Keeping Pace: H1 Unlimited Hydroplane racing brings Gold Cup to Tri-Cities

H1 Unlimited Hydroplane racing makes the first of two Northwest stops this weekend beginning with the running of the 50th annual Columbia Cup in Kennewick followed by Seafair next Sunday in Seattle.

This year’s Kennewick stop takes on adding meaning for the sport in its only Eastern Washington event for 2015.

For the first time since 1990, one of racing’s most historic trophies, the Gold Cup, will be contested away from the Detroit River. Having been awarded annually since 1916, this marks the first time since 1984 that the Gold Cup will be held on the waters of the Columbia River.

Detroit’s event had looked to be canceled for the season, then was resurrected in May by corporate backing from the United Auto Workers and General Motors. With the H1 series looking to announce its schedule last winter and Detroit’s race still in limbo, efforts from the Tri-Cities organizers came to fruition with the awarding of the long sought after Gold Cup.

“When we talked to all of our race sites, they agreed unanimously that the 50th anniversary of the (Columbia Cup) race and the long standing support by the (race) committee, volunteers and community made the Tri-Cities area and the Water Follies committee very deserving of the opportunity to host the 2015 Gold Cup,” said H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Chairman, Steven David.

The Columbia Cup boasts one of the highest attended events on the circuit with upwards of 100,000 turning out to support the race. It is by far the largest audience to take in a motorsport event in Eastern Washington.

With the race in place and a strong turnout of 13 teams entered for the right to chase the iconic Gold Cup, the Columbia River event marks the first points-paying undertaking for the series. H1’s season opener in Madison, Indiana was forced to run non-points shootouts due to unusually high water conditions.

Reigning Gold Cup titleholder, the U-1 Miss Oberto driven by Jimmy Shane, is also the defending champion of the Columbia Cup. That momentum will be turned up for the Kennewick weekend as Seattle-based Oberto Beef Jerky announced in the spring that after decades of involvement this would be their last season sponsoring a hydroplane in the H1 series.

Shane and his team are focused on winning races and another championship for 85-year old Art Oberto in his final season of sponsorship. The team, owned by the City of Madison, has accumulated five national championships for Oberto since they became partners in 2000.

While Shane and his Oberto team will draw most of the attention as they look to repeat not only the Gold Cup win but the Columbia Cup as well, several drivers will be in the hunt when Sunday’s finale is run. That list includes the two-boat Graham Trucking team of J. Michael Kelly in the U-5 and Rookie of the Year contender, Jesse Robertson, in the U-7. Also expected to challenge Shane this weekend will be the U-11 Peters and May driven by Tom Thompson, the U-9 Les Schwab entry wheeled by Scott Liddycut and 2006 race winner, Jean Theoret in the U-96 Elam Plus.

Hydroplane fans will also be treated to the return of Ed Cooper’s famed U-3 Ace Hardware, the only piston-powered Unlimited currently competing on the circuit. Turbine helicopter engines power the 12 entries joining the U-3 in the Unlimited group.

Looking forward to the 2016 season, the H1 series will run three Northwest events – Coeur d’Alene’s Silver Cup, the Columbia Cup and SeaFair in Seattle.

The H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes will be joined this weekend by the APBA One-Litre class and the Grand Prix West circuit. V-8 automotive engines power the Grand Prix boats while the One-Litre class features a variety of four-cylinder options. To learn more about this weekend’s Gold Cup on the Columbia River, log onto h1unlimited.com.