Miss Madison

Last updated
Miss Madison, in the colors of Oberto Sausage Company in 2007. The hull was used until the end of 2023. The 2018 hull was completed and the livery is different. MissMadisonHydroplane2007.jpg
Miss Madison, in the colors of Oberto Sausage Company in 2007. The hull was used until the end of 2023. The 2018 hull was completed and the livery is different.

Miss Madison is an H1 Unlimited hydroplane team. It is the only community-owned Unlimited hydroplane in the world. It is based out of Madison, Indiana, a small town of 12,000 residents on the Ohio River which annually hosts the Madison Regatta. The story of the boat and city are the subject of the 2001 film Madison.

Contents

Traditionally running under the U-6 banner, for 2024 they will field a new boat for the 2024 season, U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate. The number refers to the 1991 founding of the sponsor..

History

The team was started in 1960 when industrialist Samuel F. Dupont donated one of his hydroplanes to the town in 1961 to be run in the American Power Boat Association races. The town's boat is registered as "U-6" (for APBA Unlimited class, #6) in high-points unlimited hydroplane racing since 1961, which makes them the longest-running team in the sport, although the team will change numbers if required by H1 Unlimited regulations that state the defending national champion use the U-1 designation. Through 2008 the U-6 team has used only 7 different hulls, although number 6 was used for only one race in 1988 when the new 5th Miss Madison hull crashed at San Diego in 1988. The Miss Madison team leased the U-3 Risley's hull from owners Ed Cooper, Sr., and Ed Cooper, Jr., for the final race of the year in Las Vegas. The U-3 was officially the U-6 Miss Madison at this one event. The 2nd-to-last hull was built in 1988 by Ron Jones Marine in Seattle, Washington. The hull was first used as a piston-engined boat powered by a V-12 Allison aircraft engine. It was later redesigned for a Lycoming turbine engine, the same type of engine used in the Chinook helicopters. The championship winning U-1 Miss HomeStreet sponsored racing hull was built in 2007 for the H1 Unlimited hydroplane series. A new U-6 debuted in 2018. It was originally built in 2003 but was never completed following Bernie Little's death. That hull was acquired by HomeStreet in 2017 and debuted at the end of the 2018 season. During the 2019 season, the team ran two boats, with the 2007 hull as the U-1918 (for sponsor Oberto Specialty Meats' founding year) and the 2018 hull as the U-6. The second hull was renamed after a sponsorship and management deal, it is now known as the U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate. The two hulls were raced until 2023.

For 2024, one hull will be raced (the 2018 boat) and will carry U-91 (1991 founding year) of Goodman Real Estate.

Hulls

Miss Madison Racing Hulls
(1961–present)
HULL #YearsWinsPowerplantFormerlyNotes
11961-19630Allison V-12U-79 NitrogenDestroyed in 1963 Gold Cup trials
21963-19713Allison V-12U-79-2 Nitrogen Too1971 Gold Cup champion
31972-19770Allison V-12--
41978-19881Allison V-12Pay 'n Pak and Atlas Van Lines-
51988-19901Allison V-12--
-1991-20062Lycoming Turbine--
619880Allison V-12Risley'sIs the Cooper family U-3 hydroplane, borrowed for one race.
72007–202312Lycoming Turbine-After the 2018 hull began racing, Miss Madison continued to field the old hull in West Coast races during the 2019 season as the U-1918 Oberto Specialty Meats (referencing the date of the brand's founding). It was the first time there were two Miss Madison boats in a single regatta. Was the U-91 Goodman Real Estate (again referencing its founding, 1991) since 2021.
82018-present1Lycoming TurbineMiss Budweiser (T-7) (never completed)An unfinished boat formerly owned by Joe Little following his father's death in 2003, the boat was built in Tukwila, WA at the Little shop. HomeStreet Bank acquired the boat when they acquired Hydroplanes, Inc., the Little family shop, and finished the hull in 2018. During the 2019 season, this boat was the U-6 when Miss Madison fielded two boats. In years after the team is the national champion, it carried U-1. When the team downsized in 2024, the boat became the primary boat, now carrying U-91 for its sponsor.

Wins

The Miss Madison had only a handful of wins in its history prior to joining the H-1 Unlimited series. The team has won ten (2008-10, 2012, 2014-17, 2019, 2021) National High Point Championships for the racing season. The single biggest individual victory occurred in 1971, when the Gold Cup (the World Series of hydroplane racing) was held in Madison for the first time. U-6 went on to win the Atomic Cup in Tri-Cities, Washington, that same year, and finished second nationally in overall points for the 1971 season.

Other major victories occurred when she won in 2001 and 2010 in Madison for the home town fans. Miss Madison has won in Guntersville, Alabama in 1965, Lake Ozark, Missouri in 1983, San Diego, California in 1993, Thunder on the Ohio in Evansville, Indiana in 2005, and the Columbia Cup in Tri-Cities, Washington in 2008 and 2009. Two wins in 2007 coming in Seattle at the Seafair Cup, and San Diego, California.

National High Point Championships

YearDriver
2008Steve David
2009Steve David
2010Steve David
2012Steve David
2014Jimmy Shane
2015Jimmy Shane
2016Jimmy Shane
2017Jimmy Shane
2019Jimmy Shane
2021Team only Jeff Bernard (1) and Jimmy Shane (2-4)
2022Jimmy Shane

Gold Cup Championships

YearDriver
1971Jim McCormick
2014Jimmy Shane
2015Jimmy Shane
2017Jimmy Shane
2019Jimmy Shane
2021Jimmy Shane

Sponsorship

As with any racing team, sponsors have been important to keep teams running. Miss Madison has had many title sponsors through the years. Many of them have been large companies. The boat, racing under the official number U-6, started out as just the Miss Madison and remained that way for a very long time. Sponsorships became a big part of the team after 1988 when the new hull was beginning its racing career. Miss Madison has been sponsored by Mazda, Holset, Kelloggs Frosted Flakes, Jasper Engines and Transmissions, DeWalt Tools, Oberto Sausage Company. HomeStreet Bank began sponsorship starting in 2016. Oberto returned for selected races in 2019 for the second hull. Goodman Real Estate took over in 2021 for selected races, and the team became full-time in 2022.

History of Miss Madison Sponsors Hamm's Beer 1975 Miss Lynnwood 1976 Armstrong's Machine 1977 Starvin Marvin 1977 Dr. Toyota 1980 Frank Kenney Toyota 1981-82 Miss Rich Food Plan Service 1982-83 American Speedy Printing 1984-85 The Ching Group 1985 Holset Miss Madison 1986-90 Holset Miss Mazda 1989-90 Kellogg's 1992-94 Jasper Engines & Transmissions 1995 DeWalt Tools 1995-97 Powerball 1998 Oberto Beef Jerky 2000–15, 2019 (U-1918) Homestreet Bank 2016-present (U-6) [1] Goodman Real Estate 2022-present (U-91)

Sponsors by Year and Hull

YearHull NumberName
19615879Miss Madison
19625879Miss Madison
19635879Miss Madison
19636079Miss Madison
19646079Miss Madison
19656079Miss Madison
19666079Miss Madison
19676079Miss Madison
19686079Miss Madison
19696079Miss Madison
19706079Miss Madison
19716079Miss Madison
19727206Miss Madison
19737206Miss Madison
19747206Miss Madison
19757206Miss Madison / Hamm's Bear
19767206Miss Madison / Miss Lynnwood
19777206Miss Madison / Barney Armstrong's Machine / Starvin’ Marvin
19787325Miss Madison (Hull originally U-25 Pay’n Pak)
19797325Miss Madison
19807325Dr. Toyota
19817325Frank Kenney Toyota-Volvo
19827325Frank Kenney Toyota-Volvo / Rich Plan Food Service
19837325Frank Kenney Toyota-Volvo / Rich Plan Food Service
19847325American Speedy Printing
19857325American Speedy Printing
19867325Holset - Miss Madison
19877325Holset - Miss Madison
19887325Holset - Miss Madison
19888803Miss Madison (Leased from Cooper's Express)
19888806Holset - Miss Madison / Risley's Holset - Miss Madison
19898806Holset - Miss Madison / Holset Miss Mazda
19908806Holset - Miss Madison / Holset Miss Mazda
19918806Gaylord's at Kilohana / Valvoline Miss Madison / Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
19928806Kellogg's Tony the Tiger
19938806Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
19948806Powerball / Miss Madison
19958806Jasper Engines and Transmissions / Dewalt Tools
19968806Dewalt Tools
19978806Dewalt Tools
19988806Miss Madison
19998806Miss Madison (White)
20008806Miss Madison (Yellow) / Oh Boy! Oberto
20018806Oh Boy! Oberto
20028806Oh Boy! Oberto
20038806Oh Boy! Oberto
20048806Oh Boy! Oberto
20058806Oh Boy! Oberto
20068806Oh Boy! Oberto
20070706Oh Boy! Oberto
20080706Oh Boy! Oberto
20090706Oh Boy! Oberto (U-1)
20100706Oh Boy! Oberto (U-1)
20110706Oh Boy! Oberto (U-1)
20120706Oh Boy! Oberto
20130706Oh Boy! Oberto (U-1)
20140706Oberto
20150706Oberto (U-1)
20160706HomeStreet Bank (U-1)
20170706HomeStreet Bank (U-1)
20180706HomeStreet Bank (U-1) (except San Diego)
20181806HomeStreet Bank (U-1) (San Diego)
Miss Madison had acquired Bernie Little's hydroplane racing assets)
20191806HomeStreet Bank (U-6)
Entire 2019 season
20190706Oberto Specialty Meats (U-1918)
Tri-Cities, Seattle, and San Diego Only
20210706Goodman Real Estate, HomeStreet Bank (U-1)
Guntersville and Madison Only
1806HomeStreet Bank (U-1)
Tri-Cities and San Diego Only
20221806HomeStreet Bank (U-1)
0706Goodman Real Estate (U-91)

from http://www.namba.com

Drivers

Drivers of Miss Madison since 1961.

DriverYear
Marion Cooper1961-1963
Morlan Visel1963
Buddy Byers1963-1965
Jim McCormick1966, 1969-1971
Ed O'Halloran1967-1968
Charlie Dunn1972-1973
Tom Sheehy1973, 1982
Milner Irvin1974, 1978-1981, 1984
Jerry Bangs1975
Ron Snyder1976, 1982–84, 1986–88
Jon Peddie1977-78
Andy Coker1985-1986
Jerry Hopp1986, 2000
Mitch Evans1988
Mike Hanson1988-98
Todd Yarling1999
Charley Wiggins2000
Nate Brown2000
Steve David2001-2013
Jon Zimmerman2011 (Back-up driver for the Gold Cup while Steve David was recovering from injuries from Madison)
Jimmy Shane2014-22
U-6 (2019)
Jeff Bernard2019-22
Second boat (2019, 2022-), Primary (Gold Cup, 2021)
Dylan Runne2023
U-6
Andrew Tate2023
U-91

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References

  1. "H1 Unlimited – Home of the World's Fastest Boats".