U-15 "My Gypsy"

OK ... I'll come clean ... I didn't actually watch or hear the live streaming broadcast from Seattle today. I had an unscheduled rendezvous at the hospital ... but, I digress. There was some racin' goin' on, y'all, and I beez here now to discuss it!

Heat 1-A began with continued bad luck for the Billy Schumacher team as Jean Theoret, giving chase to OH BOY! OBERTO in the checkerboard MISS BEACON PLUMBING, blew the engine coming out of the number two corner on the second lap. The officials also penalized David Bryant in TODD HOSS MORTGAGE INVESTORS in the same heat for a lane infraction, but Theoret - in a true sportsmanlike move - admitted to officials that he had actually slid into the U-10 when he lost the engine. The officials rescinded their call, moving Bryant into third overall for the heat. OBERTO won 1-A, followed by the TODD HOSS-RONALD McDONALD HOUSE (U-3), then TODD HOSS, LAKERIDGE PAVING, and BEACON PLUMBING, which did not finish.

Heat 1-B was forced to be re-run as Chris Bertram blew over the U-9 MISS TRI-ARC ELECTRIC SUPPLY at the start. Bertram was released from the care center in good condition, and as for the boat itself, it appeared to be in good condition although the crew is still examining it for more potential damage. ELAM took the lead away from MIRAGEBOATS after the first turn and was never headed. Muscatel gave a strong challenge (so says the ABRA official release along with Erick Ellstrom, but somehow I have a hard time swallowing that). Greg Hopp ended up third, and Nate Brown put his new U-17 RED DOT through a comfortable pace to finish fourth.

It was match of the young-uns in Heat 1-C. Two of the three ABRA rookies - Jimmy Shane in FORMULABOATS.COM II, and Brian Perkins of THE PLUMBING JOINT - squared off against two rookies from a couple of years ago, Jeff Bernard of FORMULABOATS.COM I, and "grizzled, ol' veteran" (by comparison) J. Michael Kelly in MISS CAR PROS. Perkins found himself dead in the water at the start with what was thought to be a lost propellor. The other three set into battle immediately, with Kelly leading the way and Bernard giving chase. Shane trailed. Bernard began to gain ground after the first lap, then swung inside the floating U-21, forcing Kelly and CAR PROS to take the wider track. Bernard hung on to that advantage till the finish. CAR PROS took second, with Shane a half lap behind in FORMULABOATS II for third. Turned out that gearbox problems were the cause for Perkins not starting.

The draws for the next set of heats for Sunday are:

Heat 2-A

U-17 MISS RED DOT / Nate Brown
U-25 MISS PROCRAFT WINDOWS / Ken Muscatel
U-48 MISS LAKERIDGE PAVING / David Williams
U-9 MISS TRI-ARC ELECTRIC SUPPLY / Chris Bertram
U-100 MIRAGEBOATS.COM / Greg Hopp

Heat 2-B

U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO / Steve David
U-13 MISS CAR PROS / J. Michael Kelly
U-1 FORMULABOATS.COM II / Jimmy Shane
U-10 TODD HOSS MORTGAGE INVESTORS / David Bryant
U-5 FORMULABOATS.COM I / Jeff Bernard

Heat 2-C

U-3 TODD HOSS MORTGAGE INVESTORS-RONALD McDONALD HOUSE / Jimmy King
U-16 MISS ELLSTROM ELAM PLUS / Dave Villwock
U-21 THE PLUMBING JOINT / Brian Perkins
U-37 MISS BEACON PLUMBING / Jean Theoret