Pace: Unlimited Hydroplane racing would like another shot at Coeur d’Alene
Unlimited Hydroplane racing is getting a major makeover, parts of which will be on display this weekend in the 51st Columbia Cup in Kennewick.
Former driver Steven David is the commissioner for H1 Unlimited and he is busy focusing on the future, which could include Lake Coeur d’Alene.
“Re-engineering the sport is a multiyear project,” said David, 62. “From the fan engagement perspective, the new H-1 (mobile) App has begun the process better than we expected in terms of adoption rates.”
With four national championships and 18 career victories to his credit, David knows all about the efforts of race teams to bring in funding and fan support to help the sport grow. His primary focus the last two years has been addressing those needs. The mobile app shows signs of success and now David is focused on adding more funds to the teams and the series.
“On the team front, our challenge is economic viability,” David said. “We’re working with our (race) sites on a new shared-revenue initiative that will help. We’ll also be announcing a new series high-point sponsor beginning at our Tri-Cities race. We hope to build that (title sponsorship) relationship substantially going forward. It is a well-recognized name and optimal for our target audience.”
From Doha, Qatar, to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and locations across North America, hydroplane racing has been a major motorsports draw for sponsors and fans alike. One region on which David is keen, Lake Coeur d’Alene, appears to be one step closer to returning to the series schedule.
“(Coeur d’Alene) is an important site for us and we’re working with (race director) Keith Allen and a title sponsor for a 2017 event. We know we have to rebuild goodwill after the earlier fiasco (in 2013) with the previous promoter. We’re requiring Keith to have all of the expenses in the bank before the event and insure that every vendor is paid. He is right there with us in his commitment to doing it right.”
Doing things right, whether he was in the driver’s seat or in his current role, David always goes all out in his passion for the sport.
Closing out a career that saw David as one of the sports most popular figures, the Florida native has channeled that backing toward urging his fan base to support the entire series. He is proud of his driving accomplishments but has no interest in exchanging his leadership role for another stint behind the wheel.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my racing career, but it’s past. It was time to give the seat to a young up-and-comer (Jimmy Shane) and assist in marketing the sport with drivers that are relevant to our present and future partners.”
The series will be on the Columbia River on Friday with qualifying, followed by the popular O’Reilly Auto Parts Dash for Cash.
Racing resumes on Saturday with one flight of heat races. Two more heats and the finale is set for Sunday.