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.

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...

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…

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!

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!

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

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…

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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)

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Tonight the U-37 was placed on the jig and we started to remove all of the rudder and skidfin brackets, cowling brackets, steering brackets, cockpit windows, and all remaining hardware on the boat. Scott thought most of the internal weaknesses in the boat were hiding underneath the right side deck, so out came the saws and most of the right side of the boat was opened up.

Once the larger portions of deck were removed, it was easier for Scott and JW to see what needs to be done, and much more will need to be removed to allow for replacement of some major structural components. This should get started on Wednesday, and a prioritized list of repairs will be made that should keep the crew busy for a week or two. (Continue to see pictures)
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The 6 month around the world trip to and from Doha has ended and the U-37 Miss Peters & May is back home and is beginning the process of getting ready for the 2010 H1 Unlimited season. Crew chief Scott Raney, Dave Hawley and Bruce Haskin have been working on the U-37′s powerplants over the break and are confident there will be reliable power on tap for 2010. Now that the boat has returned, Pyro has an ambitious schedule ahead that will include a complete teardown, refurbishment and refitting of every single system, wire and nut and bolt on the boat. Work will include: (continue to see pictures)
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David Holley, managing director of Peters & May USA, received a “Special Contribution” award from H1 Unlimited Chairman Sam Cole at H1’s annual awards banquet in Las Vegas on Saturday evening, in recognition of P & M’s expert handling of the logistics involved in transporting the unlimited fleet to the first Oryx Cup UIM World Championship in Doha, Qatar. 

But before the evening was over, Holley had done more giving than receiving.  Holley presented Billy and Jane Schumacher with a check to cover title sponsorship of the U-37 for the 2010 season.  

The team had been sponsored by Peters & May in the Oryx Cup and displayed the race boat in the Peters & May display at the Miami Boat Show.  Holley said the company’s very positive experience with the team led to the decision to become the full time title sponsor. 

“First of all, we appreciate the opportunity to be involved with the H1 series and wanted to give something back.  We look forward to growing the relationship as the series travels to new international destinations,” said Holley.  “I want to thank Matt Penfold and Ryan Hamilton from our office for their great work in making a big undertaking go so smoothly.” 

“Our experience with Billy and Jane Schumacher and their team in Doha and Miami showed us what a valuable tool Miss Peters & May can be in bringing attention to our company and the services we provide in marine transportation,” added Holley.  “We are very excited about riding along with driver JW Myers and the whole team in 2010.” 

Jane Schumacher responded, “We are absolutely thrilled to have Peters & May USA on board as our title sponsor for the season.  It has been a pleasure working with three terrific young men who are very excited about our sport and see our potential for bringing attention to their great company.” 

Billy Schumacher added, “With Peters & May as a major sponsor, we will have the resources to step up every phase of our operation and give JW a race boat that he can drive to the front.  When great people who have become good friends become your sponsors, you have a great situation.” 

Miss Peters & May with new driver JW Myers will make her first appearance of 2010 at the APBA Gold Cup in Detroit June 25 – 27.

(Courtesy H1 Unlimited)

When the 2009 season annual awards were presented at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas Saturday evening,  Steve David and the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto race team spent a lot of time on stage.  David was honored as the 2009 Driver’s High Point Champion, and his team received the Martini & Rossi trophy representing the National High Point Championship.  

Also, the  U-1 crew was presented the 2009 Crew of the Year award and  Bob Hughes was honored as Owner of the Year.  Oberto received the Sponsor of the Year trophy as well as the 2009 Marketing Award and Boat Sponsor of the Year. 

The Qatar Marine Sports Federation, producers of the very successful Oryx Cup UIM World Championship in Doha, Qatar received the award for Race Site of the Year and QMSF PR director Neil Perkins and television producer Peter Butler were honored for their contributions to the event.  

H1 Unlimited Chairman Sam Cole thanked the owners and drivers for the part they played in a very successful season.  Cole told the crowd that the success of the first Oryx Cup UIM World Championship in Doha, Qatar had created interest on four continents and would lead to more international expansion of the series. 

Other award winners were: 

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U-37 owner Billy Schumacher has selected veteran Unlimited pilot JW Myers as his team’s driver for the 2010 racing season.

When Jean Theoret was injured in the first race of 2009 in Madison, Schumacher called on Myers to take over the U-37 in Detroit, Tri Cities and Seattle. Myers earned Schumacher’s praise while subbing for Theoret.   “J Dub has the qualities you look for,” said Schumacher.  “He’s a fighter when he needs to be, but he drives smart and listens to me and the crew.  With the improvements we are making to the boat and motors, we think he’ll have the chance to be a front runner.”

Myers called the U-37’s  team chemistry, “The best I’ve ever seen.”  Adding, “This team is committed to winning, and they have the know how to do that.  This is going to be really, really good.  Lets go play race boat!”

Myers Unlimited career began in 2003 with Fred Leland’s U-100 team, where he was fastest qualifier in San Diego and earned Rookie of the Year Honors.  In 2004, he drove the U-8 (now the U-37) for Bill Wurster.  Driving half a season for Erick Ellstrom in the U-16 in 2005, Myers scored the single victory of his career in Madison and finished second twice. In 2006, JW served as crewman and driver for Kim Gregory’s U-10.

John W Myers III began  his racing career in 1982 at age 9, following in the footsteps of his father John, a well known outboard racer. He soon made a name as an outboard runabout driver, scoring four national high point championships and setting 11 world records in a 20-year career.  In 1999, he moved to the Unlimited Lights series, driving Bob Larimore’s UL 23 Pegasus until 2001.  He was also the UL Rookie of the Year in 1999.

Myers is 36 years old and makes his home in Burien, Washington, where he is a roofing contractor.

(courtesy www.abrahydroplanes.com)

• JW Myers bio page

We’ve now have two different ways to keep up with the U-37 on Facebook:

The U-37 group and fan pages will be moderated by Todd Tamayao, Shannon Raney and Walt Ottenad. While these group pages will feature U-37 racing, it is intended for all hydroplane fans to be a part of. This is an open page so everyone is welcome to post U-37 photos if you have any you’d like to share.

Jane Schumacher, co-owner of the U-37 Miss Peters & May pass out crew polo shirts at the team’s going away party on Wednesday night. The defending UIM World Champion race team is scheduled to begin its journey to the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship on Saturday. In addition to sponsoring the U-37, Peters & May, the ABRA’s shipping partner, also sponsored the shipping of the ABRA rescue boat.