Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2008

ABRA hydro circuit heads to San Diego for season finale

By Jeff Morrow, Herald sports editor

Steve David has a plan.

The driver of the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto wants to finish first or second in his first two heats at this weekend's San Diego Bayfair.

He figures if he can do that, he and the Oberto team will have clinched the national high points championships for both team and driver.

"We want to win the San Diego race, but we want to win the national championship," said David in a teleconference Monday.

Oberto leads the standings with 6,234 points. The U-37 Beacon Plumbing and driver Jean Theoret are second at 5,211, and the U-5 Formulaboats.com and driver Jeff Bernard are third at 5,145.

The drivers title would be David's third, but this would be the first national title for the U-6 boat, owned by the 13,000 residents of Madison, Ind.

"It's really huge for the team," said David.

Ten boats are expected to compete this weekend.

One that likely won't be is the U-10 USA Racing Partners, whose owner Kim Gregory passed away two weeks ago due to pancreatic cancer.

"This is tough for me," said Sam Cole, American Boat Racing Association chairman. "I've lost two good friends this year to pancreatic cancer. I've just got to respect this time of their lives.

"I don't expect them there. But the long-term prognosis, I talked to Kim's son Matt, and he says they definitely want to remain in the sport."

There was plenty of other hydroplane news during Monday's teleconference.

-- Cole is frustrated with the ABRA's dealing -- or lack of dealing -- with Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville (GAGE) in trying to get things set for 2009 in the Indiana community.

The Freedom Festival group that has run the unlimited race there for years announced last month that it was giving up the race and was selling its docks.

The group still owes ABRA $50,000 for expenses. Meanwhile, GAGE has announced it will step in to run the community's annual festival. But Cole and his staff haven't been able to get anybody from that group to return phone calls.

"People keep dragging their feet back there," he said. "I think we've been very professional. But we may have to eventually take legal action (against the festival board)."

Still, Cole, David and Bob Hughes, the president of the Miss Madison team, all believe there will be races in Evansville next year.

"(ABRA board member) Tom Sawyer is working with Rockwood, Ohio, about a race, and we may end up doing Evansville in mid-August," said Hughes.

-- Cole says there's been a commitment of a couple of boats for an exhibition in Chattanooga, Tenn., in October, and a group from Kelowna, British Columbia, will be at the San Diego race to pay its deposit for an exhibition race in 2009, with plans for a points race in 2010.

-- There's been no news from the Ellstrom team in its efforts to score some races in Europe and the Middle East.

But Cole says he's been working with Jose Luis del Palacio from Valencia, Spain, on getting some races in Europe in 2009. "Jose founded the F2 boat racing organization over there and he wants us over there," said Cole. "He'll be at the San Diego races this weekend."

-- Sacramento Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof will also be in San Diego. He and his brothers "are taking an interest in the sport," said Cole.

They've already committed to the "Sacramento Kings' fast-lap award" for qualifying.