A controversial win for the U-9 Les Schwab tires. Too bad Cal went over in the original running. It appeared that heat was going to be a classic!

Colin Jones racing held his lead in D2D over Fkrmel & Who is Zach Jones? Racing

As the first half of the short six-race H1 season comes to a close, the H1 fleet heads west to Seattle, Washington for the venerable Albert Lee Appliance Cup at Seafair.

Although the U-3 Griggs Ace Hardware will not join the other eight teams that previously raced in Tri-Cities (U-1, U-9, U-11, U-12, U-21, U-99.9, 440, and U-1918) there may be just as many Unlimiteds in the Stanley Sayres Pits this coming weekend. Anticipated to appear is the recently finished and tested Miss HomeSteet Bank ("White") hull which will accompany the defending Seafair and High Point champion Miss HomeSteet Bank ("Blue") hull under the same U-1 designation. Further, the Go Fast Turn Left camp may also debut the newly built U-48 in addition to the team’s primary U-21 PayneWest Hull.

Coming off of a convincing win in the Tri-Cities for Andrew Tate and the U-9 Les Schwab, the Jones Racing team has constructed a commanding 1,773 point lead over the U-11 J&D’s Hydraulic and appears to have the H1 national championship in its grasp. Meanwhile, the complexion of the D2D National crown is much murkier as Colin Jones Racing holds a slim 22 point lead over four Deck2Deckers currently tied for second place. Adding intrigue will be the DOUBLE POINTS BONUS for Seafair, meaning the points your boat collects this weekend will be DOUBLED! A strategic game wrinkle which may make or break your fantasy season!

HydroDan’s Three 2 Think About:

U-11 Elevating: The U-11 J&D’s Hydraulic currently sits 2nd in national high points. The team has looked fast and consistent over the course of the season and would have finished better than 5th place in the Columbia Cup Final if not for being washed down by the U-1 during the pre-race milling period.

Safety Orange: Overmatched and outgunned, all the bright orange 440 did in TC was finish each heat it started, including the final, clean and unpenalized. The 440 managed to outpoint hydro-titans such as the U-1 Miss HomeSteet Bank, U-3 Griggs Ace Hardware, and the U-12 Graham Trucking and proved to be a safe fantasy pick at the Columbia Cup.

Code Red: Two highly-touted red boats that joined the H1 fleet for the first time this season in TC, the U-12 Graham Trucking and the U-3 Griggs Ace Hardware, both experienced mechanical gremlins and technical trouble throughout the Waterfollies weekend. The U-3 collected just 146 points prior to their post Tri-Cities retreat east, and the U-12 managed 895 points in their first 2018 foray.

Congrats to Andrew Tate and the U9 Camp on the Columbia Cup victory!