Albert Lee Appliance Seafair Cup

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 - SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016
GENESEE PARK/LAKE WASHINGTON
FRI/SAT 8 A.M.- 6 P.M., SUN 7:30 A.M.- 6 P.M.

The Unlimited Hydroplanes return to Seattle for another exciting edition of Seafair. These jet-powered marvels are quicker than ever, and as the competition showed in 2015, it's deck-to-deck competition in virtually every heat of racing. Straightaway speeds now exceed 200 mph!

The technology has enhanced, and with it, the level of competition throughout the field has improved dramatically. For the history buffs, the Allison engines of P38 fame return in the former Gold Cup winning Ed Cooper entry, sponsored in 2015 by HomeStreet Bank. This amazing hull runs speeds equal to the turbines while producing over 3,000 horsepower.

Not only is the competition tougher, but the fan experience has been greatly enriched as well. With new apps for virtually every smart phone, live streaming video from the course and cockpit is available to everyone, free of charge.

Seattle companies continue to invest in Seafair with 2015 champion Graham Trucking returning to defend their championship while Albert Lee Appliance returns as title sponsor. New boats enter the water for 2016 including the highly anticipated entry of formidable Seattle team owner Greg O'Farrell.

Seattle remains the heartbeat of Unlimited Hydroplane racing. Join us August 5-7, 2016 where the fastest race boats in the world compete on the world's most beautiful and competitive racecourse, the famed and treacherous Lake Washington!

Weekend Itinerary
Friday
9 - 10:15 a.m.: H1 Unlimited Testing
4 - 6 p.m.: H1 Unlimited Qualifying Session

Saturday
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.: H1 Unlimited Testing
11:35 - 11:50 a.m.: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 1A
11:55 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 1B
4:55 - 6 p.m.: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Testing

Sunday
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Testing
10:55 - 11:10 a.m.: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 2A
11:15 - 11:30 a.m.: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 2B
2:30 - 2:45 p.m.: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 3A
2:50 - 3:05 p.m.: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Heat 3B
4:45 - 5 p.m.: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Heat Finals
5:15 - 5:30 p.m.: Awards Ceremony

 

[Serious News]

BUI Testing to Increase this Weekend in Seattle.

SEATTLE, Aug. 5, 2016 - — Every year, Seafair™ draws huge crowds of boat enthusiasts to the Puget Sound area for ten weeks of summer fun. With boat racing, airplanes, amateur athletics, & more than 70 other events, there is something for everyone to enjoy. As with any event attracting millions of people – especially one involving watersports – safety is a top priority. Part of ensuring safety at this event is strict enforcement of BUI laws (boating under the influence). Washington law states that it is unlawful to operate a boat or other watercraft while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Similar to driving laws, it is illegal for a boat operator to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher. If a watercraft operator is stopped & is found to have a BAC exceeding this limit, they can be charged with BUI & face gross misdemeanor charges. Boating under the influence is not just limited to alcohol. Boaters can moreover face BUI charges if they are found to have a blood THC content of 5.00 or higher.

http://www.southcarolinasc.com/2016/08/bui-testing-to-increase-this-weekend-in-seattle/

 

[Serious News]

Former rivals Oh Boy! Oberto, Ellstrom team join forces
By Nathan Joyce of the Kitsap Sun

SEATTLE — For most of the last decade, the Ellstrom team was battling with Oh Boy! Oberto to be the top hydroplane in the H1 Unlimited Fleet.

Now the Ballard-based Ellstrom team, which has competed as the Miss Elam Plus, the 96 Spirit of Qatar and Ellstrom racing, has become Oh Boy! Oberto.

The Seattle-based beef jerky company decided last year to stop sponsoring hydroplanes — something it had done since 1975.

But when the Ellstrom pulled up to the pits in the Tri-Cities last weekend for the Columbia Cup, it had a new paint job.

"Now we don't fight any more," Erick Ellstrom said. "We play together."

Last weekend at the Columbia Cup, it was the new U-16 Oh Boy! Oberto still tussling with the former Oberto, which is now called U-1 Homestreet Bank (and is still the Madison Racing team and driven by Jimmy Shane, who has won the last three national titles).

In the championship heat, the Oh Boy! Oberto and Homesteet Bank collided. Oberto driver Jean Theoret was initially given a one-lap penalty during the heat. After the race, H1 officials reversed the call and gave the penalty to Shane, who had won the race. After the penalty, J. Michael Kelly and the Graham Trucking was awarded the win.

"It was unfortunate that happened," Ellstrom said. "There was a big argument. Who went in? Who went out?"

The race was somewhat typical for the Ellstrom team over the past few years.

The team is still working back from a calamitous race in Doha, Qatar, in 2013. South Kitsap grad Dave Villwock, in his final race with the team, had a flip and a fire. The Ellstrom team rebuilt the boat from scratch.

That boat debuted in Tri-Cities in 2014, but was damaged the next week at Seafair when Kip Brown flipped the boat (or blow over, in hydroplane speak). Brown left the team after aggravating a neck injury later that season in San Diego.

The boat returned last season but suffered more bad luck in 2015 with a flip in Detroit.

At nearly every stop, the boat shows it speed by topping the qualifying ladder, but the wins haven't followed in recent years.

It's no wonder Theoret, a veteran racer who joined the team last season, has a simple plan this year.

"Our main goal right now is to make it to the final and stay out of trouble," he said.

The Oh Boy! Oberto was once again the top qualifier Friday at the Albert Lee Cup at Seafair at 150.093 mph.

This season, the Ellstrom team skipped the season-opener in Madison, Indiana, and how many races they'll make this season is still up in the air.

"We're not in it for the points this year," Ellstrom said.

Making the whole circuit, and competing for the National High Points title, was something the team did for more than 20 years, Ellstrom said.

When will they be back for the whole run?

"We're hoping next year," said Theoret, who won his first two appearances at Seafair in 2005-06.

The Ellstrom team hasn't exactly taken advantage of homefield advantage at Seafair. In some 25 years of racing on Lake Washington, the team has notched only three wins, two with Villwock behind the wheel in 2008-09. They have 12 top-three finishes.

But they've been top qualifier at Seafair 11 times.

"The boat is built for longer race courses," said Theoret, referring to the Ted Jones Race Course which is the shortest on the circuit at 2 miles.

"Seattle, of course, is that equalizer," Ellstrom said. "It's so rough and it's a short course."

Also

All nine boats in the pits Friday qualified for the weekend of racing. ... Heat 1A and 1B are Saturday starting at 11:35 a.m. The rest of the race is Sunday starting at 10:55 a.m. The Finals are at 4:45 p.m.

___________

Albert Lee Cup at Seafair qualifying
Boat Driver Speed
U-16 Oh Boy! Oberto Jean Theoret 150.093
U-1 Homestreet Bank Jimmy Shane 147.737
U-9 Sound Propeller Andrew Tate 147.598
U-5 Graham Trucking J. Michael Kelly 147.504
U-21 Albert Lee Appliances Brian Perkins 145.091
U-3 Miss DiJulio Jimmy King 142.272
U-7 Graham Trucking Jeff Bernard 138.020
U-99.9 Miss Rock Kevin Eacret 134.285

http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/for...d6-2392-2b50-e053-0100007f57c8-389353041.html

 

[Serious News]

Penalties keep Oh Boy! Oberto out of Seafair hydroplane final
The U-16, driven by Jean Theoret, accumulated three one-minute penalties in its three heat races, thus eliminating its shot at a championship.
By Kristen Gowdy

After it posted the top qualifying time Friday, Oh Boy! Oberto owner Erick Ellstrom said there were a “million things” that could go wrong before his U-16 boat won the Albert Lee Appliance Cup.

It was almost as if he were foreshadowing the weekend.

In an unprecedented turn of events, the U-16, driven by Jean Theoret, accumulated three one-minute penalties in its three heat races, thus eliminating its shot at a championship.

The most recent penalty, in Sunday morning’s opening race of the third and final heat, Theoret encroached on the U-5 boat’s lane. The U-5, driven by J. Michael Kelly, sustained damage after getting caught in Theoret’s rooster tail.

Normally, an encroachment violation merits a lesser penalty, but because Theoret had been called for another encroachment last weekend in Tri-Cities, his penalty was elevated to a Class-3 violation, earning him the time punishment.

Thus, the Albert Lee Appliance Cup will field a final round that is without one of its most heavily favored entrants.

Instead, the U-21 Miss Albert Lee Appliance boat, driven by Brian Perkins, got his first heat win of 2016.

“This heat was do or die for us,” Perkins, whose win secured a spot in the finals, said. “This is home for our guys, the owners are local guys, it’s important for us to do well and we want to represent them well.”

The U-16 boat will still have the opportunity to be the trailer boat in the final race, which would involve starting in the outermost lane behind all of the other drivers. The trailer boat generally does not enter a race with a shot of winning, but completing the race earns the driver National High Points.

Theoret’s team will decide whether they want to trail the championship race. If not, the option will transfer to the U-11 Peters & May boat, driven by Tom Thompson.

Notes
• Penalties were accrued in all six heat races this weekend. In Sunday’s action, the U-7 and U-21 boats each received a one-minute penalty for jumping the gun in the first race of the second heat. The U-16 boat accrued the same penalty in the second race of the heat.

In the third and final heat, the U-99.9 boat was disqualified for a violation in the DMZ zone before the first race in the second heat. In the second race of the heat, the U-16 boat received a $250 fine and a one-minute penalty for a Class III encroachment.

• After receiving a one-minute penalty in the first heat yesterday, U-1 driver Jimmy Shane responded with a successful day two, winning both of his heat races on the day. Shane is heavily favored to win the championship Sunday evening.

• In the Seafair Cup Grand Prix finals, GP-15 Jerry Hopp took home the title just a day after flipping his boat in one of the heat races. A Snohomish resident, Hopp has been racing since 1975

The U-16 boat will still have the opportunity to be the trailer boat in the final race, which would involve starting in the outermost lane behind all of the other drivers. The trailer boat generally does not enter a race with a shot of winning, but completing the race earns the driver National High Points.

Theoret’s team will decide whether they want to trail the championship race. If not, the option will transfer to the U-11 Peters & May boat, driven by Tom Thompson.

Notes

• Penalties were accrued in all six heat races this weekend. In Sunday’s action, the U-7 and U-21 boats each received a one-minute penalty for jumping the gun in the first race of the second heat. The U-16 boat accrued the same penalty in the second race of the heat.

In the third and final heat, the U-99.9 boat was disqualified for a violation in the DMZ zone before the first race in the second heat. In the second race of the heat, the U-16 boat received a $250 fine and a one-minute penalty for a Class III encroachment.

• After receiving a one-minute penalty in the first heat yesterday, U-1 driver Jimmy Shane responded with a successful day two, winning both of his heat races on the day. Shane is heavily favored to win the championship Sunday evening.

• In the Seafair Cup Grand Prix finals, GP-15 Jerry Hopp took home the title just a day after flipping his boat in one of the heat races. A Snohomish resident, Hopp has been racing since 1975..
http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/...h-boy-oberto-out-of-seafair-hydroplane-final/

 

[Serious News]

Rookie Tate wins Seafair hydro race
KRISTEN GOWDY Seattle Times

Rookie driver Andrew Tate drives the U-9 Sound Propeller/Les Schwab boat to the Seafair Cup victory on Sunday on Lake Washington.

SEATTLE — Victory in Seattle eluded Mark Tate throughout his lifetime of hydroplane racing.

But decades later his son, Andrew, won the 2016 Albert Lee Appliance Cup on Sunday in historic fashion.

In just his third H1 Unlimited race, Tate became the first rookie since 1966 to win the Seafair Cup.

Racing the U-9 Sound Propeller/Les Schwab boat, the 26-year-old did not look like a rookie in the championship race, staving off three-time defending national champion Jimmy Shane in a decisive victory.

“It’s indescribable,” he said. “I’m on Cloud Nine.”

Tate had just one wish: that his father had been there to see his son accomplish what he never could. His parents were home in Michigan, preparing to move into a new home.

“They aren’t here. I sure wish they were, but they’re here in spirit,” Tate said. “They just sold their house and they’re packing up the last 20 years of their lives.”

The move is fitting, for the Tate family is beginning another new chapter in their lives, one that features the next generation of H1 Unlimited racing. Mark, a third-generation racer, passed the sport down to Andrew, who grew up around the sport and quickly learned its intricacies.

And on Sunday, Tate was able to put it all together for the first time.

“He’s had a lot of bad luck,” Shane said. “He’ll get to the final heat and something will break on the boat or something. I’m very happy for him.”

Tate established an inside position from the start, putting himself in the innermost lane during the five-minute, prerace scramble for positioning. In the final minute before the start, Shane, driving the HomeStreet Bank, cut across the infield in an attempt to cut Tate off.

He was too late. Tate was already down the straightaway, and Shane was forced into the second lane.

From there, the Les Schwab boat took over. Tate had a full rooster tail on Shane, who was in second place throughout the five-lap race, heading into the fourth lap. The HomeStreet boat began making up ground in the final two laps, cutting the deficit in half by the time Tate came around the final turn.

But, racing beyond his years, Tate held onto the lead just long enough.

“He was playing it exactly like he should’ve,” Shane said. “We gained and almost pulled up next to him coming around the final corner but he had it and I think he knew he had it.”

Tate, however, wasn’t so sure. He had spent the hours between the heat races and the championship in his team’s truck, drawing up various scenarios and working out strategy. His hope was that Shane and U5 Graham Trucking’s J. Michael Kelly would write him off.

“I was hoping [they] were going to kind of go after each other and forget about [me],” he said. “Everything kind of went our way.”

Even the field went Tate’s way. Shane and Kelly, who has won the past two Albert Lee Appliance Cups, were favored to win, but the championship round could have been different had the Oh Boy! Oberto boat, driven by Jean Theoret, qualified. Theoret, another favorite, was penalized in each of his three heat races.

Meanwhile, in a minor pre-race collision, Kelly effectively eliminated himself from the race, accruing a one-lap penalty. He finished in fourth, as Theoret, who was trailing the race, and the U-3 DiJulio boat did not finish.

That left the path open for Tate and Shane. And the rookie came out on top.

His father’s history on this course made the victory even more special.

His crew members knew it, too. After the race, one of them got Tate’s attention.

“Have you called Dad?”

Tate, who was swamped with hugs and high-fives and autograph requests, smiled and shook his head. His teammate just laughed.

“Call Dad. Right now.”

http://www.union-bulletin.com/sport...cle_30db2234-5d85-11e6-922b-87ed4254e278.html

 

[Serious News]

Rookie Tate wins Albert Lee Cup for first hydro victory

SEATTLE — Andrew Tate’s father was known for always being the bridesmaid at Seafair.

But on his first attempt, Tate got to be the bride.

The rookie driver won on the course where his father never could, pulling off the upset as his U-9 Sound Propeller/Les Schwab boat took the title in the Albert Lee Cup H1 unlimited hydroplane race, held Sunday afternoon off of Stan Sayres Memorial Park on Lake Washington.

Tate’s father, Mark, was a top driver during the 1990s, finishing second at Seafair on multiple occasions. But Tate was able to take home this year’s trophy — and earn his first ever H1 win — by gaining inside position on the start, then holding off national points leader Jimmy Shane in the U-1 HomeStreet Bank to win a compelling race by a rooster tail.

“It’s undescribable, honestly,” Tate said about Sunday’s victory. “I’m on cloud nine, it’s just a dream come true.

“(My father) has been super influential in my career,” Tate added. “Getting me started, giving advice, supporting me, giving me the time off work to be able to do something the entire family loves. It’s unreal.”

Tate was not one of the pre-race favorites as Shane, fastest qualifier Jean Theoret in the U-16 Oh Boy! Oberto, and two-time defending champion J. Michael Kelly in the U-5 Graham Trucking, were considered the true contenders.

But Theoret’s penalties during the heat races took him out of contention. Then Tate was able to grab lane two in the lead-up to the start of the championship race, forcing Shane and Kelly to the outside. Tate grabbed the lead on the start, and Shane was the only competitor in the six-boat final able to keep pace.

Tate and Shane battled throughout the race, with Tate maintaining a rooster-tail lead through the first three laps of the five-lap race before Shane pulled within striking distance in lap four. However, Tate was able to hold Tate off around the final turn and take the checkered flag.

“That was what the fans come here to see, that was a boat race,” a good-natured Shane said.

“He really deserved to win today,” Shane added about Tate. “He put himself in the best position he could, timed it perfectly in the warm-up period, nobody could get inside of him, and he really earned that one.”

Tate was the first rookie to prevail at Seafair since 1956, when Jim Ranger won aboard My Gypsy.

Theoret a two-time former Seafair champion, was knocked out of contention before the final even began. He was penalized in all three of his heat races — going below 80 mph in the run-up to his first heat, jumping the gun in his second heat, then encroaching on the lane outside him in his third. The Oberto team appealed the third penalty, but the decision was upheld, meaning Theoret didn’t accumulate enough points to qualify for the final. He started the final as the trailer boat, but pulled off the course early in the race.

Meanwhile, Kelly also took himself out of contention early. Kelly bumped with Brian Perkins’ U-21 Albert Lee Appliance jockeying for position on on the start and ended up penalized one lap. Therefore, although Kelly crossed the finish line third, he was bumped to fifth, with Perkins being awarded third.

http://www.heraldnet.com/sports/rookie-tate-wins-albert-lee-cup-for-first-hydro-victory/

 

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