Originally published in the February 2010 issue.

The New Frontier
With a new name and its first race outside of North America, H1 Unlimited sees brighter days ahead.

Story by Gregg Mansfield • Photos courtesy H1 Unlimited

Three years ago at the APBA Gold Cup in Detroit, H1 Unlimited Chairman Sam Cole brought the team owners together in an RV to talk about the sport’s future.

Cole knew that if Unlimited hydroplane racing was going to survive—and even thrive—the tour was going to have to look beyond its American roots. Cole was particularly interested in the Middle East, a market that’s had a long love affair with boat racing.

But the owners gathered on that hot July day were openly skeptical of Cole’s plans to pursue an overseas race.

Even when the race in Doha, Qatar, was announced, one owner privately said he’d believe it when they were racing on Doha Bay in the Persian Gulf.

Not only were those skeptics turned into believers, they gained a new appreciation for the gracious host. And the teams responded by delivering some of the best racing in years.

“It was much more than we could have dreamed of,” said Oh Boy! Oberto driver Steve David. “It was awesome. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly.”

From the time the teams landed at the Doha International Airport in late November, the race had a larger-than-life feel. Banners featuring each of the drivers were splashed around the city of 1 million. And the hosts put on an opulent welcoming banquet for the 10 teams that made the trip to the Oryx Cup.

The race was free to the general pubic, and during one of the nights, the pits were opened to the public. Thousands of people streamed into the pits to see the boats and talk with the drivers. The staff of the nearby U.S. Embassy even attended the races one day.

“We probably had 3,000 to 4,000 people,” said Cole about opening the pits for an evening. “It was fun to watch the different cultures interact. They were coming through with their families and the teams were letting them get up on the boats to take pictures.”

In making the trip overseas, the teams were wondering what kind of racecourse awaited them. They were told it would be shorter and shallower than the typical course in the United States. And the crews worried that the bay’s high salt content could play havoc on the boat’s turbine engines. (Teams installed “snorkels” to the front of the air intakes to reduce the chances salt would get to the Lycoming T-55 engines.)

Those concerns were put to rest when the drivers took to the 2-mile course for qualifying. David was looking for his second-consecutive Driver’s High Points Championship as well as the team’s fourth National High Points Team Championship in five years. Barring a major mishap, the title was there for David’s taking.

Dave Villwock was the top qualifier in Miss Elam Plus, posting an average speed of 146 mph with David right behind at 145 mph. Formulaboats.com driver Jeff Bernard, who was second in the points standings behind David, was the sixth fastest qualifier.

After the first day of racing, David was on his way toward the driver’s championship and three teams had their eye on winning the first race outside of North America. But fate would change quickly for David, Bernard, Villwock and J Michael Kelly.

First, while competing in the last heat before the Finals, David blew over and, remarkably, his boat landed right-side up. David said he never shut down the boat and drove it directly to the pits. Because the race was stopped for the accident, David was disqualified from the heat and lost the crucial points and his grasp on the points titles.

“As soon as I blew it over, I thought, ‘There goes the championship,’” said David, who continued to drive despite a leg fracture.

David’s boat was still running but the team had to replace the turbine with one that was producing about 200 less horsepower.

The points titles were Bernard’s to capture if he could run an error-free Final. In fact, Villwock had a legitimate shot at adding another driver’s and national points championship to his resume. The battle between the three was the closest in modern Unlimited history.

With the shadows starting to take hold over Doha Bay, five teams lined up for the Final. Early on it looked like Bernard would take home the championship until his U-5 red boat blew over, leaving just David and Villwock in the winner-take-all Final.

With David’s boat down on horsepower, it would take a miracle for him to beat Villwock. That miracle came about when the Final was rerun after Bernard’s accident.

Villwock had a healthy lead when suddenly orange and yellow flames began shooting out of the rear of the turbine. Although Villwock continued to drive Miss Elam Plus, he didn’t have the power to compete with the other teams. On the last lap, Kelly was able to catch Villwock and earn the Oryx Cup victory. And David finished second, giving him enough points for the driver and team high points championships.

“I was going out there and doing what I normally do,” Kelly said. “I didn’t have any pressure on me.”

Both Bernard and David went through a range of emotions from potentially losing to potentially winning the titles within a few hours.

“All weekend we were fighting setup issues and I started off with a terrible boat ride,” Bernard said. “It was partly the water, the boat ride and myself. We made tons of adjustments and I really think we were one of the fastest boats there.”

Many of the drivers thought the race in Qatar was a major boost for the tour. To signify the global expansion of the sport, the tour changed its named from the American Boat Racing Association (ABRA) to H1 Unlimited. The tour adopted the ABRA name five years ago after splitting from Hydro/P.R.O.P.

When the Unlimited hydroplanes rejoined the American Power Boat Association (APBA) sanctioning body early in 2009, APBA President Mark Weber asked if the hydroplane tour would change its name because of the similarities. H1 Unlimited obliged.

“That was part of the reason but we also wanted to establish the brand on a global basis,” said Cole, referencing the Class 1 and Powerboat P1 tours. “(The name change) is a step forward to create a brand for these boats.”

For 2010, the tour may add a race in Brazil and possibly another country in the Middle East, in addition to the five or six regular stops in the United States. All of the races overseas would be back-to-back to reduce travel costs, Cole said.

“I hope this all works out so we can put our day jobs on the side,” Bernard said.

There they go, dreaming again.

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