For the Reporter
For the first time in the 51-year history of the San Diego Bayfair Regatta, qualifying has never been this fast and this close.
Seven of the nine H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes that qualified Friday are within nine miles per hour of each other and for the first time, San Diego has seven hydroplanes that qualified faster than 150 mph on the 2 1/12-mile Mission Bay course.
“This is always the fastest race course on the circuit, but today you witnessed how fast and good the entire H1 fleet can be,” said Covington’s Jimmy Shane, driver of the Oberto Beef Jerky. “It has been a battle each and every week on race day. Well, today it was a real fight to take the qualifying spot.”
Shane, the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane National High Points leader, took the top spot with a one-lap average speed of 159.50 mph. Close behind Shane was Cal Phipps in the Dalton Industries hydroplane with a speed of 158.93.
“We have been getting better each week,” Phipps said. “All year long it has been great racing between the Shane and (J. Michael) Kelly for the championship win and now I feel we have a chance to get in the middle of that mix.”
Kelly, of Bonney Lake, in the Graham Trucking, was the fourth fastest qualifier with a speed of 156.09 as the piston powered Miss Home Street Bank driven by Jimmy King grabbed the third slot with a speed of 157.80.
Kelly and Shane have won all previous H1 races this year while Jean Theoret in the Ellstrom Elam Plus has been the fastest qualifier at each race. The Ellstrom boat did not make the trip to San Diego after an accident in Detroit made it difficult to repair the boat in time.
The qualifying and testing session had a scary moment during the morning session when Kelly Stocklin in the Bucket List Racing blew over on the front straight. Stocklin was taken to University of California San Diego Hospital where he is being kept overnight for observation.
Racing is all day Saturday and Sunday with a number of different classes participating. The H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes compete Saturday starting at 4:15 p.m. with the first set of heats starting at 2:40 Sunday and the winner take all final at 4:10.
For ticket and more information go to sandiegobayfair.org.
H1 UNLIMITED HYDROPLANE SAN DIEGO BAYFAIR QUALIFYING
1, Jimmy Shane, Oberto Beef Jerky, 159.50 mph
2, Cal Phipps, Dalton Industries, 158.93
3, Jimmy King, Miss HomeStreet Bank, 157.80
4, J. Michael Kelly, Graham Trucking, 156.09
5, Brian Perkins, All Access Rentals, 155.08
6, Scott Liddycoat, 811 Go Dig/Red Dot Les Schwab, 152.30
7, Jesse Robertson, Graham Trucking II, 150.51
8, Tom Thompson, Peters & May, 141.05
9, Kevin Eacret, Miss CarStar, 139.58
DNQ: Dave Warren, Miss DiJulio
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