The Detroit Hydrofest (branded as the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Detroit Hydrofest for sponsorship reasons) is a H1 Unlimited hydroplane boat race held in August on the Detroit River in Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit Hydrofest
H1 Unlimited
Title sponsorUnited Auto Workers
General Motors
DatesAugust 22–23
LocationDetroit River, Detroit, Michigan
Track length2.5 mi (4 km)
First race1916
Former namesChallenge Cup, Gold Cup
Most recent winnerU-6 Oberto Miss Madison
Jimmy Shane
Websitehttp://www.detroitboatraces.com/

History

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The first race held on the Detroit River was the Gold Cup, in 1916. The community-owned Miss Detroit won the Gold Cup in 1915 on Manhasset Bay, outside of New York City, and earned the right to defend it the following year on home waters. Miss Detroit was a single-step hydroplane, equipped with a 250-horsepower Sterling engine. The designer was the distinguished Christopher Columbus Smith of Chriscraft fame.

The race was run annually after being part of the Gold Cup, and later became known as the APBA Challenge Cup then APBA Gold Cup.

Starting in 1963, the Gold Cup race location was determined by the city with the highest financial bid, rather than by the yacht club of the winning boat. Since 1980, Detroit has hosted the Gold Cup race 30 times, including every year from 1990 through 2014, and from 2016 through 2018.[1] From 1990 to 2014 the Detroit River Regatta Association (DRRA) hosted the APBA Gold Cup. When the DRRA announced in 2015 that it couldn't continue hosting the Gold Cup, the Spirit of Detroit Hydrofest was formed and obtained a multi-year sponsorship from UAW-GM.[2] In 2019, promoters in Detroit elected not to host the Gold Cup and the leaders of the Madison Regatta won the bid for the right to hold the Gold Cup.[3]

Past winners

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Detroit Unlimited Hydroplane (Gold Cup Class)* Race Winners[4]
Year Event Boat Driver
1916 APBA Gold Cup Miss Minneapolis Bernard Smith
1917 APBA Gold Cup Miss Detroit II Gar Wood
1918 APBA Gold Cup Miss Detroit III Gar Wood
1919 APBA Gold Cup Miss Detroit III Gar Wood
1920 APBA Gold Cup Miss America Gar Wood
1921 APBA Gold Cup Miss America Gar Wood
1922 APBA Gold Cup Packard ChrisCraft Jesse Vincent
1923 APBA Gold Cup Packard ChrisCraft Caleb Bragg
1924 APBA Gold Cup Baby Bootlegger Caleb Bragg
1926 Harmsworth Trophy Miss America V Gar Wood
1928 Harmsworth Trophy Miss America VII Gar Wood
Championship of North America Rainbow VII Harry Greening
1929 Harmsworth Trophy Miss America VIII Gar Wood
1930 Harmsworth Trophy Miss America IX Gar Wood
1933 APBA Gold Cup El Lagarto George Reis
Dodge Memorial Delphine VII Horace Dodge
1935 Detroit Yacht Club Trophy Hotsy Totsy III Vic Kliesrath
1937 APBA Gold Cup Notre Dame Clell Perry
1938 Detroit Yacht Club Trophy Warnie James Anderson
APBA Gold Cup Alagi Theo Rossi
1939 Detroit Yacht Club Trophy Why Worry Bill Cantrell
APBA Gold Cup My Sin Zalmon Simmons
1946 APBA Gold Cup Tempo VI Guy Lombardo
1947 Detroit Memorial Miss Peps V Danny Foster
Silver Cup Notre Dame Dan Arena
1948 Henry Ford Memorial Tempo VI Guy Lombardo
APBA Gold Cup Miss Great Lakes Danny Foster
Silver Cup Miss Canada III Harold Wilson
1949 APBA Gold Cup My Sweetie Bill Cantrell
Detroit Memorial Skip-A-Long Stanley Dollar
Harmsworth Trophy Skip-A-Long Stanley Dollar
Silver Cup My Sweetie Bill Cantrell
1950 APBA Gold Cup Slo-mo-shun IV Ted Jones
Detroit Memorial My Sweetie Lou Fageol
Harmsworth Trophy Slo-mo-shun IV Lou Fageol
Silver Cup Such Crust Danny Foster
1951 Detroit Memorial Miss Pepsi Chuck Thompson
Silver Cup Miss Pepsi Chuck Thompson
1952 Detroit Memorial Miss Pepsi Chuck Thompson
Silver Cup Gale II Danny Foster
1953 Henry Ford Memorial Miss Great Lakes II Danny Foster
Silver Cup Gale II Lee Schoenith
1954 Detroit Memorial Gale V Lee Schoenith
Silver Cup My Sweetie Dora Jack Bartlow
1955 Detroit Memorial Gale IV Bill Cantrell
Silver Cup Tempo VII Danny Foster
1956 Silver Cup Miss U. S. II Don Wilson
APBA Gold Cup Miss Thriftway Bill Muncey
1957 Detroit Memorial Such Crust III Fred Alter
Silver Cup Hawaii Ka’i III Jack Regas
1958 Detroit Memorial Miss Thriftway Bill Muncey
Silver Cup Maverick Bill Stead
1959 Detroit Memorial Miss Supertest III Bob Hayward
Silver Cup Maverick Bill Stead
1960 Detroit Memorial Miss Thriftway Bill Muncey
Silver Cup Nitrogen Too Ron Musson
1961 Detroit Memorial Gale V Bill Cantrell
Silver Cup Miss Bardahl Ron Musson
1962 Spirit of Detroit Trophy Miss Century 21 Bill Muncey
1963 APBA Gold Cup Miss Bardahl Ron Musson
1964 APBA Gold Cup Miss Bardahl Ron Musson
Spirit of Detroit Trophy Such Crust IV Walt Kade
1965 Spirit of Detroit Trophy Tahoe Miss Chuck Thompson
1966 APBA Gold Cup Tahoe Miss Mira Slovak
Horace Dodge Memorial Miss Lapeer Warner Gardner
1967 U.I.M. World's Championship Miss Chrysler Crew Bill Sterett
1968 APBA Gold Cup Miss Bardahl Billy Schumacher
1969 U.I.M. World's Championship Miss U. S. Bill Muncey
1970 Horace Dodge Memorial MYR Sheet Metal Bill Muncey
1971 Horace Dodge Memorial Miss Budweiser Dean Chenoweth
1972 APBA Gold Cup Atlas Van Lines Bill Muncey
1973 Gar Wood Memorial Miss Budweiser Dean Chenoweth
National Champions Regatta Miss Budweiser Dean Chenoweth
1974 Gar Wood Memorial Miss Budweiser Howie Benns
1975 Gar Wood Trophy Miss U. S. Tom D’Eath
1976 APBA Gold Cup Miss U. S. Tom D’Eath
1977 Gar Wood Memorial Atlas Van Lines Bill Muncey
1978 Spirit of Detroit Trophy Atlas Van Lines Bill Muncey
1979 Spirit of Detroit Regatta Atlas Van Lines Bill Muncey
1980 Spirit of Detroit Regatta Miss Budweiser Dean Chenoweth
1981 Stroh's Silver Cup Miss Budweiser Dean Chenoweth
1982 APBA Gold Cup Atlas Van Lines Chip Hanauer
1983 Stroh's Thunderfest Atlas Van Lines Chip Hanauer
1984 Stroh's Thunderfest Miss Budweiser Jim Kropfeld
1985 Stroh's Thunderfest Miller American Chip Hanauer
1986 APBA Gold Cup Miller American Chip Hanauer
1987 Budweiser Thunderboat Championship Mr. Pringles Scott Pierce
1988 Spirit of Detroit Regatta Miller High Life Chip Hanauer
1989 Budweiser Spirit of Detroit Race Miss Circus Circus Chip Hanauer
1990 APBA Gold Cup Miss Budweiser Tom D’Eath
1991 APBA Gold Cup Winston Eagle Mark Tate
1992 Budweiser APBA Gold Cup Miss Budweiser Chip Hanauer
1993 Budweiser APBA Gold Cup Miss Budweiser Chip Hanauer
1994 APBA Gold Cup Smokin’ Joe's Mark Tate
1995 APBA Gold Cup Miss Budweiser Chip Hanauer
1996 APBA Gold Cup PICO American Dream Dave Villwock
1997 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Miss Budweiser Dave Villwock
1998 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Miss Budweiser Dave Villwock
1999 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Miss PICO Chip Hanauer
2000 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Miss Budweiser Dave Villwock
2001 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Tubby's Grilled Submarines Mike Hanson
2002 APBA Gold Cup Miss Budweiser Dave Villwock
2003 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Miss Foxhills Chrysler-Jeep Mitch Evans
2004 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Miss D.Y.C. Nate Brown
2005 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Miss Al Deeby Dodge Terry Troxell
2006 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Miss Beacon Plumbing Jean Theoret
2007 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Ellstrom E-Lam Plus Dave Villwock
2009 Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup Ellstrom E-Lam Plus Dave Villwock
2010 Jarvis Restoration APBA Gold Cup Spirit of Qatar Dave Villwock
2011 APBA Gold Cup Spirit of Qatar Dave Villwock
2012 DYC presents APBA Gold Cup Spirit of Qatar Dave Villwock
2013 APBA Gold Cup Spirit of Qatar Kip Brown
2014 APBA Gold Cup Oberto Jimmy Shane
2015 Spirit of Detroit Hydrofest Oberto Jimmy Shane
2016 UAW/GM Hydrofest APBA Gold Cup Graham Trucking J. Michael Kelly
2017 President's Cup Delta Realtrac Andrew Tate
APBA Gold Cup Miss HomeStreet Jimmy Shane
2018 APBA Gold Cup Delta Realtrac Andrew Tate.
2019 No unlimited hydroplane event
2020 Event canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

Note: * - The APBA unlimited hydroplane class began in 1946.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Paul, Tony. "Detroit River loses Gold Cup for 2019; there will still be a race weekend". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  2. ^ "100 Years of Thunder". 19 July 2016. Archived from the original on 2020-08-04.
  3. ^ "Gold Cup Unlimited Hydroplane Race Returns to Ohio River after 39-Year Absence". H1 Unlimited. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  4. ^ 2021 Hydro Record Book and Statistics. Edmonds, WA: Unlimited NewsJournal. 2021. pp. 32–33.
  5. ^ "The Unlimited - 1946 in Review". thunderboats.ning.com. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
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