Detroit Thunderfest - August 22-23, 2015

DETROIT NEWS
Hydroplanes chair: Detroit race to be 'action-packed'
David Goricki

H1 Unlimited Hydroplane chairman Steve David said the series will be making a stop on the Detroit River after all this summer and it will be better than ever.

David, who retired as a driver following the 2013 season, said the two-day event on August 22-23 will be known as the UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit Thunderfest and it will be "action packed with no down time to make sure the fans have a great experience."

David was a star on the Detroit River as a driver for decades, finishing runnerup a dozen times while also winning multiple series championships. He wanted to make sure Unlimited racing would remain in the Motor City.

"When the DRRA (Detroit River Regatta Association) disbanded, Mark Weber, Bruce Madej, Doug Bernstein and myself figured we had to find a way to keep Unlimited racing going on the Detroit River," pointed out David. "Really, failure was not an option. It was important to bring the race back since it had been a part of the city for more than seventy straight years.

"Mark Weber and his group did a great job. We're going to have a two-day event and all general admission area seating will now be free to the public and the price for the bleachers will be more fan-friendly.

"The event will be action packed. We're bringing the Grand Prix boats back for the first time in nearly 15 years and also adding F2 Tunnel Boats, V6 Mercury Outboards that are 16-to-17 feet long, go 130 mph and turn on a dime. It's going to be a blast."

David came back to the series when owners and drivers asked him to take on the role to bring new life into the sport.

"They wanted me to be Chairman so we've cleaned up the balance sheet where we have no debt," David said. "We're revolutionizing the sport where a new V12 motor is being developed, capable of 3,000 horsepower and we're hoping to get it on the dyno in November and have it ready for next year.

"We've signed 12 Unlimited race teams to performance contracts and we're going to have 11 of them at the season opener July 4th in Madison and all 12 for the Gold Cup two weeks later at Tri-Cities (on the Columbia River in eastern Washington). Our racing will also be on webcast free on ESPN3 so fans who can't attend the races can still watch them."

David feels fortunate UAW-GM came on board to show its commitment to Detroit.

"I think it really shows how thankful they are to the city of Detroit for hanging on with them through tough times," David said. "Now, they're giving back and we're thrilled to have them with us. And, this is a multi-year deal too."
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/spo...cked/29129177/

It sure is nice to know there will be a hydro race in Detroit this year. It is still bad enough there won't be the Unlimiteds and the Gold Cup will be in Washington, but maybe Detroit can get the Silver Cup back for this event.

Failure is not an option, you know, other than losing the longest running trophy event in motorsports.

A step in the right direction.
Hopefully
:)

Yes.
But it still feels like something was lost in the transition, although I do get that some new classes are in the mix. Maybe it's because it had to be watered down with land motorsports, or maybe because I know guys who were on the owner-operator-vendor side of the GM deal that did not fair as well as the UAW. Complicated feelings... so goes Detroit for anybody who gets close to it. I spent the years prior to, during, and after the recession working in and around the big world called "Detroit" and maybe I know too much to be "happy."
And I am a boat racing fan and a GM guy. But also proud of the history of the Gold Cup. This crazy thing called "way too much horsepower for any given hull design" is a wonderful phenomenon that goes back to early Gold Cups. Heck, wasn't the 100mph mark broken on the Detroit River?
It's complicated, but I'm not a hater.

Deal reached for Detroit H1 race in August

Newspaper says UAW, GM have signed off on sponsorship deal

Unlimited hydroplanes are reportedly returning to Detroit this summer, ending months of speculation that the longest-running race on the circuit would not be contested in 2015.

The Detroit Free Press reported on Sunday that the United Auto Workers and General Motors have signed a sponsorship deal with Detroit Riverfront Events Inc. to stage the race the weekend of Aug. 21-23. H1 Unlimited acknowledged the report without going into further detail.

Hydroplanes have raced on the Detroit River since 1915 with only a five-year hiatus during World War II breaking the run. A year ago, the Detroit River Regatta Association announced that the traditional mid-July race was being moved to August. The DRRA dropped the Unlimiteds from the schedule in October and then ceased operations all together on Feb. 28.

Detroit has hosted the APBA Gold Cup every year since 1990 but with the uncertainty of this year’s race, H1 and the APBA moved the Gold Cup race to the Tri-Cities, Wash., which will be held July 24-26.

H1 Chairman Steve David has been working hard with Mark Weber, the former head of the DRRA, to organize a race in Detroit this summer. On several social media sites, as well as an interview with The Madison Courier last month, David said that he was confident that a race would happen.

The addition of Detroit gives H1 Unlimited a total of five races this season, which is still the shortest schedule the sport has had since the 1950s. There ended up being five races in 2013 after Madison was canceled due to high water, but six races were originally scheduled.

The H1 season kicks off July 3-5 at Madison and moves to Tri-Cities July 24-26, Seattle July 31-Aug. 2 and Detroit Aug. 21-23 before ending the season in San Diego Sept. 18-20

http://madisoncourier.com/Content/Sp...t/18/289/91120

Hydroplanes to race on Detroit River in August

Mark Weber, president of Detroit Riverfront Events Inc., spells out plans for an Aug. 22-23 boat racing program on the Detroit River. The racing will include unlimited hydroplanes that will compete for the Spirit of Detroit trophy.
By George Pohly,

Boat racing fans can exhale.

Unlimited hydroplanes will thunder across the Detroit River this year, after all.

The boats of the H1 Unlimited Series will compete on the river Aug. 22 and 23, race organizer Mark Weber said Thursday night in St. Clair Shores.

Grand prix and tunnel boats also will be part of a racing program that came together at the 11th hour, Weber said at the monthly meeting of Unlimiteds Detroit, a group that follows and promotes boat racing.

The United Auto Workers and the GM Center for Human Resources will be the primary sponsors of the races, said Weber, who is president of Detroit Riverfront Events Inc., which has a multi-year deal in place to put on the event.

“The cool thing is, there’s going to be a race,” Weber said. “There is going to be a race in 2015, and a race in 2016. And I’m fairly certain that in 2017 there will be a race.

“There’s a lot going on,” Weber added. “We’re in this, and we’re dead, damn serious. We’re going to do it. I have a refuse-to-lose attitude. There is a lot of energy.”

The Detroit River course was for many years the site of the Gold Cup unlimited hydroplane race.

But competition for the prestigious trophy was moved to Tri-Cities (Wash.) after the Detroit River Regatta Association said last fall it would no longer stage the Gold Cup.

This year, the H1 Unlimited drivers will compete on the Detroit River for the Spirit of Detroit trophy, which, Weber said, will be designed by the UAW.

Detroit Riverfront Events Inc. is planning to have non-racing activities support the boat racing, Weber said.

“We need to diversify the event,” Weber said. “Everyone is teaming up right now.”

A mailing to purchasers of Gold Cup tickets will be sent next week, Weber said.

An Internet site, detroitboatraces.com, has been created.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Weber said.

The Detroit race will be the fourth of five stops on the H1 Unlimited circuit.

The Gold Cup will be July 24-26 on the Columbia River.

The H1 Unlimited season begins on the Ohio River at Madison, Ind., July 3-5.Jimmy Shane won the 2014 Gold Cup in the U-6 Oberto.

http://www.dailytribune.com/sports/2...iver-in-august

Should call it the Spirit of Default, or alternatively, the Hoffa Memorial Cup.

It's also a lot of travel back and forth for the teams.

But, at least there will be an Unlimited Hydro race in Detroit.

Free park access during Detroit hydroplane weekend

Thanks to UAW-GM, more parks along the Detroit River will be free and open to the public for viewing this year's hydroplane festival.

Earlier this month, the City of Detroit and H1 Unlimited announced the "UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest" event Aug. 22-23 on the Detroit River.

The festival will feature Unlimited Hydroplane, Grand Prix and Formula Tunnel Boat racing.

With UAW-GM backing and organization from the newly formed Detroit Riverfront Events Inc. group, general admission to Henderson, Annex and Owen parks will be free for specators on event days, although a $20-per-day parking fee still will apply.

Grandstand seats will start at $45, with the VIP Club Gold Cup at $185.

There will be a limited number of RV camping spots available onsite.

To purchase tickets to the HydroFest, which continues Unlimited Hydroplane racing in the Motor City that dates to 1916, contact 313-329-8047. For more information on the festival, visit detroitboatraces.com.

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/mo...w-gm/29855861/

UAW-GM Presents the Spirit of Detroit HydroFest, August 22-23

DETROIT, MICHIGAN (July 7, 2015) – UAW-GM, the global automotive union brand, and Detroit Riverfront Events, Inc., announced a multi-year partnership to host the UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest, featuring the H1 Unlimited hydroplane series, on the Detroit River, August 22 and 23, 2015.

The collaboration marks a commitment by title sponsor, UAW-GM, and host organization, Detroit Riverfront Events, Inc., to the City of Detroit. The UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest will allow the city’s longest-running community sporting event -- H1 Unlimited hydroplane racing – to continue. “The UAW-GM partnership has contributed to the reshaping of the automotive world and its workers, and they are going to be a major contributor in reshaping the City of Detroit and its people,” said Mark Weber, president of Detroit Riverfront Events, Inc.

The H1 Unlimited hydroplanes are the fastest and most powerful, closed-course racing boats in the world. The turbine engines have the boats reaching speeds over 200 mph on the 2 ½ mile Detroit River course. And this class of boats is just one part of the UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest excitement.

"This year, we will be bringing back the Grand Prix boats featuring the ACHA series, with the big block 1300 plus horsepower automotive engines with top speed of 170 MPH," said Weber. "Not only will that bring back the thunder to the river with the noise, but it will be bringing those 500 cubic inch GM engines that power these boats back to the Motor City."

In addition to the H1 Unlimited and Grand Prix hydroplanes, Formula 2 tunnel boats will be added to the Hydrofest. The tunnel hull boats powered by 200 HP outboard Mercury engines are not like the hydroplanes. Instead of a flying start, the tunnel boats use a LeMans standing start, racing on a tighter course with one-pin left and right turns. The winner-take-all final will be 25 laps.

The announcement of the UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest means the City of Detroit will keep its standing as the longest continuously running unlimited hydroplane race on the H1 Unlimited circuit. The first sanctioned hydroplane race took place on the Detroit River in 1916. Since 1946, a minimum of one unlimited hydroplane race has been contested each year on the Detroit River. Only a hiatus from 1941 until 1945, during World War II, has kept Detroit from hosting a century of uninterrupted championship boat racing.

UAW-GM's title sponsorship has ensured that all general admission parks will be free and open to the public. Grandstand seating starts at $45, with ticket prices increasing up to $185 for the VIP Club Gold Cup. There are a limited number of RV camping spots available on-site. To purchase tickets or reserve camping space, contact 313-329-8047.

For more information, visit detroitboatraces.com. Fans can also follow UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest on Twitter.com/UAWGMHydroFest and Instagram.com/UAWGMHydroFest and Facebook.com/DetroitBoatRaces.com.
http://detroitboatraces.com/pressrelease_20150707-1.php

UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest

Southfield, MI (WXYZ) - The Spirit of Detroit HydroFest returns this year with a new partner.

UAW-GM is teaming up with Detroit Riverfront Events, Inc. to present the city's longest-running community sporting event.

The first sanctioned hydroplane race took place on the Detroit River in 1916, only taking a hiatus during World War II.

This year's race takes place on August 22 and 23.

The H1 Unlimited hydroplanes are the fasted and most powerful closed -course racing boats in the world.

They'll reach speeds over 200 mph on the 2 1/2 mile Detroit River course.

UAW-GM's sponsorship is making all general admission parks free.

Grandstand seating starts at $45.

More information can be found online: http://bit.ly/1hahUgl

http://www.wxyz.com/about-us/as-seen...roit-hydrofest

The first sanctioned hydroplane race took place on the Detroit River in 1916

What was the name of that race?

The first major race ever held on the Detroit River was the Gold Cup, in 1916.

The community-owned Miss Detroit won the Gold Cup in 1915 on Manhasset Bay, outside of New York City, and earned the right to defend it the following year on home waters.

Miss Detroit was a single-step hydroplane, equipped with a 250-horsepower Sterling engine. The designer was the distinguished Christopher Columbus Smith of Chris-Craft.

The community-owned Miss Detroit won the Gold Cup in 1915 on Manhasset Bay, outside of New York City, and earned the right to defend it the following year on home waters.
When did the APBA become the owners of the Gold Cup?

APBA history is of no help here.
But UIM history hints that the Gold Cup was always APBA.

So it was always APBA's. Why did Detroit let it go away? I just can't believe they would. This is a town with a restaurant called The Roostertail.
It's great that there are unlimiteds this year. Hopefully the Gold Cup can return to Detroit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APBA_Gold_Cup

Interesting. Since 1963, it has been held in the city with the highest bid.

Kind of explains everything.

It's pay to play, and it would appear that Detroit blew it.

At least it will be back next year!!!:26:

So who's gonna make it there this year?

My thoughts for many years here is add Offshore Racing to the venue, this way its is a major event, not just the invited big dogs, more like an OPA event addition, full event all classes, and ofcourse the hydro's

If you want it to grow and sustain, this is the ticket as it would be "the" event in the area of the year, and double or tripple the event attendies asn well as grab sponsors

Steve is saying it will be exciting from beginning to end. They have run Offshore with it a couple times in the past.

Local says waters downtown can 'eat you up and spit you out'

Cal Phipps compares racing an Unlimited Hydroplane on the Detroit River to "going into a lion's cage with a piece of meat."

"You have to respect the river and the racecourse," said Phipps, a 46-year-old veteran powerboat racer from Sterling Heights. "It can take control of you, eat you up and spit you out."

Today and Sunday, Phipps will be at the controls of the U-27 Wiggins Racing Unlimited Hydroplane on the Detroit River.

He'll have sponsorship from Dalton Industries of Waterford, a leader in the metals industry, and will be competing in the UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest race.

"We are going to have a big VIP tent at the river," Phipps said. "Great to have Dalton Industries onboard."

Phipps usually gets the best out of his equipment. He finished second in the HAPO APBA Gold Cup in the Tri-Cities in Washington state in July.

"It's been a little bit surprising," Phipps said of his boat's speed and potential. "The Wiggins family has given me the opportunity. But we have a new team, and we are still trying to learn our way. Nevertheless, we've kicked that up a notch and are really looking forward to racing this weekend."

Phipps is excited the UAW and General Motors are title sponsors of the race. His father, Don, was a UAW member for 43 years and most of his family worked for the Big Three.

"It would be unbelievable if we could win Sunday's race in our hometown," he said.

Phipps, like a number of other Unlimited Hydroplane drivers, also works a regular job. He is a color coat formulator for PPG Paints and travels between Detroit and Cleveland several times a week.

"I used to work the midnight shift, but I'm on the second shift now," Phipps said. "My company is pretty excited about what I do, about my racing."

So is Phipps.

"I love the racing," he said. "Sometimes I got to get back to work to get some rest."

Phipps rates the Detroit River the best powerboat racing test in the world.

"For us in the Unlimiteds, it has the longest and shortest turns on the circuit," Phipps said. "The air compresses as you head down past the Detroit Yacht Club into the Roostertail turn. You start flying the boat. Anything, including blow-overs, can happen from there on."

Phipps thinks his U-27 boat — he also has piloted the Spirit of Detroit and Miss Red Dot Unlimited Hydroplanes on the Detroit River — has great potential.

"Boat owner Charlie Wiggins is a perfectionist," Phipps said. "He has run 1-liter, 7-liter and Grand Prix boats. I think we can really develop the Unlimited."

Phipps is third in H1 Unlimited Hydroplane points, trailing Jimmy Shane and J. Michael Kelly.

Does Phipps have the boat to challenge for the win this weekend?

"It's a bit light, but if we keep it from getting too much air, we should be right in the final," he said. "It's going to be fun."

What: UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest (Unlimited Hydroplanes).

When: Saturdayday and Sunday.

Who: Unlimited Hydroplane drivers, including Jimmy Shane, J. Michael Kelly, Jean Theoret, Cal Phipps (Sterling Heights) and Jimmy King (Memphis, Mich.); plus Grand Prix and F2 tunnel boats.

Schedule: Today — Testing begins at 8 a.m., time trials at noon and qualifying through 6:20 p.m. Sunday — Testing begins at 8 a.m., opening ceremony at 9:30, qualifying at 9:40, tunnel boats final at 2:30 p.m., Grand Prix final at 3:15 and Unlimited final at 4:10.

Tickets: Grandstands $45-$80, Club Gold $175; call 313-329-8047 and/or visit detroitboatraces.com for more information.

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/mo...iver/32158213/

Unlimited hydroplanes testing for races on Detroit River

DETROIT >> Calm water greeted unlimited hydroplane drivers for testing on the Detroit River on Saturday morning.

“The water’s lying down real nice,” Jimmy King, driver of the U-3 HomeStreet Bank entry, said after his first practice laps.

King, who lives in Wales Township near Memphis, is optimistic he’ll have a strong showing this weekend in the UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest.

“We have high expectations,” King, who finished sixth in points at Seattle, said.

King’s boat is the only one in the 12-boat race fleet that is powered by a piston-driven engine.

The Allison V-12 in his boat is like the engines that powered fighter planes during World War II.

Qualifying for the hydrofest was to begin at noon Saturday, with three heat races following in the afternoon.

More heats and the Spirit of Detroit final will be Sunday.

Grand Prix and Formula 2 tunnel boats also were in action on the river.

Jimmy Shane made an important discovery during practice.

“We had a broken rod end on the skidfin,” the driver of the U-1 Oberto said. “Happy we found that out in testing.”

Shane looked forward to qualifying.

“We’re excited to go out and get qualifying done,” the defending Detroit race winner said. “The boat’s looking good. The water’s pretty much ideal. No big white caps, which is really good.”

Scott Liddycoat is getting accustomed to his new ride. He drove the U-9 to a third-place finish in the most recent H1 Unlimited event, at Seattle.

“It has taken me time to get used to a different boat,” Liddycoat said. “We’re getting there.”

The H1 Unlimited Rookie of the Year in 2011, Liddycoat is back on the unlimited hydroplane circuit after a two-year absence.

He did not run in the season-opening event at Madison, Ind., and then Liddycoat finished fifth in the Gold Cup final in Washington state.

Liddycoat’s boat flipped during the 2012 event in Detroit. He welcomed the smooth water that the Detroit River presented Saturday morning.

“This is the nicest I’ve seen the river here,” Liddycoat said. “But it can change quickly.”

Points leaders

Jimmy Shane is the National High Points leader with 3,180 as the H1 Unlimited series hits Detroit. Shane drives the U-1 Oberto. J. Michael Kelly is second with 2,874, and Sterling Heights’ Cal Phipps is third with 2,567. Kelly drives the U-5, and Phipps drives the U-27.

http://www.macombdaily.com/sports/20...-detroit-river

Hydroplane goes airborne during race in Detroit

DETROIT (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A hydroplane went airborne Sunday during the Spirit of Detroit Hydro-Fest.

The pilot, Jean Theoret, was leading the heat when he says he hit rough water going out of turn one at about 170 miles-per-hour.

His boat flipped upward before landing right-side up.

The plane suffered heavy damage, but thankfully Theoret was not hurt.

Video: http://www.wwmt.com/news/features/st...l#.VdvshcuFO70

http://youtu.be/IqQVveKJVQc

http://youtu.be/6WNGRnDMi5M

http://youtu.be/3X3InRyU1Zw

In an epic battle, Unlimited Hydroplane young guns Jimmy Shane and J. Michael Kelly gave us an instant classic on the Detroit River on Sunday.

Shane battled Kelly deck to deck over five hair-raising laps on treacherous water to pull away toward the finish to win the UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest race.

At the controls of the U-1 Oberto boat, Shane went four-for-four over the weekend in heats and the final.

Kelly never gave Shane an inch in his U-5 Graham Trucking I entry, edging to the lead as the two went head to head on Lap 4 by the Detroit Yacht Club.

Their fight has stamped them as power boat racing's great new rivalry, comparable to the likes of Bill Muncey and Dean Chenoweth.

It was Shane's 10th Unlimited career victory and perhaps his best despite his APBA Gold Cup victory in Detroit in 2014 and his second Cup victory in the Tri-Cities in Washington in July.

"I've been saying all along, we have some of the best racing going on for years and years," said Shane, from Havre de Grace, Maryland. "You guys saw the best of the best. I'm so honored to be part of it. I can't say enough to thank the city of Detroit, all the sponsors and all the fans who came out today."

Brian Perkins in the U-21 Al Deeby Dodge boat was third, while Sterling Heights' Cal Phipps in the U-27 Dalton Industries for Wiggins Racing was fourth.

Shane drove a courageous race in trying conditions, his boat literally dancing across the churned up river at 200 mph.

Kelly, 30, was a perfect dance partner, never missing a beat and challenging Shane virtually the whole trip around the 2.7-mile course.

"That was tough," said Shane. "I hit a bunch of rough water on the second lap going down to the first turn there. I almost took off. But at that point, there was no holding back. This was the Detroit River today and the final was Detroit racing. The fact that J. Michael and I were able to stay side by side in those conditions made it a great race for fans."

Shane said it was the roughest water he'd ever raced on the Detroit River.

"Just getting around without breaking anything was testimony to the team and the equipment," said Shane. "We are just happy to put on a good show for the fans. The Gold Cup is coming back to Detroit (in 2016) because Detroit is a driver's track."

Kelly said "everyone is a winner today," as he waited for the podium ceremony. "I don't think you can ask for a better final than that."

Kelly felt the rivalry between he and Shane would bloom into that of Muncey-Chenoweth, Dave Villwock-Chip Hanauer and Villwock and Steve David.

"How cool is that to have two young guys who will be here for a long time," said Kelly. "I hope nothing changes."

Contact Mike Brudenell: mbrudenell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikebrudenell. Be sure that you follow Freep Sports on Twitter (@freepsports) and Instagram and like us on Facebook.



http://www.freep.com/story/sports/mo...fest/32234411/

Henderson all business on way to clinching title

The motto on Bert Henderson's hydroplane racing team is, "Preparation wins boat races." If that's the case they sure had their work cut out for them last weekend in Detroit in what turned out to be the Grand Prix high-points championship clincher for them.

In the event's testing runs, Henderson broke the propeller and damaged the back of his boat, which forced his team to scramble to get the craft ready for the first heat in about 90 minutes time.

Getting to the finals isn't easy. Getting to the finals when you miss a heat is a lot harder.

Fortunately for Henderson, his boat was ready in time and he finished in the top-three in the three races before the finals and ended the event second overall.

The result spreads Henderson's gap in the standings to 107 points over second-place Brendon Kennedy, who had an unfortunate weekend of failures and only finished one heat.

The most points a racer can get out of an event is 100, so with one race left on the schedule -Sept. 5 and 6 in Beauharnois, Que. - Henderson earned his second Grand Prix title. He last won it in 2012.

"It wasn't something we expected to do in Detroit. We wanted to come out of Detroit comfortable," Henderson said.

The Brockville hydroplane racer isn't throwing in the towel going into the final event, despite already being unofficially declared champion. Henderson said, he's going into Quebec with the mindset that he's still looking to clinch the championship and the race will give him a chance to try and tweak some different things with his propeller and engine.

"We want to finish the year on a high note," Henderson said. "We want other teams to know we're here and we're competitive. It'll give us an opportunity to maybe try some things we wouldn't normally try."

Henderson is also saving the victory party for later. For now, it's strictly business and preparation for him until the season ends and it's time for a little pleasure.

http://www.recorder.ca/2015/08/26/he...linching-title

http://youtu.be/8lSqjOEySmY

http://youtu.be/lSbvm-4Trm4

http://youtu.be/opugSKE8qOk