AIR GUARD HYDROPLANE CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY DEGREE MEN SET FOR TAKEOFF IN SAN DIEGO’S MISSION BAY

SAN DIEGO (August 30, 2010) – H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes will return to Mission Bay September 17-19 for the Air Guard Championship presented by Degree Men. H1 Unlimited drivers will embrace the thrill of adventure, racing deck to deck at more than 200 mph during the San Diego Bayfair festival.

A competitive eleven boat field is expected to be on Mission Bay for the three-day event with two veterans battling for the season high point title. Steve David, defending series high point champion and three time winner in 2010 piloting the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto is looking to build on his 506 point lead over 2010 Gold Cup Champion Dave Villwock in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar.

“As presenting sponsor, Degree Men is exited to bring H1’s adrenaline-fueled moments to the drivers and fans during this thrilling event,” said Ernie Hoover, Unilever US Customer Marketing Director – Personal Care. “Whether it’s working out in the gym, the office, or racing at 200 mph, Degree Men gives guys top sweat and odor protection allowing them to perform at their best.”

Beyond the presenting sponsor title, Degree Men is partnering with Schumacher Racing to field the U-37 in striking Degree Men livery. With two APBA Gold Cups and several National High Points Championships and Unlimited Hydroplane Drivers Titles on his resume, team owner and former racer Billy Schumacher embodies the spirit of Degree Men and knows how important it is to stay cool during those adrenaline-fueled moments.

In announcing the agreement which led to the return of the world’s fastest race boats to Bayfair after a one year absence, H1 Chairman Sam Cole commented, “This is a fantastic moment for our sport. Racing in San Diego’s Mission Bay with the Air National Guard as the race sponsor and Degree Men as the presenting sponsor makes this truly a world-class event for fans and competitors.”

Cole continued, “We’re honored and excited to be able to showcase our sport with these nationally known motorsports sponsors. We will be following the NASCAR Air Guard 400 on September 11 with the Air Guard Championship presented by Degree.”

“We’re thrilled to have H1 Unlimited returning to San Diego,” added Jeff Thomas, chairman of San Diego Bayfair’s Board of Directors. “We feel there is no better place than Mission Bay to admire the beauty and the speed of the hydroplanes. Racing fans are in for an action-packed three-day event.”

Former CEO and President of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Scott Carson and his wife Linda are also supporting the event financially in honor of American military serving in Afghanistan. The Carsons have a son-in-law currently serving there.

2008 Bayfair winner Jeff Bernard will return in the U-5 Formulaboats.com, currently in fifth place on the high points ladder. Bernard’s team mate J Michael Kelly, winner of the final event of 2009 is in second place driving the U-7 Graham Trucking with Brian Perkins in the U-21 Miss Albert Lee Appliance in third.

The automotive powered hydroplanes of the Grand Prix West series will also compete at Bayfair. The GPW boats were the featured class at Bayfair in 2009.

The Air Guard Championship presented by Degree Men will be the fifth race on the H1 Unlimited 2010 circuit. Immediately following the event, the top ten boats in the fleet will be shipped to Doha, Qatar for the second running of the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship on Doha Bay November 19-21, which will conclude the season.

The Air Guard Championship presented by Degree Men will be seen on the Versus Network on Saturday, October 16, and will be streamed live on the internet by Tampa Digital Studios. For more information on San Diego Bayfair, visit www.sandiegobayfair.org.

By Jim Riley

Special to The Seattle Times

Sam Cole, chairman of U1 Unlimited, feels good about the future of the sport of unlimited hydroplane racing despite the fact there were only four races in the United States this year and one in Qatar that will run Nov. 18-20.

“We have been weathering the recession like the rest of America,” Cole said. “I feel very positive about where we’re headed. I can see us racing on two or three continents in the next couple of years.”

Cole said financial troubles that nearly canceled races in both Seattle and Detroit hurt efforts to expand into new markets or returning to sites that have held races in the past.

“When you have your two oldest sites, Detroit and Seattle, having financial problems, it took away from looking for new sites,” Cole said. “This race was on edge until Albert Lee stepped up. You have to make sure your existing sites are up to snuff first.”

Cole expects five or six races in the U.S. next year and two or three new ones overseas.

“The one fact we can’t hide from is that we’ve raced in 45 different places in the last 25 years,” Cole said. “We have five or six places where it really works. Finding new sites in this day and age is challenging, but we now have international interest.”

Cole said they are in discussions with former sites in San Diego, Evansville and Washington, D.C., along with a couple of other new sites in the southeast United States.

“Unfortunately,” Cole said, “until you have a check, you don’t have a race.”

Cole said that any growth forthcoming will have to be done cautiously.

“We’re not an industry like NASCAR; at least 90 percent of the people on our teams are volunteers,” Cole said. “When you add races and travel internationally you really tax the vacation time of volunteers. We have to grow so that it’s a professional sport again with paid crews and paid people.”

TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE
RON NEWBERRY; Contributing writer
Published: 08/07/1012:05 am

Jon Zimmerman greeted fans with a big smile and the same line.

“Hi! How are you?” he repeatedly said.

Zimmerman, a rookie unlimited hydroplane driver from Maple Valley, was having fun in his first Seafair as a participant rather than a spectator.

He ran out of autograph cards that he signed for fans during an autograph session Friday after the first round of qualifying for the Albert Lee Cup. It didn’t seem to matter that the driver on the card for the U-37 Miss Peters & May was J.W. Myers.

“Nobody seemed to care,” he said. “I just sign whatever they put in front of me.”

Zimmerman filled in for Myers for the second consecutive stop in the unlimited hydroplane circuit. Myers broke bones in his foot during a crash at the Gold Cup in Detroit last month and is on crutches.

Zimmerman, 45, was a driver for Ken Muscatel’s U-25 team at the time of the accident and had qualified and raced in two heats at the season-opening Madison (Ind.) Regatta but didn’t drive in Detroit. Muscatel loaned out his driver to the U-37 Miss Peters & May team, and Zimmerman took advantage of the opportunity by making the final heat the Columbia Cup in the Tri-Cities.

His best lap of 141.359 mph at the Albert Lee Cup on Friday was the eighth fastest with the third and final qualifying session today.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do,” said Jane Schumacher, who owns the U-37 team along with her husband, Billy. “We told him, ‘Just keep the boat right-side up.’ ”

Zimmerman, an auto mechanic who grew up in Burien, had never driven an unlimited hydroplane on Lake Washington before Friday.

“It’s exciting” Zimmerman said. “I’ve been coming to this race forever, but I’ve always been on the other side of the fence. Now, I’m over here. It’s fun.”

Jeff Stoneman of West Coast Collision Center is hard at work getting the U-37 Miss Peters & May ready for the Alaska Airlines Torchlight Parade and the Albert Lee Cup at Seafair:

In primer...	Base color is on...
Starting to look familiar...

Streamlight "Light it up" award presentation

The Streamlight “Light It Up” award for the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup goes to the U-37 Miss Peters & May race team.

In the words of H1 Chairman Sam Cole, “They took a boat and got it race ready in less than a week.  Jon Zimmerman qualified the boat in his first time out on the water.  Scott Raney and team ‘lit it up’ after that terrible crash in Detroit.”

KNDU-TV in the Tri-Cities will broadcast their hydro preview show that will feature some of the dramatic onboard video shot during the crash of the U-37 in Detroit. This will be the first time the footage has been seen outside of the Detroit area.

Tonight, we will post the footage of the entire heat from the three HD cameras that were riding on the boat. Come back around 6:00PM PDT for the links to the video…

Version 2.0 of the 2010 U-37 Miss Peters & May

Billy Schumacher Racing is pleased to announce that we will be leasing a boat for the remainder of the 2010 racing season from Fred Leland.  The former champion boat from the Leland stable last raced in the 2009 season.

Jane Schumacher says “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of Fred Leland and his organization, which is allowing us to continue to race for the season.  While we are disappointed with the outcome at the Gold Cup, we are thankful for the continued recovery of our driver J.W. Myers.  Our organization is very appreciative of the continued support from Peters and May along with all of our associate sponsors and the fans.”

Boat Facts:

First campaigned by Fred Leland as the Znetix hull U-100 in 2000, driven by Greg Hopp, best finish a 4th @ San Diego.  8th in National High points.

2001 Znetix II U-99 driven by Terry Troxell, best finish, won the Budweiser Columbia Cup in Tri-Cities 6th in Nat. High points

2002 5 different names, U-99 driven by Terry Troxell, best finishes, (3) 2nd places @ Evansville, Madison, & Detroit  5th in Nat High points.

2003 4 diff names, U-100 driven by Greg Hopp and JW Myers, best finish 6th place @ San Diego.   10th in National High points.

2004 6 diff names U-100 driven by Greg Hopp, best finish 2nd place @ Madison  6th in National High Points

2005 Miss Beacon Plumbing U-100 driven by Greg Hopp, this hull only ran 1 race, place 6th in Tri-Cities, they alternated with 2 other Leland hulls that year

2006 5 diff names U-100 driven by Greg Hopp, best finish 6th @ Evansville 10th in National High points

2007 Mirage Boats U-100 driven by Greg Hopp, best finish 4th @ Evansville  9th in National High points

2008 Mirage Boats U-100 driven by Greg Hopp, best finish 6th in Madison & Seattle   9th in National High points.

2009 leased to Dr Ken Muscatel to run in Madison, Detroit, and Tri-Cities.

Plans for the remainder of the 2010 H1 Unlimited season will be announced at www.u-37.com following a team meeting this morning.

We left Detroit this morning headed home with the remains of the U-37. Our team’s plans are still a little up in the air regarding the remainder of the season, but WE’RE NOT GIVING UP.

Plan on seeing the U-37 in the pits at Tri-Cities and Seafair!

The U-37 Miss Peters & May in final 2010 form

With extraordinary effort from everyone on the team, the U-37 Miss Peters & May is ready to hit the road tomorrow morning! It’s been a VERY long week, with the boat coming together in a pretty spectacular fashion.

From nothing more than a primed hull on two weeks ago, the U-37 is ready to go for a win in the first race of the 2010 H1 Unlimited season in Madison, IN on July 4th. Here’s a small sample of photos showing our progress:

These images also don’t do the paint job any justice – the Gary Ebert designed Miss Peters & May will be unmistakable on the race course, and you really will have to see it in person to appreciate how beautiful the boat really is!

Scott & Shannon will once again post daily updates from the trip to Madison beginning Sunday afternoon, and we should be rolling into the pits by Thursday. Be sure to follow the U-37 Miss Peters & May starting tomorrow through to the final 2010 H1 Unlimited race in Doha, Qatar. We sincerely look forward to seeing all of our fans at every stop!

COME RACE WITH US!

The 2010 U-37 Miss Peters & May

Billy Schumacher Racing and Peters & May are proud to present the 2010 Miss Peters & May U37 Unlimited Hydroplane. The Chartreuse, Red, and Metallic Blue scheme is the brainchild of famed artist Gary Ebert of Port Orchard, WA.

When asked on how he developed this eye catching formula, Ebert said “It was important for the colors and paint to be visually appealing to the fans from a distance of around 100 yards away. I sat down with many ideas and generated about 5 different schemes and Billy and the team chose the one they liked the best. I have designed dozens of paint schemes for hydroplanes over the years and it was important to create something new that hasn’t been seen before.”

As the season nears, visit www.U-37.com for additional new images of the race boat.

Special thanks to Craig Montgomery for his hard work in producing the image of the 2010 U37 Miss Peters & May

Detroit 2009: Image by Chris Denslow

Tom Bertolini, president of the Detroit River Regatta Association and APBA Gold Cup Race Director says the decision has been made and the event is a go for the scheduled dates, July 9-11.

“We are still not where we need to be financially,” said Bertolini. “But with the support we have received from contributors like the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club members and friends and others in the Detroit business community, we are going to move forward with the confidence that we can raise the additional funding we need.”

Bertolini stressed the need to continue the fund raising effort saying, “We don’t want the community to think our decision to go ahead with the event means we have all the money we need.  Our search for sponsorship dollars will be more critical than ever now.” Continue Reading…

200MPH beanbag toss...

Work continues on the world’s fastest and most expensive beanbag game (AKA the U-37 Miss Peters & May), with the right side deck having been added, multiple brackets and doublers fabricated and installed, and electrical system (wiring and computer) checked and ready to install.

The new paint scheme concept has been delivered and looks REALLY cool, and we’ll unveil it in due time…  :- )

Continue for more pictures from the shop…

Continue Reading…

SEATTLE — Seafair announced on Wednesday the sponsors for the annual hydroplane races and air show.Albert Lee Appliance will headline the 2010 Albert Lee Cup at Seafair and The Boeing Company takes the title sponsorship position of the Boeing Air Show at Seafair.

“The commitment from Boeing and Albert Lee ensures that Seattleites will continue to enjoy the best summertime entertainment in the Northwest,” said President & CEO of Seafair, Beth Knox.Albert Lee Appliance made a three-year commitment to the Seafair Unlimited Hydroplane Race title sponsorship.Albert Lee Appliance also currently sponsors the U-21 Unlimited Hydroplane driven by Brian Perkins.The Boeing Company has been the presenting sponsor of the Air Show since 2003 and a partner of Seafair since 1950.In addition, Duke Moscrip, the owner of Duke Chowder House Restaurants, announced last Wednesday that he would make a $40,000 donation to help bridge a funding gap that put this year’s Seafair hydroplane races in jeopardy.

Watch KIRO-TV’s story

Watch KOMO-TV’s story

Sam, JW and Dave making a mess...

Work continued on structural repairs, with Dave and Sam removing all the internal skidfin braces in preparation for extra stiffeners, Walt adding landings for the starboard side deck replacement, while JW & Shaun chopped up the port side revealing a fair amount of rotten and crumbling braces, brackets and even some seawater left over from Qatar (not a good thing…) Pyro and Dave will add a doubler to starboard side engine bay tomorrow to finish that section, then after replacement of some internal braces, the rest of the starboard side deck can go on.(Continue to see pictures)

Continue Reading…

David Bryant - Tri-Cities 2007

The entire U-37 team sends its condolences to David Bryant’s wife & family on hearing the news that Dave and Australian driver Brian McKosker were killed in separate accidents in Australia on Easter Sunday (story below).

David was in Australia to drive Dean Barry’s “She’s the Culprit” in the Taree Aquatic Power Boat Club’s Easter Classic on the Manning River.  The boat was a Blown Alcohol Division (BAD) open cockpit flat bottom.

David was thrown out of the boat when it rolled over at an estimated 135 MPH. CPR was preformed at the race course. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

David drove the U-10 Gregory Racing hydroplane during the 2007 and 2008 ABRA Unlimited racing seasons, and was named 2007 ABRA Rookie of the Year.
Continue Reading…

H1 Unlimited has featured the U-37 website in their review of the internet presence of the teams competing in the 2010 H1 Unlimited season , commenting that it “raises the bar in terms of layout and content.”

U-37.com was voted “H1 Unlimited Website of the Year” for 2009.

Thanks to H1 Unlimited and their webmaster, Steve Montgomery for the mention and recognition of the hundreds of hours that are required to produce any of the H1 Unlimited team websites.