The Seafair Cup (branded as the HomeStreet Bank Cup for sponsorship reasons, and formerly the Albert Lee Appliance Cup), is an H1 Unlimited hydroplane boat race held annually in late July and early August on Lake Washington in Seattle, Washington. The race is the main attraction of the annual Seafair festival. Seattle has hosted the Seafair Cup consecutively since 1951. The event was part of the APBA Gold Cup for the following years: 1951 to 1955, 1957 to 1959, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1974, 1981, and 1985.
 | |
| Event information | |
|---|---|
| Type | H1 Unlimited hydroplane boat race |
| Race area | Lake Washington, Seattle, Washington |
| Dates | July 31-August 2 |
| Sponsor | HomeStreet Bank |
| Distance | 2.5 mi (4 km) |
| Media coverage | KIRO-TV/KKNW (AM) |
| First race | 1951 |
| Former names | Seafair Cup |
| Website | www |
History
editSeattle's history of unlimited hydroplane racing dates back to July 1950, when it was announced that the APBA Gold Cup was leaving Detroit in favor of Seattle. Slo-mo-shun IV, owned by Stanley Sayres, won the Gold Cup race in Detroit that year. At that time, the Gold Cup was run at the home of the winner, so for 1951, the Gold Cup was coming to Seattle. The race was added to the Seafair festival.[1] When the Gold Cup left Seattle for Detroit in 1955, local officials decided to hold a race of their own, and the Seafair Cup was born.[1]
The 1951 Seattle race was co-sponsored through 1960 by the Seattle Yacht Club. Greater Seattle, Inc. (later renamed Seafair, Inc.) became the sole sponsor of the race, starting in 1961. The Seafair Boat Club, which administers the Seattle race on Seafair's behalf, was organized in 1975.[2]
Lou Fageol won the very first Seattle race driving Stan Sayres' Slo-mo-shun V.[3] The Emerald City has hosted the Unlimiteds every year from 1951 to 2019. In 2020[4] and 2021,[5] the event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The next unlimited hydroplane race in Seattle is planned for 2022.[5]
Past Seattle Unlimited Hydroplane Winners
editThe following boats and drivers won in Seattle:[6]
| Year | Event | Boat | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | APBA Gold Cup | Slo-mo-shun V | Lou Fageol |
| Seafair Trophy[7] | Slo-mo-shun V | Ted Jones | |
| 1952 | APBA Gold Cup | Slo-mo-shun IV | Stanley Dollar |
| 1953 | APBA Gold Cup | Slo-mo-shun IV | Joe Taggart |
| 1954 | APBA Gold Cup | Slo-mo-shun V | Lou Fageol |
| 1955 | APBA Gold Cup | Gale V | Lee Schoenith |
| 1956 | Seafair Trophy | Shanty I | Russ Schleeh |
| 1957 | APBA Gold Cup | Miss Thriftway | Bill Muncey |
| 1958 | APBA Gold Cup | Hawaii Ka’i III | Jack Regas |
| 1959 | APBA Gold Cup | Maverick | Bill Stead |
| 1960 | Seafair Trophy | Miss Thriftway | Bill Muncey |
| 1961 | "World’s Championship Seafair Trophy"[8] | Miss Bardahl | Ron Musson |
| Seattle Trophy | Miss Madison | Marion Cooper | |
| Seafair Queen's Trophy | Fascination | Bob Gilliam | |
| 1962 | APBA Gold Cup | Miss Century 21 | Bill Muncey |
| 1963 | Seafair Trophy | Tahoe Miss | Chuck Thompson |
| 1964 | Seafair Trophy | Miss Bardahl | Ron Musson |
| 1965 | APBA Gold Cup | Miss Bardahl | Ron Musson |
| 1966 | Seafair Trophy | My Gypsy | Jim Ranger |
| 1967 | Seafair Trophy | Miss Chrysler Crew | Mira Slovak |
| APBA Gold Cup | Miss Bardahl | Billy Schumacher | |
| 1968 | U.I.M. World's Championship | Miss U. S. | Bill Muncey |
| 1969 | Seafair Trophy | Miss Budweiser | Bill Sterett |
| 1970 | Seafair Trophy | Miss Budweiser | Dean Chenoweth |
| 1971 | Seafair Trophy | Pride of Pay ‘n Pak | Billy Schumacher |
| 1972 | Seafair Trophy | Atlas Van Lines | Bill Muncey |
| 1973 | U.I.M. World's Championship | Pay ‘n Pak | Mickey Remund |
| 1974 | APBA Gold Cup | Pay ‘n Pak | George Henley |
| 1975 | Seafair Trophy | Pay ‘n Pak | George Henley |
| 1976 | Seafair Trophy | Miss Budweiser | Mickey Remund |
| 1977 | Seafair Trophy | Atlas Van Lines | Bill Muncey |
| 1978 | Squire Seafair Trophy | Atlas Van Lines | Bill Muncey |
| 1979 | Squire Seafair Trophy | Atlas Van Lines | Bill Muncey |
| 1980 | U.I.M. World's Championship Seafair Trophy | Atlas Van Lines | Bill Muncey |
| 1981 | APBA Gold Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dean Chenoweth |
| 1982 | Emerald Cup | Atlas Van Lines | Chip Hanauer |
| 1983 | Sea Galley Emerald Cup | Miss Budweiser | Jim Kropfeld |
| 1984 | 7-Eleven Freedom Cup | Miss Budweiser | Jim Kropfeld |
| 1985 | Budweiser APBA Gold Cup | Miller American | Chip Hanauer |
| 1986 | Emerald Cup | Miller American | Chip Hanauer |
| 1987 | Emerald Cup | Miss Budweiser | Jim Kropfeld |
| 1988 | Budweiser Cup | Miss Budweiser | Tom D’Eath |
| 1989 | Rainier Cup | Miss Circus Circus | Chip Hanauer |
| 1990 | Rainier Cup | Miss Circus Circus | Chip Hanauer |
| 1991 | Seafair Trophy | Miss Budweiser | Scott Pierce |
| 1992 | Rainier Cup | Tide | George Woods, Jr. |
| 1993 | Texaco Cup | Miss Budweiser | Chip Hanauer |
| 1994 | Texaco Cup | PICO American Dream | Dave Villwock |
| 1995 | Texaco Cup | Miss Budweiser | Chip Hanauer ... |
| 1996 | Texaco Cup | PICO American Dream | Dave Villwock |
| 1997 | Seafair Texaco Cup | PICO American Dream | Mark Evans |
| 1998 | Texaco Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dave Villwock |
| 1999 | General Motors Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dave Villwock |
| 2000 | General Motors Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dave Villwock |
| 2001 | General Motors Cup | Miss E-Lam Plus | Nate Brown |
| 2002 | General Motors Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dave Villwock |
| 2003 | General Motors Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dave Villwock |
| 2004 | General Motors Cup | Miss Budweiser | Dave Villwock |
| 2005 | Chevrolet Cup | Llumar Window Film | Jean Theoret |
| 2006 | Chevrolet Cup | Miss Beacon Plumbing | Jean Theoret |
| 2007 | Chevrolet Cup | Oh Boy! Oberto | Steve David |
| 2008 | Chevrolet Cup | Amos W. Hoss | Dave Villwock |
| 2009 | Chevrolet Cup | Ellstrom E-Lam Plus | Dave Villwock |
| 2010 | Albert Lee Cup | Oh Boy! Oberto | Steve David |
| 2011 | Albert Lee Cup | Oh Boy! Oberto | Steve David |
| 2012 | Albert Lee Cup | Oh Boy!Oberto | Steve David |
| 2013 | Albert Lee Cup | Graham Trucking | Jimmy Shane |
| 2014 | Albert Lee Cup | Graham Trucking | J. Michael Kelly |
| 2015 | Albert Lee Appliance Cup | Graham Trucking | J. Michael Kelly |
| 2016 | Albert Lee Appliance Seafair Cup | Les Schwab | Andrew Tate |
| 2017 | Albert Lee Appliance Seafair Cup | Miss HomeStreet | Jimmy Shane |
| 2018 | Albert Lee Seafair Cup | Delta Realtrac | Andrew Tate |
| 2019 | HomeStreet Bank Cup | Graham Trucking | J. Michael Kelly |
| 2020 | No event - COVID-19 Pandemic | ||
| 2021 | No event - COVID-19 Pandemic | ||
| 2022 | HomeStreet Bank Cup | U-9 Boitano Homes[9] | J. Michael Kelly |
References
edit- ^ a b "Memorable Moments in Hydro History". thunderboats.ning.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ^ "Three Traditional Races". thunderboats.ning.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ^ MotorBoating. New York, NY: Hearst Magazine Inc. October 1951. p. 77.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Unlimited hydroplane races at Seafair canceled because of coronavirus pandemic". The Seattle Times. 2020-05-20. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ^ a b "Pandemic sidelines Seafair unlimited hydroplane racing again as event moves virtual". The Seattle Times. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ^ 2021 Hydro Record Book and Statistics. Edmonds, WA: Unlimited NewsJournal. 2021. pp. 34–35.
- ^ "The Slo-mo-shun Saga". thunderboats.ning.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
For Seattle's Unlimited debut, two major races--for the Gold Cup and the Seafair Trophy--were scheduled for consecutive weekends during the month of August, 1951. SLO-MO-SHUN V won both of them with Lou Fageol driving in the Gold Cup and Ted Jones in the Seafair Trophy.
- ^ "A Brief History of the World Championship Race for Unlimited Hydroplanes". thunderboats.ning.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
The Seattle Seafair committee offered for competition the "World's Championship Seafair Trophy," which was won by Ron Musson in the MISS BARDAHL. But the Seattle committee never bothered to request a sanction from the Union of International Motorboating. Whether or not the 1961 race should be counted as a legitimate "World Championship" event is a matter for individual interpretation.
- ^ "J. Michael Kelly picks up win at Seafair via penalty for the second consecutive Seattle race". 7 August 2022. Retrieved 2023-07-29.