Miss Madison Unlimited Hydroplane

Madison, Indiana

12 Time National Champion

6 Time A.P.B.A Gold Cup Champion

Plans Underway for 2024

October 7,  2023 by

10-5-23:  MADISON COURIER, article by David Campbell:  Miss Madison Racing will have a new primary sponsor for the 2024 season and team president Charlie Grooms has big plans for the future of the sport in developments the team released on Monday.
Grooms spoke at length with local media about the future of not only the team that he has been a part of for 44 years, but also a governing body that he says has done “an absolutely horrendous job in putting a quality product on the water.”
“Everybody that you talk to has an issue with this sport and there’s always a whole bunch of different issues,” Grooms said. “And I couldn’t argue with any of those issues.”
For the past eight seasons, Miss Madison Racing has run under the sponsorship of Seattle-based HomeStreet Bank and the relationship has been a successful one. The partnership won five National High Points Championships and four APBA Gold Cups while claiming 16 race wins, all tops in the sport since 2016.
But that partnership ended abruptly this summer when HomeStreet Bank President Mark Mason informed Grooms that they would be ending the sponsorship. The news came as a surprise to Grooms, especially considering that the team had just signed a new two-year agreement in December 2022.
“He called me right before the (season-opening) Guntersville race. I was literally driving in downtown Nashville on my way to the race when he called,” Grooms said. “Needless to say, it was a surprise.”
Miss Madison Racing knew before the first race of the season that HomeStreet was done, but there was still the issue of the two-year contract. According to Grooms, the uncertainty around the sponsorship made it difficult for the Miss Madison team to operate and after the team’s second boat, the U-91 Goodman Real Estate, flipped at Guntersville, the team’s financial abilities were strained.
HomeStreet Bank officially terminated its contract with Miss Madison on Aug. 15 and shortly thereafter, Mason sent a letter to crew members that was leaked to the media thanking them for their years of service.
Grooms was reluctant at the time to discuss the sponsorship until the contract situation was cleared up. A few weeks ago, the two sides came to an agreement and Grooms felt he was able to talk about the situation.
“(HomeStreet) had a multi-year contract. They had a desire to continue. It certainly was not for circumstances that were of our making or theirs. It was beyond anyone’s control,” Grooms said. “The marketplace interest rates did significant damage to their business and we just kind of fell victim to that. There’s certainly an interest on their part to continue to support us, to continue to support Seafair (in Seattle) and Bayfair (in San Diego). But conditions got to the point where it just didn’t make any sense to continue.”
At the same time that Grooms was working through HomeStreet’s exit, he also was in the process of locking down Goodman Real Estate to a multi-year sponsorship deal.
The Seattle-based Goodman joined the Miss Madison team during the COVID-canceled 2020 season and has sponsored the team’s second boat for the past three seasons. Company owner John Goodman has long desired to make a bigger splash in the sport and, with HomeStreet stepping aside, Goodman is filling the void.
Starting in 2024, the Goodman Real Estate colors will fly on Miss Madison Racing’s primary boat, the 2018-vintage craft that has run as HomeStreet Bank the past five seasons. Andrew Tate, who drove the Goodman entry last season, will move over to the new boat and continue his duties.
The question of what happens to the team’s second boat, as well as driver Dylan Runne, is still unresolved. Grooms said that he considers Runne to be a “member of the family” and is hopeful that there is a place for him with the team moving forward.
As for the older boat, which was overhauled before last year’s crash and repaired afterwards, the team has several options including finding another sponsor or using it as a back-up boat for the season. Grooms’ first inclination is to find a buyer for the boat.
Grooms said selling the boat isn’t just about bringing in cash or concentrating once again on being a one-boat team, it’s also about freeing up time to help the sport.
“I think at this time, we should really focus our attention as a team on running one boat at the highest level instead of running two boats,” Grooms said. “With that, we can spend as much time as we can focusing on helping the sport, helping the sites, and helping the city in their endeavors to promote the city. There’s a lot of good things going on outside of us running boats that we’d really like to focus on.”
For the past several years, Grooms has been working on a multi-part plan to revitalize the sport. He has been talking with sponsors and executives in other racing series and, with the approval of several other team owners and race sites, he’s ready to move forward.
While Grooms is not ready to discuss specifics, like many fans, he is upset at the way the sport has been managed the past several years.
“The racing on the water has been fantastic, but half the time you have no idea who won the race until it is well over,” Grooms said. “In my opinion, the sport has done a piss-poor job on the fan experience, whether it’s with promotion or just letting you know who won the race. Fans should never leave the beach not knowing who won the race and if something needs to be done a few days later because of tech inspection or what have you, then so be it. But our first priority should always be making things better for the fans and not making late calls or canceling final heats two weeks in a row.”
Grooms said that he hopes to have an announcement in the next month or two and until then, plans on continuing to put the pieces into place.
“We’re ready to move forward,” Grooms said. “We think that it will be a good thing for the fans. But at this point, we really have nothing to lose. The sport is about as low as it can go. We only have one way we can go.”

HomeStreet Bank Cup & APBA Gold Cup @Seafair

August 4,  2023 by

H1 Unlimited teams and their drivers will vie for both the HomeStreet Bank Cup and the prestigious APBA Gold Cup on Lake Washington in Seattle this weekend.  The hydroplane races and Boeing Air Show are the culmination of the month long Seafair Festival.

Friday’s schedule included Testing and Qualifying.  Qualifying will continue on Saturday along with preliminary Heat races with the winner take all final heat scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 2:30 pm.

Next Stop: Tri-Cities, WA

July 12,  2023 by

July 28-30, the H1 Unlimited hydroplanes will be compete for the Columbia Cup on the Columbia River in Tri-Cities, WA.  It s the third stop on the 2023 schedule.

Get tickets and the latest information for the weekend at waterfollies.com

Guntersville Lake Hydrofest is On!

June 24,  2023 by

Saturday, June 24:  Qualifying is underway for the H1 Unlimited hydroplanes at the 2023 Guntersville Lake Hydrofest in Guntersville, Alabama.

Today’s action will include 2 Preliminary Heat Races for Unlimited H1 Unlimited hydroplanes.  Sunday will feature 4 additional Preliminary Heats and the winner-take-all Final Heat for the 2023 Southern Cup title.

Follow us on Facebook Miss Madison Unlimited Hydroplane and on Twitter and Instagram @missmadisonrt.  Live streaming will be available on the H1 Unlimited YouTube channel.

Dylan Runne Named U-1 Miss HomeStreet Driver

December 22,  2022 by


December 22, 2022:

Dylan Runne is no stranger to competition, from corporate boardrooms to professional boat racing. Today, he becomes the 24th driver in Miss Madison Incorporated’s storied 62-year history. Runne, twenty-eight of Rumson, New Jersey was selected to be the new driver of the U-1 Miss HomeStreetafter an impressive tryout at the 2022 San Diego Bayfair.

Runne is a multi-time national champion across several American and Canadian categories and series. Dylan has reputation for consistent on course success, such as being the first driver in Hydroplane Racing League history to win three consecutive championships in three separate classes. Dylan is CEO of Fenom Digital, focused on supporting eCommerce Systems for large retail businesses.

“It is an honor, a privilege, and a dream come true to have the opportunity to race amongst the sports best, and represent HomeStreet Bank and the Miss Madison Racing Team,” said Runne. “I can’t thank Charlie Grooms, Mark Mason, Jimmy Shane, The City of Madison Indiana, and the entire Miss Madison HomeStreet Team enough for putting their trust in me to continue the winning legacy of this historic team.”

Charlie Grooms, Miss Madison Inc. Board President commented, “the Miss HomeStreet Racing team is proud to announce the selection of Dylan Runne to pilot the Miss HomeStreet Unlimited hydroplane. “HomeStreet Bank and Miss Madison Inc. have made significant commitments to our sport and this selection adds a young new talent to our ever-growing team. Dylan is an accomplished young driver and an astute young businessman, and we are more than excited to add those qualities to our team and our sport.  We expect Dylan to continue the history of success Miss HomeStreet has earned, we sincerely thank Jimmy Shane and Andrew Tate for their roles in this selection and are ready to begin 2023”.

“We’re excited to welcome Dylan Runne as our Miss HomeStreet driver. Dylan is joining an elite group of unlimited hydroplane racers, who are undoubtedly the best competitors in the country for this sport,” said HomeStreet Bank President and CEO, Mark K. Mason. “We’re eager to see how he performs. He’s sure to put on a great show for all of the fans who love to watch these boats fly across the water,” Mason added. “All of us at HomeStreet continue to take pride in supporting our communities for events like Seafair and Bayfair, which have been long-standing traditions in the markets where we do business.”

For additional details, see David Campbell’s full story in today’s edition of the Madison (Indiana)Courier.

Andrew Tate Named U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate Driver

November 23,  2022 by


Nov 23, 2022:  Miss Madison Racing is announcing today that Andrew Tate will drive the U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate in 2023.  Tate, 33, of Canton, Michigan returns to the cockpit of an Unlimited after a successful stint racing in the Grand Prix class of the Hydroplane Racing League.

The 2018 H1 Unlimited National Champion and A.P.B.A. Gold Cup winner is a hard-charging fan favorite and a natural fit for the Miss Madison Team. A fourth-generation racer, Andrew began in outboards at nine years old. Since 2006 when he moved to the Inboard classes, Tate has won more than one hundred races total in American Powerboat Association or Hydroplane Racing League events, including nine national championship titles, and has been inducted into the APBA’s Hall of Champions three times (2010, 2016 and 2018).

Joining the team, Tate said that “this is a little kid’s dream come true. It’s great to be a part of this team.  Miss Madison has become a pillar in the world of boat racing and the city of Madison has been a part of my life since childhood.  I’m looking to build on the Miss Madison legacy of success with Goodman Real Estate as I build my own legacy with the team.  With Jimmy Shane’s retirement, I know that I have big shoes to fill on this team. Some of the success I’ve had already is that much more meaningful because I beat Jimmy Shane”.

John Goodman, Chairman of Goodman Real Estate welcomes Andrew to the team, stating, “Goodman Real Estate is here not just to race, but to win. We built a solid foundation with the team this past season. With Andrew onboard and some off-season updates to the boat, we know that we can take it to the next level.”

“We are extremely excited to have Andrew join and lead our team” added Miss Madison Board President Charlie Grooms.  “The 2023 H1 Unlimited season will certainly be a “reset” for the Miss Madison team in any number of ways and we could not be happier than to have Andrew lead us in what will be our 62nd year of racing.

Andrew, his mother, his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, have all been champion racers and our Board, sponsor partner – Goodman Real Estate, and our crew are excited to have an Unlimited National Champion driver lead us in 2023 and beyond. Our owners, fans and all our sponsor partners have come to expect National Championship efforts and we are certain Andrew will continue that winning tradition.”

 

Jimmy Shane to Retire

October 13,  2022 by

  After 10 successful years as an Unlimited hydroplane driver, the last 8 with Miss Madison Racing, Jimmy Shane has decided to retire.

Jimmy has accumulated 25 race wins, 8 National Championships and 5 APBA Gold Cup victories.  Jimmy intends to focus on his sons’ activities.

Miss Madison President Charlie Grooms stated the search for the next Miss Madison driver will begin soon and it is the intent to make that decision sooner rather than later.  The entire Miss Madison Racing crew thanks Jimmy and wishes him all the best for the future.

U-1 Stays with Miss HomeStreet!

September 21,  2022 by

9/18/22:  Jimmy Shane driving the U-1 Miss HomeStreet had a perfect weekend at HomeStreet Bank San Diego Bayfair.  Jimmy opened the weekend with a new qualifying record lap of 165.636 mph on the Bill Muncey Race Course.  The Miss HomeStreet won all racing heats entered throughout the weekend including the Saturday H1 Unlimited Showdown final and the winner-take-all final heat for the Bill Muncey Cup on Sunday afternoon.  Jimmy also laid down the fastest lap of the weekend in Sunday morning testing at 168.589 mph.

The successful weekend culminated with clinching the 2022 Season High Points Team Championship for the Miss HomeStreet and Miss Madison Racing  as well as the Season High Points Driver title for Jimmy Shane.

Miss Madison Racing’s U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate driven by Jeff Bernard had a solid weekend qualifying 2nd fastest at 161.600 mph.  Jeff finished 2nd in the Saturday H1 Unlimited Showdown and took 3rd in the final heat for the Bill Muncey Cup on Sunday.

 

 

HomeStreet Bank Cup @ Seafair

August 11,  2022 by

Jimmy Shane was fastest qualifier for the HomeStreet Bank Cup at Seafair with a new course record 157.143 mph and won the H1 Unlimited Shootout on Saturday afternoon at Seafair.  Jeff Bernard won the Last Chance heat and took a 4th place finish in the H1 Shootout.

On Sunday, Jimmy in Miss HomeStreet was a little early to the start of the HomeStreet Bank Cup final heat resulting in a 1 lap penalty and a 3rd place finish.  Jeff Bernard came in 2nd in Miss Goodman Real Estate.

Miss Madison on “X”