2017 Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers HydroFest Aug 25-27

This year marks the 101st race along the Detroit River, one of the Motor City’s longest-standing sports traditions and the longest continuously running hydroplane race on the H1 Unlimited circuit.
The 2017 Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers HydroFest takes place Fri., Aug. 25 – Sun., Aug. 27 and will feature an updated format this year with two sets of preliminary heats on Aug. 26 and a winner-take-all final for the President’s Cup, followed by three sets of preliminary heats on Aug. 27 with a winner-take-all final for the prestigious APBA Gold Cup, the oldest active trophy in all of the motorsports.

The Roostertail turn on the Detroit River between the Detroit Yacht Club and the mainland grandstands is among the most exciting in boat racing. It is the tightest turn in all of unlimited hydroplane racing. It creates a wild ride for the drivers and excitement for fans.
By sheer contrast, the widest turn in unlimited hydroplane racing is the other end of the race course near the Belle Isle Bridge. It allows for some of the fastest cornering speeds in the sport but drivers have to contend with potential winds coming through the openings under the bridge.

Single and weekend tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets or for sponsorship opportunities, call the office of the Detroit Riverfront Events Inc. at 313-329-8047.
Visit www.detroitboatraces.com for complete details.

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Where is the...
Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Hydrofest Display Boat?

Catch the display boat at these locations:
June 21-24, 2017 Dick Genthe Chevrolet Southgate
June 28-30, 2017 Feldman Chevrolet Highland
June 30-July 5, 2017 Jefferson Chevrolet Detroit
July 5-10, 2017 Wally Edgar Chevrolet Lake Orion
July 10-14, 2017 Milnes Chevrolet Imlay City
July 14-17, 2017 Mark Chevrolet Wayne
July 19-21, 2017 Champion Chevrolet Howell
July 24-26, 2017 Champion Chevrolet Fowlerville
July 27-29, 2017 LaRiche Chevrolet Plymouth Twp
August 2-4, 2017 LaFontaine Chevrolet Dexter
August 4-7, 2017 Moran Chevrolet Clinton Twp
August 7-8, 2017 Hamilton Chevrolet Warren
August 9-11, 2017 Mike Savoie Chevrolet Troy
August 14-18, 2017 Heidebreicht Chevrolet Romeo
August 18-22, 2017 St. Clair Chevy China Twp
August 22-28, 2017 Event Site Detroit

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Winning poster captures history of hydroplane racing
Jay Grossman

When he decided to enter a poster contest for the upcoming hydroplane races in Detroit, graphic designer*Daniel Stack wanted to create something that captured the history of the sport.

Mission accomplished.

The 22-year-old Farmington Hills resident, a recent graduate of Lawrence Technological University, took first place in the art competition. As part of his prize, he'll take part in “autograph row” alongside the hydroplane drivers at the Metro Chevy Dealers HydroFest that runs Aug. 25-26. He'll meet and greet fans while signing copies of his poster.

“The race has been around for over 100 years, so I kind of wanted to tap into a nostalgic feel for the poster,” *Stack said. “That was the original idea I had right off the bat.”

This year marks the 101st*year of hydroplane racing along the Detroit River. The winner of the two-day event will be awarded the prestigious APBA Gold Cup, the oldest active trophy in motor sports dating back to 1904.

The first Indianapolis 500 race in comparison, was held in 1911.

H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes are described as the fastest circuit racing boats in the world, powered by turbine engines producing 3000 horsepower, topping 200 mph and trailing a 60-foot high, 300-foot long wall of water called a “roostertail.”

This will be the first time Stack attended a hydroplane race, and he's looking forward to it. His plans for the rest of the summer are to relax and do some freelance work. In the long run, he's planning a career in graphic design that focuses on his talents in animation and videography.

His advice to other budding artists? Go with your instincts.

“Just trust yourself in terms of what you think looks good,” he said. “Don’t try and fit into the mold of what you think is doing best at the time — one of the most important qualities you have as an artist is your vision and your direction.”

His poster will be produced as a limited-run poster available for purchase onsite at the 2017 Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers HydroFest web page.

To purchase tickets for the race, call the office of the Detroit Riverfront Events Inc. at 313-329-8047 or visit www.detroitboatraces.com.

http://www.hometownlife.com/story/ne...ing/515294001/

Some video from last year.

Hold on!!:eek:

https://youtu.be/E4ojr61Pn0g

Hydro racing looks to keep quality product during lean times
By Dustin Brennan

This weekend, all was right with the fastest racing boats in the world. They went deck-to-deck, ripped up the Columbia River and crowned a champion — this time the right one.

But there’s no denying times are lean in H1 Unlimited Racing. The Madison Regatta became an exhibition race this year — the fourth points race to drop from the schedule since 2013 — meaning the HAPO Columbia Cup is one of just four official races remaining on the circuit. Only eight teams made the trip out to the Tri-Cities, and it’s possible the same number or fewer will race for the Albert Lee Appliance Cup at SeaFair in Seattle next weekend.

“It’s kind of tough, but it’s just one of those things,” said U-12 Graham Trucking driver J. Michael Kelly, the winner of Sunday’s Columbia Cup and a veteran of the circuit since 2004. “The sport has been in this situation in the past and it’s picked itself back up.”

The paradox behind the struggle is that parity and competition in the sport are running high.

Jimmy Shane (U-1 Miss HomeStreet) is the four-time defending national champion and clear face of the sport, but he’s pushed every weekend by 2016 H1 Unlimited Rookie of the Year Andrew Tate (U-9 Les Schwab Tires) and Kelly, the national high points runner-up the past three seasons. In addition, the U-11 Miss DiJulio Presents J&D, driven by Tom Thompson, and the U-3 Griggs Presents the Miss Ace Hardware of Jimmy King, looked up to snuff this weekend.

“You can see, even from a smaller field this weekend, the quality of racing is really good,” H1 Chairman Doug Bernstein said. “If you get two boats, somebody’s gonna want to go faster.

“Being a fan, in an ideal world, I’d like to expand it to 12 to 15 boats, where you’d add something to the preliminary heats and points are a must to get into the final. And there’s also a cushion in case something happens.”

That lack of cushion was certainly on display this weekend. The Ellstrom Racing team — which has won six times in the Tri-Cities and 28 times overall since 2000 — tapped veteran JW Myers to drive the U-16 Oh Boy! Oberto, but the team didn’t make it out to the Tri-Cities — although it is expected to make an appearance at SeaFair. Couple that with Brian Perkins and the U-21 skidding and breaking most of the boat’s major components on Saturday, and only six teams had race-able boats when Sunday’s final rolled around.

To keep interest in the boats on the water, Bernstein and H1 Unlimited have opted to go the direction of other major American sports and hasten the tempo. Bernstein also serves on the board of directors for the Detroit Hydrofest, which has had success with starting heats in succinct, 20-minute intervals, a tactic employed at the Water Follies this year.

Bernstein noted that interest in hydroplane racing, like other motor sports, is cyclical, and that the sport has always pivoted and prospered in the past.

In the wake of last year’s controversial HAPO Columbia Cup finish, H1 has trimmed some fat out of the rule book, hoping to make the sport more simple, fan-friendly and accessible.

“The fans need and deserve to know who won the race when they leave the river,” Bernstein said. “That’s not too much to ask ... At times it’s technical, but it’s not rocket science. We do have rocket scientists on call though.”

Of course the true test of the effectiveness of those changes lies in the response of the venues, the teams and — of course — the fans.

“The way I look at it, we’ve just got to get through this year and make the most of it,” Kelly said. “We’ve gotta hope these other race sites come on board and these race teams will come out. Because there’s a lot of fast boats sitting in shops right now that aren’t here.

“I think somebody will come along and keep this sport going, and we’ll be fine.”

Read more here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports...#storylink=cpy

2017 Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Hydrofest
Event Date: August 25-27 2017
Tentative Schedule 8/21/2017

Friday August 25
9:00-9:30 H1 Unlimited Drivers Meeting Pit Tower
10:00-10:30 350 Drivers meeting Piston Park
10:30-11:00 GP drivers meeting Piston park
12:30-2:30 H1 Unlimited testing
2:30-3:00 350 testing
2:30-3:00 GP testing
3:00-4:15 H1 Unlimited Qualifying-Presidents Cup
4:20-4:40 350 testing
4:45-5:15 Grand Prix testing
5:15-5:25 Vintage
5:30-7:00 H1 Unlimited Qualifying-APBA Gold Cup

Saturday August 26
7:00-7:45 Drivers Physicals
7:45-8:15 H1 Unlimited Drivers meeting Pit Tower
8:30-9:30 H1 Unlimited testing
8:30-9:00 350 Drivers Meeting Piston Park
9:00-9:30 GP Drivers Meeting Piston park
9:30-9:50 350 testing
10:00-10:20 GP testing
10:30-10:45 350 1A
10:50-11:05 350 1B
11:00-11:45 H1 autograph session
11:10-12:05 Lunch
12:15-12:30 H1 Unlimited 1A
12:35-12:50 H1 Unlimited 1B
1:00-1:15 GP 1A
1:20-1:35 GP 1B
1:35-1:50 GP 1C
2:00-2:15 H1 Unlimited 2A
2:20-2:35 H1 Unlimited 2B
2:55-3:10 350 2A
3:10-3:25 350 2B
3:30-3:45 Vintage
3:50-4:05 GP 2A
4:10-4:25 GP 2B
4:30-4:45 GP 3C
5:00-5:15 H1 Unlimited Presidents Cup Final

Sunday August 27
7:30-8:30 Drivers Physicals
8:30-9:30 H1 Unlimited testing
9:30-10:00 350 Drivers Meeting Piston Park
10:00-10:30 GP Drivers Meeting Piston Park
10:40-10:55 Opening Ceremony
11:00-11:20 H1 Unlimited 1A
11:20-11:40 H1 Unlimited 1B
11:40-12:30 Lunch
12:40-12:55 H1 Unlimited 2A
1:00-1:15 H1 Unlimited 2B
1:25-1:40 GP 3A
1:40-1:55 GP3B
1:55-2:10 GP 3C
2:15-2:30 H1 Unlimited 3A
2:30-2:45 H1 Unlimited 3B
3:00-3:15 GP Consolation
3:25-3:40 350 Final
3:45-3:55 Vintage
4:10-4:25 GP Final
4:35-4:50 H1 Unlimited APBA Gold Cup Final

Hydrofest on the Detroit River: 5 things to watch
Tom Lang, Special to the Detroit Free Press

Here are five things to watch during Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Hydrofest, which begins Friday and runs through Sunday:

New format
For the first time in the modern era of the sport, competitors in the H1 Unlimited series will have*two races in two days, a format that mimics the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix Duals in Detroit with full Saturday and Sunday races.
On Saturday, H1 boats will compete for the President’s Cup, then on Sunday go after the sports's most prestigious trophy – the APBA Gold Cup – which has been continuously contested since 1904.*
This will be the first time since 1977*that unlimited hydroplanes will race for the President’s Cup.*
The President’s Cup was an unlimited hydroplane contest from 1926 to ’77.
“This may lead to a different strategy among the teams because you have to be around the end of the day Saturday to run for the Gold Cup, the most prestigious trophy, on Sunday,” said Doug Bernstein, a member of the three-person board of Detroit Riverfront Events, and chairman of H1 Unlimited.
He said it was time for the sport to try some new things for the fans.
“We understand it’s a gamble because it puts more stress on each of the teams, but I’m thinking for the fans it should be much better,” Bernstein added. “Not everyone can get down there for two days, so this gives the fans, no matter which day they’re going, the opportunity to see a full race.”

Weather forecast
Positive conditions are expected on the Detroit Rivers this weekend:*
“It looks like we are very lucky with the forecast, because the conditions should be absolutely perfect,” Bernstein said. “For the races in Detroit, the one thing that you don’t want to see is the wind out of the southwest, because it’s against the current. If it gets above 10 miles-an-hour it gets dicey as to whether or not we can run. And the wind direction (prediction) for the entire weekend is out of the east, so (the water) should be pretty flat and should lead to pretty quick speeds.”

Tight and wide
The Roostertail turn on the Detroit River between the Detroit Yacht Club and the mainland grandstands is among the most exciting in boat racing. It is the tightest turn in all of unlimited hydroplane racing. It creates a wild ride for the drivers and excitement for fans.
By sheer contrast, the widest turn in unlimited hydroplane racing is the other end of the race course near the Belle Isle Bridge. It allows for some of the fastest cornering speeds in the sport but drivers have to contend with potential winds coming through the openings under the bridge.

Hear one roar
The last holdout of piston-driven engines will be found in local driver Jimmy King’s U-3 team boat. King, from Wales, south of Port Huron, has a turbo-charged Allison engine, which was used in the historic hydro boats and also in the P51 Mustang fighter planes of the WWII era.
Bernstein said all other teams in the unlimited hydroplane series have progressively switched over to turbine power, yet King remains competitive and, if nothing else, brings the thunderous noise fans like.
“A lot of traditional fans hate the turbines because they don’t make enough noise,” Bernstein said. “The turbo-charged Allison does make the noise.”

Race within a race
All boats enter the race course 5 minutes before the start. Part of the racing strategy is trying to out-smart their opponents by seeking a favorite lane and hitting the start line when the countdown clocks hit zero.*
The complete Friday-Sunday schedule, ticket information and other key facts can be found at: www.detroitboatraces.com.

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/ou...tch/598908001/

And the day has arrived!!

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