For the second year in a row, Mike Hanson and the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto unlimited hydroplane were the best on Lake Washington.

Hanson, a 1979 Federal Way High School graduate, is the longtime crew chief of the Oh Boy! Oberto after moving out of the cockpit. Hanson is the only former unlimited hydroplane driver to take over as a boat’s crew chief. He oversees the hydroplane’s setup and race strategy, and communicates with current driver Steve David. Hanson stepped into the crew chief position with the Miss Oh Boy! Oberto following the 2003 season after 23 years piloting a hydroplane.

The Oh Boy! Oberto had an up and down weekend at the Albert Lee Cup at SeaFair. But David flew the hydroplane to a victory in the final heat Sunday afternoon on Lake Washington. The Oberto raced hard with Scott Liddycoat in the U-7 Valken.com and Dave Villwock in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar. David held off both Liddycoat and Villwock in the five-lap final to bring home the Albert Lee Cup.

“Our boat has never been great on the bigger courses, but on the two-mile course, it has been very good,” David said. “This is a course where we’ve excelled on.”

The Oh Boy! Oberto earned a first-place finish in Heat 1B, a second-place finish in Heat 2B and was disqualified in Heat 3B for a fuel violation prior to the final heat on Sunday.

Along with the win, the Oh Boy! Oberto earned a $25,000 purse for the win at SeaFair.

The Oh Boy! Oberto and Hanson will meet Liddycoat, Villwock and the rest of the field next at the San Diego Bayfair Air National Guard Championship, Sept. 16–18.