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    Record speeds expected at Guntersville Lake Southern Cup
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    Hydroplane boat racing returns to the lake after 49-year absence

    GUNTERSVILLE, Alabama (June 19, 2018)- Eight H1 Unlimited hydroplane race boats are expected to compete June 22-24 on the fastest race water in the South. The weekend of racing marks the return of the world’s fastest race boats on Guntersville Lake who have not competed on the lake since 1969. Teams qualify on the 2-1/2 mile Southern Cup race course on Friday, and race on Saturday and Sunday.

    In the 1960s the boats were known to post world record speeds on Guntersville Lake. Those records have fallen, but with advanced racing technologies and the return to the lake, today’s drivers are looking forward to possibilities of setting new world records in Alabama.

    Last year during an exhibition run on Guntersville Lake, Jimmy Shane (Maple Valley, Wash.) driving the U-1 Miss HomeStreet looked at his speedometer and raised his eyebrows. When he got back to the pits, he just grinned. “I can tell you,” said Shane, “just from the area that we tested, were running fast, like 196 mph on the lake.” Then he chuckled and said, “It was fast!”

    The world record for the fastest qualifying lap on a 2-1/2 mile course is 164.759 mph held by Dave Villwock on San Diego’s Mission Bay in 2011.

    “We are excited,” said Shane. “Last year I was fortunate to test here and there must’ve been 5,000 people just for the exhibition. I can’t wait for our fans in the Southern region of the country to see Miss HomeStreet and numerous other H1 Unlimited hydroplanes all racing together, deck-to-deck.

    Although it will be the season opener, it also becomes the sixth event added to the H1 Unlimited hydroplane season. And, there is plenty of optimism to go around about it.

    Drivers such as Andrew Tate (Walled Lake, Mich.), who finished second in the national high points race with the U-9 Delta/Realtrac, warm to the idea of a brand new course that none of the current drivers have competed on.

    “I’m really excited. This is my third year driving an H1 Unlimited hydroplane,” said Tate. “A new course makes for an even playing field. The other drivers don’t have notes on the course either.”

    Local team owner Charley Wiggins (Birmingham, Ala.), owner of the U-27 Greater Gadsden presents Chase Building Group hydroplane knows the water perhaps better than anyone on the H1 Unlimited hydroplane circuit. Guntersville Lake could be a double-edged sword.

    “The Guntersville course, being on a much wider body of water than the Tri-City (Wash.) and San Diego 2-1/2 mile courses should provide either a smoother course or it could produce a much rougher course if the winds come from the west-southwest directions,” Wiggins said.

    “Having duck hunted on various parts of Guntersville Lake for many years, wind direction can take a smooth mill pond lake and create treacherous white caps for a 16-foot flat bottom boat, which unlimited hydroplane drivers don’t like either. So if the winds are down, it will be smooth like San Diego.”

    In other words, teams better be prepared for anything on a course they don’t know much about, Wiggins warned.

    The U-27 Greater Gadsden presents Chase Building Group is considered the hometown race boat, based in nearby Rainbow City, Ala. Their driver Cal Phipps (Avon Lake, Ohio) said they cannot wait to get back to racing. “When we take the checkered flag on Sunday fans are going to hear one of the best renditions of the song ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ they have ever heard,” a confident Phipps said.

    In addition to Phipps, expect a battle to be waged by top contenders Shane in the U-1 Miss HomeStreet and Tate in the U-9 Delta/Realtrac.

    Tate, with Jeff and Mike Campbell leading his crew, is especially excited for the new season. “At Jones Racing, with the wisdom of the Campbell brothers and the boat setup, we have it down pretty well,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier with the boat,” Tate said.

    Shane expects more teams to be in the title hunt. “There are as many as five boats that could win the national championship,” he said. “The U-11 (Reliable Diamond Tool presents J&D’s) is going to be faster this year, and (U-7 Spirit of Detroit driver) Bert Henderson is going to be a player this year.”

    The other boats expected to fill the field include, U-21 Darrell Strong presents Payne West Insurance, driven by Brian Perkins (North Bend, Wash.), U-99.9 CARSTAR powers Miss Rock driven by rookie driver Aaron Salmon (Bonnie Lake, Wash.), and U-440 Bucket List Racing, driven by 2017 rookie-of-the-year, Dustin Echols (Sultan, Wash.).

    In Guntersville, everything old is new again.

    Guntersville is actually an old unlimited hydroplane race site. The Dixie Cup was run on the lake back in the 1960s, with the last official race held there in 1969. Altogether, there were five unlimited races held on Guntersville Lake:

    Ron Musson drove the Miss Bardahl to victory in the 1963 Alabama Governor’s Cup.
    In 1964, Bill Muncey drove the Notre Dame to the win in the Dixie Cup final.
    In the 1965 Dixie Cup, the only time the course was a three-mile circuit rather than the usual 2 1/2-mile setup, Buddy Byers won the race in the Miss Madison. That is the same team that operates the U-1 Miss HomeStreet team in 2018.
    After a two-year layoff in which the race wasn’t held, Col. Warner Gardner drove the Miss Eagle Electric to the 1968 Dixie Cup title.
    And, in the 1969 Dixie Cup, Bill Sterett Sr., piloted the Miss Budweiser to victory.
    After that, unlimited hydroplane racing went away from Guntersville Lake.

    It was Wiggins, the owner of the U-27 H1 Unlimited hydroplane who broached the idea of bringing a boat race back to his home state of Alabama. It was two years ago when Wiggins talked to Katy Norton at the Marshall County Visitors and Convention Bureau about possibly getting the big boats back. Norton agreed it was worth a try. “Boat racing was really popular here,” said Norton. “I’ve been in this position since 2013, and I’ve had a number of people tell me ‘You need to bring the boats back.’”

    She said, “We have three hotel properties that are sold out and many others close to being full for the race weekend,” added Nolan. “Excitement in town and around the North Alabama region is high. It is a historical event, held for decades on our waterway, and everyone is supporting the return of the boat races.”

    Guntersville has a long history of boat racing and there are many people still living in Guntersville who remember when the unlimited hydroplanes ran in the 1960s and when Roy Duby set the one-mile world straight away speed record of 200.419 mph in 1962 driving the Miss US 1. So there is a lot of anticipation and excitement amongst the community for the return of the unlimited hydroplanes,” Norton said.

    Expected HydroFest Southern Cup line-up

    1) U-1 Miss HomeStreet driven by driver Jimmy Shane (Maple Valley, Wash.).
    2) U-7 Spirit of Detroit rookie driver Bert Henderson (Brockville, Ontario).
    3) U-9 Delta/Realtrac driven by Andrew Tate (Walled Lake, Mich.).
    4) U-11 Reliable Diamond Tool presents J&D’s driven by Tom Thompson (Cambridge, Md.).
    5) U-21 Darrell Strong presents Payne West Insurance, driven by Brian Perkins (North Bend, Wash.).
    6) U-27 Greater Gadsden presents Chase Building Group driven by Cal Phipps (Avon Lake, Ohio).
    7) U-99.9 CARSTAR powers Miss Rock driven by rookie driver Aaron Salmon (Bonnie Lake, Wash.).
    8) U-440 Bucket List Racing, driven by Dustin Echols (Sultan, Wash.).


    http://www.h1unlimited.com/2018/06/r...-southern-cup/
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    Because I'm friends with the U-7 guys I know they will not be there. The boat is at least 2 more weeks from being complete.
    Getting bad advice is unfortunate, taking bad advice is a Serious matter!!
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    HydroFest Qualifying Rescheduled Due to Weather

    Drivers and resue crews took a tour of the Lake Guntersville race course in one of the rescue boats late Friday morning and declared it unsafe to race. When the boat returned, just about everybody on board was soaked. Dustin Echols, driver of the 440 Bucket List Racing boat said "Way too rough to put boats on the water."

    "It's too hazardous," said Jimmy Shane, driver of the defending national champion U-1 HomeStreet Banks hydroplane.
    At 2:30 pm Friday, H1 Unlimited chief referee Doug Shelton made the decision to postpone qualify until Saturday, June 23rd after studying weather forecasts for the remainder of the day. Shortly thereafter, the winds kicked up further, knocking over entrance gates and team tents right before the heavy rains came through the area.

    Qualifying for the Southern Cup has been rescheduled for Saturday between 11:00 am-noon on the 2-1/2 mile Lake Guntersville race course .

    “It is unfortunate that Mother Nature did not cooperate today,” Shelton said. We apologize to all the thousands of fans that came out today but we have to consider the safety of our drivers,” Shelton said.

    The large white cap waves did not allow the H1 Unlimited hydroplane race teams to even put their race boats into the water. In addition to white caps, there were also issues with the course markers breaking away from their moorage.

    “It looked like a bunch of beach balls at a Jimmy Buffett concert when those course marks broke loose and drifted across the lake,” said Cal Phipps, driver of the U-27 Greater Gadsden presents Chase Building Group based out of Rainbow City, Ala. The U-27 team is the only race team based in the South.

    Even though there was no racing today, drivers remain amped for the inaugural race.

    Tom Thompson, driver of the U-11 Reliable Diamond Tool presents J&D’s said, “It doesn’t add to my pressure tomorrow because every driver is in the same predicament. But we would have been more prepared for racing on Saturday and Sunday had we run today.”

    2017 national champion Jimmy Shane, driver of the U-1 Miss HomeStreet said, “I’m bummed that we couldn’t get the boats on the water today, buy I am looking forward to getting the race boats on the water tomorrow and putting on a great show for all the fans in Guntersville.”

    Saturday’s preliminary heat races will remain at the scheduled 2:30 pm (CT) for heat 1A and 3:00 pm for heat 1B.

    Saturday’s Revised Schedule
    8:00 am Gates Open
    8:30-9:45 am H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Testing
    12:15-1:30 pm H1 Unlimited Drivers Autograph Session
    2:30-3:00 pm H1 Unlimited Preliminary Heat 1A
    3:00-3:30 pm H1 Unlimited Preliminary Heat 1B

    Sunday’s Schedule
    8:00 am HydroFest Gates Open
    9:30 am–10:30 am H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes Testing IV
    10:30 am–11:15 am Hot Pit Media Access to H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Drivers, Crew Chiefs, Teams.
    1:30 pm–2:00 pm H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes Preliminary Heat 2A
    2:00 pm-2:30 pm H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes Preliminary Heat 2B
    2:35 pm–2:45 pm Media Press Conference-First place winners of Preliminary Heat 2A, 2B
    3:00 pm–3:30 pm H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes Preliminary Heat 3A
    3:30 pm–4:00 pm H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes Preliminary Heat 3B
    4:05 pm–4:15 pm Media Press Conference-First place winners of Preliminary Heat 3A, 3B
    5:00 pm–5:30 pm Southern Cup Championship Final
    5:35 pm Media Press Conference, Podium Finishers (1-3)


    http://www.waaytv.com/content/news/H...486307041.html
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