The two hydroplane drivers who have previously won the Gold Cup showed the rest of the field Saturday they will be the favorites Sunday in the championship heat on the Columbia River in Kennewick.
Jean Theoret, winner of the 2006 Gold Cup, ran away with Heat 1A in the Ellstrom Elam Plus, winning the four-lap heat on the 2½-mile course with an average speed of 141.697 mph.
“No one battled me for lane one in today’s heat, and the boat is running beautifully,” Theoret said. “Now tomorrow is going to be a different story.”
Jimmy Shane, the defending Gold Cup champion, made a perfect start in winning heat 2B in the Dalton Industries boat with an average speed of 143.