Shane captures Oryx Cup; David takes national high points title

Jimmy Shane’s second win on the Air National Guard H1 Unlimited Hydroplane tour was a big one.

After notching a surprising victory in the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup in late July, Shane finished his first season as a full-time driver in Ted Porter’s U-5 Graham Trucking with a stunning win in the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship in Doha, Qatar on Sunday.

Porter’s team, from Decatur, Ind., scored its third win in the four years of the Oryx Cup. Shane was the third driver to win the event for Porter.

Shane held off a fierce challenge from runner-up Steve David in the Kent-based U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto, the newly-crowned national high points champion.

“It’s been a great first season in this championship for me and to cap it with a win in the Oryx Cup is superb,” Shane said.

In the milling period before the winner-take-all final heat, Shane secured the inside lane with David on his right in the Oh Boy! Oberto. David had been perfect on the weekend with four wins in four prelims. But the Oberto pilot was not able to catch the youngster from Havre de Grace, Md., who drove the race of his life.

David had to settle for second and was joined on the podium by Jon Zimmerman, who had a strong weekend in Mike and Lori Jones all white boat from Enumclaw.

Race officials worked around a foreboding weather forecast that promised high winds on Doha Bay, but never really materialized. Preliminary heats were moved ahead a day to take advantage of a more favorable forecast on Thursday, leaving only the championship final to be run on Saturday.

Oryx Cup UIM Final

Boat, driver, sponsor, avg. mph

1. U-5, Jimmy Shane, Graham Trucking, 136.703
2. U-6, Steve David, Oh Boy! Oberto, 134.682
3. U-9, Jon Zimmerman, Jones Racing, 123.944
4. U-88, Brian Perkins, Snoqualmie Casino, 121.078
5. U-11, Tom Thompson, Peters & May, 94.188
6. U-37, J. Michael Kelly, Miss Beacon Plumbing, DSQ