Revisions to the rule book for the 2012 H1 Unlimited racing season include changes to the procedure for declaring the winner of a shortened event and the addition of  GPS monitoring equipment to accurately track the position of each boat on the course.

The rule covering RESTARTS AND COMPLETED EVENTS  now reads -

(a)   In the event of a race stoppage in the Final Heat prior to completion of the third lap or one half of the scheduled laps, and a restart of the final heat is not possible, final order of finish is determined by total cumulative points, including Time Trial points. In the event of a tie, time trial speed will be the determining factor. The boat that caused the stoppage or was penalized for causing the stoppage will not be scored in the Final Heat and/or cannot be declared the winner on points.

The GPS units are included in section titled “Minimum Speed Limit Proposal” which reads as follows -

Proposal:

• Set minimum speed limit of 100 MPH during 5 minute gun.
• H1 supplies each team with a mandatory transmitter.
• H1 has a minimum of two display screens. One on the Officials Tower, and one in the radio corral.
•  This proposal will also eliminate the requirement of the “One Minute” score up buoy.

Penalty schedule:

• When a boat travels less than the minimum speed limit for more than 5 seconds a 15 second penalty will be assessed to their heat time.
• Continued violation for each five second interval or additional speed violations will result in additional 15 second penalties for a maximum of four penalties for a total of a one minute addition to their heat time.

Programming:

• All speed data from each boat in a heat will be displayed on at least two common screens. One on the Officials Tower, and one in the Corral for officials and spotters to monitor.
• Each boat speed will be displayed at 50 MPH minimum and be no longer displayed once a speed of 150 MPH is reached.
• Any time a boat falls below the minimum speed their data will either “Flash” or change color.

The complete 2012 Rule Book is available on the MEDIA tab on the H1 web site.

Precision Performance Engineering, LLC Owner Ted Porter and Graham Trucking, Inc. Owner Rob Graham are pleased to announce the continuation of Graham Trucking sponsorship at U-5 Racing.

 Graham Trucking became the primary sponsor of the PPE, LLC U-7 Unlimited hydroplane in 2009 and celebrated the season finale as the U.I.M. World Champion.  In 2010 Graham Trucking continued on the U-7 with a very respectable season. In 2011 the Graham trucking name switched to the U-5 finishing an impressive 3^rd in National High Points.

Jimmy Shane

This year, the Miss Graham Trucking name will once again be carried by the U-5 Unlimited hydroplane, driven by Jimmy Shane of Havre de Grace, MD. Jimmy has been a backup driver for PPE for five years and has driven several unlimited heat races during that time. His most recent race was at the 2011 Oryx Cup/UIM World Champion race in Doha, Qatar where he drove the U-57 to an impressive 4^th place finish. Jimmy has also been a champion in other classes of the highly-competitive American Power Boat Association.

PPE, LLC is looking forward to continuing its relationship with Rob Graham and Graham Trucking.

 Rob Graham states that, “Ted Porter and his crew have a proven track record as a first rate team in the past several years, and Graham Trucking is excited to once again be racing with the PPE Team. Graham trucking is thrilled to continue our sponsorship of this extremely talented group of people. Ted and everyone else associated with this Team have continually exceeded our expectations and are consistently at the front of the pack. I am very excited that Ted has chosen the U-5 and Jimmy Shane to represent us.

 Jimmy is one of the best drivers on the limited circuit with a proven record of wins and accomplishments during his career, and Graham Trucking is excited to have him under our sponsorship. Jimmy will be a great representative for Graham Trucking.”

 Some of Jimmy Shane’s hydroplane accomplishments in limited classes are: 3x Hall of Champions Inductee, 3x National High Point Champion, 3x Summer National Champion, 3x World Champion, 2x Canadian High Point Champion, 7x Closed Course UIM World Records, 1x Kilo Straightaway UIM World Record, 4x GP Race Winner, Designed and built 4 outboard hydroplane/runabout boats of which all have set UIM World Records.  Jimmy has been a Qualified Unlimited Hydroplane Driver since 2007, and Finished 4^th 2011 Oryx Cup/UIM National Championship, Doha Qatar.

 Rob added, “I’m really looking forward to watching Jimmy in the U-5 this season. We look forward to another great season with Ted, Jimmy and the people who make this team great. The off season has seen the PPE team making improvements on the boat and I appreciate everything they are doing to get us to the winners circle in the U-5. The Graham Trucking Racing family is really excited to go racing with this first rate team. ”

 Graham Trucking began 28 years ago with a mission to become a company that customers and employees alike could be proud of. Based on industry surveys, Graham Trucking has achieved that goal. Based in South Park and serving the Pacific Northwest, Graham Trucking operates a fleet of 80+ power units and one of the largest super chassis fleets in the state of Washington.  Graham Trucking is also sponsoring F-1 PROP racing at Seafair.

 For more U-5 Racing and Graham Trucking information: On facebook:  “U-5 U-7 U-57 Unlimited Hydroplane Race Team” and on the web at: www.grahamtrucking.com 

U-57 Formulaboats.com Photo-Chris Denslow H1

Veteran Air National Guard Hydroplane Series driver Mark Evans and his brother, Mitch, can add another title to their résumés—team owners.

 The Evans brothers announced Monday they have purchased the U57 Unlimited Hydroplane from Ted Porter of Precision Performance LLC of Decatur, Ind., along with the truck, trailer, engines, gearbox and propellers. They took possession of the race boat this weekend in their hometown of Lake Chelan, Wash.

N. Mark Evans

I just love the sport and I love driving this boat,” said Mark Evans, who has 10 career race victories. “I was shocked when my brother (Mitch) wanted to be part of this. That sealed the deal for me.”

 The purchase price was not disclosed but Mark said the team will race under the Formula Boats banner for the foreseeable future. The team plans to run the entire United States circuit with the goal of qualifying for the season-ending Oryx Cup UIM World Championships in Doha, Qatar. The U57 hull is the same boat Mark campaigned for Ted Porter in 2011.

 Mark is the primary driver with his brother, Mitch, serving as the crew chief. John Walcker of Chelan is acting as team manager. Crew members will include Tony Scharf of Wenatchee, Wash., Paul LaMarre and Bill Guckian of Detroit, Josh Culver from the Tri-Cities, Wash., and Dave Lemon and Bianca Bononcini from the Seattle area.

 Mark Evans has driven numerous Unlimiteds in his long career and likes the hull, which is why he decided to acquire it. Porter announced in January he was putting his team’s three boats up for sale.

 “It’s a good fit for me,” Evans said of the hull. “I like the way it handles and I am confident we can get another 5 to 10 percent out of the performance and be a little more competitive.”

 “I didn’t want to get too excited until the boat actually got here,” he added. “But when I saw it coming up the driveway it was a real rush. Mitch and John and I are very excited about making the circuit with the 57 and the great team we have put together.”

Veteran Inboard racer Kelly Stocklin has acquired one of the boats built for the G Class automotive series and has been approved by H1 to run the boat as an unlimited using a Lycoming T-53 turbine powerplant.

Writing on his Facebook page, Stocklin says,  “The boat was built a few years ago to start a big piston powered class that could run at the same venues as the Unlimiteds. That didn’t pan out and this boat has basically been sitting… idle.  A few years ago the T53 turbine engine was briefly allowed in Unlimiteds with a much lighter boat weight limit because it makes about half the power that a T55 turbine makes.  This year H1 Unlimited has agreed for me to run the T53 to see if it is viable.”

The T-53 produces about 1400 horsepower, compared to 2800 for the T-55 L7C currently used by the rest of the turbine fleet.  Stocklin expects the 28 foot boat to weigh just over 4000 pounds, compared to the 6,575 pound minimum for T-55 powered boats.

Stocklin says he is working with Casale on development of a gearbox, and hopes to  secure the number 18.

Stocklin hopes to have the boat on the H1 circuit in 2012 and says the answer to the question he gets the most is, “Yes – there will be some changes to the color scheme.”

Degree Men^® announced today that it will be the new title sponsor of the USA Racing Partners No. 88 hydroplane in the Air National Guard H1 Unlimited Series. Now in the third consecutive year as sponsor of a top-flight H1 team, Degree Men continues its presence in the world’s premier on-water racing series, which brings intense speeds and adrenaline-fueled moments to fans across the globe.

“Featuring 3,000 horsepower and speeds in excess of 200 MPH, the H1 series is unmatched on the water for delivering adrenaline-pumping speed and thrills with every turn,” said Ernie Hoover, Unilever US Customer Marketing Director – Personal Care. “This makes H1 a perfect fit with the Degree Men ultra-premium Adrenaline Series anti-perspirant/deodorant line. We’re excited to have USA Racing Partners as our new team and 2011 UIM World Champion Scott Liddycoat onboard as our driver.”

Scott Liddycoat was the 2011 H1 Unlimited Rookie of the Year

 After a three-year break from the sport, USA Racing Partners returns with Matt Gregory leading the charge as the team’s crew chief. “USA Racing Partners is honored to be returning to the Air Guard H1 Unlimited Series with the outstanding support of Degree Men”, said Gregory, “and excited to announce the addition of the 2011 H1 Unlimited Rookie of the Year Scott Liddycoat as the pilot of the Degree Men No. 88.” As a 19-year veteran of inboard racing, Liddycoat is thrilled to take the wheel of the Degree Men No. 88.

 “I was extremely excited when the USA Racing Partners asked me to become part of their family,” remarked Liddycoat. “I am honored to represent USA Racing, along with our sponsor Degree Men for the 2012 H1 Unlimited Series.” Liddycoat went on to thank associate sponsor Featherlite® Coaches for their support that will have him traveling the circuit in true VIP style.

 New for 2012, the Degree Men Adrenaline Series features exclusive MOTIONSENSE™ technology. This breakthrough technology contains motion activated micro-capsules that sit on the surface of the skin – the technology activates upon movement, causing the capsules to break and release bursts of freshness to stay ahead of sweat and odor.

 The Air National Guard H1 Unlimited Series features the world’s fastest boats competing in races across the US July through September, leading up to the November UIM World Championship Oryx Cup in Doha, Qatar.

 About Unilever North America

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong operations in more than 100 countries and sales in 180.  With products that are used over two billion times a day around the world, we work to create a better future every day and help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.  In the United States and Canada the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry’s, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, fds, Good Humor, Hellmann’s, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond’s, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Ragu, Simple, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Soft & Beautiful, St. Ives, Suave, tcb, TIGI, TRESemmé, Vaseline, and Wish-Bone. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating over $9 billion in sales in 2011.  For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com or www.unilever.ca.

 About USA Racing

Formed in 1998 by the late Kim Gregory and his wife Debbie, USA Racing Partners burst onto the scene after purchasing the racing assets of Competition Specialties with a win at their third race entered.  USA Racing quickly ascended to one of the premier H1 Unlimited teams, and in 2000 campaigned a two-hull team finishing second and third in National high Points.  After capturing the prestigious Gold Cup in 2004, the team upgraded its fleet by purchasing one of the winningest hulls in H1 Unlimited history, the Hydroplanes, Inc. T-3.  After the devastating loss of USA Racing’s founder Kim Gregory in 2008, USA Racing stepped away from the sport.  Tragedy struck again in 2010 with the loss of their driver 2007 Rookie of the Year David Bryant in an unrelated racing accident.  With heavy hearts, USA Racing Partners picked up the pieces, enlisting the expertise of Hydroplanes Inc.  Now operating out of the famed Tukwila location, USA Racing has assembled the necessary tools to compete for championship in today’s ultra competitive Air National Guard H1 Unlimited field, led by President /Owner Debbie Gregory, VP of Operations Adam Gregory, and Director of Competition Matt Gregory.

Photo - Chris Denslow H1

Greg and Brian O’Farrell have announced that Albert Lee Appliance of Seattle will return as title sponsor of their GoFastTurnLeft Racing’s U-21 at the 2012 Albert Lee Cup At Seafair August 3-5.

Attendees at the Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday February 25 at Seattle’s Westin Hotel selected the winning photos from 2011 in three categories from several dozen entries.

Veteran hydro photog Bill Osborne swept the pro categories with his spectacular shot of the Oh Boy! Oberto and Spirit of Qatar winning the “Action” category and a photo of Mark Evans and the crew of the 57 Formulaboats.com winning the the pro “People” category.

Katie Brown was the winner in the “Fan’s Photos” category with one of her shots of the accident in Madison involving Steve David and Dave Villwock.  Katie took the picture from the Kentucky side of the Ohio River at the exit of turn one.

Seattle, Wash., February 25, 2012— H1 Unlimited’s Air National Guard Hydroplane Series honored its teams and drivers Saturday night at The Westin Seattle with Spirit of Qatar team collecting four awards for its record-breaking 2011 season.

Driver Dave Villwock accepted the Bill Muncey award for his 2011 National Championship and he joined his Spirit of Qatar team to receive the Martini Rossi trophy for the team’s fourth national championship. Villwock became the sport’s all-time winningest driver last season, passing the late Bill Muncey’s career race wins.

The Seattle-based team was also the Kings Fast Lap Winner for running the fastest lap during the season and won Crew of the Year as voted on by the teams, race sites and H1 Unlimited officials.

“Tonight was a great way to wrap up the 2011 season,” said Erick Ellstrom, whose family owns the Spirit of Qatar team. “The team did a great job all season long. They fought through a lot of adversity to bring home the national championship.”

The Oh Boy! Oberto team, which had won the last three national high points championships, collected its second-place trophy. While accepting the award, driver Steve David bet $5,000 (representative owner Bob Hughes added another $5,000) that the Oh Boy! Oberto team will finish higher than Spirit of Qatar in the 2012 points standings. Erick Ellstrom took the bet and said if they win, the money would most likely go to charity.

“We’re not going to let them beat us again next year,” David said. “We knew after the crash in Madison that it was going to be an uphill fight.”

Valken.com driver Scott Liddycoat was voted the Peters & May Rookie of the Year and capped a phenomenal season with a win at the Oryx Cup UIM Championships in Doha, Qatar. He finished third in the points standings and accepted the award. His 2011 teammate, Jeff Bernard, driving the Graham Trucking boat took home the second-place trophy.

Other awards as voted on by the teams and H1 Unlimited went to Scott and Shannon Raney and JW Myers for Owners of the Year and Miss Red Dot’s Nate Brown was tabbed as the Mechanix Wear Crew Chief of the Year. The APBA Gold Cup in Detroit was picked as the Race Site of the Year and its sponsor the Detroit Yacht Club was named Site Sponsor of the Year.

More than 240 people attended the banquet with about two dozen awards presented to sponsors, media and various individuals for their special contribution to the sport.

“I want to again thank the Air National Guard for their partnership with the series,” said Sam Cole, chairman of H1 Unlimited. “It’s their support and all of the sponsor’s support that helped make 2011 such a great season. And the incredible dedication of the volunteers from the teams to the race sites shouldn’t go unnoticed.”

CLICK HERE to view slide show of banquet photos by Chris Denslow or click on any image below to view larger image.

Series Sponsor Recognition
Air National Guard
Peters & May
Mechanix Wear
Sacramento Kings
Plunkett & Cooney
GoPro
Tampa Digital
Banquet Sponsor Recognition
Ellstrom Mfg-QMSF
Seafair
Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum
Plunkett & Cooney
Bob Hughes
H1 Unlimited Award Winners
Special Contribution	Peter Thomson
Special Contribution	Oh Boy! Oberto
Special Contribution	Greg O’Farrell
Special Contribution	Mike Noonan
Special Contribution	Patton Family
Special Contribution	Doug Bernstein
Nelawake Award	Bob Senior
Fan Favorite Award Mark Evans
Official of the Year	Walt Ottenad
Marketing Award	Air National Guard
Marketing Award	Degree Men
Marketing Award Peters & May
Marketing Award	Albert Lee
Boat Sponsor of the Year Degree men
Site Sponsor of the Year	Detroit Yacht Club
Race Site of the Year	Detroit Gold Cup
Website of the Year	H1 Unlimited
Best Print Race Coverage	Mike Brudenell-Detroit Free Press
Best National Print Coverage	Larry Lage – AP
Best Print Race Coverage	Peninsula – Doha
Best Print Seasonal Coverage	Madison Courier
Best New Media Feature	TransLogic
Best Radio Coverage	KONA Tri-Cities
Best Television Coverage	KSWB TV San Diego
Best Live Television Coverage	KIRO TV – Seattle
Best Television Coverage	Peter Butler
Best Television Coverage	Tampa Digital – Doha
Owner of the Year Scott & Shannon Raney – JW Myers 11 Peters & May
Crew of the Year	Spirit of Qatar
Mechanix Wear Crew Chief of the Year	Nate Brown
Kings Fast Lap Winner	Spirit of Qatar
Chairman’s Award David Holley Peters & May
Award of Excellence	Tri-Cities Race Committee
Award of Excellence	Ted Porter
Peters & May Rookie of the Year Scott Liddycoat 7 Valken.com
Professional Action Photo
Professional People Photo
Fan Photo
Third Place National High Points – Driver	Scott Liddycoat
Third Place National High Points – Team	Graham Trucking
Second Place National High Points – Driver Jeff Bernard 5 Graham Trucking
Second Place National High Points – Team	Oh Boy! Oberto
National Champion Driver Dave Villwock 96 Spirit of Qatar
Martini Rossi National Champion 96 Spirit of Qatar

Banquet Video:

Banquet Presentation:

One of the highlights of the Annual H1 Unlimited Awards Banquet Saturday evening at the Westin Hotel in Seattle was the first presentation of the Bill Muncey Trophy to the Season High Point Champion Driver, Dave Villwock

The trophy also has a plate honoring Villwock’s 2007 Championship and plates for Steve David’s wins in five of the last seven seasons.

Dave Villwock and Steve David display Bill Muncey Driver's Championship trophy. Photo by Chris Denslow H1

Beginning with this year’s banquet, the trophy will be presented each year to the driver’s champion just as the Martini and Rossi trophy goes to the winning team.  The new trophy was designed by Athletic Awards of Seattle.

In his book  LEGENDS OF THUNDER – Unlimited Historian Fred Farley wrote:

In the long history of Unlimited hydroplane racing, no individual defined the sport more convincingly than William Edward Muncey. From 1955 until his death at Acapulco in 1981, Bill was the unchallenged superstar.

Muncey was an obscure 225 Cubic Inch Class pilot in the Mid-West during the late 1940s.

In 1950, he had a chance to drive Albin Fallon’s MISS GREAT LAKES in the Harmsworth trials on the Detroit River. He was trying out for one of three spots on the U.S. Defense Team. The 21-year-old Muncey failed to make the final “cut” but he was still able to pull an incredible 97 miles per hour out of the obsolete MISS GREAT LAKES on a 5-nautical mile course. This was nothing short of amazing.

Bill reportedly had to be coached on the fine points of starting the huge Allison engine. But once out on the race course, there could be no doubt that a major new talent had arrived on the Unlimited scene.

Ted Jones was attending the same race with the SLO-MO-SHUN IV team. He happened to observe and was impressed by Muncey’s performance in the MISS GREAT LAKES. A few years later, when Jones was putting the MISS THRIFTWAY team together for Willard Rhodes, Ted remembered Bill and offered him the driver’s job.

Muncey had some great years between 1955 and 1963 with MISS THRIFTWAY (also known as MISS CENTURY 21), winning four APBA Gold Cups and three National Championships. But he experienced some lean years in the middle and late 1960s with Shirley Mendelson’s NOTRE DAME and George Simon’s MISS U.S. when race victories were few and far between.

It is a testament to the man’s character that he was able to rebound from those “off” years.
 
He became his own owner in 1976, after a quarter century of driving for others. In partnership with crew chief Jim Lucero, Bill went on to achieve another Muncey golden age. He won 24 out of 34 races entered between 1976 and 1979 under the aegis of ATLAS VAN LINES.
 
*****
 
Bill’s first five seasons with MISS THRIFTWAY were characterized by sometimes brilliant–but often erratic–driving and by two major accidents: the first at Madison, Indiana, in 1957 and the other at Seattle, Washington, in 1958.
 
His boat disintegrated at Madison and struck a U.S. Coast Guard patrol craft at Seattle. When rescue personnel reached him after the Seattle crash, Bill was officially dead at the scene when no pulse could initially be found.
 
In the 1950s, Muncey always seemed to have his act together at the Gold Cup, which he won in 1956 and 1957 and finished second in 1955 and 1959. But his Gold Cups aside, Bill’s record was very mediocre. Arch-rival Jack Regas of HAWAII KAI III fame was the top driver of the decade and had a much higher winning percentage (45%) with nine victories in twenty races between 1954 and 1959.

In fact, Muncey won only two non-Gold Cup races during the entire decade of the fifties. And one of  those, the 1958 Detroit Memorial Regatta, was a fluke on account of MISS U.S. I conking out and GALE VI jumping the gun.

The 1959 campaign was especially frustrating for Bill, who accounted for no victories and a lot of heats where he failed to finish.

Starting in 1960, his consistency of performance improved considerably. He began winning a lot of races with the third--and most successful--MISS THRIFTWAY.
 
Bill was National High Point Champion in 1960, 1961, and 1962, and won the Gold Cup in 1961 and 1962. He also set a world mile straightaway record of 192.001 in 1960 that stood for two years. 
 
Between 1959 and 1963, Muncey started in 85 heats with the third MISS THRIFTWAY and finished 77 of them. He was first 46 times, second 16 times, third seven times, fourth five times, fifth three times, averaged 54 heats at better than 100 miles per hour, and won 14 out of 32 races entered. 
 
He won those races against one of the most competitive fields in Unlimited history, which included Ron Musson in MISS BARDAHL, Bill Cantrell in GALE V, Don Wilson in MISS U.S. I, Rex Manchester in MISS SPOKANE, Mira Slovak in WAHOO, and Chuck Thompson in TAHOE MISS. 
 
Between 1960 and 1962, he finished a record 55 consecutive heats in a row.

Following the retirement from competition of the MISS THRIFTWAY team in 1963, the following tribute appeared in PROPELLER, the official publication of the American Power Boat Association:

"The voluntary termination of an illustrious reign occurred quietly. Muncey and THRIFTWAY won the first heat [at Seattle] setting a record of 112.500 mph, then went dead in the second, requiring a tow to the pits.

“Those decrying this ‘humbled finish for a proud champion’ are not boat racers. Racers accept the good breaks with the bad. They recognize that winning may be the goal of racing but competing is its major function.

“Compete the THRIFTWAY camp did, unsparingly, constantly, totally. And in compiling their three-boat, two-major-accident competitive history, the THRIFTWAY camp not only endured but prevailed to set records of speed and mechanical excellence that would be hard to beat.” 

To be sure, Bill Muncey would some day again rule the Unlimited world. But for the moment, he was an unemployed hydroplane driver with an uncertain future, although his credentials were second to none.

Since landing his first Unlimited ride in 1950, Muncey had achieved the status of a winner. He would remain so, throughout the rich years--as well as the lean years--that were to follow. 
 
His tenure with the rough-riding NOTRE DAME ended midway through the 1964 season after a falling out with the crew chief Bud Meldrum. Bill nevertheless scored an upset victory over the National Champion MISS BARDAHL at Guntersville, Alabama, with NOTRE DAME.
 
The MISS U.S. experience from 1965 to 1969 likewise proved unsatisfactory with only three victories in five years. According to Muncey, "Simon wouldn't give me enough money for the boat. Then he would turn right around and spend untold thosands, flying in relatives to the races from all over the country."
 
No one was more affected by the events of June 19, 1966, "Black Sunday," than Bill Muncey. That's when three of racing's finest were lost in two separate accidents at the President's Cup Regatta on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. They were Ron Musson of MISS BARDAHL, Rex Manchester of NOTRE DAME, and Don Wilson of MISS BUDWEISER.

All three had been close friends of Bill Muncey. It was Bill who had recommended that Musson be hired to drive for Ole Bardahl in 1961. Wilson had been Muncey’s roommate in college.

In the dark days that followed “Black Sunday,” Bill pondered the possibility of retirement from racing.

His oldest son, Wil Muncey, Jr., who was 13 at the time, remembers those days vividly: “He realized that to quit now would be like cutting slack when he was needed most. Quitting would have meant debasing the sport that his friends had died enjoying, promoting, supporting, and participating in. He was compelled to make a contribution and to help keep things rolling.

“The sport had suffered a lethal wound and needed to fire back just as hard as before. It was necessary to grieve the loss but to still perform.” 

Bill decided to stay with it. But for the rest of his life, not a week would go by that he wouldn’t recall the sad memory of his three friends lost on the Potomac. 

Muncey finally got his career back on track in 1970 when he went to work for his old friend Lee Schoenith of Gale Enterprises.

Bill’s best season of racing was arguably the 1972 campaign when he won six out of seven races for Schoenith, sponsored by ATLAS VAN LINES. Muncey won his long-awaited fifth Gold Cup and only broke one Rolls-Royce Merlin engine all year–and even then, he managed to finish the heat in second-place!
 
The Gold Cup is the Crown Jewel of APBA racing. It's the one prize that every competitor wants to win at least once. Bill won the race eight times (1956-57-61-62-72-77-78-79). This eclipsed the previous record of five victories, set by Gar Wood between 1917 and 1921.
 
In all, Muncey won 62 races in the Unlimited Class. The first was at Detroit in 1956 with the original MISS THRIFTWAY; the last was at Evansville, Indiana, in 1981 with the "Blue Blaster" ATLAS VAN LINES.
 
In the post-World War II era, the only driver with more wins than Bill is Dave Villwock who has 65 victories between 1992 and 2011.
 
How many Unlimited drivers who won races in the 1950s were still winning races in the 1980s? Only Muncey.
 
Bill reached the end of the Thunderboat trail on October 18, 1981, on Laguna de Coyucca in Mexico. The victim of a "blow-over," Muncey lost his life while maintaining his familiar first-place.

The team that he founded in 1976 continued in racing for another seven years under the leadership of Fran Muncey, Bill’s widow.
 
Fran hired Bill's hand-picked successor--Chip Hanauer--to replace her late husband in the cockpit. Bill had always told Fran, "If anything ever happens to me, be sure to get the boat to the next race and put a driver in it."

Hanauer picked up right where Bill had left off. Between 1982 and 1988, he won 24 races for the Bill Muncey Industries team, including an incredible seven consecutive Gold Cups. 

It is interesting to speculate as to what kind of a post-Acapulco career Bill might have had. He most certainly would have continued as a boat owner and as the sport’s most eloquent ambassador of good will.

It is questionable whether Bill would have continued as a driver. At the time of his death, he was just a few weeks shy of his 53rd birthday. 

Bill Muncey’s legacy to the sport is a standard of excellence that will be difficult to surpass.

And it’s possible, in the mind’s eye, to visualize Bill standing up there on the clouds, wearing that cowboy hat and those white-with-blue-trim coveralls, looking down on “his” sport.

He’s saying, “Okay, guys. I served my time. Now, it’s your turn. The potential of boat racing is still unlimited. The future is in your hands. So, let’s shake a leg and get moving. The 5-minute gun has just fired.”
 
#####
 
Reprinted from LEGENDS OF THUNDER.
 
Copyright (c) 2009 by Fred Farley & Ron Harsin.

John Humes

Unlimited hydroplane racing lost one of its most respected veterans on April 4, 2012. John Humes, the sport’s first African American crew chief, passed away, following a brief illness. He was 66.

“Big John” twisted wrenches for his hometown racing team, the community-owned MISS MADISON, for the better part of 50 years. As a member of the board of directors of Miss Madison, Incorporated, Humes worked closely with representative owner Bob Hughes, team manager Charlie Grooms, and crew chief Mike Hanson.

Humes occasionally assisted other teams, including the MISTER FABRICATOR in 1973, but the MISS MADISON was his first love.

In a 2009 interview with the DETROIT FREE PRESS, John credited the sport’s camaraderie as the reason for his long career in racing. Nowhere was this more apparent than in a trip with the MISS MADISON to a race in Guntersville, Alabama, in 1965.

Humes and his fellow crew members visited a local restaurant, looking for a bite to eat. The proprietor refused to serve John because he was a black man. The proprietor was told, “You either serve him or you don’t serve any of us.”

The entire MISS MADISON crew walked out of the restaurant en masse and took their business elsewhere.

-FRED FARLEY

Chinese Motorboat Association Secretary General Wan Honjun, H1 Unlimited Chairman Sam Cole and Beijing Kingolym Culture Communications President Zhengmin Shi share a moment as they discuss an H1 Unlimited event in China during a recent visit.

H1 Unlimited and Beijing Kingolym Culture Communications Ltd. have entered into an agreement that could bring the world’s fastest boats to China as soon as fall 2012.

The announcement comes after recent meetings between H1 Unlimited Chairman Sam Cole, Chinese Motorboat Association General Secretary Wan Hongjun and Beijing Kingolym President Zhengmin Shi to lay the groundwork for establishing an H1 presence in China. Although much work needs to be done to make this a reality, Cole and Shi agreed that the public awareness of the plan is essential.

H1 Unlimited Chairman Sam Cole presents an official Oh! Boy Oberto team shirt to Beijing Kingolym Culture Communications President Zhengmin Shi during a recent visit to the Chinese Capital. H1 Unlimited is working with Mr. Shi's organization to bring the world's fastest boats to China.

“We are excited about engaging Beijing Kingolym to make this expansion happen,” Cole said. “They have worked with boat racing in the past, have the support of the leadership of the Chinese Motorboat Association and have opened an office in Beijing to take this to the next level.”

Cole acknowledged that there are several hurdles to clear:

• A working agreement with UIM to allow for additional international events
• Changes in shipping procedures for the teams; converting to containers
• Invitations from the appropriate municipalities in China for the exact race location(s)
• Scheduling resolution within the H1 Unlimited series
• Ensuring no conflicts with the UIM World Championship Oryx Cup event in Doha, Qatar

Beijing Kingolym has hired staff, established a presence and is working daily to conduct a race in the world’s largest country, which has hosted other classes of boat racing for many years. The organization had had involvement with some of those races as well as promoting international cycling events. Having the endorsement of the Chinese Motorboat Association’s Secretary General Hongjun was an important factor in creating this new strategic alliance, Cole added.

A key part of the venture is creating a global television package that will bring the H1 Unlimited series and events to more than 1 billion households. Cole has been working with an experienced international television producer to ensure that this major requirement is met for the governments involved. This will be in addition to the series events being televised in the United States in 2012. Presently, the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship event is distributed throughout Europe and Asia.

“After seeing first-hand all of the preliminary work that has been done, it was evident that the time is now to make a push for having an event in this country,” Cole said. “We have several locations that are being considered and in the next few weeks will determine exactly where we may be racing.”

“International expansion is a very slow process. There are so many details to work out and we are approaching this in a very prudent manner. Mr. Shi and Beijing Kingolym have my support and confidence that someday soon another continent will get to experience the splendor and excitement of H1 Unlimited racing.”

His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani today (Thursday) announced at the Miami International Boat Show that the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) has agreed to a partnership with Mystic Powerboats and Whispering Turbines to build the ultimate turbine-powered racing boat for the 2013 racing season.

The exciting new ‘Spirit of Qatar’ boat will be entered in the 2013 Extreme/Turbine – Unlimited class in the United States of America.

Sheikh Hassan has been in lengthy discussions with his new partners for some time and can now confirm that the Doha-based team will run a Mystic powerboat fitted with Whispering Turbine power plants and a Five-Axis Industries transmission. Five Axis Industries is owned by the Ellstrom family, which runs the Spirit of Qatar hydroplane on the H1 Unlimited tour.

“Our idea is to expand the racing map that we participate in, as well as expanding into new race categories to become the leader in powerboat racing,” enthused Sheikh Hassan. “We have raced alongside the Miss Geico (Extreme/Turbine class) team in the past, but we were in two different classes and not far behind, even with the restricted engines we used in 2010.”

The president of the QMSF confirmed that the team will enter a single boat in 2013 and is yet to choose the cockpit line-up. “We are building this team from scratch for this class only. We may use some of our existing crew only if we can find extra time for them to work on this project. I am confident that when our team registers for the new season, we will be able to race alongside a large number of boats attracted by the entry of a new international team.”

Sheikh Hassan admits that previous experience of the OPA Offshore series was vital in his decision-making for 2013. “Racing in the USA opened our eyes to so many things, one of which is being part of an event where the social scene and interacting with other teams and people is a priority. It was also interesting that we caught everyone’s attention when we spoke about Qatar.”

The QMSF had been searching for partners to come on board for the programme and Sheikh Hassan is confident that the team will have the best package on the water for the start of the new season. “We followed the performances of Mystic Racing and the likes of Miss Geico, JBS Racing, Aqua Mania and My Way and realised that the fastest boats on the circuit were Mystics, so it was natural that we went with an existing proven package.”

“I first met Sheikh Hassan when he came to the US with his boats to race at Key West,” enthused John Cosker, president of Mystic Powerboats, which are based at DeLand in Florida. “His team was based in the Geico camp in Palm Beach, so he spent a bit of time around the Turbine Extreme Mystic that they are running.

“Mystic Powerboats will be building the carbon fibre race boat for the team and working closely with Whispering Turbines on the drive train layout and installation. I think the Spirit of Qatar Team entering this class will raise the level of competition and excitement tremendously. Mystic has dominated this class over the past five years and I feel that Qatar building a boat for the class adds great validity and shows that the most extreme competitors appreciate the challenge of this form of racing.”

The new Spirit of Qatar boat will be powered by a pair of T55-L7C turbine engines, delivering around 2,900hp each, and capable of propelling the boat to a top speed in excess of 220 mph (354 km/h). Sheikh Hassan also announced that the new ‘Spirit of Qatar’ boat will be used to attempt to break propeller speed records in excess of 220 mph. “Safety will be paramount in the construction of the new boat,” added the QMSF president. “We will redesign the cockpit, especially when targeting propeller speeds of over 220 mph.”

“Sheikh Hassan contacted me several years ago with questions about turbine power for another project and we have been in regular contact ever since,” said Tracy Bratvold, co-founder of Whispering Turbines, based at Whispering Pines in the State of Montana.

“He then became involved in the sport through the H1 Unlimited series and came to one of our hydroplane races and devised a plan to bring the sport to Qatar, where we have raced for three years. Our company will be building and maintained the gas turbine engines for the QMSF’s new boat venture.

“We will be there to support in any way we can and will continue to supply the same power plants for U-96 Spirit of Qatar in the H1 Unlimited series. The engines were originally designed for the Chinook helicopter and make an excellent power plant for the marine industry, because they only weigh 700lbs (318kgs) each and produce nearly 3,000hp, depending on the fuel flow (circa 4.3 gallons per minute).

“With a little tweaking, we can get around 3,000hp per engine instead of the stock 2,850hp. We have waited for the perfect time to be closely associated in a project like this and hope to have a long and exciting future with the QMSF.”

Erick Ellstrom of Five Axis Industries is also delighted to be part of the new project. “We were honoured to be asked to be part of this new venture,” said Ellstrom, whose family owns the Spirit of Qatar hydroplane team that competes on the H1 Unlimited tour. “The team will have complete access to all our technology to produce and design whatever is necessary. The relationship between the QMSF and Five Axis is very strong. Dave Villwock has no relation to this project, but drives one of my boats which is supported by the QMSF and runs as U-96 Spirit of Qatar.”

Sheikh Hassan will be switching his own attentions to an exciting programme of Class 1 racing this season, but is relishing the start of the new project in the USA. “We are proud of our Spirit of Qatar team as being a multi-cultural and multinational operation, with crew from Qatar, Italy, the UK and Norway, and we want to continue to show that we are a truly international team and the very best on the water.”