100 year history of Gold Cup hydroplane races on Detroit River cancelled

[boater4life]

This is unfortunate. These boats have been racing here for around 100 years. I liked watching when I was growing up and in recent years as well. Too bad.

http://detne.ws/1rAoOja

[RaumVogel]

It seems this website would dis-agree: https://www.gold-cup.com/

[Bong-Man]

^^

Your link describes a weekend of boat races without unlimited hydroplanes.

[EastsideAl]

Here is what it says on the website of H1, the governing body of unlimited hydroplanes:

"We’re pleased to tell you that we’re going to be ramping up things on the US series for 2015. That begins with a change in the organization of the Detroit race.

The DRRA has announced that they will not be hosting the Detroit APBA Gold Cup for Unlimited Hydroplanes in 2015. As a result H1, along with a dynamic group of Detroit area business people will be conducting an Unlimited race on the Detroit River on or about our previous race dates.


We look forward to joining forces with all of the volunteers who have helped to make the Detroit race a legacy of 100 plus years.


We wish DRRA well, as we’ve had a long and successful relationship.


Stay tuned as we update you in the coming weeks. For now, we’re racing in Detroit and look forward to all of our friends and fans joining in the new energy of H1.

Steve David

H1 Chairman"

Which seems, at least in part, to confirm the rumors.

[EastsideAl]

So, I wonder what becomes of the Gold Cup itself. It's one of the oldest trophies in U.S. sports [[begun in 1904), which has always been awarded to the fastest class of powerboats, and has been specifically attached to unlimited hydroplane racing since the class came into existence in 1946.

Both the Detroit News and Free Press stories on this conflate the history of the Gold Cup with the history of hydroplane racing in Detroit. In fact, the Gold Cup races were held many different places, including Detroit [[first raced here in 1916), over the years. Until 1963 the Cup race was held in the home city of the previous year's winner. After 1963 the site was awarded through a bidding process. Only in 1990 did the Gold Cup race come to be permanently held in Detroit. However, even when Detroit hasn't hosted the Gold Cup itself, an early summer hydroplane race [[and for many years a second one later in the summer) has been held here for many many years under various names [[Silver Cup, Detroit Memorial, Dodge Cup, Gar Wood Trophy, Stroh's Thunderfest etc.).

It seems like the H1 folks expect to be holding a Gold Cup race in Detroit sometime around June or July, as usual. After all, the Gold Cup is the top trophy in their sport. But, as I understand it, part of the deal to bring the race here permanently was that the Gold Cup would be awarded by the DRRA and would reside at the DYC. The DRRA is certainly still using the Gold Cup name and picture on their website - which is named gold-cup.com.

It's been well known for a while that the DRRA has been having some significant financial problems running the races. In an attempt to address this they moved the races to August, and it doesn't sound like H1 was happy with that move and wants to continue to hold the Gold Cup in Detroit in its traditional June spot. It also sounds like DRRA didn't want to, or just plain couldn't afford to, continue paying the sanctioning fee to H1.

[EastsideAl]

Of course, a huge part of the problem is that unlimited hydroplane racing is really a dying sport. The fields keep shrinking, with even fewer boats remaining competitive, and the costs of running the turbine-powered boats gets ever higher. A return to the days of the airplane-engined boats is now essentially impossible as those now-antique motors are in extremely short supply.

The series has been existing on life support from a few stalwart sponsors and mostly middle eastern money [[Qatar) for some time now. While the number of events has shrunk down to just 6 races a year. With a recent change in leadership at H1, perhaps they will be able to forge a new direction for the sport. It would certainly be a shame to lose the unlimited hydroplanes and all their history.

[douglasm]

If anyone can sort out this mess, Steve David would be your guy. One of the "good guys" on the racing circuit, he drove for almost 25 years, turning the O Boy Oberto/Miss Madison team from also rans, winning 4 national titles with the pepperoni powered boat. The only race he didn't win was....of couse....the Gold Cup. If there's a way the Gold Cup can be pulled off, David's the guy who can do it. And frankly, I've very happy to see that someone more closely connecting with the operation of hydroplane racing in charge of H1.

[Jimbo]

If anyone can sort out this mess, Steve David would be your guy. One of the "good guys" on the racing circuit, he drove for almost 25 years, turning the O Boy Oberto/Miss Madison team from also rans, winning 4 national titles with the pepperoni powered boat. The only race he didn't win was....of couse....the Gold Cup. If there's a way the Gold Cup can be pulled off, David's the guy who can do it. And frankly, I've very happy to see that someone more closely connecting with the operation of hydroplane racing in charge of H1.

The turbine engine has been the downfall of the sport. The unlimited class should be made up of 2 engine automotive power. They tried it 10 or twelve years ago [[1 Chevy powered and 1 Ford Powered) but were 20 M.P.H. slower than the turbines. This would make the class more competitive and less expensive. Remember when the WW2 aircraft engines were available and were procured as government surplus. They made a lot of noise and that was what the fans wanted to hear. With the turbines they sound like vacuum cleaners.

[RaumVogel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N-wZ5zOTmY

[Honky Tonk]

"The series has been existing on life support from a few stalwart sponsors and mostly middle eastern money [[Qatar) for some time now."

Maybe Mike Ilitch, Dan Gilbert, or Matty Maroun will step up to the plate and sponsor the event. Boats with names like Miss Pizza Face, Miss Foreclosure, or Miss Rehab?

[Smirnoff]

DRRA vs H1, not the 1st time these organizations have battled [[anyone remember when the DRRA tried to schedule a local September race the same weekend as the San Diego race, and lost?)!

Rumor is the June/July Unlimited race will be named the Silver Cup, the best news is a NEW sanctioning organization for the Detroit Race!

See ya DRRA......let us know the Pinewood Derby results?????

[Lowell]

I never figured out where the money to support these events and organizations came from. The size required forgoes the ability to significantly charge admission and TV coverage only seems local. The expense of the boats and their transport, etc. has to be immense. Maybe there is enough logo-on-the-jacket sponsorship inside the bubble of that sport.

[douglasm]

A simple, if inelegant solution might be to tie the boat races to another event. Memory [[an iffy thing) tells me that the Detroit races used to tie in with the old Freedom Festival, in the same way that Seattle's race ties in with SeaFair, the Tri-Cities race is part of the Water Follies, and so on. As a stand alone, it might not work, but as part of a larger event, why not?

[jackie5275]

I wasn't totally surprised by this announcement. A guy I work with volunteers for security at the races every year. He's been saying about the past 5-6 years running that each current year might be the last. There's not enough sponsorship money to operate it. Plus, there's not enough volunteer to staff it. Based on what he'd been saying, I'm surprised it lasted these past few years.

[eastland]

I never figured out where the money to support these events and organizations came from. The size required forgoes the ability to significantly charge admission and TV coverage only seems local. The expense of the boats and their transport, etc. has to be immense. Maybe there is enough logo-on-the-jacket sponsorship inside the bubble of that sport.

The organizers started charging outrageous fees for admissions which drove attendance down and made it less appealing to sponsors. And then they would announce their schedule after other events like the Wayne County Air Show already picked the same date.

[Honky Tonk]

The organizers started charging outrageous fees for admissions which drove attendance down and made it less appealing to sponsors. And then they would announce their schedule after other events like the Wayne County Air Show already picked the same date.

Good point. I notice that quite a bit with Metro Detroit events. Several things seem to be scheduled on the same weekend and nothing on others.