AP

Dave Villwock raises his first-place trophy after he won the Chevrolet Cup for unlimited hydroplanes Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008, on Lake Washington in Seattle.

SEATTLE - Dave Villwock benefited from a mistake by Jean Theoret and drove the Ellstrom E-Lam Plus hydroplane to a Chevrolet Cup victory Sunday on Lake Washington.

Villwock physically finished second behind Theoret's Miss Beacon Plumbing in the winner-take-all final heat.

But Theoret, who led from start to finish, was penalized one minute for being "off plane" -- failing to get his boat high enough out of the water -- before the start of the race, dropping him into fifth place.

Villwock averaged 134.612 mph.

Steve David in the O Boy! Oberto took second place, and Jeff Bernard in the Formulaboats.com finished third.

Villwock had a perfect weekend. He was fastest qualifier and won every preliminary heat before earning first place in the final.

A week ago, at the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup race, a penalty went against Villwock and cost him the victory. This time, a penalty against a competitor worked to his favor.

"The referees have done an awesome job of making calls," Villwock said. "There are balls and strikes. Sometimes it goes over the plate and sometimes it doesn't.

"We were all warned about being off plane. I sped up, and so did Theoret, but then he went off plane again."

Rookie unlimited driver Kip Brown was fourth driving Our Gang Racing. Greg Hopp, in Mirageboats, was sixth. Hopp was penalized a lap for destroying a buoy during the fourth lap. J. Michael Kelly was unable to finish with Graham Trucking.

David was the defending Chevrolet Cup champion.

Theoret won the Chevrolet Cup in 2005 and 2006.

Earlier in the day, in preliminary heat 2A, David Bryant flipped Hoss Mortgage Investors in the first turn on his second lap. The boat landed upside-down. Bryant emerged from the cockpit through the escape hatch in the bottom of the boat. He was unhurt.

"I hit a roller and got a little air under the right sponson," he said. "That blew it over."

Damage to the boat was mostly superficial, and Bryant said it should be repaired in time for the next race in San Diego, Sept. 19-21.