Qatar Marine Sports Federation

• Villwock returns to scene of first career H1 win on Mission Bay.
• QMSF-backed team eager to keep momentum going for Oryx Cup.

SAN DIEGO (USA): Record-breaking U-96 Spirit of Qatar driver Dave Villwock will be hoping to extend his advantage at the top of the National High Points championship standings when he tackles this weekend’s San Diego Bayfair, round five of the 2011 Air National Guard H1 Unlimited Championship.

The most successful racer in the history of hydroplane racing achieved his first career victory on Mission Bay in San Diego 19 years ago and would dearly love to draw a curtain on the season’s H1 racing Stateside with a win, before the series reaches what promises to be a dramatic climax with the Oryx Cup World Championship in Doha in November.

Villwock heads to San Diego with a 1,200-point lead in the points’ standings and will be aiming for his third victory of the season and his ninth career win on the 2.5-mile saltwater course on Mission Bay.

“It’s a course that pays the technician if you pay attention to the boat ride and look for speed,” said Villwock, who benefits from support from the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), which runs under the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani. “Lots of guys will say you can’t win from the outside (lanes). If you look at my wins there, most of them have come from the outside.”

In an effort to preserve equipment for the final two races, H1 Unlimited’s board of directors approved a rule change for the start of heats and the final. Officials will use a blind draw and in the order the boats are drawn, the drivers will be able to pick a lane for the heat.

Villwock said the tour had to make a change, especially with the last two races (San Diego and Qatar) taking place in saltwater. “They absolutely had to do something,” said Villwock. “If we kept using the same system to start, it would have been absolutely catastrophic in terms of equipment.”

Racing in San Diego starts with the “Fast Lap Friday” qualifying session followed by preliminary heats on Saturday and Sunday. The final for the Bill Muncey Cup will take place on Sunday afternoon.

2. U-5 Graham Trucking Jeff Bernard 4,625 points

3. U-7 Valken Sports Scott Liddycoat 4,325 points

4. U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto Steve David 3,536 points

5. U-17 Miss Red Dot Kip Brown 3,080 points

6. U-88 Degree Man J. Michael Kelly 3,042 points, etc

Ends

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www.qmsf.org

www.h1unlimited.com