SAN DIEGO -- Steve David in the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto passed U-5 Formulaboats.com driver Jeff Bernard on Lap 3 in the final heat of the San Diego Thunderboat Regatta on Mission Bay and never looked back, capturing his second ABRA hydroplane series race this season.

SAN DIEGO -- The final race of the ABRA season gets under way today in San Diego at the San Diego Thunderboat Regatta.

SEATTLE -- Longtime hydroplane sponsor Art Oberto, who will turn 80 on Aug. 22, received an early surprise party Sunday in his hometown.

SEATTLE -- Dave Villwock won Heat 1B of the Chevrolet Cup at Seafair on Saturday, establishing himself as the favorite to win the trophy when the winner-take-all final heat is held this afternoon.

SEATTLE -- Six months ago, it was only a concept. But Friday, it became a reality.

SEATTLE -- To the surprise of no one, Dave Villwock led Friday's qualifying effort in the unlimited hydroplanes on Lake Washington.

Like lemmings to the sea, boat racing enthusiasts camped along the shores and waded into the waters to get a closer look at the Columbia Cup competitors at Sunday's Water Follies.

There is no doubt that the U-3 Cooper's Racing team - this week called the mouthful Hoss Mortgage Investors II Presents Ronald McDonald House - has the most popular boat in unlimited hydroplane racing.

For a third consecutive unlimited hydroplane final, the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto jumped to an early lead.

The Formulaboats.com racing team has seen its definition of "victory" change over the past year.

The streak is still alive.

Heat-by-heat results of the 2007 Columbia Cup.

For the third race this season, J. Michael Kelly and the U-13 Spirit of Detroit had to rally to get into a final by winning the Provisional, or Last Chance Heat.

John Logan relaxed poolside on the Clover Island Inn's deck last week, settling in for his 25th consecutive Water Follies weekend.

Dave Villwock says the biggest story of the year for unlimited hydroplanes has to be the number of drivers who are jumping the gun.

Nate Brown made it to Lampson Pits on Saturday with his new U-17 Red Dot unlimited hydroplane.

The aroma of salmon and hamburgers wafting from Chef Larry Sleeth's barbecue would have attracted a crowd.

A lot of race teams claim to be family oriented, but for the Gregory family, racing is literally family.

Information about today's Columbia Cup races

This was not how Mike Allen wanted to defend his team title.

If anybody can beat Dave Villwock and the U-16 Miss Elam Plus team this season, it might just be the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto.

Chris Bertram, driver of the U-9 Miss Conover Insurance hydroplane, has an interesting way of describing what it's like to be a rookie on the unlimited hydroplane circuit.

For a few special Tri-Citians, putting on brightly-colored grease paint and performing silly gags is more than a way to make a buck.

David Williams has raced limited boats since 1978, was the primary stunt driver in the hydro-themed film Madison, and is the museum director at Seattle's Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum.

Before the Seattle Mariners, before the Seahawks and before the SuperSonics, there was still a sport that captured the hearts and minds of Washington sports fans.

Fred Leland can't remember, but here's the question: When was the last time Leland brought just one boat to a Tri-Cities hydroplane race?

If Friday was an example, then the rest of the American Boat Racing Association field has a lot of work to do to catch Dave Villwock and the U-16 Miss Elam Plus.

Lampson Pits was slowly filling up Thursday afternoon as race teams began arriving for this weekend's Lamb Weston Columbia Cup.

There are a lot of good things to see when it comes to unlimited hydroplanes.

This was supposed to be one of the most competitive unlimited hydroplane seasons on record.

Tri-Cities Talent Show

Kathy Balcom isn't surprised that the Tri-City community responded when it looked like there might not be a Columbia Cup this year.

The Lamb Weston Columbia Cup is July 27-29 along the Columbia River shores in Kennewick and Pasco.

It's time to stock up on SPF 50 sunblock and get ready for a sun-drenched week of Water Follies fun starting this weekend at various locations around town.

DETROIT -- It was the 99th running of the Chrysler Jeep Superstores Gold Cup unlimited hydroplane race Sunday, the most venerable event in motorsports.

DETROIT -- Jean Theoret says winning the Gold Cup is just as good as winning the Stanley Cup.

MADISON, Ind. -- Dave Villwock overcame a bad battery and a hard-charging Steve David in the hometown hydroplane Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison to win the 57th annual Madison Regatta Sunday on the Ohio River.

MADISON, Ind. -- Dave Villwock is once again making his Miss Elam Plus boat team the favorite for Sunday's Madison Regatta Indiana Governor's Cup.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Dave Villwock drove Miss Ellstrom Elam Plus to victory in the Thunder on the Ohio in Evansville, Ind., unlimited hydroplane race Sunday, his 10th win in the last 12 Thunder races.

Dave Villwock piloted the U-16 Miss Elam Plus to victory in Heat 1B of the Saturday elimination heats at the Thunder on the Ohio in Evansville, Ind., averaging 143.592 mph in the six-mile heat and edging Jimmy King in the U-3 Master Tire.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Dave Villwock is looking for his 10th win in the last 12 races on the Ohio River and if Friday was any indication of what the future might bring, he might end up getting to keep the Thunder on the Ohio Trophy for life.

Billy Schumacher knows when his team lost the 2006 American Boat Racing Association team championship: Before the season started.

It's June, and the unlimited hydroplane racing season begins later this month.

A record 13 Unlimited Lights hydroplanes put on a show for fans at Howard Amon Park on the second day of the first-ever Desert Thunder Regatta.

A record 13 Unlimited Lights hydroplanes put on a show for fans at Howard Amon Park on the second day of the first-ever Desert Thunder Regatta.

High winds and choppy water did not stop 11 Unlimited Light hydroplanes from roaring down the Columbia River for the first Desert Thunder Regatta at Howard Amon Park on Saturday.

The U-10 USA Racing has hired David Bryant of Mesa, Ariz., as its driver this season.

Hydroplanes will make rooster tails on the Columbia River this summer after all -- with the help of a new title sponsor, Lamb Weston.

One day after the Tri-Cities Water Follies Association reached the brink of its goal to raise $180,000 to put on the traditional summer weekend of boat races and fly-overs, it discovered some new unpaid bills.

The Tri-City Water Follies Association announced today that a new executive board has been elected and that the unlimited hydroplane races will return this year to the Columbia River.