When friends of the late Vic Nelawke formed a committee to present a “Spirit” award in his name, their intention was to honor one of the sport’s unsung heroes annually. The award is designed to honor a person who embodies Vic’s positive attitude and personality and willingness to be helpful to the sport in any way they can.
In nominating this year’s winner, Ginger Jackson of the U-17 Our Gang Racing Team, Kim Brough wrote, “Ginger Jackson embodies the spirit of the award. She is always ready to help with anything. She always shows a clean, competitive, positive nature and I think probably cheers for every team. It’s people like her who keep the love of the sport alive.”

H1 Unlimited is proud to second all that and thank Ginger for her positive contributions to the sport.

As voted by attendees at the H1 Awards Banquet

The Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, sponsors of the H1 Unlimited Fast Lap Award for three seasons, was the site of the annual H1 meetings and banquet Saturday Evening. Steve David and the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison Race Team were presented with the Martini and Rossi Championship Trophy and the Driver’s Championship Trophy.

Other winners included:

• Race Site of the Year – Madison Regatta
• Owner of the Year – Ted Porter
• Rookie of the Year – Jon Zimmerman
• Crew Chief of the Year – Mike Hanson
• People’s Choice Award – Fred Leland
• Series Sponsor Award – Scott and Linda Carson
• Series Sponsor Award – Unilever
• Series Sponsor Award – Air National Guard
• Series Sponsor Award – Streamlight
• Series Sponsor Award – Mechanix Wear
• Series Sponsor Award -  Palms Hotel and Casino
• Series Sponsor Award – Lucas Oil
• Series Sponsor Award – Peters & May
•  Special Contribution – Jarvis Restoration
• Special Contribution - Webster Racing
• Fan Favorite Award – Fred Leland
• Official of the Year – Billy Noonan
• Marketing Award – Unilever- Degree Men
• Marketing Award - Lamb Weston
• Marketing Award – Air National Guard
• Marketing Award – Peters & May
• Vic Nelawake Spirit Award – Ginger Jackson
• Marketing Award – Qatar Marine Sports Federation
• Boat Sponsor of the Year – QMSF- Spirit of Qatar
• Site Sponsor of the Year – Albert Lee Appliances
• Race Site of the Year – Madison Regatta
• Website of the Year – Our Gang Racing
• Best Print Race Coverage – Doha Tribune
• Best Print Coverage – San Diego Union Tribune
• Best Print Coverage – Tri-City Herald
• Best Print Seasonal Coverage – Madison Courier
• Best Magazine Coverage – Powerboat Magazine
• Best Magazine Coverage-  Middle East Boat Owner
• Best Magazine Coverage - Qatar Airways Magazine
• Best Radio Coverage – WORX Radio
• Best Television Coverage – KNDU TV Tri-Cities
• Best Television Coverage – KUSI TV – San Diego
• Best Television Coverage – Rudy Fischman, Modern Marvels, Discovery Channel
• Owner of the Year – Ted Porter
• Streamlight Crew of the Year – Go Fast Turn Left Racing
• Palms Hotel Fast Lap Winner – U-96 Spirit of Qatar
• Mechanix Wear Crew Chief of the Year – Mike Hanson
• Peters & May Rookie of the Year – Jon Zimmerman
• Chairman’s Award – Steve Montgomery
• Martini Rossi National Champion – Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison
• National Champion Driver – Steven David

Feb. 26, 2011
Las Vegas,NV
Images by Chris Denslow

Writing in his monthly blog in the current issue of Powerboat Magazine, 2010 National High Point Champion Steve David says, “Those of us competing as drivers and crew see what we do as either exhilarating, inspiring or just really fun; for some, it’s even a job. Our spouses, for the most part, see what we do as dangerous and maybe not way up there on the scale of “things that will save the world.” And therein is the enduring strength of a great relationship. They appreciate our enthusiasm.”

Read the rest of Steve’s Powerboat blog HERE.

David Holley, who led the US expansion of Marine logistics provider Peters & May has been named CEO for the UK-based Peters & May group of companies. Holley will have overall responsibility for Peters & May Limited, Peters & May USA Inc. and Peters & May Global Logistics Limited.

In 2008, Holley came to Chicago from the UK office as Managing Director of Peters & May USA Inc. During his tenure, he helped secure contracts with boat builders including Larson Boats LLC, PBH Marine Group, Correct Craft Inc and Viking Yacht Company.

He was also the driving force behind Peters & May Racing and the company’s subsequent appointment as the Official Transport Provider for key racing organizations including the UIM, H1 Unlimited, the QMSF and Powerboat P1.

“I am pleased to have earned the opportunity to take on this new global role and I look forward to using the knowledge attained from my previous roles in the USA, Spain, UAE and UK offices to continue our growth and explore new opportunities to keep the Peters & May Group as the leading niche transportation provider,” Holley said.

Anna Colavatti, a recent addition to the USA operations’ Itasca home office was promoted to take over the General Manager responsibilities.

Scott Raney, twenty-two year veteran of Unlimited Hydroplane Racing, announced Monday that he has formed his own H1 Unlimited Race team. Raney, along with his wife Shannon and driver JW Myers, will own the U-11 Unlimited Racing Group (URG) and plan to be competitive from the outset.

With guidance from Dave Bender, a former champion boat racer and President of a large international aerospace & defense electronics company, URG has assembled an experienced team, located a state of the art facility and finalized the acquisition of a competitive boat for the upcoming season.

“I’m really eager to get this off the ground,” said Raney. “It’s a great time to enter the sport. We’ll just have to wait and see where we can go from here. My hope is to take this team to a competitive level and put together some respectable results in the first season. With our determination and experience we could definitely pull off some upsets in our first year.” URG has already had success in gaining the support of some key sponsors in the form of Peters & May as title sponsor, the United States Marine Corps, West Coast Collision Center, Primus International, Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club and Renton Coil Spring as supporting sponsors.

Shannon Raney, team manager, adds “We are thankful to have the support of such important sponsors who believe in our long term ambition of becoming the number one team. Peters & May has done so much for the sport in such a short period of time and we are delighted to have them onboard.”

Dave Holley, CEO of Peters & May, has seen a real opportunity to become part of something special. He says “We were fortunate to work with the majority of the crew in our first active season in the sport and we were impressed with their dedication and skill. The plans that URG has for this team are on a level that the series has never seen. They are going to offer their fans and sponsors an experience that is unparalleled in the sport and we simply could not miss out on such an opportunity. We are confident that their business plan will lead them to become a winning team with strong finances and a large fan base. They are here for the long haul and so are we!”

For Information on Unlimited Racing Group Please Contact:

Shannon Raney

Qatar Airways in-flight magazine was recognized by H1 Unlimited Chairman Sam Cole during a recent trip to Doha. Along with Sameer Alamoudi (left) from the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) Cole presented the top Magazine article award to Edward Cameron (center) Senior Media Relations Officer, Corporate Communications for Qatar Airways. The airline magazine was recognized for its feature article published last November about H1 Unlimited racing. It contained exceptional photos and graphics and was published in both English and Arabic.

Also recognized this year was the Qatar Tribune newspaper as international coverage of the world’s fastest boats contuinues to increase.

Eight Canadians, including former U-8 and U-37 driver Jean Theoret, will to inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame at the Hall’s Annual Gala on April 23, 2011 at On The Park Convention Centre in Toronto.

Theoret won six times on the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane circuit driving Bill Wurster’s U-8 and Billy Schumacher’s U-37 Breacon Plumbing.  Prior to his Unlimited experience, Theoret gained fame in the Grand Prix and other inboard classes.

The inductees were chosen after being nominated, and reviewed by the Hall’s Selection Committee. They join other significant contributors to Canadian motorsport, whom have been inducted in the past.

All the onboard videos shot during the 2010 Season are now available on iTunes, allowing you to store them on your Apple iPhone, iPod or iPad!
Download some and show friends, family and co-workers what makes the Unlimiteds the most amazing show on water!

To find our video podcasts, open iTunes, then search the iTunes Store for “H1 Unlimited”. You can subscribe for free, then download as many clips as you want to keep on your Apple device.