A 4.857-second opening run Saturday put Michigan racer John Haas and his Speed Sport Special dragboat in the No. 1 qualifying position for today's final round of the 22nd Augusta Southern Nationals.

Second among today's six-boat top fuel hydro field is Tennessee's Ron McLellan and Liquid Quiker, which posted a 247.72 mph run during qualifying rounds.

Hot Licks Bullet, driven by Jarrett Silvey, was third.

Haas, whose boat disintegrated after an accident in the final race of the 2006 Augusta competition, said he has a new boat this year and is ready to race. He set an unofficial speed record - 252.94 mph - for the Savannah River.

"We're pretty happy to be back here again," he said. "We had a smooth run and we're looking forward to the rest of the weekend."

Haas may have been the fastest racer on the river, but 16-year-old Ashly Ruf of St. Charles, Mo., was the youngest driver in Saturday's broad field - and the only woman.

The youngest licensed racer on the circuit performed admirably in her Modified Eliminator class boat propelled by an 1,100-horsepower, 454-cubic inch Chevrolet engine. At the stern is stenciled, "If you can read this, you just got beat by a chick!"

She finished in the No. 2 qualifying position with a 10.018-second quarter mile, just three one-hundredths of a second behind No. 1 qualifier Shawn Price of Laurens, S.C.

"This is our first trip to Augusta, and we love it," Ruf said.

"Racing is something I've always been around, and it's fun."

Saturday's races were fast and safe with a few minor exceptions.

After a bouncing start in one of the Pro Eliminator class races, Maryland driver Richard Tippett was thrown from his boat, Fuelish Pleasure, and became entangled in his parachute before hitting the water at more than 70 mph.

He was bruised but otherwise uninjured and is expected to return today.

In an earlier accident, a broken prop punched a hole in the Outta Reach pro modified class boat driven by Texas racer Doug Maderer.

The boat sank at the docks but was immediately recovered and Maderer was uninjured.

Top qualifiers in other classes included: Top Alcohol Hydro, Black Dragon, Kent Price, 220.74 mph, with an ET of 5.462 seconds; and Top Alcohol Flat, Mako Force, Dom Ermchar, 159.10 mph and an ET of 7.004 seconds.

Competition will resume this morning with the final rounds for top fuel hydro boats and vessels in 10 other categories.

Boats race in pairs down a quarter-mile course on the Savannah River and vie for the shortest elapsed time.

The event, in its 22nd year in Augusta, has a total purse of about $140,000.

Reach Rob Pavey at 868-1222, ext. 119 or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.

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