Dave Villwock and Steve David battled side-by-side in heat 2B of the 2011 Seafair Hydroplane Races on Sunday morning, thrilling fans with a close race early-on. In what was billed as the race of the morning, David and Villwock were neck-and-neck throughout the race, with the Spirit of Qatar driver on the outside and the OBerto machine on the inside. As the two ran down to the wire, they pulled clear of the field, creating a two-man race.
It was a close, almost photo, finish in the second heat of the morning as Villwock's Spirit of Qatar boat showed its power on the front- and back-stretch. Villwock was forced wide on the turns, but more than made up for it on the straightaways, running David down and making up ground at a tremendous pace. As they came to the line, Villwock just barely grabbed the win, taking home the victory by a boat length or less.
In other action, Scott Liddycoat just barely edged Jeff Bernard in heat 2A, nipping him at the line by about a boat length. J. Michael Kelly and his Degree Men boat went dead in the water during the heat, as well, putting the team behind the eight-ball. With a did not finish as a result, Kelly has some serious work to do going forward.
Heat 3A is up next at Seafair, followed by a rematch between Villwock and David in heat 3B. For more on the race, including the schedule and TV information, stay with out Seafair Hydroplane Race StoryStream.