The 115th running of the APBA Gold Cup, the most prestigious trophy in hydroplane racing, concluded Sunday in Tri-Cities, WA with a landmark victory by Dave Villwock, driver of the U-27 Miss Apollo. With this win, Villwock ties Chip Hanauer for the most Gold Cup titles in history and secures his 68th career victory, moving ahead of both Bill Muncey (62 wins) and Hanauer (61 wins) on the all-time leaderboard.
The final appeared to be a shootout between rival Strong Racing teammates Corey Peabody and J Michael Kelly. But early on, it was announced that the start was under review. As the field was returning to the dock, it came to light that three boats – the U-8, U-9, and U-21 – had all jumped the gun, earning one minute penalties and effectively dropping them out of contention. The penalties meant that Villwock had earned the win, with second place going to Jamie Nilsen in the U-11 FlavRPac. Tate, who started in the trailer position,
was awarded third place.
More than just a personal achievement, the win fulfilled Villwock’s wish to offer Bruce Ratchford, owner of the U-27 and sponsor through Apollo Mechanical, his first-ever Gold Cup victory in front of a hometown crowd. The win in Tri-Cities, where Apollo Mechanical is based, made the moment all the more meaningful.
Sunday Heats Recap – Tight Matchups and Penalty Calls
The day featured six heats, during which the U-8 Beacon Electric (J. Michael Kelly), U-9 Beacon Plumbing (Corey Peabody), and U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate (Andrew Tate) competed in three heats each—putting drivers and crews to the test.
Heat 3A
1st: U-9 Beacon Plumbing – Corey Peabody
2nd: U-8 Beacon Electric – J. Michael Kelly
DNS: U-11 FLAV-R-PAC – Jamie Nilsen
DSQ: U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate – Andrew Tate (N2 violation: exceeding 110% RPM for more than 3 seconds, three times) Penalties: U-8 Beacon Electric – Encroachment on U-91 (Rule 5-C1) – 1-minute penalty
U-9 Beacon Plumbing – Bearing out on U-91 (Rule 5-G) – 1-minute penalty
Heat 3B
1st: U-27 Miss Apollo – Dave Villwock
2nd: U-21 Spirit of America – Gunnar O’Farrell
Heat 4A
1st: U-27 Miss Apollo – Dave Villwock
2nd: U-11 FLAV-R-PAC – Jamie Nilsen
3rd: U-21 Spirit of America – Gunnar O’Farrell
Heat 4B
1st: U-9 Beacon Plumbing – Corey Peabody
2nd: U-8 Beacon Electric – J. Michael Kelly
3rd: U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate – Andrew Tate
Final Heat – 2025 APBA Gold Cup
Following heat points and standings, six boats qualified for the final, including the trailer: U-8 Beacon Electric – J. Michael Kelly U-9 Beacon Plumbing – Corey Peabody U-11 FLAV-R-PAC – Jamie Nilsen U-21 Spirit of America – Gunnar O’Farrell U-27 Miss Apollo – Dave Villwock U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate – Andrew Tate (qualified as the trailer) At the start, U-8, U-9, and U-21 jumped the gun, each incurring a 1-lap penalty. That cleared the way for Villwock in U-27 to maintain the lead throughout the race and secure the Gold Cup title.
Final Results:
1st: U-27 Miss Apollo – Dave Villwock
2nd: U-11 FLAV-R-PAC – Jamie Nilsen
3rd: U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate – Andrew Tate
Mechanical Trouble for U-12 Graham Trucking
Earlier in the day, the U-12 Graham Trucking – Jeff Bernard sustained significant damage when a propeller blade broke off and punctured the bottom of the boat. The team was forced to withdraw from further competition. A full damage assessment is underway, and H1 Unlimited will provide updates. We hope to see the U-12 back on the water next weekend.
