The HydroNation!

2011-08-03T11:54:00.001-04:00

Madison 2011 Pictures by Craig Barney

2011-07-05T09:53:00.001-04:00

Madison 2011 Pictures are up:

http://unlimiteds.net/site/race_sites/mad/11/

__._,_.___

The 1999 Gold Cup - a recollection by Aaron Lynch

2011-07-05T09:50:00.001-04:00

http://thunderthebridge.blogspot.com/2011/07/day-in-life-july-11-1999.html

The Saga of Ron Snyder - By Fred Farley - ABRA Unlimited Historian

2011-06-30T11:56:00.000-04:00

http://www.thunderboats.org/history/history0549.html
The Saga of Ron Snyder

By Fred Farley - ABRA Unlimited Historian

One of hydroplane racing’s most respected veterans is Ron Snyder of New Bremen, Ohio.

Ron Snyder

Ron has distinguished himself in everything from Limited Inboards to Unlimited hydroplanes to APBA Vintage craft.

Since 2003, Snyder has driven the likes of AQUA FLYER, a restored 266 Cubic Inch Limited Class hydro, and SIR RON III, a restored 280 Cubic Inch Class campaigner, on the Vintage circuit.

In 2005, Ron received a Life Achievement Award for his years of service to the sport at the Madison (Indiana) Regatta. And in 2007, the book VINTAGE HYDROPLANE HERITAGE by Fred Farley and Ron Harsin was dedicated to Snyder. But the story begins long before then.

Ron’s boat racing career began in 1962. Competing primarily in the 280 Class, he owned and drove two boats of that description.

Snyder raced Unlimited hydroplanes from 1974 to 1989. He is best known for his exploits aboard the MISS MADISON, which he piloted off and on from 1976 to 1988.

Some of the sport’s most talented drivers have chauffeured for the MISS MADISON team at one time or another. These include the likes of Marion Cooper, Buddy Byers, Jim McCormick, Milner Irvin, Mike Hanson, and Steve David.

Snyder is the only MISS MADISON pilot to drive three different versions of the world's only community-owned Unlimited hydroplane. In 1976, he drove the Bill Cantrell-designed MISS M, built in 1972; he piloted the Ron Jones-designed MISS MADISON (former 1973 PAY 'n PAK) between 1982 and 1988; and he was the first driver in competition of the next MISS M, built by Jones in 1988.

"I had qualified with Gene Benning's JUSTA-PEST III in 1974," Snyder recalls, "but it was the people of Madison who gave me the chance to prove what I could really do with an Unlimited."

The highlight of Ron's debut year with the MISS MADISON was a third-place finish in the hometown Madison Regatta on July 4, 1976, behind Bill Muncey in ATLAS VAN LINES and Tom D'Eath in MISS U.S.

It was obvious right from the start that this no-nonsense guy with the ready smile had "the right stuff." Indeed, much would be heard from Ron Snyder in the years ahead.

In 1977, as pilot of Benning's MISS NORTH TOOL, Ron scored points at every Unlimited race and finished third at Washington, D.C., Madison, and Dayton, Ohio.

As driver of Bernie Little's MISS BUDWEISER in 1978, Snyder finished second to ATLAS VAN LINES in National High Points and won the Tri-Cities Columbia Cup at Kennewick, Washington.

In the single most exciting duel of the 1978 season, at Madison, Ron and BUDWEISER beat Muncey's ATLAS decisively in Heat 2-A, after four dynamic side-by-side laps on the Ohio River.

Before returning to the MISS MADISON team in 1982, Snyder guided the veteran MISS KENTUCKIANA PAVING (former MY GYPSY) to fourth-place at the 1981 "Thunder On The Ohio" in Evansville, Indiana, for his old friends Bill Cantrell and Graham Heath.

Also in 1981, Ron piloted Keith Trowbridge's CAPTRAN RESORTS to a fifth-place at San Diego, after the scheduled driver (Steve Reynolds) had fractured his hand in a motorcycle accident a few days before the race.

One of the most amazing feats in Unlimited hydroplane history was performed by Ron Snyder at Lake-of-the-Ozarks, Missouri, in 1983. It had been twelve years since the under-financed MISS MADISON had won a race. But Snyder took care of that in his own inimitable way.

The MISS M (disguised as MISS RICH PLAN) made a shambles of oddsmakers’ predictions. The top-rated ATLAS VAN LINES (with Chip Hanauer) and MISS BUDWEISER (with Jim Kropfeld) just plain "blew it" in the Final Heat.

Hanauer and Kropfeld were so focused on each other, they weren't thinking about the rest of the field. When the starting gun fired, ATLAS and BUD were way off the mark at the back of the pack, while Snyder--a past-master of the clock start--was right where he was supposed to be--at the line, full throttle, and going away.

Ron led from wire-to-wire and brought home the Missouri Governor's Cup for the jubilant U-6 camp. Earle Hall and THE SQUIRE SHOP took second-place and Todd Yarling finished third with MISS TOSTI ASTI, while Hanauer and Kropfeld embarrassed themselves, finishing fourth and fifth respectively, in one of the sloppiest performances of their distinguished careers.

"I had won the Tri-Cities race with the BUDWEISER in '78," Snyder pointed out, "but that Lake-of-the Ozarks race--that was extra special."

Indeed, it was. Ron had won not because he had the biggest budget or the most up-to-date technology. Using a ten-year old hull and an Allison engine, Snyder had defeated his Rolls-Royce-powered state-of-the-art rivals on driver ability alone.

Not all of Ron's races with the MISS MADISON ended so triumphantly. At Evansville in 1986, MISS M hooked and threw him out during one of the heat races. Snyder suffered minor injuries. (While Ron recovered, Jerry Hopp and Andy Coker filled in for him.)

And at San Diego in 1988, Snyder and the U-6 were involved in one of the most incredible occurrences in motor sports. Ron was running head-to-head with John Prevost and MISS CIRCUS CIRCUS on Mission Bay. Both were chasing George Woods and OH BOY! OBERTO down the backstretch on the first lap of the race.

Snyder and Prevost then caught the same gust of wind and blew end over end. MISS CIRCUS CIRCUS broke in half and landed rightside-up; MISS MADISON crashed upside-down.
Never before--and never since--have two Unlimiteds blown over simultaneously.

Fortunately, both MISS MADISON and MISS CIRCUS CIRCUS were equipped with the recently mandated F-16 safety canopy. Neither man was hurt.

In Snyder's words, "If not for that canopy, I would have been shaking hands with the angels."

After a few 1989 starts with Brian Keogh's BOSS MARINE SPORTS and Jerry Schoenith's MISS TRI-CITIES, Ron decided to call it a career.

When Snyder started racing, he was one of the struggling unknowns on the challenging Mid-West Limited inboard circuit; when he retired, he had achieved the sport's big-time.

In the tradition of fellow Mid-Westerners Bill Cantrell, Marion Cooper, Ron Musson, Buddy Byers, Jim McCormick, Dean Chenoweth, and Jim Kropfeld, Ron had made his presence felt in the Unlimited Class--the Thunderboats of the racing world.

Snyder has never strayed far from the sport that he loves and frequently attends the Madison Regatta, where he visits with friends, new and old.

He has a special place in his heart for MISS MADISON and the people of Madison. "It was a wonderful experience driving their boat for them. I'd do it over again."

NOTRE DAME & MISS EXIDE by Fred Farley

2011-06-30T10:40:00.001-04:00

A number of recent threads have mentioned the 1963 MISS EXIDE and the 1967 NOTRE DAME.

Ted Jones, who designed MISS EXIDE, told me that he disavowed the project when he heard that builder Ed Karelsen was going to put the boat together with a staplegun.

(Karelsen later vindicated himself with his creations of the 1967 MISS BARDAHL, the 1968 MISS BUDWEISER, and the 1969 NOTRE DAME, which were all excellent boats.)

The 1967 NOTRE DAME was one of the worst riding Unlimiteds that I've ever seen. Even builder Les Staudacher was baffled by the poor handling characteristics. Nevertheless, I don't blame Jack Regas for the boat's crash at Seattle.

Here's how it looked to me--and to the reporter from YACHTING MAGAZINE--from the press section of the Official Barge on Lake Washington.

As the seconds ticked away before the start of Heat 1-A, Bob Gilliam was sitting dead in the water on the start/finish line, trying to get HILTON HY-PER-LUBE started. Moments before the one-minute gun, Gilliam was finally able to get going. He left a side-ways trough as he cut across the infield in an effort to catch up with the other boats.

A minute later, the field thundered across the starting line. NOTRE DAME fell into the trough left by HILTON HY-PER-LUBE, hydrauliced the sponson, and ricocheted into the path of Chuck Hickling and the HARRAH'S CLUB. The two boats crashed and ended up on the bottom of the lake. NOTRE DAME was destroyed; HARRAH'S CLUB was through for the season.

I believe that Regas did not cause this accident. Gilliam did! The crash was a virtual replay of the Warner Gardner/Bill Cantrell incident at Madison, Indiana, in 1965. (Gardner, too, made a belated start with MISS LAPEER and left a side-ways trough. MISS SMIRNOFF encountered the trough and pitched Cantrell into the water.)

Fred Farley

__._,_.___

H1 Unlimited Tuesday Talk

2011-04-04T11:09:00.001-04:00

Tuesday Talk

Take part in the chat on Tuesday April 5th. Scheduled guests along with drivers, crew members and owners take part as well.

The Vic Nelawake Spirit Award

2011-02-16T17:01:00.002-05:00

The Vic Nelawake Spirit Award

Please Vote!

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

The 2010 nominating committee has selected the 5 nominees:

Bob Senior, Mac Clouse, Lee Hooton, Ginger Jackson, Denny Jackson

All volunteers holding H1 credentials for the season of nomination are eligible to select the honoree through electronic ballot. For this purpose, a “volunteer” is someone who does not receive compensation other than expense reimbursement and per diem allowance.

The Award will be announced at the Annual H1 Awards Banquet, and presented at the Detroit Gold Cup.

Racing Into 2011

2011-01-04T23:02:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays to All !!

2010-12-19T14:46:00.001-05:00

Seafair 2010

2010-09-26T01:49:00.002-04:00

onboard video of JW Myers crash in Detroit

2010-08-04T15:11:00.001-04:00

http://www.u-37.com/2010/07/23/u-37-detroit-video/

A Look Around the 2010 Tri-Cities Columbia Cup

2010-07-29T23:38:00.002-04:00

JMK and Jeff Bernard

2010-07-14T15:24:00.001-04:00

Miss Pepsi @ the Dossin Museum

2010-07-14T15:21:00.001-04:00

Madison Photos - Matt Ruhlen

2010-07-12T16:55:00.001-04:00

http://gallery.me.com/matt.ruhlen#100194

Madison Photos - Vickie Fewell

2010-07-08T16:12:00.001-04:00

http://www.screechie.com/Regatta/index.htm

Detroit Free Press Gold Cup Articles

2010-07-08T14:27:00.001-04:00

http://tiny.cc/6zgog

http://tiny.cc/lgydi

Detroit News Gold Cup Articles

2010-07-08T14:13:00.001-04:00

http://tiny.cc/uc9ec

http://tiny.cc/pfu7d

"Young Guns" Target Jarvis Restoration APBA Gold Cup

2010-07-07T15:12:00.001-04:00

http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=12767488

A 'little bit' of Lucas Oil could keep Regatta running smoothly

2010-07-06T17:21:00.001-04:00

http://madisoncourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=18&SubSectionID=895&ArticleID=57616

Madison Live Streaming

2010-07-02T16:13:00.001-04:00

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/madison-regatta

Cool Pano Photo from Madison - Jim Simpson

2010-07-01T19:49:00.001-04:00

http://www.h1unlimited.com/images/2010RaceSites/mad%20pits.jpg

U6 Miss Madison

2010-07-01T16:47:00.001-04:00

Seattle 1988

2010-07-01T16:45:00.001-04:00

Gold Cup Ticket Info

2010-07-01T16:25:00.001-04:00

THE 2010 DETROIT APBA GOLD CUP RACE - JULY 9-11, 2010
-----------------------------------------------------------------
DETROIT RIVER REGATTA ASSOCIATION Regatta Review #114 (07/01/10)

*** ADVANCE TICKET ORDERS - LAST CHANCE

Thursday July 1st is the last day to make orders from the online
ticket store. Phone orders can still be made on Friday July 2nd.

All other ticket sales will then be at the on-site Box Office in
Waterworks Park beginning Tuesday July 6th at Noon.

*** ON-SITE BOX OFFICE AND CREDENTIAL HOURS

Here are the hours for the Box Office and Will-Call trailers:

Tuesday July 6 - 12:00 (noon) to 7:00PM
Wednesday / Thursday / Friday - 8:00AM to 7:00PM
Saturday July 10 - 6:30AM to 5:00PM
Sunday July 11 - 6:30AM to 1:00PM

The hours for the Credentials trailer for Volunteers:

Wednesday July 7 - 12:00 (noon) to 7:00 PM
Thursday July 8 - 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Friday July 9 - 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Saturday July 10 - 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

The Box Office and Will-Call trailer are inside Waterworks Park.
The Credentials trailer is in Henderson Park (at Jefferson & Burns).

*** THE MADISON INDIANA RACE IS THIS WEEKEND!

The Unlimited Hydroplane season-opener race is in Madison Indiana
for the July 4th weekend. There may be as many as 12 Unlimited's.

For all the team info, news and more, visit http://www.h1unlimited.com
Video streaming is planned for Saturday and Sunday.

- Detroit River Regatta Association
- Mail: DRRA - 17640 E. Nine Mile Road - Eastpointe MI - 48021
- Phone: 586.774.0980
- Web: http://www.gold-cup.com
- Email: moreinfo@gold-cup.com

Cool Photo - C.M Stewart Photography

2010-07-01T15:26:00.000-04:00

Madison Field Expanding To 13

2010-07-01T14:20:00.001-04:00

http://www.h1unlimited.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=870&Itemid=61

A few from Detroit

2010-06-30T15:24:00.001-04:00

Go 3 Racing. Another good source for Madison Updates

2010-06-30T14:43:00.001-04:00

http://www.go3racing.com/

Free Fantasy Hydroplane Game!

2010-06-30T14:37:00.001-04:00

Not only did the 2009 season usher in an international race in Doha,
Qatar for hardcore hydroplane fans to get revved up about, it also
provided the hydroplane community across the world an opportunity to
participate in a free online fantasy hydroplane game called Deck2Deck
Fantasy Hydros.

The game is entirely FREE to play and the game concept is easy to
understand. Simply choose one hydroplane per race for each race of
the season. But here is the catch: you can only select any given
hydroplane once per season. The points that your selected hydroplanes
earn are tabulated over the course of the season on the web site. The
fantasy player with the highest point total at the end of the year is
the winner!

Once you complete the simple registration at www.deck2deck.us you can
set up a private league to compete against your friends as well as
join various public leagues to compete against other hydroplane fans
from around the world!

We hope you come race Deck2Deck with us in 2010!

HydroDan

2010 Lucas Oil GOVERNOR’S CUP, 60th MADISON REGATTA RACE SCHEDULE

2010-06-30T14:36:00.001-04:00

http://www.madisonregatta.com/regatta_schedule.html

Live Streaming from Madison

2010-06-30T14:21:00.001-04:00

http://www.tampadigital.com/abra/

Dan Cole Handicaps This Weekends Race At Madison

2010-06-30T09:13:00.000-04:00

U-96 Spirit of Qatar Dave Villwock 2-1 Simply put the best of everything makes 'em tough to beat

U-1 Oh Boy Oberto Steve David 3-1 Back to back National Champs, would love to win one in front of 13,000 owners

U-5 Formulaboats.com Jeff Bernard 5-1 Bernard was in the thick of things last year, a slip by the top two could advance his cause

U-21 Albert Lee Appliance Brian Perkins 5-1 Essentially a "new" boat ran 201 in the straights in testing, Watch out for these guys.

U-7 Graham Trucking J. Michael Kelly 5-1 The Young Gun Kelly coming off a victory in Qatar will be a formidable foe this year.

U-3 Go3 Racing Jimmy King 8-1 If only these guys could keep the boat running. Watch out for the "Turbinator"

U-37 Miss Peters and May J.W. Myers 8-1 I like these guys, Jay Dub has the potential to make some noise this year.

U-17 Our Gang Racing Kip Brown 10-1 It's a family affair for sure, don't think they can beat the big boys.

U-100 Leland Racing Greg Hopp 25-1 I'd love to see this guy drive some good equipment, Great driver.

U-25 Superior Racing Jon Zimmerman 50-1 Look for the Good Dr.'s boat to qualify fast, not sure how it will do in heat racing.

U-13 Spirit of Detroit Racing Cal Phipps 100-1 The Bartush entry returns, look for them to get better as the season progresses

U-22 Matrix Systems Mike Webster 100-1 Old hull, trouble maintaining high speeds will plague this team in Madison,

Bridge Turn - Detroit

2010-06-23T20:58:00.000-04:00

HydroNation on facebook

2010-06-18T16:59:00.000-04:00

Hydro Nation facebook page

Gold Cup News

2010-06-18T15:47:00.001-04:00

The Gold Cup

U-22 Tosti Asti

2010-06-09T17:13:00.002-04:00

Miss Albert Lee debut @ Tri-Cities - photos by Brad Drake

2010-05-21T20:14:00.002-04:00

Miss Renault

2010-05-19T12:34:00.002-04:00

Oberto

2010-05-19T12:18:00.000-04:00

ELAM tangles with a roostertail

2010-05-19T12:11:00.000-04:00

Stamp to honour Miss Supertest, Bob Hayward

2010-04-30T16:15:00.000-04:00

http://thestar.blogs.com/autoracing/2010/04/stamp-to-honour-miss-supertest-bob-hayward.html

Lombardo boat may be worth $500,000 | London | News | London Free Press

2010-04-30T15:53:00.000-04:00

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2009/11/30/11979616.html

The Fastest Show On H20 Power In The Park

2010-04-28T15:35:00.000-04:00

The Fastest Show On H2O

Tim Hueston Fund Raiser

2010-04-26T10:46:00.000-04:00

Racers and Fans, please help a fellow racer!?

A Salute To ELAM Vic

2010-02-24T16:17:00.002-05:00

ELAM Vic enjoying his last Gold Cup Celebration!

U-787 Ellstrom/Boeing Dreamliner slideshow

2010-01-29T23:27:00.002-05:00

Plan to commemorate boat races revs up

2010-01-21T14:24:00.002-05:00

http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2270415

John Lyons has actively been pursuing Canada Post since August in his bid to see a stamp issued in 2011 to mark the 50th anniversary of Miss Supertest III's victory for the Harmsworth Trophy at Long Reach.

More 50's-60's Classics Pt.III - Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T00:44:00.003-05:00

More 50's -60's Classics Pt.II

2009-12-31T01:57:00.002-05:00

Please confirm your subscription

2009-12-31T01:13:00.001-05:00

Click here to confirm your subscription
http://www.nutclub.org/index.php?option=com_acajoom&act=confirm&listid=3&cle=7dd6be508c349787c34b3553513adb98&subscriber=163&Itemid=999

Miss Bud.

2009-12-30T15:19:00.001-05:00

I liked the Red/Gold paint scheme!

Detroit

2009-12-30T15:11:00.002-05:00

Seattle

2009-12-28T16:02:00.000-05:00

More 50's -60's Classics

2009-12-22T23:02:00.002-05:00

Roostertail Inc announces a Gold Cup sponsor for the U-25

2009-12-16T18:02:00.001-05:00

Roostertail Racing announces a sponsor for Dr. Ken and the U-25 for the 2010 Gold Cup

Check it out:

http://roostertailinc.com/Rooster_Tail_Racing_Inc./Rooster_Tail_Racing.html

Unlimited Classics from the 50's

2009-11-04T00:55:00.001-05:00

The Hydropage Forum

2009-09-21T20:20:00.001-04:00

http://www.tiforums.net

This is for ...anyone who has an interest in Unlimited Hydroplanes, and all other forms of Hydroplane racing. It also has sections for other forms of powerboat racing as well but U Boats are the primary form. So pass the word around and come and join.

Madison Regatta Makes Money

2009-09-04T16:47:00.001-04:00

Hello The

Madison Regatta Makes Money

The 2009 Madison Regatta ( http://madisonregatta.com ) did something impressive this year. In these tough economic times, they made a profit for their
event July 4th weekend. The historic town on the Ohio River hasn't had a title sponsor in years, but the community pride in holding an Unlimited
hydroplane race for the 59 previous years is strong as ever. At one time, the regatta was close to be done. But, the folks of Madison came together
and now this is one of the most financially secure sites on the ABRA ( http://abrahydroplanes.com ) circuit. Year number 60 is off to a great start.

The HydroNation!

Madison 2011 Pictures by Craig Barney

The 1999 Gold Cup - a recollection by Aaron Lynch

The Saga of Ron Snyder - By Fred Farley - ABRA Unlimited Historian

NOTRE DAME & MISS EXIDE by Fred Farley

H1 Unlimited Tuesday Talk

The Vic Nelawake Spirit Award

Racing Into 2011

Happy Holidays to All !!

Seafair 2010

onboard video of JW Myers crash in Detroit

A Look Around the 2010 Tri-Cities Columbia Cup

JMK and Jeff Bernard

Miss Pepsi @ the Dossin Museum

Madison Photos - Matt Ruhlen

Madison Photos - Vickie Fewell

Detroit Free Press Gold Cup Articles

Detroit News Gold Cup Articles

"Young Guns" Target Jarvis Restoration APBA Gold Cup

A 'little bit' of Lucas Oil could keep Regatta running smoothly

Madison Live Streaming

Cool Pano Photo from Madison - Jim Simpson

U6 Miss Madison

Seattle 1988

Gold Cup Ticket Info

Cool Photo - C.M Stewart Photography

Madison Field Expanding To 13

A few from Detroit

Go 3 Racing. Another good source for Madison Updates

Free Fantasy Hydroplane Game!

2010 Lucas Oil GOVERNOR’S CUP, 60th MADISON REGATTA RACE SCHEDULE

Live Streaming from Madison

Dan Cole Handicaps This Weekends Race At Madison

Bridge Turn - Detroit

HydroNation on facebook

Gold Cup News

U-22 Tosti Asti

Miss Albert Lee debut @ Tri-Cities - photos by Brad Drake

Miss Renault

Oberto

ELAM tangles with a roostertail

Stamp to honour Miss Supertest, Bob Hayward

Lombardo boat may be worth $500,000 | London | News | London Free Press

The Fastest Show On H20 Power In The Park

Tim Hueston Fund Raiser

A Salute To ELAM Vic

U-787 Ellstrom/Boeing Dreamliner slideshow

Plan to commemorate boat races revs up

More 50's-60's Classics Pt.III - Happy New Year!

More 50's -60's Classics Pt.II

Please confirm your subscription

Miss Bud.

Detroit

Seattle

More 50's -60's Classics

Roostertail Inc announces a Gold Cup sponsor for the U-25

Unlimited Classics from the 50's

The Hydropage Forum

Madison Regatta Makes Money

Go3 Racing Shop Has a Visitor

All 2009 Thunder Videos Now Posted

Thunder 2009 Videos Posted

Go3 Racing Team Not Going to Qatar

Heartbreak

Draws for Heat 3A and 3B

Heat Draws 2A and 2B

Master Tire 3rd Fastest at Thunder

Go3 Racing Team is a Fan Favorite

Master Tire in Thunder Pits

Go3 Streaming From Evansville

2009 ULHRA Standings

2009 National High Points Standings

Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta

War Hero At The Gold Cup

Oberto Havin' Fun!

More Pit Action From The Gold Cup

Pit Action From The Gold Cup

A Few Static Displays From The Gold Cup

Master Tire Thunder Preps

Getting the Thunder ready for Thunder