HAPO Columbia Cup
 | |
| Event information | |
|---|---|
| Type | H1 Unlimited hydroplane boat race |
| Race area | Columbia River, Tri-Cities, Washington |
| Dates | July 24–26 |
| Sponsor | HAPO Community Credit Union |
| Distance | 2.5 mi (4 km) |
| Media coverage | KNDU-TV |
| First race | 1966 |
| Former names | Atomic Cup Columbia Cup |
| Website | www |
The HAPO Columbia Cup is an H1 Unlimited hydroplane boat race held each July on the Columbia River in Columbia Park, Tri-Cities, Washington. The race is the main attraction of the annual Water Follies festivities. With the exception of 2020, Tri-Cities has hosted a race consecutively since 1966.
History
The Columbia River towns of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland first climbed on the Unlimited bandwagon in 1966 with the first annual Tri-Cities Atomic Cup. There had been talk of inviting the Unlimiteds there as early as 1958. But 1966 was when it finally happened. Bill Brow was the winner that first year, driving Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser.
Driver Dave Villwock and the Miss Elam Plus team won the 2006 Columbia Cup under extraordinary circumstances. Their boat "blew over" during the running of preliminary Heat 2-A. They rebounded in time to win the next two heats and the overall championship.
After the race at Detroit, the home of the annual Gold Cup race, was originally cancelled in 2015, the Gold Cup was moved to the Tri-Cities race, renaming the race to the Gold Cup for that year. When the Detroit race came back at the end of 2015 and into 2016, the Gold Cup returned to the city, and the Tri-Cities race returned to the "Columbia Cup" again.
The race is run on a 2.5 mile oval course located in an area on the Columbia River referred to as the "McNary Pool.[1]"
List of Tri-Cities Unlimited Hydroplane Champions
| Year | Event | Boat | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Atomic Cup | Miss Budweiser | Bill Brow |
| 1967 | Atomic Cup | Miss Bardahl | Billy Schumacher |
| 1968 | Atomic Cup | Miss Eagle Electric | Warner Gardner |
| 1969 | Atomic Cup | MYR’s Special | Dean Chenoweth |
| 1970 | Atomic Cup | Pay ‘n Pak ‘Lil Buzzard | Tommy Fults |
| 1971 | Atomic Cup | Miss Madison | Jim McCormick |
| 1972 | Atomic Cup | Atlas Van Lines | Bill Muncey |
| 1973 | APBA Gold Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dean Chenoweth |
| 1974 | U.I.M. World’s Championship | Pay ‘n Pak | George Henley |
| 1975 | APBA Gold Cup | Pay ‘n Pak | George Henley |
| 1976 | Columbia Cup | Atlas Van Lines | Bill Muncey |
| 1977 | APBA Gold Cup | Atlas Van Lines | Bill Muncey |
| 1978 | Columbia Cup | Miss Budweiser | Ron Snyder |
| 1979 | Columbia Cup | Atlas Van Lines | Bill Muncey |
| 1980 | Columbia Cup | Atlas Van Lines | Bill Muncey |
| 1981 | Columbia Cup | The Squire Shop | Chip Hanauer |
| 1982 | Columbia Cup | The Squire Shop | Tom D’Eath |
| 1983 | Columbia Cup | American Speedy Printing | Jack Schafer, Jr. |
| 1984 | APBA Gold Cup | Atlas Van Lines | Chip Hanauer |
| 1985 | Columbia Cup | Miller American | Chip Hanauer |
| 1986 | Columbia Cup | Miller American | Chip Hanauer |
| 1987 | Columbia Cup | Miss Budweiser | Jim Kropfeld |
| 1988 | Columbia Cup | Miss Budweiser | Tom D’Eath |
| 1989 | Columbia Cup | Cooper’s Express | Mitch Evans |
| 1990 | Columbia Cup | Miss Budweiser | Tom D’Eath |
| 1991 | Columbia Cup | Winston Eagle | Mark Tate |
| 1992 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Miss Budweiser | Chip Hanauer |
| 1993 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Miss Budweiser | Chip Hanauer |
| 1994 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Miss Budweiser | Chip Hanauer |
| 1995 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Smokin’ Joe’s | Mark Tate |
| 1996 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | PICO American Dream | Dave Villwock |
| 1997 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | PICO American Dream | Mark Evans |
| 1998 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dave Villwock |
| 1999 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dave Villwock |
| 2000 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Miss E-Lam Plus | Mark Evans |
| 2001 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Znetix II | Terry Troxell |
| 2002 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Miss E-Lam Plus | Nate Brown |
| 2003 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Llumar Window Film | Mark Evans |
| 2004 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dave Villwock |
| 2005 | Budweiser Columbia Cup | Ellstrom E-Lam Plus | Dave Villwock |
| 2006 | Atomic Cup | Ellstrom E-Lam Plus | Dave Villwock |
| 2007 | Lamb Weston Columbia Cup | Ellstrom E-Lam Plus | Dave Villwock |
| 2008 | Lamb Weston Columbia Cup | Oh Boy! Oberto | Steve David |
| 2009 | Lamb Weston Columbia Cup | Oh Boy! Oberto | Steve David |
| 2010 | Lamb Weston Columbia Cup | Oh Boy! Oberto | Steve David |
| 2011 | Lamb Weston Columbia Cup | Spirit of Qatar | Dave Villwock |
| 2012 | Lamb Weston Columbia Cup | Graham Trucking | Jimmy Shane |
| 2013 | Lamb Weston Columbia Cup | Oh Boy! Oberto | Steve David |
| 2014 | HAPO Columbia Cup | Oberto | Jimmy Shane |
| 2015 | HAPO APBA Gold Cup | Oberto | Jimmy Shane |
| 2016 | HAPO Columbia Cup | Miss HomeStreet | Jimmy Shane |
| 2017 | HAPO Columbia Cup | Graham Trucking | J. Michael Kelly |
| 2018 | HAPO Columbia Cup | Delta Realtrac | Andrew Tate |
| 2019 | HAPO Columbia Cup | Graham Trucking | J. Michael Kelly |
| 2020 | Event cancelled - COVID-19 Pandemic | ||
| 2021 | |||
References
- ^ http://waterfollies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2017-TCWF-Media-Guide.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ 2021 Hydro Record Book and Statistics. Edmonds, WA: Unlimited NewsJournal. 2021. pp. 31–32.