2000 Indiana Governor's Cup
Ohio River, Madison, Indiana, July 1-2, 2000

Indiana Governor's Cup at Madison Results

July 3, 2000 (Madison, IN) - Dave Villwock and Miss Budweiser won the third race of the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series at the Belterra Resort & Casino Indiana Governor's Cup.

For the third time this season, Villwock and Miss Budweiser were top qualifiers, won all three of their heats and the finals.

Mark Weber in the U-10 York Heating & Air Conditioning finished second and Mike Hanson in the U-9 Jones Racing finished third. Weber also won three heats and challenged Villwock in the final but could not overtake him on the Ohio River.

Belterra Resort & Casino Indiana Governor's Cup Results

1. U-1 Miss Budweiser, driven by Dave Villwock.
2. U-10 York Heating & Air Conditioning, driven by Mark Weber.
3. U-9 Jones Racing, driven by Mike Hanson.
4. U-5 Appian Jeronimo, driven by George Stratton.
5. U-8 Llumar Window Film, driven by Jimmy King.
6. U-6 Miss Madison, driven by Charlie Wiggins.
   U-25 Miss Freei, driven by Dr. Ken Muscatel.
   U-3 Master Tire, driven by Mitch Evans.
   U-2 Freddie's Club Casino, driven by Mark Tate.

Next stop on the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series is the Chrysler Jeep
APBA Gold Cup at Detroit, Michigan on July 6-9.

*  *  *

Miss Budweiser Wins Indiana Governor's Cup at Madison

July 3, 2000 (Madison, Ind.) - Dave Villwock and Miss Budweiser won the Belterra Resort & Casino Indiana Governor's Cup on Sunday at Madison, the third race of the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series.

Villwock was able to capitalize on a perfect start in the final and cruised to his third win of the season. Miss Budweiser was the top qualifier in the nine-boat field with an average lap speed of 153.262 mph and won all three of their preliminary heats. "After last year's disappointment when the Ohio River got the best of me, I wanted to come to Madison and take home the Indiana Governor's Cup," said Villwock.

Mark Weber in the U-10 York Heating & Air Conditioning finished second and Mike Hanson in the U-9 Jones Racing finished third. Fourth place went to George Stratton in the U-5 Appian Jeronimo.

* Weber Has Up and Down Ride at Madison During Mark Weber's first qualifying run at Madison, his U-10 York Heating & Air Conditioning hit a log floating on the river and did substantial damage to his rudder. The U-10 crew worked feverishly throughout the night and was able to fix the boat in time for its first heat. Weber then proceeded to win all three of his heats and battled Villwock to the end but was not able to catch him in the final. "My performance at Madison is all due to a fantastic crew," said Weber. "I could not have won those three heats if it weren't for them and their dedication to this team."

* Wiggins Drives Hometown Miss Madison Charley Wiggins in his second Unlimited race ever drove the hometown Miss Madison to a respectable sixth place finish at Madison. Wiggins won the consolation heat in order to make the finals and thrilled the crowd with his performance.

* Unlimited Hydros Prepare for APBA Gold Cup The Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series makes its annual stop this weekend (July 6-9) at the prestigious Chrysler Jeep American Power Boat Association (APBA) Gold Cup on the Detroit River. If there is a single race that Unlimited Hydros drivers want to win more than any other throughout the season, it would be the APBA Gold Cup. Many drivers refer to the event as their Super Bowl or Indy 500 and Detroit Gold Cups are the biggest of all.

Careers have been built around success in Detroit. The legendary Bill Muncey, whose name graces the pit area in Detroit, scored eight of his 62 career wins in Detroit. Chip Hanauer, who retired earlier this year, made a remarkable return to competition last year and won an unprecedented 11th APBA Gold Cup. Miss Budweiser team owner Bernie Little, the most successful boat owner in the history of Unlimited racing, has 12 ABPA Gold Cups to his credit.

"The APBA Gold Cup is the one race that I focus my attention on every year," said Little. "The Gold Cup always seems to get my competitive juices running and each season I look forward to winning another Gold Cup."

* Tate and Weber Hometown Favorites in Detroit Mark Tate, Canton, Mich., in the U-2 Miss Chrysler Jeep and Mark Weber, St. Clair Shores, Mich., in the U-10 York Heating & Air Conditioning will be racing in front of their family and friends when the Hydros compete at the APBA Gold Cup. Both Tate and Weber grew up watching the Unlimiteds race along the Detroit River and could not ask for a better treat than to win the Gold Cup.

Weber has enjoyed a great season as he currently stands in second place in the O'Doul's National High Points Championship after posting a second place finish last weekend at Madison and two third-place finishes at the Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. and the Budweiser Thunder on the Ohio, Evansville, Ind.

Tate, a two-time winner of the APBA Gold Cup in 1991 and 1994, is also off to a great start of the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series. Tate is currently in fourth place in the O'Doul's National High Points Championship after securing two second-place finishes at Lake Havasu City and Evansville.

"Mark Weber and I will enjoy racing in front of our hometown crowd," said Tate. "But we can't rely on the fan support alone to take us to victory. The Gold Cup always brings out the best in every Unlimited driver and with one little mistake, your hopes and dreams of winning could be gone. The Detroit River has always been a challenging race course but hopefully I can use some local knowledge to my advantage and take home my third Gold Cup."

Practice and qualifying will begin for the Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Thursday, July 6 with the finals scheduled for Sunday, July 9. The race will be televised on ESPN2 on Sunday, July 23.

Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series
O'Doul's National High Points Standings
(July 3, 2000)

Boat Championship Points

Pos.    Number          Boat Name
Points
1       U-1             MISS BUDWEISER (3)                      4920
2       U-10            YORK HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING         3690
3       U-9             JONES RACING                            2396
4       U-2             FREDDIE'S CLUB CASINO                   2309
5       U-5             APPIAN JERONIMO                         2209
6       U-100           MISS ZNETIX                             2038
7       U-8             LLUMAR WINDOW FILM                      1640
8       U-25            MISS FREEI                              1182
9       U-6             MISS MADISON                            1111
10      U-3             MASTER TIRE                              935
11      U-28            NEW KID IN TOWN                          750
12      U-16            MISS ELAM PLUS                           313
        

Driver Championship Points

Pos.    Number          Driver Name                     Points
1       U-1             DAVE VILLWOCK (3)               4920
2       U-10            MARK WEBER                      3690
3       U-9             MIKE HANSON                     2396
4       U-2             MARK TATE                       2309
5       U-5             GEORGE STRATTON                 2209
6       U-100           GREG HOPP                       2038
7       U-8             JIMMY KING                      1640
8       U-25            DR. KEN MUSCATEL                1182
9       U-6             CHARLEY WIGGINS                 1111
10      U-28            JERRRY HALE                      750
11      U-3             MITCH EVANS                      681
12      U-16            MARK EVANS                       313
13      U-3             MIKE WEBER                       254

*Race wins in parenthesis