The 2016 H1 Unlimited season is the sixty-first running of the H1 Unlimited series for unlimited hydroplanes, sanctioned by the APBA.
In 2016, all boats used Lycoming Engines with the exception of the U-3 Go3Racing team which used an Allison V-12 engine and the U-18 Bucket List Racing team that used a smaller T-53 Lycoming turbine engine. [1]
| No | Team [3] | Driver | Owner | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U-1 | Miss HomeStreet Bank | Jimmy Shane | City of Madison | Lycoming T55 |
| U-3 | Grigg's Ace Hardware Miss DiJulio | Jimmy King | Ed Cooper | Allison V-12 |
| U-5 | Graham Trucking I | J. Michael Kelly | Ted Porter | Lycoming T55 |
| U-7 | Graham Trucking II | Jeff Bernard | Ted Porter | |
| U-9 | Bello's Realtrac Performance/ Les Schwab/ Delta Research/Realtrac | Andrew Tate (R) | Mike and Lori Jones | |
| U-11 | Miss Peters & May | Tom Thompson | Scott and Shannon Raney | |
| U-16 | Oh Boy! Oberto | Jean Theoret | Ellstrom Family | |
| U-18 | Bucket List Racing | Dustin Echols [3] | Kelly Stocklin | Lycoming T53 |
| U-21 | PayneWest Insurance/ Albert Lee Appliance/ Miss Al Deeby/ All Access Equipment | Brian Perkins | Greg and Brian O'Farrell | Lycoming T55 |
| U-27 | Dalton Industries | Cal Phipps | Milt and Charley Wiggins | |
| U-57 | Spirit of Detroit | Corey Peabody (R) | Dave Bartush | |
| U-99.9 | CARSTAR/Miss Rock | Kevin Eacret | Stacy Briseno | |
The 2016 season began with the 66th annual Madison Regatta held in Madison, IN on July 1–3. Jimmy Shane, piloting the hometown U-1 HomeStreet Bank Miss Madison boat, finished first. J. Michael Kelly, in the U-5 Graham Trucking craft, officially placed second, followed by Brian Perkins, piloting the U-21 PayneWest Insurance. [4]
The next race was the HAPO Columbia Cup held at Tri-Cities, WA on July 29–31. J. Michael Kelly, driving the U-5 Graham Trucking, was named the winner of the 2016 HAPO Columbia Cup. Jimmy Shane drove the U-1 Miss HomeStreet Bank to an apparent victory; however, after the race, H1 officials reviewed video and reversed an initial call, saying Shane slid out from Lane 1 and hit Jean Theoret in the U-16 Oh Boy! Oberto. Theoret finished second behind Kelly, while Jimmy King in the U-3 Griggs presents the Miss Ace Hardware was third. [5] The U-1 Miss HomeStreet Bank team filed an appeal with the APBA, and on December 7, 2016, the team received notification from APBA National Commissioner, Charles D. Strang, that their August appeal and request for a review of the final heat and race results of the 2016 HAPO Columbia Cup was completed and that the HomeStreet Bank Unlimited Hydroplane had been declared the winner of the race. [6]
The third race of the season was the Albert Lee Cup at Seafair held at Seattle, WA on August 5–7. Andrew Tate in the U-9 Sound Propeller presents Les Schwab Tires boa grabbed the inside lane on the Lake Washington course and grabbed the first win by a rookie at Seafair since 1956. Jimmy Shane in the U-1 HomeStreet Bank finished second. Third place was awarded to Brian Perkins at the wheel of U-21 Albert Lee Appliance, after J. Michael Kelly was hit with a one-lap penalty for a lane violation. [7]
The fourth race of the season was the ABPA Gold Cup hosted by the UAW-GM Hydrofest at Detroit, MI on August 26–28. J. Michael Kelly in the U-5 Graham Trucking won the 100th anniversary Gold Cup to beat two-time defending champion Jimmy Shane in the U-1 HomeStreet Bank by 30 lengths. Jeff Bernard in the U-7 took third. [8]
The final race of the season was the San Diego Bayfair on September 15–17. Jimmy Shane drove U-1 Miss HomeStreet Bank to a convincing victory at the HomeStreet Bayfair Regatta for the Bill Muncey Cup on Mission Bay. In addition, the Miss HomeStreet Bank team captured its third consecutive national championship, and Shane earned his fourth consecutive driving championship. Second place went to Andrew Tate driving U-9 Delta Realtrac, and J. Michael Kelly finished third with U-5 Graham Trucking. [9]
| Race | Location | Dates | Winning Boat | Winning driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MainSource Bank's Indiana Governors Cup | Madison, IN | July 1–3 | Miss HomeStreet Bank | Jimmy Shane |
| HAPO Columbia Cup | Tri-Cities, WA | July 29–31 | Miss HomeStreet Bank [6] | Jimmy Shane |
| Albert Lee Appliance Seafair Cup | Seattle, WA | August 5–7 | Les Schwab/Sound Propeller | Andrew Tate |
| UAW-GM Hydrofest-APBA Gold Cup | Detroit, MI | August 26–28 | Graham Trucking | J. Michael Kelly |
| San Diego Bayfair | San Diego, CA | September 15–17 | Miss HomeStreet Bank | Jimmy Shane |
| Place | Number | Boat | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | U-1 | Miss HomeStreet Bank | Jimmy Shane | 8,095 |
| 2. | U-5 | Graham Trucking | J. Michael Kelly | 7,176 |
| 3. | U-9 | Bello's Realtrac Performance/ Les Schwab/ Delta Research/Realtrac | Andrew Tate | 5,862 |
| 4. | U-21 | PayneWest Insurance/ Albert Lee Appliance/ Miss Al Deeby/ All Access Equipment | Brian Perkins | 5,542 |
| 5. | U-7 | Graham Trucking II | Jeff Bernard | 4,164 |
| 6. | U-11 | Peters & May | Tom Thompson | 3,947 |
| 7. | U-27 | Dalton Industries | Cal Phipps | 3,199 |
| U-3 | Grigg's Ace Hardware Miss DiJulio | Jimmy King | ||
| 8. | U-16 | Oh Boy! Oberto | Jean Theoret | 2,290 |
| 9. | U-99.9 | CARSTAR/Miss Rock | Kevin Eacret | 1,785 |
| 10. | U-57 | Spirit of Detroit | Corey Peabody | 844 |
| 11. | U-18 | Bucket List Racing | Dustin Echols | 0 |
Note: Points earned by the U-3 in Tri-Cities and Seattle were credited to U-27. [11]