Columbia Cup racing in WA intensifies national 2023 hydroplane championship battle

The H1 Unlimited season gets shorter by the day, but the battle for the national championship is getting more tense.

One day after J. Michael Kelly and the U-8 Beacon Electric took the national high points lead from Jamie Nilsen and the U-11 Legend Yacht Transport, Nilsen got it back after the first set of preliminary heats at the Columbia Cup.

The two drivers and teams came into the Tri-Cities just separated by 1 point: Nilsen and the U-11 with 2,315 points; and Kelly and the U-8 with 2,314.

After Friday’s qualifying (with the assigned points that come with it), Kelly took the lead by placing fourth on the ladder compared to seventh place by Nilsen.

Suddenly, Kelly led Nilsen by 29 points (2,374 to 2,345).

Things changed again Saturday.

In the first heat (1A), it was Corey Peabody in the U-9 Beacon Plumbing who crossed the finish first.

But it wasn’t easy.

The heat draw featured both Strong Racing boats — the U-8 and U-9 — against the Miss Madison team boats, which were Dylan Runne in the U-1 Miss HomeStreet Bank, and Andrew Tate in the U-91 Goodman Real Estate.

Both Runne and Tate had captured lanes 1 and 2 at the start, forcing the Strong drivers to the outside.

“I didn’t want them there,” said Peabody. “But OK, that’s something to think about. Everything is a mind game out there at this point. And everything is a mathematical equation on the course.”

All four boats came flying into the first turn and came out relatively close.

But somewhere in there, Runne slid out and somehow touched — or almost touched — Peabody’s boat with his.

“I knew (Dylan) got close to me, but I wasn’t sure he touched me,” said Peabody.

Runne agreed.

“We didn’t hit him,” he said. “We definitely got close.”

Runne was given a one-lap penalty for not holding his lane. But he didn’t back off and stayed on Peabody’s shoulder the rest of the way.

It was Runne’s first race on the Columbia River with other boats on the water.

“We knew we could be right there with everyone,” said Runne. “We know we can throw down with them.”

Peabody finished first, while teammate Kelly was second. Tate grabbed third-place points, and Runne placed fourth.

The 1-2 finish for Strong helped get the local team off on the right foot.

“That’s a very good start for us,” said Peabody.

Then it was Nilsen’s turn.

Sitting in lane 2 at the start of 1B, Nilsen was able to get the jump on Dustin Echols, who held court in lane 1 in the U-40 Flav-R-Pak boat.

Nilsen kept things tight on Echols, who couldn’t find a way around the U-11 driver, and things stayed that way to the end.

“It’s not that easy keeping the 40 inside for that long,” said Nilsen. “I was driving as hard as possible trying to keep him inside.”

Nilsen had the added measure of computer problems in the race.

“I lost my speedometer,” he said. “So before the race, I was trying to make sure I was going fast enough without getting a penalty. It feels like I was driving blind.”

With his first-place finish worth 400 points, Nilsen retook the national points lead at 2,745.

Kelly’s second-place finish in 1A resulted in 300 points, bringing him to 2,674.

The fact that Kelly hasn’t faced Nilsen in many heats this year is getting frustrating for the veteran driver.

“I need some heat draws like Jamie is getting,” said Kelly. “I need to face Jamie in the same heat.”

On the other hand, Kelly also mentioned that when Nilsen does get perhaps easier draws, he gives the U-11 driver credit.

“He’s been getting good heat draws, but he’s also taking advantage of them,” said Kelly.

Nilsen said he’s not concentrating yet on the national championship — even though the final race of the year, the APBA Gold Cup, is in Seattle next weekend.

“It’s too early,” said Nilsen. “And you know as well as I do, in boat racing, anything can happen.”

Meanwhile, the potential father-son race everyone was anticipating in 1B didn’t happen.

Rookie Bobby King, driving the U-12 Graham Trucking was ready to take on his father, Jimmy King, who was piloting the U-3 Griggs presents Ace Hardware piston-powered boat.

But Jimmy King took the U-3 off the course on the first lap and brought it to the docks.

“The engine is hurt,” said Jimmy King. “It’s hurt bad. When it was time to go at the start, it wouldn’t go. It was a good opportunity to get some points. We’re all very frustrated. But we’ll be running tomorrow.”

Bobby King — who as a rookie has to start 5 seconds back of the field in his first two races — was able to get third-place points.

Heat draws for 2A and 2B

The draws for the next round of heats, set for 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., respectively, for Sunday, shows that Nilsen and Kelly will not face each other again.

In 2A, set for 10 a.m., it will be the U-3, U-11, U-40 and U-91.

Heat 2B will feature the U-1, U-8, U-9 and U-12. That is set to go off at 10:30 a.m.

Stocklin withdraws 440 team

Gearbox issues continue to be a problem for the 440 Boitano Homes team.

Team owner Kelly Stocklin withdrew the team from the race Saturday morning because there was too much work to do. That also allows Stocklin and his team to concentrate on the U-40 Flav-R-Pak boat for the rest of the weekend.

Stocklin’s team will work on getting the 440 boat ready for the Gold Cup next weekend in Seattle.

Brent Hall hopes to get qualified as a driver in that boat next week.

Sunday schedule (tentative)

Here is Sunday’s race schedule. We add the word “tentative” because things are subject to change, as always. So here is the schedule as of Saturday night:

7 a.m. — Park opens and church service;

7:30-8:30 — Testing;

8:45 — Grand Prix Heat 4;

9:15 — Opening ceremonies;

10 — H1 Unlimited Heat 2A;

10:30 — H1 Unlimited Heat 2B;

11 — STCU Over the River Air Show;

1:30 p.m. — 2.5 Stock heat 5;

2 — Vintage heat 3;

2:30 — H1 Unlimited Heat 3A;

3 — H1 Unlimited Heat 3B;

3:30 — 2.5 Stock final;

4 — Grand Prix America final;

4:30 — H1 Unlimited Columbia Cup final.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.