(Seattle, Wash.) - Nate Brown, Preston, Wash., piloted Miss Elam Plus to victory today at the General Motors Cup at Seattle, the fifth race of the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series presented by Laughlin, with an average speed of 135.504 mph. Brown secured his first career Unlimited Hydroplane win and the second victory for team owners, the Ellstrom family.
"It is about time," said Brown. "It has been a long road from being Rookie of the Year in 1992 to my first victory today. This win is a total team effort and I would not be here if it weren't for their dedication. They worked feverishly during the off-season and especially over the past few weeks trying to get the new boat finished. I owe this victory to them."
"Winning our second career race is amazing," said Erick Ellstrom, owner of the Miss Elam Plus. "After winning our first race last season we knew we were prepared to win again. But with a new boat we did not really know what would happen. It is too bad we did not make the Midwest races because now we know what type of boat we have built. I am looking forward to San Diego and the other teams better be prepared for a dogfight."
Dave Villwock took runner-up honors aboard Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser and the APBA Gold Cup winner, Michael Hanson in the Skyway Park Bowl & Casino finished third.
Last week's Tri-Cities winner, Terry Troxell, Miss Znetix II, finished fourth and Mark Weber, Miss Diamond Lil's, finished fifth.
* Parity Alive and Well in Unlimiteds For the fifth consecutive race, the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series presented by Laughlin has a different winner. Villwock, David, Hanson, Troxell and Brown have all produced victories this season, a far cry from last year when only two drivers produced wins. The Series heads to San Diego with a number of other viable contenders looking to add to the streak.
* Local Drivers Dominate The top four finishers from today's General Motors Cup reside in Washington including, Nate Brown, Preston; Dave Villwock, Auburn; Michael Hanson, Bonney Lake and Terry Troxell, Gig Harbor.
* Villwock Leads Championship Heading Towards Season Finale Dave Villwock and Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser head to San Diego in search of the Unlimited Hydroplane Championship. Villwock seeks his fifth drivers' championship while Little looks to wrap up his unprecedented 21st World title.
* O'Doul's National High Points Championship Dave Villwock is still atop the O'Doul's National High Points Championship standings with 738 points. Mark Weber currently sits in second with 588 points followed by Greg Hopp with 553 points. Steve David is in fourth position with 479 points and Michael Hanson is in fifth with 439 points.
* General Motors Cup Results: 1. U-16 Miss Elam Plus, Nate Brown
2. U-1 Miss Budweiser, Dave Villwock 3. U-9 Skyway Park Bowl & Casino, Michael Hanson
4. U-99 Miss Znetix II, Terry Troxell 5. U-10 Miss Diamond Lil's, Mark Weber 6. U-2 Miss Trendwest, Scott Pierce 7. U-100 Miss Znetix I, Greg Hopp 8. U-3 Vacationville.com, Mitch Evans 9. U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto, Steve David 10. U-15 Miss EMCOR, Mike Weber 11. U-25 Silver Dollar Casinos, Dr. Ken Muscatel 12. U-20 Golden Nugget Casino, Jerry Hopp 13. U-8 LLumar Window Film, Jimmy King
The General Motors Cup will be televised on ESPN2 on Sunday, September 16 at 6:00 PM (EDT).
Next stop on the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series presented by Laughlin is the San Diego Bayfair on Mission Bay in San Diego, Calif. on September 14-16.
2001 Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series Presented by Laughlin
Date Venue Event Winning Team June 30-July 1 Evansville, Ind. Budweiser Thunder on the Ohio Dave Villwock/
Miss Budweiser
July 7-8 Madison, Ind. Belterra Casino Madison Regatta Steve David/
Oh Boy! Oberto
July 12-15 Detroit, Mich. Chrysler-Jeep APBA Cup Michael Hanson/
Jones Racing
July 27-29 Tri-Cities, Wash. Budweiser Columbia Cup Terry Troxell/
Miss Znetix II
August 3-5 Seattle, Wash. General Motors Cup at Seafair Nate Brown/
Miss Elam Plus
September 14-16 San Diego, Calif. San Diego's Bayfair
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