Friendly waters buoying hydros

Through all its various incarnations, controversies and death notices the last three decades, the unlimited hydroplane racing circuit has always had at least six rocks of relative stability.

Or, as Sam Cole, the chairman of the American Boat Racing Association, says, "They are the six pillars of the sport."

And in 2007, it is those pillars — the six cities that have hosted races for at least the last 29 years — on which the sport again rests.

Race schedule


Sunday: Thunder on the Ohio, Evansville, Ind.

July 8: Madison Regatta, Madison, Ind.

July 15: Gold Cup, Detroit

July 29: Tri-Cities Water Follies Atomic Cup

Aug. 5: Chevrolet Cup at Seafair

Sept. 16: Thunderboat Regatta, San Diego

The circuit had seven races each of the last three years. New sites were pursued in an attempt to capitalize on renewed interest in the sport in the wake of the loss of the dominant Miss Budweiser.

But none of the new sites — Valleyfield, Quebec, in 2006; Nashville in 2005; and St. Clair, Mich., in 2004 — morphed into a permanent one.

So now, the circuit is back to the same old six, leaving the sport at the same number of races it had from 2001 to 2003, regarded as some of the darkest years in its history.

The season kicks off this weekend with the Thunder on the Ohio race, in Evansville, Ind.

There is little change in the lineup from a year ago.

Of the 10 boats expected at Evansville, all of them raced a year ago. A few more boats are expected for the series' Western swing, including the U-17 Our Gang Racing, a new team put together by veteran driver Nate Brown.

The circuit favorites figure to again be the U-16 Elam Plus, driven by Dave Villwock; the U-37 Beacon Plumbing, driven by Jean Theoret (who won both the Gold Cup and Seafair last season); and the U-16 Oh Boy! Oberto, driven by Steve David.

The U-6 may provide the most intrigue this weekend. It debuts a new hull that David predicts will be faster than the boat in which David accumulated enough points to take the national driver's points title — without winning a race.

The new boat is 600 pounds lighter and wider in the sponsons, which David says should help in acceleration and in the turns.

Theoret and Villwock found their way to the winner's circle most often last year, each winning three races. Included in Villwock's haul was a win at Evansville, the 10th time in 12 years he has taken that race with either the Elam or the Budweiser. Villwock has 51 career wins, third all-time behind Bill Muncey (62) and Chip Hanauer (61).

The other boat to win last season was the Formulaboats.com with Mike Allen. That boat finished with the most points for the season to win the national title, so it will race as the U-1 this season.

Cole said there will be no new major rule changes this season. What could make an impact on the water, however, was the purchase by ABRA of new equipment to track potential fuel-flow violations.

"We think there's going to be even more parity out there [by investing] to make sure everyone is here running officially," he said.

Notes

• There are expected to be two rookie drivers on the circuit this season — David Bryant in the U-10 USA Racing; and Brian Perkins in the U-21 Freedom Racing. Bryant, of Mesa, Ariz., replaces veteran J.W. Myers, who is taking the year off to concentrate on his roofing business.

• The U-21 is the boat that burned at Seafair last year. The team decided to build a new boat and driver Kevin Aylesworth retired, opening the door for Perkins, a Black Diamond resident.