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Detroit Gold Cup, 2014

Detroit APBA Gold Cup Race Schedule

Event date: July 11‐13, 2014
Tentative schedule as of 7/03/2014

Monday – Wednesday Event Setup

Wednesday - Channel Markers removed from river

Thursday July 10
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Rescue Practice

Friday July 11
9:00 am Unlimited Drivers Meeting – Pit Tower
10:00 am 5 Litre, Vintage & Superlight Tunnels Driver Meeting (Piston Park)
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm Unlimited Testing
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Inboard School Boat Auction Rides
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Unlimited Qualifying
If Unlimited boats are not using allotted time, Vintage & 5 Litre testing

Saturday July 12
7:00 am – 8:00 am Unlimited Drivers Physicals
9:00 am – 10:30 am Unlimited Testing
10:00 am Vintage, Superlight Tunnel & 5 Litre Drivers Meeting (Piston Park)
10:30 am National Anthem
11:00am‐11:20 am Vintage Unlimited
11:20 am‐11:40am Vintage Large & Medium
11:40 am‐12:00 pm Vintage Small
11:00 am Unlimited Drivers Meeting (Pit Tower)
11:30 pm – 12:30 pm Unlimited Autograph Session
12:00 pm ‐12:20 pm Vintage Flat Bottoms, Skiffs and Grand Prix Exhibition
12:20 pm ‐1:20 pm Lunch/Airshow
1:20 pm ‐1:40 pm Superlight Tunnel 1A
1:40 pm ‐2:00 pm Unlimited Heat 1A presented by Royce and Kathy Richards
2:00 pm ‐2:20 pm Unlimited Heat 1B presented by Royce and Kathy Richards
2:20 pm ‐2:40 pm 5 Litre 1A
2:40 pm ‐3:00 pm 5 Litre 1B
3:00 pm – 3:20 pm Vintage Large & Medium
3:20 pm – 3:40 pm Vintage Small
3:40 pm – 4:00 pm Vintage Unlimiteds
4:00 pm – 4:20 pm 5 Litre Final
4:20 pm – 4:40 pm Superlight Tunnel 2A
4:40 pm – 5:00 pm Unlimited Heat 2A presented by Hylant
5:00 pm – 5:20 pm Unlimited Heat 2B presented by Hylant
5:20 pm Course Closes

Sunday July 13
7:00 am – 8:00 am Unlimited Drivers Physicals
8:00am – 9:00 am Unlimited Testing
8:30 am 5 Litre, Vintage & Superlight Tunnels Drivers Meeting (Piston Park)
9:10 am – 9:40 am Opening Ceremonies
9:40 am – 10:00 am Vintage Small
10:00 am – 10:20 am Vintage Large & Medium
10:20am – 10:40 am 5 Litre 2A
10:40 am – 11:00 am 5 Litre 2B
11:00 am – 11:20 am Vintage Flat Bottoms, Skiffs and Grand Prix Exhibition
11:20 am – 11:40 am Unlimited Heat 3A presented By Complete Machining Services
11:40 am – 12:00 pm Unlimited Heat 3B presented By Complete Machining Services
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch/Airshow. Vintage, Superlight Tunnel & 5 Litre Autograph Session
1:00 pm – 1:20 pm Superlight Tunnel 3A–Grand Prix Exhibition before Superlight Tunnel
1:20 pm – 1:50 pm 5 Litre 3A
1:50 pm – 2:10 pm 5 Litre 3B
2:10 pm – 2:30 pm Unlimited Heat 4A
2:30 pm – 2:50 pm Unlimited Heat 4B
2:50 pm‐ 3:10 pm Vintage Small
3:10 pm – 3:30 pm Vintage Large & Medium
3:30 pm – 3:50 PM 5 Litre Final
3:50 pm – 4:10 pm Superlight Tunnel Final
4:30 pm Detroit APBA Gold Cup Final!

Note: 5 Litre, Vintage & Superlight Tunnel Participants head to Awards Presentation Stand after Final.

https://www.gold-cup.com/
 
Unheralded drivers ready to step to Gold Cup forefront

Detroit — For the first time in decades, the Gold Cup races on the Detroit River this weekend will be missing two legendary drivers — Dave Villwock and Steve David.

Villwock, 60, retired before last season, having won 10 Gold Cups, including five straight.

And David, 60, was a perennial runner-up in the Gold Cup — 12 seconds in 22 starts — and announced his retirement after last season.

“It was just time,” said David, who will be sailing on his 60-footer this weekend, part of a 12-day trip. “There’s going to be some great racing in Detroit, no doubt, and I’ll miss the people, not so much the racing though.”

Still, even without Villwock and David, there still are plenty of talented drivers to watch Saturday and Sunday (qualifying and testing takes place Friday).

Eight boats are expected to make up the Gold Cup field, which doesn’t include a past champion.

Defending champion Kip Brown, 38, doesn’t have a ride — team owner Erick Ellstrom and his crew are still working on the new Spirit of Qatar.

“They’ve been building a new boat since winter and it’s just not ready yet,” Brown said. “It’s unfortunate because with all the musical chairs going on, I was hoping we could go back and repeat.”

Jimmy Shane, 28, is the favorite. He won his first heat in unlimited two years ago, then won two more heats last year. In the final, David was assessed a lane violation penalty, resulting in Shane’s boat suffering damage to its canard and ending their chances for a victory .

Shane topped the field in qualifying and won all three heats last weekend in Madison, Indiana, but jumped the gun in the final. That gave J. Michael Kelly the opportunity to dart in front and win for the first time since 2009.

Kelly is familiar with Graham boat owner Ted Porter, driving for the team a few years ago, but was left without a ride when Porter downsized from a multi-boat operation to a single one. Now, Porter is back to two boats with Kelly joined by Cal Phipps of Sterling Heights.

“Ted Porter called me and told me Graham Trucking was set to get the second boat out and wanted me to drive it,” Phipps said. “It’s my first time through the lineup (full season) and I’m really excited about it. This is my best chance (at winning). We’re fully loaded with great equipment, great propellers. Our goal is to have us both on the podium every time out.”

Phipps’ last Gold Cup final was in 2011.

Shane enters this weekend with the points lead, 1,869-1,280 over Kelly.

david.goricki@detroitnews.com

twitter.com/davidgoricki

APBA Gold Cup
When: Friday-Sunday

Where: Detroit River

2013 winner: Kip Brown

Tickets and more information: $15-$250; go to gold-cup.com or call (586) 774-0980 for details.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140707/SPORTS03/307070097#ixzz3711EUvl8
 
Gold Cup hydroplane racing to churn up Detroit River this weekend

DETROIT >> Water and roostertails don’t always go perfectly with unlimited hydroplanes.

An outdoor news conference to promote the DYC Detroit APBA Gold Cup was cancelled Tuesday as rain pelted the Campus Martius area, including Cadillac Square, the planned site of the presentation that was to begin race week.

Break-taking workers sought refuge in coffee shops and under awnings as water ran over sidewalks and onto streets, and passing cars kicked up roostertails that evoked images of racing on the Detroit River.

Perhaps all will be properly placed later in the week.

If the forecast for less drippy weather comes to pass, unlimited hydroplanes will thunder across the Detroit River Friday through Sunday, continuing a tradition of nearly 100 years.

Testing and qualifying are scheduled to start at noon and 5 p.m., respectively, Friday.

Two flights of heat races headline the proceedings Saturday.

On Sunday, two more flights of heat races precede the Gold Cup final, which is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Jimmy Shane, who is in his first year as driver of the U-6 Oberto, comes to Detroit with the points lead in the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Series.

Shane, 28, did everything but win the final of the season-opening event at Madison, Ind., last weekend.

The Renton, Wash., resident had the fastest qualifying speed and won all three of his heat races, but a foul in the final dropped Shane to fourth place in that race, and opened the door to victory for J. Michael Kelly in the U-1 Graham Trucking boat.

Shane, whose boat is owned by the city of Madison, nonetheless left Indiana with 1,469 points.

Kelly, a Bonney Lake, Wash., resident who drives for owner Ted Porter, has 1,280 points.

Third-place Jon Zimmerman has 1,205. Zimmerman, of Maple Valley, Wash., drives the U-9 Team RedDOT for Jones Racing.

Kip Brown won the Gold Cup in 2013, but he is not racing yet this year.

The Gold Cup race, which has had its share of financial problems in recent years, is set to remain on the Detroit River into the next decade.

The Detroit River Regatta Association, which organizes the event, announced in June a 10-year deal with the American Power Boat Association, which sanctions the race.

Mark Weber of Washington Township is the Gold Cup race director.

A former boat racer, who has won championships in a variety of classes, from 5-litre to unlimited, Weber will be part of the next induction class for the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame.

There is no charge to attend testing and qualifying Friday.

General admission for Saturday and Sunday ranges from $15 to $45. Reserved seating begins at $60.

Along with the unlimited hydroplanes, 5-litre, vintage and tunnel boats will have exhibitions and competition Saturday and Sunday.

The National Weather Service forecast for Detroit calls for sunshine and a high temperature of 78 on Friday. Saturday and Sunday are forecast to be partly sunny with a chance of showers, the service said.

For more Gold Cup information, including details about parking availability, go to www.gold-cup.com.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/spor...racing-to-churn-up-detroit-river-this-weekend
 
Gold Cup: J. Michael Kelly, back with Team Porter, aims to make waves on Detroit River

It’s a whole new — and brave — world out there for boat racer J. Michael Kelly.

He is back with a solid team and kicked off the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Series season with a win over the Fourth of July at Madison, Ind.

Kelly, who is 35 but has been racing some class of boat or another since he was 7, wants to win the most important powerboat race in existence: the Detroit APBA Gold Cup presented by the Detroit Yacht Club.

Kelly will arrive in town today from the Seattle area, where he lives with his wife and two children, to prepare for Sunday’s unlimited hydroplane classic in the U-1 Graham Trucking boat.

His return to Team Porter Racing, based out of Decatur, Ind., after a three-year hiatus, has him pumped. He showed he hasn’t lost any speed or daring with a strong run at the Madison Regatta on Sunday, when he beat Jon Zimmerman in the U-9 Red Dot/Spirit of Qatar and Cal Phipps of Sterling Heights in the U-7 Graham Trucking II entry for the victory.

Granted, rival Jimmy Shane in the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto jumped the gun at the start of the race and was penalized, but it took nothing away from Kelly’s performance.

“Me and the team — we needed that win,” Kelly said Tuesday from Bonney Lake, Wash. “It was huge. It was an extremely rough day on the water and took its toll on the boats. But I wanted it bad for Ted Porter, the crew and the sponsors for everything they’ve done for me. I have a second opportunity to race these big boats with Team Porter Racing, and I very much appreciate it.”

A winner in all types of craft, Kelly drove for Team Porter in 2009-10, finishing on the podium eight times in 12 races and winning the prestigious Oryx Cup World Championship in Doha, Qatar, in November 2009 with the U-7 Graham Trucking boat.

Kelly, winner of eight national championships and 25 APBA divisional titles, knows he is back in good equipment and has every chance of claiming his first Gold Cup victory this weekend and a points championship by season’s end.

“I felt we were just as fast as Jimmy (Shane) at Madison, and he had a really fast boat,” Kelly said. “We know he’ll be good at Detroit despite his problem in the final at Madison. But we will be right in it.”

Winning a Gold Cup, what would it mean a second time in the Graham Trucking boat for Kelly?

“Huge,” Kelly said. “There are some great names on this trophy. You’d be part of boat racing history.”

Running 200 m.p.h. by the Detroit Yacht Club never gets old for Kelly. Neither does slowing down the boat making the sharp Roostertail Turn.

“When I watch the heats from the dock before I go out, it’s hair-raising stuff,” Kelly said. “It’s really amazing the boats can make the turn, really. The Detroit River is the most challenging racecourse there is in unlimited hydroplane racing. It can get extremely rough running up to the Belle Isle bridge turn if you have a headwind, and the rollers coming off the docks at the DYC — they can bounce you around.

“But I love being on the water in Detroit. All the drivers do.”

Kelly said today’s group of unlimited drivers, despite the recent retirement of race greats Dave Villwock, who coached him, and Steve David, a 12-time Gold Cup runner-up, is first class.

“The young guys are going to come through,” Kelly said. “There is talent out there.

“Villwock and David — their records speak for themselves. Now it’s time for us to fill the gap they left.”

http://www.freep.com/article/20140709/SPORTS16/307090072/detroit-gold-cup-j-michael-kelly
 
Hydroplane pilot to continue 'living a dream' in Gold Cup

As a kid, Jon Zimmerman would tow little wooden boats behind his bicycle as he rode through his neighborhood.

Many young boys like Zimmerman did that at the time in and around Seattle, a stronghold of powerboat racing, and where youngsters grew up idolizing legendary racers like Bill Muncey, Dean Chenoweth and Chip Hanauer, and iconic thunderboats such as Atlas Van Lines and Miss Budweiser.

Now 49, Zimmerman still has a burning passion for fast boats, being among an elite group of a dozen or so active unlimited hydroplane drivers who pilot their turbine engine-powered craft at up to 200 m.p.h. on rivers and lakes around the country during summer.

Zimmerman will compete this weekend in the Detroit APBA Gold Cup presented by the Detroit Yacht Club on the Detroit River in the U-9 Team Red Dot/Spirit of Qatar 96.

From toy boats to racing scale-model hydroplanes on ponds to the big unlimited hydros he pilots now, it has all been a fun ride for Zimmerman, who says, “I’m living a dream.”

Zimmerman is aiming to win Sunday’s Gold Cup final. He almost did it in 2013, finishing second to Kip Brown in a wild battle over the last couple of laps.

Had Zimmerman not hit rollers at the Belle Isle (MacArthur) bridge turn on the final lap of the unlimited hydroplane classic, he might have had enough boat to beat Brown, who scooted away down the backstretch past the DYC.

Zimmerman, who has substituted over the years for several injured drivers, including perennial Gold Cup runner-up Steve David, wants to leave his own legacy now that he has found a permanent home at Jones Racing, owned by Mike and Lori Jones and based in Kent, Wash.

He is off to a great start in 2014, finishing second to J. Michael Kelly in the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Series season-opener at Madison, Ind., last weekend.

“Running for Jones Racing is great,” said Zimmerman, who now lives in Maple Valley, Wash. “My crew chief, Jeff Campbell, is relentless. He’s at the race shop virtually day and night working on the boat.”

At Madison, Zimmerman was content with a podium in the rough-water conditions. On Sunday, he’ll be driving for the win.

“It was rough as I’ve ever seen it (at Madison),” said Zimmerman, who in 2004 built himself a 5-liter hydroplane and set four world speed records. “We were really in survival mode and trying to save the boat for Detroit.”

In the past, Zimmerman jumped into the cockpit of Dr. Ken Muscatel’s U-25 Superior Racing entry when offered to share the ride in 2010, and also subbed for JW Myers (U-37 Peters & May) when the driver was injured in a crash in Detroit in 2010 and for David (U-9 Oh Boy! Oberto) in the Motor City when David was hurt in 2011 at Madison the weekend before.

Though he doesn’t mind his “super sub” tag, Zimmerman wants to stay at Jones Racing and “not jump around” again.

“I’m very happy at the team,” Zimmerman said. “It’s a big advantage in having a permanent ride.”

Zimmerman has come far since his childhood days “and watching everything on Channels 4, 5 and 7 in Seattle about hydroplane racing.”

He’s back in Detroit with the glint of the Gold Cup in his eye.

Can he win it?

“That would be incredible,” Zimmerman said. “I can tell you, for sure, we are not here to finish second again.”

Contact Mike Brudenell: mbrudenell@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @mikebrudenell .

http://www.freep.com/article/20140710/SPORTS16/307100072/gold-cup-mike-zimmerman
 
Detroit — Jon Zimmerman grew up in Seattle, dreaming of one day winning the Gold Cup, which is the unlimited hydroplane series’ Super Bowl event.

Zimmerman, 49, feels he has his best chance of winning the Gold Cup this weekend on the Detroit River.

He showed the U9 Qatar boat will be among the favorites, qualifying at 160.432 miles per hour, second on the charts to Jimmy Shane’s 162.698 in the U6 Oberto.

“The boat is great,” Zimmerman said after qualifying Friday afternoon. “We went 160 and that’s pretty fast.”

Zimmerman was a substitute driver in the Oberto boat in 2011 for his first Gold Cup run when Steve David was injured. He has been competing the last few years full-time for Team Red Dot owners Mike and Lori Jones. The boat will have Qatar sponsorship on it this weekend.

So, do you think Zimmerman has any pressure on him? After all, Qatar-sponsored boats have won the Gold Cup the last four years, 2010-12 with Dave Villwock and Kip Brown last year.

Sure, Zimmerman has pressure, but it is self-imposed after finishing a close second to Brown in the Gold Cup last year. It was a wild finish between Brown and Zimmerman during the final laps after favorites David (lane violation) and Shane (boat damage) were out of the running.

“We’re very motivated this year and we feel like there’s no reason we can’t win this thing,” Zimmerman said. “Experience pays dividends so every year you make a little mistake here, you file it away and you know you don’t want to do that again, so it’s all adding up and we’re getting better and better.

“Last year, they rattled up (boat and rough waters on final lap near the Belle Isle bridge) and I got out of it a little bit. Part of me feels, ‘Boy, I should have kept my foot into it,’ but maybe we would have been upside down if we did.”

Zimmerman has learned from experience.

“We set the boat up a little different this year and we’ll go that route,” he said. “Well, the boat is a lot freer than it used to be and the geometry in the canards are a lot different so I’m flying the boat different than I did last year and the boat is getting over the bumps better than last year.”

And, he knows he can overcome a mistake in one of the heat races prior to Sunday afternoon’s Gold Cup final.”

“Last week in Heat 2 at Madison, I made a mistake, hooked the boat a little bit and ran over a buoy, but it only moved us back to third place,” said Zimmerman, who finished second in the Madison, Wisconsin, final to J. Michael Kelly. “Any other time in Madison that would have kept me out of the final.

“It would be better if there were more (than eight boats), but this is what we have so let’s be happy to have eight. There’s a lot of talent here. These guys are good racers and there’s some good boats so it’s going to be tough. We’re going to have to work for this thing.”

Zimmerman knows he is working for good owners with a strong crew.

“Mike and Lori Jones have been great owners and we have a bunch of Bud guys here (from dominant Miss Budweiser days),” Zimmerman said. “Jeff Campbell, our crew chief, works non-stop, really going after it. Our boat loves it here in Detroit and we’ll see if we can save something for Sunday.”

As fortunate as he is with his unlimited ride, he feels luckier with his new job working with Shane as an integration engineer at Blue Origin, building rockets.

“The place I used to work at for 35 years, where I was an auto mechanic, was going away so my wife, Joanne, and Bianca Shane were on Facebook talking about it and Bianca said, try where Jimmy works,” Zimmerman said.

“Jimmy hand-delivered my resume and I went through all the interview process and got a job there. I’ve been there for a little over a month and I love it there. It’s just like building a boat, but you get paid.”

The heats will get underway today at 1:40 p.m. with the second set of heats at 4:40. Heats will continue Sunday at 11:20 a.m. with the Gold Cup final at 4:30.



From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140711/SPORTS03/307110103#ixzz37IJHlML4
 
Detroit guaranteed new Gold Cup winner
For 2nd straight year Gold Cup field includes no prior champions

With defending champ Brown on sidelines, Shane, Kelly look like Gold Cup front-runners

Gold Cup Schedule

APBA GOLD CUP

Detroit River, Detroit, Mich.

WEEKEND UNLIMITED SCHEDULE

(All Times EDT)

Friday, July 11

Noon- 4 p.m. - Testing

5-7 p.m. - Qualifying

Saturday, July 12

9-10:30 a.m. - Testing

1:40 p.m. - Heat 1A

2 p.m. - Heat 1B

4:40 p.m. - Heat 2A

5 p.m. - Heat 2B

Sunday July 13

8-9 a.m. - Testing

11 a.m. - Heat 3A

11:40 a.m. - Heat 3B

2:10 p.m. - Heat 4A

2:30 p.m. - Heat 4B

4:30 p.m. - Detroit APBA Gold Cup Final Heat



Kip Brown got his chance at racing immortality last year when he claimed his first APBA Gold Cup. Now another driver will get a chance to find out what it feels like to hoist the oldest trophy in motorsports.

For the second-straight season there is guaranteed to be a new Gold Cup winner when the race concludes on Sunday in Detroit. None of the eight drivers who are expected to compete have won the race and only two teams have ended up in the winner's circle.

Miss Madison Racing won the Gold Cup way back in 1971 when Jim McCormick pulled off the stunning feat on the team's home course that inspired a movie. Jones Racing, which will be campaigning as the Spirit of Qatar this weekend, got its Cup in 2001 with Mike Hanson at the wheel.

Who will pick up the Cup this year? If last weekend's season opener at Madison is any indication, it may be hard to find a true favorite but the smart money is on Jimmy Shane.

The 28-year-old Shane was flat dominate for three-fourths of Sunday's race aboard the Oberto/Miss Madison, his first race with the team. He was the fastest qualifier, set a speed in testing that was 7 mph faster than his nearest competitor and he won all three of his preliminary heats in easy fashion.

But Shane didn't win the race. He was penalized one lap at the start of the final heat for jumping the gun and ended up placing fourth. The penalty opened the door for J. Michael Kelly to pick up his second-career win.

"You look at the overall points for this weekend, we're looking good," Shane said. "The boat was out in front for the entire final, we had the strongest boat out there. Next time I'll just have to give myself more leeway at the start."

Kelly, in his first race back with Graham Trucking, scored the win while teammate Cal Phipps was third in the Graham Trucking II despite a rough weekend. In between, Jon Zimmerman placed second in the Red Dot/Spirit of Qatar.

Those three drivers are expected to be Shane's top contenders this weekend. Zimmerman finished second to Brown at last year's Gold Cup while Kelly has three career third-place finishes, in 2007, 2010 and 2012. The only other current drivers to appear on the podium are Greg Hopp, who was second in 2001, and Tom Thompson ,who placed third last year.

Thompson was in line for a strong race at Madison with a pair of second-place finishes but he was forced to shut down his Peters & May in Heat 3A after sensing a vibration. The team did not make the final heat.

Hopp's Miss DiJulio did not reach the Madison pits until late Saturday but still made it on the water for two heats. In the first, Hopp was black-flagged off the course after his canopy came open. He placed third in the other heat.

The rough-luck award of the race went to the GoFastTurnLeft Racing team which sat second in points after the preliminary heats. But the boat cracked its right sponson after a big hop in Heat 3A and the team withdrew from the final heat but will be ready for the Gold Cup.

The GoFastTurnLeft team has two drivers sharing duties in the cockpit this season. Jamie Nilsen drove at Madison and picked up his first career heat win. Brian Perkins will steer the craft at Detroit.

The final boat in the field will be the Webster Racing team of Reading, Pa. which did not complete an official lap at Madison after blowing up an engine in testing. The team is hopeful that it will be able to compete this weekend.

Gold Cup rules dictate that four preliminary heats must be run and as a result, the race will be contested over two days. Testing will be this afternoon from noon to 4 p.m. with qualifying from 5-7 p.m.

A testing session from 9-10:30 a.m. begins Saturday's schedule with the first set of heats starting at 1:40 p.m. and second set at 4:40 p.m. Heats 3A and 3B will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, the fourth set of heats will be at 2:10 p.m. and the final will begin at 4:30 p.m.

http://madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=18&SubSectionID=289&ArticleID=84525
 
Jimmy Shane wins Detroit APBA Gold Cup for first time

Jimmy Shane’s U-6 Oberto thunder boat looked like it had gone through a rough day of Lake St. Clair.

Shane brought it home with a busted up vertical rear stabilizer bar, which was almost dangling in the water, but still won his first Detroit APBA Gold Cup on the Detroit River on Sunday despite the damage.

In a bizarre Cup final, Shane, 28, actually crossed the finish line about a quarter lap behind J. Michael Kelly in the U-1 Graham Trucking unlimited hydroplane entry. But, Kelly was penalized a lap for getting to the race course’s one-minute marker for the start of the race too soon.

It was an error that cost Kelly dearly and one that gave Shane and the Oberto boat their first-ever Gold Cup victory.

Kelly was crushed by the cruel blow – a result of a malfunction of his stop watch and GPS system in his boat. Shane was elated and humbled by the fact he’d won the jewel in the crown of H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Series.

“I knew it was going to be lumpy out there for the final and that J. Michael was going to be running hard,” said Shane after celebrating with Oberto crew members on the dock after his win. “That he was going to be up there early.

“But I knew once J. Michael got so far down the course, I knew he wasn’t going to be able to slow down, so I knew I was in a pretty good position.

“Once I found out (on the radio) that J. Michael had a one minute penalty, I let him go. I wanted to bring back the boat in one piece.”

Shane, who is from Covington, Wash., almost didn’t.

His vertical rear stabilizer bar collapsed on the fourth lap of five, got caught in the propeller and slowed his boat down considerably.

But, he still managed to easily beat Brian Perkins in the U-21 Al Deeby Dodge, who finished a game second, and Cal Phipps of Sterling Heights, who placed third in the Graham Trucking II boat.

Kelly, who was credited with fourth place, stayed with his boat and a couple of crew members on the dock long after the race finished.

His unlimited hydroplane was fast and he knew he could have captured his first Gold Cup had he not arrived early at the one-minute line and paid the price.

“I looked down and my stop watch and GPS had stopped working,” said Shane, fighting his emotions. “They quit working. I didn’t know if I was doing 50 or 100 miles per hour. You are kind of guessing. I was kind of guessing at where I was.”

Kelly, 35, never gave up the fight despite knowing he was out of the race on the first lap.

“You can’t give up – maybe they just eye-balled it wrong,” said Kelly. “Nobody is purposely going to take it (the win) away from you, and I know that. It was just bad luck with my stop watch and GPS. They didn’t catch us on the first lap. “My boat ran faster than it ran all weekend. But it’s tough, I just hate it that the victory is taken away like that. How long do I have to wait for a Gold Cup now – that’s the thing?

Shane was equally emotional after the race, but his was a good feeling.

“This is a childhood dream come true – this is incredible,” said Shane, whose boat is owned by the city of Madison, Ind. “Some of the greats (of unlimited hydroplane racing) have won this race. I know I’m still young, but I’ve been around this sport all my life. I’m just ecstatic to be in an elite group of drivers. I could not be happier for the city of Madison and the Oberto company.”

Gold Cup standings
1. Jimmy Shane, U-6 Oberto

2. Brian Perkins, U-21 Al Deeby Dodge

3. Cal Phipps (Sterling Heights), U-7 Graham Trucking II

4. J. Michael Kelly, U-1 Graham Trucking; 1 lap penalty

5. Mike Webster, U-22 Webster Racing

http://www.freep.com/article/20140713/SPORTS16/307130146/detroit-gold-cup-jimmy-shane
 
Crash doesn't crush Gold Cup racer's spirit

Jon Zimmerman recalled his visit to the racecourse medical center after his crash Saturday on the Detroit River with some wry humor.

It was Sunday morning, Zimmerman was in the pits at the Detroit APBA Gold Cup, and people wanted to stop him to talk about his evil-looking blow-over in the U-9 Team Red Dot/Spirit of Qatar boat in Heat 2B as he was about to turn at the MacArthur Bridge.

So, what did the doctors and he chat about?

“We kept it pretty light,” said Zimmerman, who finished second last year in the Gold Cup and looked to have a boat good enough to challenge for the win this weekend until it speared a full 40 feet into the air, rotated 360 degrees and landed on its stern with a crunch. “We were laughing. They were waiting for my heart rate to come down and checking if my head was screwed on tight.”

Those unlimited hydroplane drivers — they wreck at 200 m.p.h., somersault all over the water, get rescued by drivers and still can joke about it.

They are a different breed, and Zimmerman is a perfect example.

He was back at the Detroit River racecourse Sunday and would have driven in the Gold Cup had his boat not been so badly damaged in the accident.

So, how did he feel Sunday morning?

“My neck — it’s OK,” said Zimmerman, 49, from Maple Valley, Wash. “I got a little bump in my ribs. They’ve been dropping like flies this weekend.”

Zimmerman’s humor didn’t cloak his disappointment at not racing Sunday, however.

“Extremely disappointed not to get a chance to run for the Gold Cup,” said Zimmerman, who works with young unlimited ace Jimmy Shane at private aerospace company Blue Origin in Kent, Wash.

Zimmerman’s blow-over happened as he entered the biggest and fastest turn in unlimited hydroplane racing.

He was chasing Shane in the Oberto when he got launched.

“We actually laid up a little bit,” Zimmerman said. “We were being a little conservative going in there. The boat hit a bump and instead of walking it, both sponsons hit (the roller) at the same time and we did a wheelie. That’s all it took.”

Zimmerman went flying, which is not what unlimited hydroplane drivers like doing. Walking is OK — flying, not so much.

Zimmerman has blown over before, but in smaller inboard hydroplanes, not 3,000-horsepower unlimited boats with large wings.

“The big boats have more hang time than the little boats,” Zimmerman said with a laugh. “There’s a lot more time waiting for a landing.”

Next year’s APBA Gold Cup has been scheduled for Aug. 21-23. It might cause some unlimited teams to re-evaluate if they will make the trip to Detroit, but not Zimmerman.

“It’s more cost-effective if we drive from the Madison (Ind.) Regatta to Detroit before returning to Seattle for us West Coast guys,” Zimmerman said. “But I’m sure the competitors will come out here and race.”

Zimmerman, driving for U-7 Racing, wants a Gold Cup in his portfolio. “We didn’t come here to finish second,” he said. “Maybe I should have been a little easier on the boat in Saturday’s heat. But we’re racers. We go out and try and win.”

http://www.freep.com/article/201407...Brudenell-Crash-does-not-crush-racer-s-spirit
 
Jimmy Shane, 28, is youngest Gold Cup winner since Chip Hanauer in 1982


Detroit – Jimmy Shane had an error-free weekend on the Detroit River which left him holding the APBA Gold Cup trophy late Sunday afternoon.

Shane, 28, replaced 12-time Gold Cup runner-up Steve David in the U6 Oberto boat owned by the city of Madison, Indiana.

David retired at the end of last season. He never won the Gold Cup and felt robbed last year after a lane violation on the first lap while leading.

Ironically, it was Shane who took advantage of J. Michael Kelly’s violation — reaching the 1-minute marker early to establish lane position — to win the unlimited hydroplane series’ Super Bowl event.

Kelly actually was ahead of Shane by more than one-quarter lap on the course, but he was penalized a lap for the violation.

“This feels fantastic,” Shane said after winning the five-lap race on the rough water, circling the 2.72-mile course with an average speed of 140.863 mph. “I knew it was going to be lumpy out there for the final. I knew J. Michael was going to run hard.

“Once I found out J. Michael had the one-minute penalty I let him go. I did not want to run the boat hard. I wanted to bring it back as much in one piece as I could. You can tell how rough it still was out there and I was running easy.”

Shane won all four preliminary heats he entered prior to the final, including one over Kelly Saturday. Kelly won three heats.

Shane had to nurse the U6 boat during the final lap and a half — after suffering a broken vertical rear stabilizer bar which crashed into the propeller — to win by 15 seconds over Brian Perkins. Sterling Heights resident Cal Phipps finished third. Kelly, who won the season opener July 6 at Madison when Shane jumped the gun on the start, placed fourth, ahead of Mike Webster.

Shane became the youngest Gold Cup champ since Chip Hanauer won the first of his record 11 titles in 1982 at age 28. Shane’s win was also the first Gold Cup win for sponsor Oberto and the second Gold Cup win for the city of Madison, its first since 1971.

“I’m so happy that I could bring this back to the community of Madison, Indiana,” Shane said. “I’m extremely happy that I could bring it to Oberto, too. It’s my greatest victory, for sure.”

It was Shane’s seventh career unlimited win.

With no past champion in the field — defending champion Kip Brown was without a ride and 10-time champion Dave Villwock retired two years ago — Shane entered the week as the favorite. And, he didn’t disappoint.

Kelly, 35, was near tears.

“They called me for going over the 1-minute buoy, but I don’t think I did,” he said. “I fell off the plane, got a warning, got back on plane and still felt I was behind the yellow buoy. My stopwatch stopped at 1:38 (counting down) and my GPS gauge broke so I had problems.

“I had such a good boat. It’s just unfortunate. Gold Cups aren’t easy to win. I found out (about penalty) right when it happened. You can’t give up, though. You have to put it behind you. After all, you’re still hoping they made a mistake. We showed we won on the water. We showed we could run with Oberto and that’s something we can be proud of.”

Graham Trucking owner Ted Porter was hoping for a fifth straight victory after Shane, his former driver, won the final three events last year and new driver Kelly won this season’s opener.

“We had great racing all weekend and had the opportunity to let it all hang out today in the final,” Porter said. “We had the equipment and positioning to win the Gold Cup and a little technicality, a judgment call, took it away. He (Shane) knew right away about the penalty and Jimmy was still running hard and blew the wing off of it (because of broken wing stabilizer).”

The Gold Cup final normally has six boats competing, but it was a five-boat field this year. Boats driven by Jon Zimmerman (blow-over), Tom Thompson (gearbox, engine) and Greg Hopp (gearbox, engine) suffered from an assortment of problems, keeping them out of the final.


From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140713/SPORTS03/307130031#ixzz37ai9Et00
 
Shane, Oberto dominate Gold Cup

Following a mistake at last week’s season-opening regatta in Madison, Ind., Oberto driver Jimmy Shane had a perfect weekend at the Gold Cup in Detroit. The top qualifier on Friday, and winner of his two preliminary heats on Saturday, Shane was able to keep up his perfect weekend on Sunday.

He won both his preliminary heats, which set him up for a rematch with last week’s winner J Michael Kelly in the Graham Trucking. Last week, Shane made the mistake and jumped the gun in the final. This week, it was Kelly’s turn to make an error as he got to the starting line too early and he had to run the extra lap.

With his main competition starting out a lot behind, Shane was able to cruise to victory in the final heat of the day. Second place went to Brian Perkins in the Al Deeby Dodge, followed by Cal Phipps in the Graham Trucking 2 in third. After serving his penalty, Kelly ended up fourth in the Graham Trucking. Mike Webster, who was also penalized, ended up fifth in the final heat.

Unfortunately, our local hydroplane — the Miss Peters and May — suffered from engine problems all weekend and scored no points.

The boats now move to Washington state for two races, in the Tri-Cities in two weeks, followed by Seafair in Seattle, one week later.

http://myedmondsnews.com/2014/07/shane-oberto-dominate-gold-cup/
 
Gold Cup Final Results

Finish Boat Driver Avg. Speed Points

1 U-6 Oberto Jimmy Shane 140.863 400
2 U-21 Miss Al Deeby Dodge Brian Perkins 134.876 300
3 U-7 Graham Trucking II Cal Phipps 127.289 225
4 U-1 Graham Trucking J. Michael Kelly 144.534 169
5 U-22 Webster Racing Mike Webster 113.005 127
 
Qatar crashes at Belle Isle Detroit Gold Cup race 2014. Rescue swimmers come right away, driver is okay and comes out on his own. Crowd cheers.

About the 1:50 mark, Qatar flip

 
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