Hard run comes up short for David in Oberto/Miss Madison
| June 30, 2008 | |
David Campbell Actually, bow down before him would be more accurate. Showing nearly as much joy for rival Jean Theoret's victory as he did for any of his previous seven career wins, David leapt out of the boat and promptly gave Theoret the "I'm not worthy" treatment. It was a move that brought laughter to the docks and showcased the respect that the two veterans have for each other. "Jean is a great racer. We've raced against each other a long time and I know he's going to do anything he can to win and he did that very well," David said. "He's a brother in faith and I really appreciate him coming over and congratulating me," said Theoret, still smiling at the memory. While it wasn't the ending that David and the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison were looking for, it still proved to be a fairly successful day at the 30th Thunder on the Ohio in Evansville. The team extended its streak of winning at least one heat in a race to seven and its streak of finishing first or second overall in a race to six. The Oh Boy! Oberto was also the fastest in qualifying and David was pleased with the way the boat handled on its first outing of the year. "The boat was great. (crew chief) Mike (Hanson) is going to make it faster," David said. "This week, the team is going to change the deck a little bit to get a little more air underneath the boat. We're very enthused about our possibilities. We leave here, with our bonus points for qualifying, second, but heck, we're all within 300 points." The Oberto's weekend didn't start out so hot when David was hit with a double penalty in the first race of the weekend in Heat 1A on Saturday. Those penalties, for jumping the gun and hitting a buoy, left the Miss Madison fourth. But in that same heat, the Oberto posted a lap speed of 147.209 mph, the fastest competition lap by any boat on the weekend. And in Heat 2A, the U-6 cruised to an easy win. After settling for second in Heat 3B, David had his sights set firmly on the final, a race he won in 2005. But Theoret's quick maneuver into lane one stole David's plan and the veteran was forced to settle for second. "I was giving him a hard run and in this water, you never know. If a boat gets light, you have to get out of the pedal. If I stay light, I can catch him, so you just never give up," David said. "You can't really run your fastest lane (from lane two) and I'm eating (Theoret's) water and in (turn two), you really can't see where you're going. You're just waiting for a really loud bang. That's the nature of being in lane two." While David had the green light to get rough - "Mike said we had plenty of fiberglass back at the shop," he joked - he decided to take the runner-up points and get ready for this weekend's race in Madison. And with a field of boats that all seem to be equal, every point is like gold. "Every heat this year is going to be close," David said. "I don't think it will be decided until the final heat at San Diego."
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