Editor’s note: This is the first blog from Oh Boy! Oberto driver Steve David, who clinched his second-consecutive National High Points Drivers championship in the H1 Unlimited circuit in Qatar. David will regularly contribute—as will other high-profile folks in the performance-boat industry—as part of the new Powerboat Web site to debut later this month.

I'm writing this from the shores of Doha, Qatar (next to Saudi Arabia), where we just wrapped up the final race of the season for the Unlimited hydroplane circuit, which is now known as H1 Unlimited.

Many of you know Qatar from its offshore teams led by his excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani. It was in fact Sheikh Hassan who brought the Unlimiteds to this magical place.

The results from this race tell only a small story of the roller-coaster ride the weekend presented. I was leading in the points standings going into the event and just needed a win in Heat 4 to wrap it up before the Final. While leading that heat, I did what we know as a “blowover.” Click here to see the video.

After electing its new Board of Directors in early November, Offshore Super Series welcomed two new board members from outside the world of boat racing.

Reflecting a structural change to OSS that allows someone from outside an OSS race team to sit on the board, John S. “Johnny” Rutherford III and Beaux Barfield have agreed to join the board of the not-for-profit offshore powerboat racing association.

A three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racer, Rutherford is currently an official with Indy Racing League (IRL). The Fort Worth, Texas, native is an inductee in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, and has been a TV analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC and ESPN. His experience as a special event coordinator for the IRL and consultant to Team Pennzoil is seen as a plus.

J Michael Kelly picked the right time to get his first H1 Unlimited career victory.

Kelly stunned the field as he drove the Graham Trucking hydroplane to a win Saturday at the Oryx Cup in Doha, Qatar. The day of racing was filled with crashes that included Oh Boy! Oberto’s Steve David, who was seeking his second-consecutive National High Points Drivers championship.

David had a 431-point advantage over Jeff Bernard in the Formulaboats.com boat going into the final day of racing. But in the final heat, David’s boat did a 360-degree flip but landed right-side up. Although the boat was slightly damaged, safety inspectors allowed the boat to run in the Final.

The veteran driver won the high points title thanks to two mishaps in the Final. Bernard and Miss Elam Plus driver Dave Villwock were—pardon the pun—in the driver’s seat to win the championship because of David’s mishap in a previous heat.