Steve David, driver of the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto, talks about his second-place finish at the 2011 Columbia Cup.

Here is the 2011 unlimited hydroplane racing season point standings through the Columbia Cup, which was run July 31 in Kennewick, Wash.

KENNEWICK -- Bernie's tree goes back to the Ellstrom family.

KENNEWICK -- Here are the heat draws for today's first three Lamb Weston Columbia Cup unlimited hydroplane races:

Steve David and the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto was moved from second place to fifth after race officials determined he moved into Brian Perkins' U-21 Albert Lee Appliance's path.

KENNEWICK -- Steve David, driver of the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto, has a new flak jacket to wear in the cockpit when he drives the boat.

KENNEWICK Just saw Art Oberto, the patriarch of the family that owns the Seattle company which produces some of the finest dried meats and jerkeys in all the land, in the U-1 camp.

KENNEWICK -- Don't underestimate the power of Bernie's tree in Lampson Pits.

KENNEWICK -- Two races into the Air National Guard Hydroplane Series and the team sitting atop the points standings is neither of the favorites heading into the season.

Hull No.: U-1

SEATTLE -- Steve David drove what he called the race of his life to hold off Dave Villwock and win the Albert Lee Cup at Seafair on Sunday.

SEATTLE -- Moments after Kayleigh Perkins left the dock, the boat stalled and her mother's heart sank.

SEATTLE -- As J Michael Kelly surveyed some minor damage to his unlimited hydroplane in the pouring rain, he knew it was something a little fiberglass, duct tape and elbow grease could fix.

SEATTLE -- A few months ago, it looked like the hydros would be on hiatus in Seattle this summer.

Steve David saw Chip Hanauer approaching him in Lampson Pits on Sunday afternoon.

For those who follow the race for the national championship, Sunday's Lamb Weston Columbia Cup had plenty of drama.

KENNEWICK -- Steve David and Dave Villwock beat the rest of the field Saturday in the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup, while the boat graveyard on the Columbia River known as the first turn claimed one victim, injured another and nearly got a third.

KENNEWICK -- Twenty points.

KENNEWICK -- It's interesting how many things you can think about in a matter of seconds when you're flying upside down in a speeding hydroplane.

Steve David gave Art Oberto a victory at Seafair two years ago for his 80th birthday present.

KENNEWICK -- Unlimited hydroplane racing has had its share of controversy over the years, and Saturday's Lamb Weston Columbia Cup added to that legacy with another chapter of the soap opera called As the Turbine Turns.

KENNEWICK -- It was the same old story on the unlimited hydroplane circuit Friday at Lampson Pits.

KENNEWICK -- Dave Villwock looked so out of place Thursday afternoon as he stood next to the unlimited hydroplane he drives, the U-16 Miss Elam Plus.

KENNEWICK -- The economic chill that's been running up the spines of consumers and business owners in recent months seems to have melted away with the Tri-Cities' July heat, at least when it comes to the area's signature summer event: hydroplane racing.

KENNEWICK -- Steve David looked around the pits at the APBA Detroit Gold Cup a few weeks ago and laughed.

KENNEWICK -- When it comes to racing unlimited hydroplanes, the Columbia River is known as a superspeedway.

The 44th version of the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup gets under way this Friday.

DETROIT -- Dave Villwock has found many different ways to earn his 58 career unlimited hydroplane victories.

At the age of 55, Steve David has to be considered the senior statesman of the unlimited hydroplane circuit.