Seebold brothers, Campbell vie for PROP championship

While the Unlimited Hydroplane championship already has been decided, there still is one title to be settled during this weekend's Las Vegas Cup on Lake Mead.

Brothers Tim and Mike Seebold, who drive identical Bud Light powerboats, and Jason Campbell, who pilots the Lamb Services entry, still are in the running for the Formula One PROP Tour championship.

Tim Seebold leads the seven-race series with 492 points, 14 more than his older brother, Mike, and Campbell, who are tied for second with 478 points.

Both Seebolds have two wins this season while Campbell has one. Terry Rinker, who is fourth in points, has the other PROP Tour win in 1998.

Mike Seebold won last year's 30-lap final on Lake Mead but the brothers' father, Bill, captured the series championship in his final race as a driver. The elder Seebold now serves as team manager for his sons.

* FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE: Anticipating huge crowds to watch the world's fastest racing boats, officials of this weekend's Las Vegas Cup have issued a traffic advisory and announced free shuttle service for the final two days of the three-day event. On Saturday and Sunday, special shuttle van service will run continuously as needed from the Sunset Station Hotel and Casino to Boulder Beach from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with continuous returns running until one hour after the final race each day. The pick-up point at Sunset Station will be adjacent to the east entrance in Parking Lot H. The drop-off at Boulder Beach will be at the main-gate entrance to the race pits. Racing starts each day at 9 a.m. Parking space at Boulder Beach is at a premium this year because the lake's water level has risen since last year and fans are urged to make use of the free service. Complimentary shuttle service also will be provided at the race site from parking areas to the Boulder Beach spectator area.

* WEBER RETURNS: Mark Weber, who piloted Miss Budweiser to victory in last year's Las Vegas Cup, will be behind the wheel of the locally owned U-10 Wild Fire this weekend. Kim Gregory, president of Las Vegas-based Hansen Mechanical, owns KG Racing. Gregory purchased the hull from the late Steve Woomer and is making his first foray into unlimited hydroplanes. Wild Fire made its debut last weekend in San Diego and won one heat race and finished fourth in the final. Last year, Weber took over in the Miss Budweiser cockpit after Dave Villwock was injured in a blow-over in July that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

* HYDROS HISTORY: Unlimited hydroplanes have raced 12 times on Lake Mead, dating to 1950. The piston-powered boats ran here in 1950 and from 1956 to 1960, before the powerful turbine fleet ran from 1986 to 1990 and again last year. The Formula One powerboats raced on Lake Mead for the first time in 1996 but the final was canceled due to high winds. ... The Las Vegas Cup is the largest free sporting event in the state. The 1986 LV Cup established a Nevada attendance record with a three-day crowd of 221,278, including a record 127,964 for the finals. Last year's event drew an estimated crowd of 70,000.

* ROOSTER TAILS: Both the Unlimited Hydroplane and Formula One finals will be taped for delayed airing on ESPN2. The Unlimited Hydroplane final will be televised Sunday, Oct. 26 at 3 p.m., while the Formula One final will be shown Sunday, Oct. 18 at 12:30 p.m. ... While admission to the Las Vegas Cup is free, pit passes may be purchased for $5. ... The posted purse for the Las Vegas Cup is $150,000 for the Unlimited Hydroplanes and $30,000 for the Formula One boats. ... The hydroplanes will run on a two-mile oval course off the Special Events Beach area of Boulder Beach; the Formula One boats will race on a one-mile oval.

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