Although a fifth’s of Thar season’s already over.
And I feel like I need a fifth after a most disjointed weekend of trying to
follow along…
This coming fourth ‘O July weekend sees the H1
Unlimited series contesting Thar’ second race of the 2025 season at Madison,
Indiana
The season began nearly one month ago at the
Guntersville Hydrofest, June 8th on Lake Guntersville, Alabama. With the
remainder of the five events as follows: July 6th Madison Regatta at Madison, Indiana.
Then a three race west coast swing, including
the traditional Warshington’ back-to-back “Double”, i.e.; July 27th Tri-Cities Water
Follies at Kennewick on the Mighty Columbia, nee Columbia River.
Followed a week later on Lake Washington August 3rd at Seattle’s Seafair, presumably
replete with the legendous’ Blue Angels, unless somebody’s spent too much upon
His 79th birthday’s military parade and had to cut their funding?
The season concludes on September 14th at Bayfair’s
Mission Bay, with the Bill Muncey Cup in San Diego, CA.
This year’s Tri-Cities Water Follies commemorates
the 60th anniversary of this event and will host this year’s prestigious APBA
Gold Cup race. With the Gold Cup being the oldest American trophy, beginning
with it’s 1904 inaugural event
Like every offseason, much movement has
occurred in the top Dawgs’ Unlimited Hydroplanes fleet. As Dustin Echols has
decided to retire from competition, leaving the U-40 devoid of a driver.
And with Sharon and Kelly Stockton, longtime
owners of Bucket List Racing and the U-40’s main sponsor Flav-R-Pac moving onto
the U-11’s flanks as its new primary sponsor, Y’all have to wonder the status
of the U-40 Bucket List Racing Unlimited Hydroplane this season.
Once again, the H1 Unlimited website has
suffered another compressor stall, since I couldn’t find anything on its
apathetic website about the seismic shift of the competing teams landscape…
According to the Madison Courier, Miss Madison
Racing which had gotten itself into hefty financial debt due to it’s 2018
sponsorship agreement with Home Street Bank. With the former Miss Budweiser
Tukwila race shop becoming an albatross around its neck due to the hefty mortgage,
has led to Miss Madison president Charlie Grooms selling the entire assets of
the championship winning team! Having just won their twelfth championship last
year…
Seattle’s Bruce Ratchford, the founder and proprietor
of Apollo Mechanical, who not only became Seafair’s title sponsor last year.
When the Apollo Mechanical Cup joined Seafair for its 75th anniversary. Also sponsored the U-27 Miss Apollo last season.
With the newly created race team stepping up with the acquisition of Miss
Madison Racing’s two Unlimited Hydroplane Hulls. Along with adding the U-27 to
its fleet.
Thus, defending APBA National High Points
Drivers Champion Andrew Tate has become teammate this season with Dave
Villwock. With Tate in the U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate and Dave Villwock in
the U-27 Miss Apollo for the new BWR Racing team, forming a new powerhouse race
team to challenge Strong Racing…
Initially, I Arse-sumed BWR Racing would be run
out of the former Miss Madison Tukwila race shop. Although re-reading the
Madison Courier story, it notes that the entire Tukwila inventory was sold,
making me wonder if the building wasn’t included?
As Grooms and four other Board members of Miss
Madison Racing Inc have been fired over this travesty, with the immediate
future of the team unknown.
Yet H1 Unlimited blissfully reported in February,
that Miss Madison racing Inc had sold one of it’s Hulls to eric Christensen
over the winter. Who’ll compete aboard the U-2 this season, driving for His
newly founded Christensen Racing team. Making me wonder just how many Hulls did
Miss Madison Racing own?
Christensen clamed they’d have the U-2
Fraternal Order of Eagles and Albert lee Appliance Hydroplane ready for May’s
Spring training event on the Columbia River, but the race boat, based out of
Buckley, WA didn’t appear at Guntersville. Making me wonder if this will just
be another west coast partial season Hydroplane?
A la the U-21 Go Fast Turn Left Racing
Hydroplane, that Gunnar O’Farrell dramatically flipped during testing in Pasco
this May! Although the team’s confident they’ll be ready in time for the Water
Follies event.
Meanwhile, following the sale of Miss Madison
Racing’s assets to BWR Racing, the series notes that in conjunction with
representatives of Marshall County Tourism and Sport, the Madison Regatta and
Miss Madison Racing, the team will attempt competing in the season’s first two
East coast races, i.e.; Guntersville and Madison.
Subsequently, Miss Madison Racing announced
that rookie skipper Brandon Kennedy will be at the tiller of it’s U-6
Hydroplane, as the organization regroups and hopefully secures it’s long term
future. AS I’d like to think the team can rebound and return to a full season
campaign in the near future…
Cannot say I’m overly impressed by only six
Unlimited Big Boyz’ Boats showing up at Guntersville, but think we’ve had
worse. As I tend to recall some of the races having a paltry four Hulls. But
with the cloud hanging over the storied Miss Madison operation right now, guess
I should see this as a good thing overall.
Another interesting side note is that Bruce
Ratchford has joined forces with Darrel Strong, owner of Strong Racing, the H1
Unlimited Hydroplane’s other two boat team owner in Hydrotown Racing Inc.
As Hydrotown Racing Inc was created in 2023 to
promote and market the Unlimited Hydroplanes, while apparently APBA is the
sport’s governing body thru its ABRA association.
Yet Hydrotown Racing’s got a long way to go
towards marketing and promoting the sport properly! Especially if Guntersville
is their media template for success…
Whilst opining for nine Unlimited Hydroplanes competing in the Gold Cup and Seafair this summer. I think the best will be eight Hulls, since the U-6 Miss Madison is slated to run just the first two races. Meaning it will be Strong Racing vs. BWR Racing this season jousting for the National High Points Championship titles.
