeur d’Alene for the three-day event.

Diamond Cup wraps up after long-awaited return | KREM.com Spokane

[Serious News]

Jimmy Shane Wins CDA Diamond Cup
Posted: Sep 01, 2013 8:47 PM EDT Updated: Sep 01, 2013 9:05 PM EDT

by John Collett, SWX Reporter

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho - For the first time in 45 years, Coeur d'Alene crowned a new Diamond Cup Champion and it just happens to be one of the hottest drivers in the sport. Jimmy Shane won the 2013 Diamond Cup defeating the likes of Steve David and J. Michael Kelly.

For Shane, he won the last championship race at Seafair and coupled with his win in Coeur d'Alene marks the first time he's ever won back to back races.

Shane was the top qualifier after Friday, marking the first time the Graham Trucking has ever been the top qualifier.

The H1 Unlimited Circuit continues with the last stop in San Diego. Shane and Steve David are tied for total points heading into the final weekend of racing.

Jimmy Shane Wins CDA Diamond Cup - SWX Right Now-Sports for Spokane, CdA, Tri-Cities, WA

[Ratickle]

Jimmy Shane Wins CDA Diamond Cup
Posted: Sep 01, 2013 8:47 PM EDT Updated: Sep 01, 2013 9:05 PM EDT

by John Collett, SWX Reporter

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho - For the first time in 45 years, Coeur d'Alene crowned a new Diamond Cup Champion and it just happens to be one of the hottest drivers in the sport. Jimmy Shane won the 2013 Diamond Cup defeating the likes of Steve David and J. Michael Kelly.

For Shane, he won the last championship race at Seafair and coupled with his win in Coeur d'Alene marks the first time he's ever won back to back races.

Shane was the top qualifier after Friday, marking the first time the Graham Trucking has ever been the top qualifier.

The H1 Unlimited Circuit continues with the last stop in San Diego. Shane and Steve David are tied for total points heading into the final weekend of racing.

Jimmy Shane Wins CDA Diamond Cup - SWX Right Now-Sports for Spokane, CdA, Tri-Cities, WA

That DNS in Heat 3A really hurt Steve. San Diego will be for all the marbles once again. (And I'll be there)!!!!!!

[Ratickle]

Link to Chris's pics

H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Series » Diamond Cup: Friday Images

[Serious News]

UPDATE: Diamond Cup organizers say it has been quite the success. The organizers tell KHQ that about 60-80 thousand people came out for the 3-day race to watch the boats race around the course. The estimated economic impact to the city of Coeur D'Alene is 5-7 million dollars.

AMAZING PHOTOS: Hydroplane Races On Lake Coeur d' Alene! - Local News - Spokane, WA | NBC News

[Serious News]

Hydroplanes’ return off without a hitch

Good preparation, execution a winning formula

Scott Maben The Spokesman-Review

The man who brought hydroplane racing back to Lake Coeur d’Alene paused on the shoreline Sunday afternoon and smiled. And he hasn’t done a lot of that – pause or smile – in recent months.

“Without a doubt I think it’s been my single largest contribution of my time spent here,” Doug Miller said over the roar of the final Grand Prix heat.

He’s ready for more, too. After a successful revival of the Diamond Cup 45 years after it vanished, Miller is confident hydroplane racing is back to stay in the Lake City, and he looks forward to continuing as president of the Diamond Cup Regatta.

“I’d like to do a couple more years,” he said. “I’m 62. It takes the energy of people in their 30s. It really does.”

For Miller and a small army of sponsors and volunteers, establishing what they hope is a new Labor Day weekend tradition in the Inland Northwest was a gamble and a chore. They labored to overcome financial shortfalls, leadership turnover, venue and parking challenges, and the legacy of a mixed record on hydroplanes in Coeur d’Alene.

All the hand-wringing and doubts seemed to dissolve this weekend like the spray of a rooster tail on the final turn.

“In one word: stunned,” said Charlie Grooms, team manager with the popular Oh Boy! Oberto crew. Diamond Cup organizers did their homework and gave the race teams everything they needed to focus on racing, he said.

“From a racing perspective and a team perspective it has been stunning to see what they’ve done,” Grooms said.

Matthew Pangle, of Coeur d’Alene, bought a weekend ticket package for himself and his 9-year-old son, Branden, who collected driver autographs and photos on Saturday.

“It’s nice to see they finally came through and made it happen,” Pangle said Sunday. “It’s a nice family event.”

He said he’d prefer the course be near City Beach and Tubbs Hills, where races were held from 1958 to 1968. A voter-approved city ordinance, however, prohibits hydroplane racing there.

Vonnie Satchwell and Wendell Essley, a Post Falls couple who remember watching the races here in the ’60s, said they prefer the new venue along Silver Beach and East Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive.

They also enjoyed seeing the vintage-class boats back on the water after all these years. “They’re good and noisy,” Satchwell said, laughing.

“We’re already talking about coming back” next summer, Essley added.

Crowd control on water and land was a big concern headed into the weekend. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office made just one arrest for operating a boat under the influence, spokesman Lt. Stu Miller said.

“The biggest issue was keeping the spectators that didn’t pay for a log boom pass back the required distance,” Miller said. “For the most part the spectators were very good.”

Doug Miller commended his crew for ironing out wrinkles as they appeared.

“We’ve learned immense amounts each day, from Thursday to Friday to yesterday, knowing each day the momentum and the crowds would grow,” he said Sunday.

Ted Johnson, who describes himself as a diehard hydroplane fan going back 40 years, came from Camano Island, Wash., to watch the action.

“For a first-time event, they’ve done really well,” Johnson said.

Hydroplanes

[Serious News]

Shane drives into championship picture with Cup win

Doug Pace Correspondent

In front of a crowded shoreline and hundreds of spectator boats anchored behind a log boom, Jimmy Shane showed his mastery of Lake Coeur d’Alene’s 2-mile H1 Unlimited Hydroplane race course en route to victory, marking the return of Diamond Cup racing just off Silver Beach.

With the boats lined up to take the green flag in the finale, J. Michael Kelly and the U-37 Beacon Plumbing jumped the start and were penalized a lap, which in turn gave Shane the lead heading into turn No. 1 with defending series champion Steve David running just behind in second.

Five boat lengths back was a battle for third and fourth places between Tommy Thompson and Kip Brown’s U-95 Spirit of Qatar with rookie Jesse Robertson’s U-57 FEDCO running fifth and the trailing boat of Greg Hopp allowed to advance for a potential battle for sixth place with Kelly.

Running seven boats in a heat for the first time all weekend, water conditions became dire.

“It was rough out there,” Shane said. “We knew it was going to be a race where the last man standing could win it.”

Shane’s boat handled the conditions well by riding on the inside lane to maintain his lead over David while Brown and Thompson gave the crowd the best race of the afternoon with side-by-side action over the opening three laps.

Brown managed to put some distance on Thompson exiting turn No. 4 as Thompson encountered rollers that nearly rocked the U-11 Peters and May out of the water. From there, the top three nestled into a string around the course with David making up ground on Shane in small portions as Brown kept the pair in sight trailing by less than half of a straightaway.

David moved to within 10 boat lengths on Shane as the white flag came out but was unable to close the gap down the backstretch and settled for the runner-up position.

With the win, Shane made up considerable ground on David’s championship points lead.

Shane trailed David by over 600 points in the chase for the 2013 title and as Sunday got underway it appeared that the 28-year old would need all the efforts of his U-5 Graham Trucking crew and a little racing luck to top David’s U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto and close the gap. The break Shane was looking for came in the afternoon’s Heat 3A as David lost a prop drying away from the pits and was unable to take part in the race which resulted in a zero for points gain in that portion of the day’s action.

“We gained a lot of points on (David) this weekend and it’s going to be an incredible race for the championship when we get to San Diego (on Sept. 15),” Shane said.

Despite coming up short in the finale David knew when he got back to the pits after the prop incident his final heat would require a tremendous effort to keep his championship lead, he said.

“We lost the prop and it didn’t hurt the boat but we knew we had to go in the final to try and maintain our points against them (Shane),” David said. “During the race I knew I had to catch him but we just came up a bit short. (Shane) drove a heck of a race and he beat us today. This will be the tightest championship battle the sport has seen in over 10 years when we get to San Diego.”

While the climb back to nearly even with David in the championship standings was impressive for the U-5 team, it was the performance of his boat all weekend that was more impressive, Shane said.

“It was a wonderful race. This is a beautiful place to race and we’re fortunate to be here. Sure we gained all those points but we needed a break today and we got it and we knew if that happened we’d have to capitalize on it and we did.”

Sunday’s racing got underway with Heat 2A featuring David, Brown, Kelly and Robertson, who took over the driving duties for Mark Evans in the U-57.

Brown and Kelly took the green flag side-by-side with Kelly advancing to the lead exiting turn No. 2. Midway through Lap 2 Brown’s boat lost power momentarily giving David second place. At the checkers Kelly picked up the win with David, Brown and Roberson in tow.

Heat 2B showcased Shane’s ability to squeeze his boat just enough to leave the competition behind as he pounced into the lead on the opening lap and drove away from Thompson and Mike Webster, who had been running as high as second before losing an engine.

Greg Hopp finished second in the heat which aided in his points total to make the final as the trailing boat. Dave Warren finished third.

In Heat 3A, Kelly drove away from Hopp and Warren for the victory.

Shane topped the field in Heat 3B with Brown and Thompson putting on a show for the fans as they went deck to deck for the runner-up position. Thompson stayed with Brown for the first half of the race then dialed the boat back in the corners to secure third place and a spot in the finale.

Hopp scored the win in the supporting Grand Prix West division to maintain his points lead for the 2013 championship.

Place Driver
1 U-5 Jimmy Shane
2 U-1 Steve David
3 U-95 Kip Brown
4 U-57 Jesse Robertson
5 U-37 J. Michael Kelly
6 U-11 Tommy Thompson*
7 U-14 Greg Hopp**

Shane drives into championship picture with Cup win - Spokesman.com - Sept. 2, 2013