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.”

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.”

The H1/OPA display at the Ft Wayne Boat Show got A TON of positive attention.

We had an H1 Unlimited racing video playing and we also had the H1 Unlimited website and Race Schedule posted too

The H1 Unlimited Hydroplane win was the Valken.com U-7 with Scott Liddycoat piloting at the 2011 Oryx Cup/UIM World Championship Race in Doha, Qatar. The U-7 is powered by a Lycoming T55L7C Turbine and is capable of speeds in excess of 200mph!

The OPA Offshore win was the Formulaboats.com P400 with Val Fiorillo driving and Trent Weyant throttles at the 2011 OPA Offshore Worlds Championship Race in Orange Beach, Alabama. The Formulaboats.com P400 was also the 2011 OPA Offshore National High Points Champion. The Formulaboats.com P400 is powered by twin Mercury HP 525’s and is capable of speeds approaching 100mph!

This will be a great opportunity to see two very different race boats up-close and personal. Team and factory representatives will be on hand to answer any questions.

Show hours are: Thursday and Friday 3:00p – 9p; Saturday 11a – 9p; Sunday 11a – 5p. Discount Coupons are available: www.fortwayneboatshow.com

For more information on Formula Boats: www.formulaboats.com
For more information on PPE/LLC and U-5/U-7/U-57/P400 Racing: www.u5racing.com

Scott Liddycoat with Mr. Sami Abu Shaika of the UIM and Qatar Marine Sports Federation

H1 Unlimited driver Scott Liddycoat admits he could get use to the pomp and circumstance that comes with winning a UIM World Championship. A trip to Monte Carlo, Monaco, red carpet entry to the UIM Award Giving Gala and adulation from the world’s top boat racers was just part of being a champion.

“It’s definitely the lifestyles of the rich and famous,” said Liddycoat with a laugh.
“I plan on going back next year.”

Liddycoat earned the trip to the gala by winning the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship last year in Doha, Qatar. Also representing H1 Unlimited was Dave Holley, CEO of Peters & May, and a sponsor of the hydroplane series. Peters & May Peters is also the official logistics provider of the UIM, founding partner of the UIM youth foundation and a sponsor of the gala dinner for the past two years.

More than 400 people attended the UIM Award Giving Gala that honored 60 racers from 28 countries. The Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) is the world’s governing body for powerboat racing and recognizes classes from small outboards to unlimited hydroplane racing.

Liddycoat and his wife, Kim, not only attended the event in Monte Carlo to accept the award but to promote the sport to the international dignitaries. H1 Unlimited has been working on an international expansion and in 2011 sent two hydroplanes to the UIM conference in Abu Dhabi. The series is also actively looking to stage a race in China.

“The people we spoke with would really like to see them race internationally,” Liddycoat said. “They’re impressed that the boats run 200 mph on an oval track. It’s not something they see overseas.”

At the February 11th gala, the UIM showed video highlights of his Valken.com boat running on the water before giving the Suffolk, Va., resident his award. The win in Doha was the first Unlimited hydroplane career victory for the rookie driver. Liddycoat is expected to collect another honor (Rookie of the Year) next week when H1 Unlimited has its awards banquet in Seattle.

While there may have been a language barrier with some of the fellow racers, Liddycoat said they all have a strong passion for boat racing.

“We’re all motorheads and boat guys, that’s for sure,” he said. “Sometimes we may not have understood what we were talking about but when it came to the boats, we all understood.”

Peters & May’s Holley said Liddycoat was a fine representative for the sport.

“It was great to see H1 so well represented at the awards, Scott was a great ambassador and this combined with the brief video clip made sure that H1 was well and truly put on the world map,” Holley said.

Added H1 Unlimited Chairman Sam Cole, “I’m proud that Scott went to Monaco to represent the world’s fastest boats. He’s a fine example of the future of our sport.”

In his first season, Liddycoat finished third in the 2011 National High Points Championship. In addition to winning the season-ending Oryx Cup, Liddycoat had two second-place finishes and a third-place showing.

Last year, the team made its debut in a new 30-foot hydro, powered by a T-55 Lycoming helicopter turbine producing more than 2600 h.p. and was encouraged by a heat win at the fabled Detroit Gold Cup; growing pains and mechanical gremlins prevented the team from realizing its full potential, with only a consolation heat victory in San Diego near the end of the season to bolster its hopes. “We’ve used this winter to improve our equipment depth, which will give us the ability to run quite a bit harder in 2012,” Raney said. “We are excited that Peters & May will continue to support our program, because none of this would be possible without that relationship. Peters & May is extremely supportive not only of our program, but many other programs in boat racing as well.”

Peters & May CEO David Holley said it was an easy decision to continue working with URG and driver JW Myers despite the 2011 finish. “Obviously, we all would have preferred a winning season in 2011, but it was never a realistic expectation with a relatively new team,” Holley said. “If your team’s not winning, you look for the factors that make a winner: hard work, determination and heart. The URG team from top to bottom has a ‘do what needs to be done attitude’ which fits perfectly with the Peters & May philosophy of business and customer service. We look forward to the coming race season.”

The team has plenty of time to get the 2012 Peters & May unlimited hydroplane dialed-in and ready for the July 1 “Lucas Oil Indiana Governor’s Cup” in Madison, Indiana. The team will campaign under the same U-11 number with “J-Dub” Myers at the helm and as an ownership partner with Scott Raney and his wife Shannon; Peters & May will continue as the transportation sponsor for the Air National Guard Hydroplane series.

 The UK-headquartered Peters & May, an international yacht transport leader, has transportation and logistics arrangements with racing classes in several race series, as well as team sponsorships in a variety of race classes in the US and abroad.

Pictures and video of the 2011 SBI World Championships are available on the  

Peters & May Racing Facebook Page.

For more information on Peters & May visit www.petersandmay.com.

Cincinnati Travel, Sports & Boat Show: January 20 – 22 & January 25 – 29, 2012. Miss Madison Display Boat will be onsite at location B6 in the Duke Energy Convention Center. website: http://www.hartproductions.com/travel-sport-and-boat-show/

Louisville Boat, RV & Sportshow Show: January 25 – 29, 2012. Madison Regatta will have a booth onsite. website: http://www.louisvilleboatshow.com/

Indianapolis Boat, Sport & Travel Show: February 17 – 26, 2012. Miss Madison Display Boat will be onsite at location C143-C146 in the Pepsi Coliseum. website: http://indianapolisboatsportandtravelshow.com/

The Vic Nelawake Unlimited Spirit Award recognizes an individual whose voluntary contributions to the sport of Unlimited Hydroplane Racing stand out among all volunteers, and have demonstrated the same selfless dedication and inspiring spirit that Vic was known for.

Any person who makes an on-going, beyond a single season, and outstanding voluntary, non-salaried contribution of time and talent is eligible to receive the Award.

To cast your vote CLICK HERE.

Results for the season -

For the purpose of this compilation, a boat is not considered to have finished a heat unless it has received points in that heat. An exception to this rule is participation in “Provisional Heats,” which do not award points but which help determine who is admitted to the Final Heat.
 

“Dash-For-Cash” heats are not included.

 **********

U-1 OH BOY! OBERTO/MISS MADISON

Driver: Steve David

Heats: 20
 
Finishes: 19

Percentage: .950
 
1st: 12
 
2nd: 3
 
3rd: 1
 
4th: 1
 
5th: 2
 
**********
 
U-5 GRAHAM TRUCKING

Driver: Jeff Bernard
 
Heats: 25
 
Finishes: 25

Percentage: 1.000
 
1st: 3
 
2nd: 11
 
3rd:  5
 
4th: 4
 
5th: 1
 
6th: 1
 
**********
 
U-7 VALKEN.COM

Driver: Scott Liddycoat
 
Heats: 25
 
Finishes: 23

Percentage: .920
 
1st: 5
 
2nd: 10
 
3rd: 6
 
4th: 1
 
5th: 0
 
6th: 1
 
**********
 
U-9/U-1 MISS VISIT TRI-CITIES.COM/OH BOY! OBERTO (back-up hull)

Driver: Jon Zimmerman
 
Heats: 10
 
Finishes: 9

Percentage: .900
 
1st: 0
 
2nd: 1
 
3rd: 2
 
4th: 6
 
**********
 
U-11 PETERS & MAY

Driver: J.W. Myers
 
Heats: 22
 
Finishes: 15

Percentage: .681
 
1st: 2
 
2nd: 1
 
3rd: 6
 
4th: 2
 
5th: 3
 
6th: 0
 
7th: 1
 
**********

U-17 MISS RED DOT

Drivers: Kip Brown & Cal Phipps

Heats: 24

Finishes: 22

Percentage: .916

1st: 8

2nd: 8

3rd: 3

4th: 1

5th: 2

**********

U-21 LAKERIDGE PAVING/ALBERT LEE APPLIANCE/TAPOUT-MUSCLEPHARM

Driver: Brian Perkins

Heats: 22

Finishes: 20

Percentage: .909

1st: 1

2nd: 5

3rd: 6

4th: 6

5th: 1

6th: 0

7th: 1

**********

U-22 MISS BROADWAY TAVERN/MATRIX SYSTEM/CAMPAIGN WSU/GREAT SCOTT

Driver: Mike Webster 

Heats: 15

Finishes: 6

Percentage: .400

1st: 0

2nd: 0

3rd: 4

4th: 2

**********

U-25 SUPERIOR RACING/JARVIS FIRE-WATER REPAIR/MISS 97ROCK/PROCRAFT WINDOWS

Drivers: Dr. Ken Muscatel & Ryan Mallow  

Heats: 12

Finishes: 7

Percentage: .583

1st: 0

2nd: 0

3rd: 1

4th: 2

5th: 4

**********

U-57 FORMULABOATS.COM

Drivers: Mark Evans & Jimmy Shane

Heats: 20

Finishes: 15

Percentage: .750

1st: 0

2nd: 1

3rd: 7

4th: 6

5th: 0

6th: 1

**********

U-88 DEGREE MEN

Driver: J. Michael Kelly

Heats: 24

Finishes: 21

1st: 3

2nd: 9

3rd: 2

4th: 3

5th: 3

6th: 0

7th: 1

**********

U-96 SPIRIT OF QATAR

Driver: Dave Villwock

Heats: 25

Finishes: 23

Percentage: .920

1st: 20

2nd: 1

3rd: 1

4th: 0

5th: 0

6th: 1

**********

U-99 MISS HAPO

Driver: Ryan Mallow

Heats: 3

Finishes: 0

Percentage: .000

**********

U-100 LELAND UNLIMITED/MISS AL DEEBY/MISS BEACON PLUMBING (original hull)

Driver: Greg Hopp

Heats: 14

Finishes: 12

Percentage: .857

1st: 1

2nd: 1

3rd: 4

4th: 4

5th: 2

**********

U-100 MIRAGE BOATS/LELAND UNLIMITED (replacement hull)

Driver: Greg Hopp

Heats: 8

Finishes: 8

Percentage: 1.000

1st: 0

2nd: 2

3rd: 3

4th: 0

5th: 3

Nominate your favorite in an email to val [at] maurergroup [dot] com.  Nominations also become votes.

2010 photo by Jim Simpson

Time for photogs to pick their favorite shots for the 2011 photo contest. The 3 categories are Professional Boat/Action Shot, Professional People Shot, and Fan Photograph. Fans can send in up to 2 photos of anything they’d like and the pro’s can send one boat/action and one people.

Email digital files to dan [at] maurergroup [dot] com or mail a CD to P.O. Box 3694, Pasco, WA 99302. Call 877-783-RACE for questions. Entries will be printed out and displayed at the Awards Banquet where attendees will vote for their favorite. Winners will be announced at the banquet. Entries must be submitted by February 13th.

The Pro category includes anyone who was issued a blue photo vest during the season and team photographers.