Welcome to Hydropage.com, the Official Website of the 2004 Evansville Thunder on the Ohio

We at Hydropage.com would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who helped us bring you the Evansville Thunder on the Ohio!

Thank you to the following:

Joe Rood, the Evansville Freedom Festival committee, Eddie Busch, Joe, Nancy, the ENTIRE staff and crews of the Unlimited Lights, all of the "outlaw" thunderboats, and all of the people behind the scenes that helped us provide quick and concise coverage!! THANK YOU!

We hope that everyone enjoyed our live coverage of the Thunder on the Ohio! Though we cannot at this point promise live coverage of the upcoming races, we will be here as always reporting the happenings and posting the results!

Live Race Coverage

Sunday, June 27

Thunderboats Final

Exciting deck to deck racing throughout the weekend set the stage for the final of the Thunder on the Ohio. The final included points leader Mitch Evans driving the U-3 Master Tire, Dave Villwock and the U-1 Miss Budweiser, J.W. Myers in the U-8 Llumar and Greg Hopp aboard the U-100 Miss Johnstone Supply. The U-19 did not run in the final.

In the final heat the boats where given the opportunity to jockey for lanes. Early on, Villwock maneuvered the U-1 into lane 1 and held it until the start of the race. The U-8 picked up lane 2, the U-3 took lane 3 and the U-100 was left with lane 4.

After a perfect start the Miss Bud jumped out to a roosertail lead over the U-3 and the U-8. But the real race wasn't for 1st place, it was for 2nd, between Master Tire and Llumar. Myers dogged Evans around the course for much of the race, but it was Evans and the U-3 that finally pulled away to secure 2nd place. Evans also gave Villwock a valiant chase, but the Bud was dialed in and had gained about a two- roostertail lead by the end of the heat.

The Miss Budweiser made a beautiful showing at what was to be her last appearance in Evansville. Congratulations to Dave Villwock and the entire Bud crew! See pictures from the Awards Ceremony following the race!

Unlimited Lights Final

Thunderboats Points for the Weekend

Unlimited Lights Heat 5

**Penalized for jumping the gun

Thunderboats Heat 3

Heat 3 for the Thunderboats was dominated by the U-3 Master Tire and the U-8 Llumar. Just after the start of the race the U-1 Miss Budweiser returned to the pits. Villwock was feeling a vibration when he tried to accelerate and decided not to risk the equipment. Mitch Evans drove the Master Tire to is 2nd win of the weekend.

Unlimited Lights Heat 4

Thunderboats Heat 2

**Penalized for lane infraction

Heat 2 saw some terrific racing! The U-19 finally seemed to have ironed out the motor problems and was able to start the race. The U-3 Master Tire jumped out in front at the start with the U-8 Llumar and the U-1 Miss Bud close behind. The lead switched hands between the U-8 and the U-3 before Master Tire, driven by Mitch Evans, pulled away for the win. The helicopter judge ruled after the heat that the U-8 had been penalized for a lane infraction and pushed back to last. The U-19 lost power early on and did not finish.

Saturday, June 26

The first heat of thunderboat racing went off without a hitch. The U-19 Empire Construction, with Jimmy King driving, was the first to leave the pits. King was followed by the U-100 Miss Johnstone Supply, the U-1 Miss Budweiser, the U-3 Master Tire, and the U-8 Llumar. The U-19 failed to make the first lap, however, dying in turn 1. The lanes for this heat were chosen prior to the start. Miss Budweiser, being top qualifier, chose lane 1. Lane 2 was chosen by the U-8, lane 3 went to the U-3, the U-100 had lane 4 and the U-19 was slated for lane 5. The start was clean with 3 of the 4 boats within a boat-length.

The remainder of the 3-lap preliminary heat saw the Master Tire chasing the Miss Budweiser to the checkered flag. Llumar stayed close to the leaders for the first lap, falling back several boat lengths by the end of the heat. The Miss Johnstone Supply rounded out the field with a fourth place finish.

Thunderboats Heat 1

Unlimited Lights Heat 3

On a sad note, we have just been informed that racing has lost a great racer. Bill Sterritt passed away today after a boating accident in Owensboro, KY. We extend our deepest condolences to the Sterritt family and friends.

Unlimited Lights Heat 2

Unlimited Lights Heat 1

The Unlimited Lights are preparing for the first heat of the day! Check back soon for the results!

Thunderboats Fastest Speeds for the Day:

Unlimited Lights Fastest Speeds for the Day:

Here's the lowdown on what to expect for the Thunderboat heats. The fastest qualifier will have lane choice in Heat 1 and the slowest qualifier will have lane choice in Heat 2. Lane choice for the third heat will be based on the cumulative points for the day with the tie breaker being the qualifying speeds. The thunderboats will jockey for position in the final.

The Miss Budweiser was the first thunderboat out this morning. Dave Villwock ran 2 laps, the first at a speed of 158.897 and the second at 158.451. To see a clip from the Bud's run, click the video link in the right-hand column!

The pits are buzzing with activity this morning as both the Unlimited Lights teams and the Thunderboats get ready for the first testing session for the day. With the Ohio River dropping throughout the day Thursday and Friday, all of the boats were able to set up in the pits Friday, with a few boats hitting the water in the afternoon.

Check out the Photo link to the right for the latest pics from the pits!

Thursday, June 24

Our 5 thunderboat teams for this race have arrived in Evansville! The teams are the U-1 Miss Budweiser, the U-3 Cooper's Express, the U-8 Llumar Window Films, the U-19 leased by Ron Jones, and the U-100 Leland team.

The Ohio River is being less than cooperative and at this time no boats will hit the water on Friday. As the Corp of Engineers has said that the water is receding, it looks like the pits will be set up Saturday morning.

The schedule below is going to be revised due to the river level. Check back late Friday for the updated schedule!

Race Schedule

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