Guntersville Lake Hydrofest will be back in 2022.  July 25-26 are the dates for racing on the lake.

July 4, 2021:  Jimmy Shane battled difficult river conditions and a field of strong contenders to capture his 2nd straight APBA Gold Cup and Indiana Governor’s Cup at Madison Regatta presented by NUCOR.

The victory is Jimmy’s 20th race win in the H1 Unlimited category and his 5th APBA Gold Cup.  For Miss Madison Racing, their 6th APBA Gold Cup title comes on the 50th anniversary of their historic 1st APBA Gold Cup victory by driver, Jim McCormick in 1971.

Miss Madison Racing is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2021.  The racing team began in 1961 when Samuel DuPont donated his Nitrogen hydroplane to the City of Madison.

The team will be sharing favorite memories of team members, former drivers and fans throughout the season on social media.  Miss Madison Board member Dave Taylor has created a digital souvenir photo book covering the history of the team that will be available for sale at race sites through the team’s merchandise tent.

In 1988,  noted marine artist Paul C. LaMarre, Jr. created a watercolor painting, “The Evolution” capturing the 5 hulls that had raced as Miss Madison at that time.  In honor of the 60th anniversary, Paul has completed a new painting, “Madison’s Legacy” that depicts the now 7 hulls that have raced for the team.

On June 22, 2021, The Madison City Council issued a proclamation recognizing the anniversary and honoring the racing team members, past and present.

The 60th anniversary logo below, also featuring artwork by Paul C. LaMarre, Jr., will be used throughout the year.

 

 

Miss Madison, Inc, President and Team Manager Charlie Grooms shared the racing teams plans for the 2021 season.  The team is preparing for the upcoming Guntersville Lake Hydrofest in Guntersville, Alabama, June 26-27 and Madison Regatta presented by NUCOR on the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana, July 2-4.  Plans for the rest of the season will be determined when details for events in Tri-Cities, WA and San Diego, CA are confirmed.  For more information, follow this link to an article from The Messenger.

May 27, 2021:  The U-1 Miss HomeStreet display boat will be on the road this summer. Current scheduled appearances are:

DATE	LOCATION	CITY
May 31, 2021	Growler Guys	Lake City, WA
Jun 19, 2021	Strawberry Festival	Marysville, WA
Jul 28, 2021	Seattle Southsound Multi Chamber Mixer	Tukwila, WA
Aug 20-22, 2021	Taste of Edmonds	Edmonds, WA
Sep 4, 2021	UW Football Game	Seattle, WA
Sept 17-19, 2021	Bayfair	San Diego, CA
Oct 2, 2021	Edmonds School District Fun Run – Alderwood Mall	Linwood, WA

May 3, 2021:  Event organizers announced that the 2021 HAPO Air Show &  Columbia Cup have been cancelled.  “Due to the recently issued Washington state (COVID) guidelines for special events, the size and scope of boat race weekend is not allowed,” said Hector Cruz, the president of the Tri-City Water Follies.  The dates for the event in 2022 are July 29-31.

April 21, 2021:  Seafair announced plans for Seafair 2021 events.  The HomeStreet Bank Cup for H1 Unlimited hydroplanes will not be held in person.  The H1 Unlimited drivers will compete from their homes in a virtual race on the Lake Washington race course.  KING 5 television will carry a broadcast looking back at 70 years of hydroplane racing.  Details for these events will be announced across all Seafair media platforms and at Seafair.org

KENNEWICK, July 20, 2020 – The Tri-City Water Follies Board of Directors has voted this evening to cancel the 55th Annual Columbia Cup. They are extremely disappointed that there will be no boat racing in 2020, but are exploring options for an air show that is safe and possible within the guidelines of Safe Start Washington.

The Water Follies Board of Directors voted in June to postpone the Columbia Cup. Their hope was that the Tri-Cities would move through the phases described in the Safe Start Washington plan, and there could be an event in September.

“Unfortunately, with Governor Inslee extending the pause on the phased approach to reopening at least until July 28th, and with the Tri-Cities area stuck in a modified phase 1, there is no way the Columbia Cup can happen. We are looking into a potential “drive-in” air show for 2020, and we working with the Benton Franklin Health Department on the requirements to make that happen,” says Kathy Powell, event director.

As always, Tri-City Water Follies would like to thank all of our fans, volunteers, sponsors, partners, teams, and vendors for their support and flexibility during this difficult time. We look forward to being back and better than ever in 2021!

For more information, please visit https://waterfollies.com/ or email info@waterfollies.com.

 

While we may be missing hydroplane racing action on the water this summer, we can enjoy a little virtual racing.  H1 Unlimited E-league racing consists of 2 series.  The Driver Invitational features the actual drivers of the real unlimited, or a member of the racing crew.  The E-league series drivers are experienced competitors on the HydroSim game.  The races can be viewed on the H1 Unlimited Facebook page or YouTube channel.

SAN DIEGO, CA  June 11, 2020:

Due to the ongoing public health safety concerns and guidance from state government, the 56th running of HomeStreet Bank San Diego Bayfair on Mission Bay set for September 18-20 has been postponed until 2021.

The Board of Governors voted unanimously Tuesday to reschedule Bayfair and America’s Finest BBQ Festival for September 17-19, 2021. It is the first time that San Diego Bayfair hasn’t hosted a race since 1973.

“We’re disappointed that San Diego Bayfair won’t take place this year,” said Bob Davies, race director for San Diego Bayfair. “We evaluated various ways to stage Bayfair during the COVID-19 pandemic and felt we couldn’t ensure the health of our fans, volunteers, sponsors and race teams.”

San Diego is traditionally the last race of the season for H1 Unlimited and Grand Prix America hydroplane tours. Both tours have not raced this year because of event cancellations tied to the pandemic.

Bayfair had delayed the start of RV space registration and ticket sales awaiting on greater guidance from local and county officials. The event is staged in Mission Bay Park, which is controlled by the City of San Diego.

“We look forward to getting together again with friends and family in September 2021, in the meantime please stay safe and healthy,” Davies said.

Bayfair is one of San Diego’s largest beach festivals with more than 70,000 people annually drawn to Mission Bay for three days of boat racing, barbecue and craft beer festival, and family fun activities.