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HomeStreet Bank Cup

Event information
Type	H1 Unlimited hydroplane boat race
Race area	Lake Washington, Seattle, Washington
Dates	July 31-August 2
Sponsor	HomeStreet Bank
Distance	2.5 mi (4 km)
Media coverage	KIRO-TV/KKNW (AM)
First race	1951
Former names	Seafair Cup
Website	www.seafair.com/default.aspx

The Seafair Cup (branded as the HomeStreet Bank Cup for sponsorship reasons, and formerly the Albert Lee Appliance Cup), is an H1 Unlimited hydroplane boat race held annually in late July and early August on Lake Washington in Seattle, Washington. The race is the main attraction of the annual Seafair festival. Seattle has hosted the Seafair Cup consecutively since 1951. The event was part of the APBA Gold Cup for the following years: 1951 to 1955, 1957 to 1959, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1974, 1981, and 1985.

History

Seattle's history of unlimited hydroplane racing dates back to July 1950, when it was announced that the APBA Gold Cup was leaving Detroit in favor of Seattle. Slo-mo-shun IV, owned by Stanley Sayres, won the Gold Cup race in Detroit that year. At that time, the Gold Cup was run at the home of the winner, so for 1951, the Gold Cup was coming to Seattle. The race was added to the Seafair festival. When the Gold Cup left Seattle for Detroit in 1955, local officials decided to hold a race of their own, and the Seafair Cup was born.

The 1951 Seattle race was co-sponsored through 1960 by the Seattle Yacht Club. Greater Seattle, Inc. (later renamed Seafair, Inc.) became the sole sponsor of the race, starting in 1961. The Seafair Boat Club, which administers the Seattle race on Seafair's behalf, was organized in 1975.

Lou Fageol won the very first Seattle race driving Stan Sayres' Slo-mo-shun V. The Emerald City has hosted the Unlimiteds every year from 1951 to 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The next unlimited hydroplane race in Seattle is planned for 2022.

Past Seattle Unlimited Hydroplane Winners

The following boats and drivers won in Seattle:

References

1. ^ "Memorable Moments in Hydro History". thunderboats.ning.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
2. "Three Traditional Races". thunderboats.ning.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
3. MotorBoating. New York, NY: Hearst Magazine Inc. October 1951. p. 77.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
4. "Unlimited hydroplane races at Seafair canceled because of coronavirus pandemic". The Seattle Times. 2020-05-20. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
5. ^ "Pandemic sidelines Seafair unlimited hydroplane racing again as event moves virtual". The Seattle Times. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
6. 2021 Hydro Record Book and Statistics. Edmonds, WA: Unlimited NewsJournal. 2021. pp. 34–35.
7. "The Slo-mo-shun Saga". thunderboats.ning.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16. For Seattle's Unlimited debut, two major races--for the Gold Cup and the Seafair Trophy--were scheduled for consecutive weekends during the month of August, 1951. SLO-MO-SHUN V won both of them with Lou Fageol driving in the Gold Cup and Ted Jones in the Seafair Trophy.
8. "A Brief History of the World Championship Race for Unlimited Hydroplanes". thunderboats.ning.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16. The Seattle Seafair committee offered for competition the "World's Championship Seafair Trophy," which was won by Ron Musson in the MISS BARDAHL. But the Seattle committee never bothered to request a sanction from the Union of International Motorboating. Whether or not the 1961 race should be counted as a legitimate "World Championship" event is a matter for individual interpretation.
9. "J. Michael Kelly picks up win at Seafair via penalty for the second consecutive Seattle race". 7 August 2022. Retrieved 2023-07-29.

External links

• Seafair Cup website
• H1 Unlimited website

• Annual sporting events in the United States
• Culture of Seattle
• H1 Unlimited
• Motorboat races
• Recurring sporting events established in 1951
• Sports competitions in Seattle