The 2021 H1 Unlimited season is the sixty-fifth running of the H1 Unlimited series for unlimited hydroplanes, sanctioned by the APBA. The 2020 season would have been the sixty-fifth running but that season was cancelled because of COVID-19.
Teams and drivers
| No | Boat | Engine | Owner | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U-1 | Goodman Real Estate/Miss HomeStreet | Lycoming T-55/L-7 | City of Madison | Jeff Bernard and Jimmy Shane |
| U-3Ṫ | Grigg's Presents Ace Hardware | Turbocharged V-12 Allison | Ed Cooper | Jimmy King |
| U-8 | Miss Tri-Cities | Lycoming T-55/L-7 | Darrell & Vanessa Strong | J. Michael Kelly |
| U-9 | Pinnacle Peak Consulting | Lycoming T-55/L-7 | Darrell & Vanessa Strong | Corey Peabody |
| U-11 | J&D's Hydraulic | Lycoming T-55/L-7 | Scott and Shannon Raney | Jamie Nilsen |
| U-12 | Graham Trucking | Lycoming T-55/L-7 | Rob Graham | Andrew Tate |
| U-40 | Beacon Plumbing | Lycoming T-55/L-7 | Kelly and Sharon Stocklin | Dave Villwock |
| U-440 | Martin Nelson & Co. | Lycoming T-53 | Kelly and Sharon Stocklin | Dustin Echols and Kelly Stocklin |
Note: Ṫ—The U-3 is the only piston powered boat in the fleet, powered by a dual turbocharged Allison V-12.
Summary
The 2021 opened with the Guntersville Lake Hydrofest held at Guntersville, AL on June 26–27. J. Michael Kelly took home the Southern Cup Trophy for First Place Driver.
The second race was the APBA Gold Cup held at the Madison, IN Regatta on July 2–4. Jimmy Shane, driving Miss HomeStreet, captured his fifth Gold Cup victory Sunday in H1 Unlimited Racing Series on the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana. His victory in the 111th running of the event was the fifth in his career, putting him fourth on the list of all-time Gold Cup champions, tied with the legendary Gar Wood. Shane grabbed the inside lane at the start of the winner-take-all final heat and was never challenged. Andrew Tate, driving Graham Trucking, took second in the final heat and third-place honors went to Corey Peabody, driving Pinnacle Peak Consulting.
The third race was the HAPO Columbia Cup held at Tri-Cities, WA on July 23–25. Corey Peabody in the U-9 Pinnacle Peak Racing boat finished first. It's Peabody's first H1 Unlimited victory. J. Michael Kelly, driving the U-8 Miss Tri-Cities boat, finished second. Jimmy Shane, driving Miss HomeStreet, was forced to grab lane 5 on the outside before the race began and finished third.
The fourth and final race of the season was the San Diego Bayfair on September 17–19. On Saturday, September 18, Jimmy Shane drove the U-1 HomeStreet Bank to two heat wins to clinch the team national high points championship. In Sunday's final, J. Michael Kelly driving the U-8 Miss Tri-Cities is won the 2021 Bill Muncey Cup on Mission Bay and also won the National Drivers High Point Championship. Kelly was awarded the victory in San Diego after it was determined that Dave Villwock in the U-40 Beacon Plumbing — after crossing the finish line first in the final — was disqualified for going under 80 mph in the pre-race setup period. Because he jumped the gun, the U-1 Miss Homestreet driven by Jimmy Shane was given a one lap penalty. Shane was awarded second.
Season schedule and results
| Race title | Location | Date | Winning Boat | Winning Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guntersville Lake Hydrofest | Guntersville, Alabama | June 26–27 | U-8 Miss Tri-Cities | J. Michael Kelly |
| APBA Gold Cup at the Madison Regatta | Ohio River, Madison, Indiana | July 2–4 | U-1 HomeStreet presents Miss Goodman Real Estate | Jimmy Shane |
| HAPO Columbia Cup | Columbia River, Tri-Cities, Washington | July 23–25 | U-9 Pinnacle Peak Consulting | Corey Peabody |
| San Diego Bayfair | Mission Bay, San Diego, California, California | September 17–19 | U-8 Miss Tri-Cities | J. Michael Kelly |
Both the HomeStreet Bank Cup and Detroit Hydrofest were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
National High Points Standings
| No | Boat | Driver | Guntersville | Madison | Tri-Cities | San Diego | Driver Total | Team Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U-1 | Miss Madison | Jimmy Shane | 300 | 1,600 | 1,925 | 1,600 | 5,425 | 6,454 |
| Jeff Bernard | 1,029 | — | — | — | 1,029 | |||
| U-8 | Miss Tri-Cities | J. Michael Kelly | 1,580 | 750 | 1,705 | 1,570 | 5,605 | 5,605 |
| U-9 | Pinnacle Peak Consulting | Corey Peabody | 1,100 | 975 | 1,388 | 810 | 4,273 | 4,273 |
| U-12 | Graham Trucking | Andrew Tate | 925 | 1,500 | 955 | — | 3,380 | 3,380 |
| U-40 | Beacon Plumbing | Dave Villwock | 295 | 1,027 | 797 | 1,080 | 3,199 | 3,199 |
| U-11 | J&D's Hydraulic | Jamie Nilsen | 825 | 469 | 1,323 | 50 | 2,667 | 2,667 |
| U-3 | Grigg's Presents Ace Hardware | Jimmy King | — | — | 790 | — | 790 | 790 |
| U-440 | Martin Nelson & Co. | Dustin Echols | 0 | — | 649 | — | 649 | 649 |
| Kelly Stocklin | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
Notes
- Raced as Goodman Real Estate/Miss Madison during the season.
References
- Morrow, Jeff (2020-07-20). "Hydroplane races are officially canceled for 2020. There's still hope for an air show". Archived from the original on 2020-08-17. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
- "2021 Teams". H1 Unlimited. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- "The 2021 Hydro Fleet". Unlimited NewsJournal: 2–6. June–July 2021.
- ^ "Results". H1 Unlimited. 2021-07-25. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
- Schuyler, Kailey (28 June 2021). "Guntersville Lake 2021 HydroFest wraps up". www.waff.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- "Jimmy Shane Wins 5th Gold Cup". NBC Right Now. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
- Morrow, Jeff (2021-07-25). "Tri-Cities hydroplanes finish 1-2 in hometown Columbia Cup victory". Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on 2021-07-26. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- Center, Bill (2021-09-19). "Kelly still seeking top driver championship at Bayfair". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2021-09-20. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- Marrow, Jeff (2021-09-23). "Southridge High alumni promoted to Triple A Minor League Baseball". Archived from the original on 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
- "Miss HomeStreet Hydroplane Takes Second Place at the 2021 Bill Muncey Cup". www.businesswire.com. 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
- "2021 Schedule". H1 Unlimited. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- Paul, Tony. "Sinking feeling: Detroit Hydrofest pulls plug for second straight year". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- P-I, Alex Halverson, Seattle (2021-04-21). "Seafair to go mostly virtual for 2021". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
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| H1 Unlimited Series | |
|---|---|
| Rotating Event | APBA Gold Cup |
| Races | |
| Former Events | Oryx Cup |
| H1 Unlimited Seasons | |