Detroit Hydrofest

Sad news! Craig Williams, who produced and published the Detroit unlimited hydroplane race program, has passed away. Condolences and prayers for his family and friends.

We will add an obituary once it is published.

The DREI (Detroit Riverfront Events Inc.) and H1 Unlimited have strategically decided to target a race in 2025, ensuring potential sponsors have ample time to plan and promote.

"Darrell Strong (H1 Unlimited Board Member and co-founder of Hydrotown Group) and I have been working together to return unlimited hydroplane racing to Detroit but concur that a single race on the Detroit River isn't sufficient for the sport's long-term sustainability," stated Mark Weber, President of DREI. "While it's disappointing to forgo the 2024 race, crafting a comprehensive plan alongside our future sponsors is essential. Without it, we keep repeating the ongoing cycle of uncertainty year after year."

Sad news. R. Royce Richards, an instrumental individual in our local hydroplane history, has passed away

R. Royce Richards Obituary (1932 - 2024) - Legacy Remembers View R. Royce Richards's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

U-91 Goodman Real Estate driver Andrew Tate is in Madison on this St. Patrick’s Day Sunday helping promote ticket sales for the Madison Regatta.

And helping promote the sport by signing an autograph for a young fan.

📷 Jeff Ayler

BE A PART OF THE ACTION AND VOLUNTEER!
Detroit Riverfront Events needs race volunteers!

If you'd like to be a part of the action, let us know!

Visit the link for the Volunteer Application / Waiver Form:

detroitboatraces.com

I honestly believe my life has been molded with my can do attitude, partly due to the fact that I was raised in Detroit. We have grit, work ethic many do not, a can do attitude that gets things done. A get off your ass and work attitude. When Henry Ford faied, he went back to work. Before he was done, he was a huge part of putting the World on Wheels
When Detroit went through the hard times, many laughed at our city. We prevailed. The big 3 survived.
And this week dedicated fans celebrate the Lions in one of the best sports Cities in America. All those last night at Ford Field celebrated everything that is right with work ethic, attitude and grit.
Whatever happens next, Detroit Won
Go Lions!

The new H1 organization is already making a positive mark on the sport. Not only will Speed Sport replay the races from 2023 but they will have a full hour show produced for airing at a later date.

SPEED SPORT 1: H1 Unlimited Marathon, Jan. 6-11 - SPEED SPORT SPEED SPORT 1 will present a H1 Unlimited Hydroplane racing “marathon” this weekend, starting Saturday at 6 p.m. (ET).

Happy Holidays to all our volunteers, fans and race teams! We are looking forward to racing again on the Detroit River in 2024.

(A glimpse of the pit area, The Roostertail and the Detroit River from Sinbad's Restaurant)

Very sad news! Doug was well respected in the sport and in life.

The hydroplane racing family mourns the loss of longtime driver, official, and friend Doug Brow. He was 67.

H1 UNLIMITED ANNOUNCES EXCITING REORGANIZATION

Hydrotown Group to Lead Promotions to Enhance Popularity of Hydroplane Racing



Kennewick, Washington (December 6, 2023) – The H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Series will take a fresh step into the 2024 racing season with an exciting reorganization that will look to propel the popularity of the sport back to its rightful position within the motorsports community. This overall reorganization includes new members to the H1 Board of Directors and a new entity, Hydrotown Group, focused on enhanced promotion, public and media relations, marketing, and sponsorship experience for H1 Unlimited.



Hydrotown Group along with the new H1 board have spent the past several months developing plans to revitalize and reinvigorate the sport of unlimited hydroplane racing. The excitement around this revitalization is already producing exciting obligations from at least six boats pledging to compete in the full series with additional boats currently in discussions along with commitments from six race sites across the country and one in Canada. And with the interest of long-term stability for the series a primary goal of the new board, the race site agreements feature multi-year commitments.



“We all have a passion for hydroplane racing and wanted to invest in the promotion of this sport and reintroduce it to a larger audience through enhanced media and sponsorship opportunities,” said Mike Denslow, Chairman of the Board of H1 Unlimited and co-founder of Hydrotown Group. “We are excited about these changes within H1 Unlimited and are encouraged by the discussions with race team partners as well as race sites that have already taken place. All of us are committed to the long-term success of all our race teams and race sites as we prepare to kick off the 2024 season.”



The 2024 season schedule tentatively consists of Guntersville Lake Hydrofest in Guntersville, Alabama, June 29-30; Madison Regatta in Madison, Indiana, July 5-7; Tri- City Waterfollies in Tri-Cities, Washington, July 26-28; Seattle Seafair in Seattle, Washington, August 2-4; Penticton (Lake Kelowna), BC (tbd); Detroit Hydrofest & APBA Gold Cup in Detroit, Michigan, August 23-25 and San Diego Bayfair in San Diego, California, September 13-15.



“The 2024 schedule is continuing to evolve as active discussions are ongoing with Detroit and San Diego for the upcoming season,” said Darrell Strong, H1 Unlimited Board Member and co-founder of Hydrotown Group. “In addition to finalizing the multi-year agreements with our race sites, we are also working with them to develop better partnerships for promoting the races themselves. We will have drivers along with a display hydroplane at the upcoming Louisville Boat Show (Jan. 24-28) to help promote the Guntersville, AL and Madison, IN races. In addition, more visibility of hydroplane racing will be seen with cross promotional events in the various markets in advance of the events of the 2024 season and beyond.”



Hydrotown Group will also invest deeper into overall media of H1 Unlimited through enhancement of the livestream coverage as well as increased public relations and marketing efforts to further showcase the series to a new and larger audience. The group will focus efforts on series sponsorship and improved national visibility through cross promotion and public relations, which includes the hiring of a dedicated PR agency in Moxy 25.



“Historically, H1 Unlimited has attracted some of the largest partners in the country with boats adorned with Budweiser, DeWalt, Kellogg’s and Tide just to name a few,” said Shannon Raney, H1 Unlimited Board Member and co-owner of the U-11 Legend Yacht Transport hydroplane. “Our goal is to reattract some of those high-level sponsors back to hydroplanes and give them a true VIP experience for their executives, customers and guests while enjoying the most exciting boat racing in the world.”



The new H1 Unlimited Board will include two 2023 members and five new members. New member and longtime Tri- City Waterfollies board member Mike Denslow has been elected Chairman. Darrell Strong, owner of Strong Racing (Beacon Plumbing and Beacon Electric) and Unlimited Racing Group (Legend Yacht Transport) co-owner Shannon Raney are continuing with the board from the 2023 season. Additional new members include long time Miss Madison (Goodman Real Estate) team owner’s representative and Hydrotown co-founder Charlie Grooms, H1 media host and race site PA voice Brad Luce, and Bucket List Racing (Flav-R-Pac) co-owner Kelly Stocklin.



More information pertaining to livestream partners will be announced in the coming months along with additional series partnership information.



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Media Contact:

Lisa Hughes Kennedy

Moxy 25 for Hydrotown Group/H1 Unlimited