Las Vegas-based hydroplane set to make another run at Mission Bay

Friday, Sept. 17, 1999 | 9:51 a.m.

The Las Vegas-based U-10 York International Unlimited Hydroplane is gearing up for its return to the waters of Mission Bay this coming weekend for the annual Ralph's/Food4Less Bill Muncey Cup in San Diego.

This race holds a special place in the hearts of the U-10 team; it was here one year ago that team owners Kim and Debbie Gregory debuted their Unlimited Hydro after purchasing the racing equipment in August 1998.

The U-10 placed fourth in last year's championship final at Mission Bay and captured its first Unlimited Hydroplane victory in Hawaii at the final race of 1998.

This year, the U-10 is in a heated race for third place in the championship, trailing the U-15 driven by Greg Hopp by a mere 74 points.

Chip Hanauer is slated to return to the cockpit of the U-100 Miss PICO after suffering injuries during a race earlier this summer. If Hanauer wins the 1999 Muncey Cup, he will tie Bill Muncey's record of 63 career wins.

"I'm going to let the race boat do my talking in San Diego," U-10 driver Mark Weber said. "I'm happy that Chip is recovered from his injuries ... and will be back in the PICO. And it would be very cool if Chip is able to tie Muncey's record, especially in San Diego.

"But that doesn't mean that me or my team has any intention of letting him do that. We're going to San Diego for the checkered flag in the final on Sunday, not a storybook ending for the U-100."

The U-10 suffered extensive damage to the back of the race boat at the last race in Kelowna, Canada, after a prop broke during testing before Sunday's final. The damage was significant enough to put the U-10 on the beach for the rest of the day and ended the hopes of the U-10 locking in third place in the points standings prior to returning to San Diego.

However, the damage may have been a blessing in disguise as the team had the opportunity to make significant changes that were originally scheduled for this winter.

"I'm so excited about the changes the team has made to the boat," Weber said. "I can't wait to get it on the water to test it out."