With three races in the books and one left on the stateside unlimited hydroplane racing schedule, Auburn’s Dave Villwock is all smiles.

“So far, so good,” said Villwock, who has driven the U-16 Miss Ellstrom Elam Plus to two victories this season, one in Madison, Ind., the other at the prestigious Gold Cup race in Detroit.

Now, the Seattle-based team swings into the final two races of the season, beginning with the Columbia Cup in the Tri-Cities last weekend and continuing with the Chevrolet Cup at Seafair on Lake Washington this weekend.

“The Gold Cup is the Gold Cup,” said Villwock, who has 58 career wins and seven Gold Cups. “We give it a lot of credit because of the tradition. But in terms of the importance, Seattle is the big show. It has the most media, the highest concentration in terms of spectators.

“The Tri-Cities is the lead-up to that,” he added. “And they are big for no other reason than that we are racing at home.”

According to Villwock, conditions on the Columbia River presented a chance for the U-16 hydro to stretch its legs.

“The water is generally better, so you tend to have higher speeds,” Villwock said.

Then it will be onto Seattle.

Normally, the boats would then make their way to San Diego for the final race of the season. But according to Villwock, this year’s finale will take place on foreign soil.

With the future of the sport on the line, Villwock said the series will travel to Qatar after Seafair.

Villwock said he believed taking the series overseas would ensure the future of the sport.

“Formula One legend Michael Schumacher stood on the end of the Miss Budweiser trailer down in San Diego and told me, ‘You should bring this to Europe. People will fall out of their chair when they see it,’” Villwock said.

According to Villwock, the conversation got the wheels turning, and he began traveling overseas to help secure races.

“Maybe we’re competing in the wrong pond here,” he said. “We’ve got NASCAR, basketball, football, ladies’ basketball. Over there they have Formula One and soccer. I think it’s something that will appeal to them.”

Villwock said that Americans tend to be infatuated with roots racing, big home-built engines in old muscle cars.

“People in other countries are in love with turbo chargers and double-overhead cams,” he said. “A different technology appeals to them. For us, maybe that may be a better market.”