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2004
Budweiser Madison Regatta
Evansville
pullout may benefit Madison
Madison Regatta now first event of Hydro-Prop season
By
Don Ward
Editor
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Budweiser
Madison Regatta
July 2-4, 2004
in Madison, IN.
For tickets and information, call
(812) 265-5000 or visit: www.madisonregatta.com
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MADISON, Ind. (June 12, 2004) – In
the wake of tense reactions to new rule changes instituted
by the Hydro-Prop Unlimited Hydroplane Series, the Budeiser
Madison Regatta, set for July 2-4, has emerged as the first
race site of the 2004 season.
Freedom Festival officials in Evansville, Ind., traditionally
the first stop each year for the Thunder on the Ohio, on June
8 bowed out of the Hydro-Prop Series to stage their own independent
race June 25-27 absent the turbine-powered Unlimiteds. As
an independent, the race would not be sanctioned by Hydro-Prop
or the American Powerboat Association.
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2004
Madison Regatta Festival Events
(All times are EST-slow time)
Saturday,
June 26
Frisch's Big Boy Little Miss & Mr. Pageant: 10 a.m.
at the Ohio Theatre.
Cruisin' Auto 3 on 3 StreetBall Fest: 8 a.m. on the
riverfront, Vaughn Drive.
Monday, June 28
Xi Beta Upsilon Miss Madison Regatta Beauty Pageant:
8 p.m. at the Ohio Theatre. Admission $5.
Tuesday, June 29
Wet & Wild Madison Regatta, Fireman's Waterball
Fight: 6 p.m. on Main Street in front of the Jefferson
Co. (Ind.) Courthouse.
Wednesday, June 30
River Valley Financial Bank Bed Race: 6 p.m. on Main
Street in front of the Jefferson County (Ind.) Courthouse.
WORX 96.7 FM Street Dance: 8-11 p.m. on the riverfront
at Fireman's Park.
Thursday, July 1
Media Party & Madison Area Chamber of Commerce Business
After Hours: 4-6:30 p.m. at the VIP Tent along the riverfront.
For drivers, owners, officials, Chamber of Commerce
members and guests, and media only). Sponsored by Adams
Fabricating & Sales, Frisch's Big Boy and Steinhardt
Heating & Air Conditioning.
Thursday-Saturday, June 1-3
Music on the River: At Fireman's Park on the riverfront.
Sponsored by Big O Tire, Mom's Music, Papa John's Pizza,
Ponderosa Steakhouse. Thursday: Radio 96.3 WJAA Battle
of the Bands, 7-11 p.m.; Friday: From 4-11 p.m., 95.3
WIKI, 92.7 WJCP, and Eagle 99.3/103.1 present Stompbox,
Audible Point, Cactus Jack, plus more; Saturday: From
4-11 p.m., WORX 96.7 FM/WXGO 1270 AM present Charlie
Sexton Trio, Southbound, Battle of the Bands Winner,
Jimmy Davis Band, plus more.
Friday, July 2
Madison Regatta Parade: 6:15 p.m. on Main Street. Begins
at Jefferson Street heading west.
Saturday, July 3
The Madison Courier Firecracker 10K Walk/Run: 8 a.m.
Walk, 8:30 a.m. Run. Begins at the Madison Consolidated
High School, Clifty Drive.
Saturday-Sunday, July 3-4
Air Shows: times TBA. Aerial acrobatic shows over the
river by Cliff Robinson.
Saturday, July 3
American Legion Post No. 9 Fireworks Spectacular: Approximately
9 p.m. at the riverfront. Free admission.
For more information on these events, call the Madison
Regatta office at (812) 265-5000.
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Within days, a report surfaced that San Diego
officials were planning to do the same thing with its Thunderboat
Regatta, held in mid-September.
Freedom Festival officials cited the high santioning fee to
oversee the race as part of the reason for the pullout. Officials
tried, unsuccessfully, to negotiate down the price of $180,000
to $155,000 and guarantee an eight-boat field. Hydro-Prop
refused both requests.
As a result, the boat race will go on as planned with the
same $90,000 purse, according to Jim Werner, the festival
vice president of marketing. He expects up to eight boats
to compete, although they won't be the familiar turbine-powered
boats heading to Madison. One exception will be Miss Budweiser,
because Anheuser-Busch is the event's race sponsor. Race officials
plan to allow all competing boats to run at the same fuel
level.
Thunder race winners will not earn APBA points and the SPEED
Channel will not televise the race. The piston-powered Unlimited
Lights also have been added to the race lineup, with nine
teams confirmed to compete.
The move came on the heels of a sometimes bitter dispute between
the Florida-based Hydro-Prop Inc. and U-3 Unlimited team owner
Ed Cooper Jr., based in Evansville. Cooper had already opted
out of this year's racing series because of his objections
to Hydro-Prop-imposed fuel restrictions that had been considered
for his boat, Master Tire, the only non-turbine-powered Unlimited
on the circuit. Cooper's boat, powered by an Allison aircraft
engine, won three races last year, with driver Mitch Evans
at the helm. It became the first piston boat to win a race
in 14 years.
"We will certainly miss seeing our many friends in Evansville
and are sorry that they will not be with us as we continue
to do the things necessary to maintain, grow and develop the
sport of Unlimited hydroplane racing," Hydro-Prop chairman
Gary Garbrecht said in a statement.
Evansville's departure leaves six race sites on Hydro-Prop's
2004 schedule. The others in order include the Chrysler/Jeep
Superstores Detroit Hydro-Prop-APBA Gold Cup in Detroit, July
15-18; the Budweiser Columbia Cup in Tri-Cities, Wash., July
23-25; the Chevrolet Cup at Seafair in Seattle, Aug. 6-8;
the Budweiser Bluewater International Hydrofest Presented
by Citizens First in St. Clair., Mich., Aug. 20-22; and the
Washington Mutual Thunderboat Regatta in San Diego, Sept.
17-19. Hydro-Prop is nearing completion of negotiating a seventh
and new race in Nashville, Tenn., which would take place Sept.
10-12. In late May, Hydro-Prop announced it was finalizing
permits required from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to stage
the Nashville Music City Cup Regatta there. St. Clair, Mich.,
is also a new stop for the tour this year. Hydro-Prop held
an exhibition race there last year.
In Madison, officials were uncertain about how the changes
might affect their race. At the June 9 Regatta Committee meeting,
race chairman Tony Steinhardt could not say how many boats
were expected to race here. "It could be as few as four
or as many as eight; we just don't know," he said.
Since rules required that a boat must have already competed
in one race prior to entering the Gold Cup in Detroit, Madison
race officials are confident they will have a full field of
competitors, since it falls just before the Gold Cup.
The Evansville pullout may also result in more vintage hydroplanes
competing in Madison's Bob Snelling Memorial Event, since
the APBA won't be overseeing the race in Evansville.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Madison Regatta officials are
scrambling to find sponsors for next year's event, since Anheuser-Busch
previously announced it will no longer take part as a sponsor
in the series after this season and will retire its Unlimited
hydroplane race boat. The company contributes thousands of
dollars to several race sites, in addition to sponsoring the
race team.
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BUDWEISER
MADISON REGATTA
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Tentative
Race Schedule
Friday, July 2
9
a.m.: Unlimited Testing
10 a.m.: 2.5 Liter Testing
10:30 a.m.: River Open
11:30 a.m.: Vintage Limited Testing for the Bob Snelling
Vintage Memorial Event
12:30 p.m.: Unlimited Testing
Bob Snelling Vintage Memorial Event
1:30 p.m.: 2.5 Liter Qualifying Heat A
2 p.m.: Vintage 1A
2:20 p.m.: Vintage 2A
2:40 pm Vintage 3A
3 p.m.: Unlimited Time Trials (Round 1)
4 p.m.: River Open
5 p.m.: 2.5 Liter Qualifying Heat B
(Unlimited Testing if needed)
6 p.m. Madison Regatta Parade
Saturday,
July 3
9
a.m.: Unlimited Testing
10 a.m.: Air Show
10:30 a.m.: Vintage 1A-2A
11 a.m.: Unlimited Time Trials (Round 2)
Noon: River Open
12:15 p.m.: Unlimited Drivers Autograph Session
1 p.m.: Unlimited Time Trials (Round 3)
2 p.m.: 2.5 Liter Qualifying Heat (Round 1)
2:10 p.m.: Vintage 3A
2:30 p.m.: Unlimited Time Trials (Round 4)
3:30 p.m.: River Open
4 p.m.: Drivers' Meeting
4:30 p.m.: 2.5 Liter Qualifying Heat (Round 2)
5:15 p.m.: Unlimited Testing if needed
9 p.m.: American Legion Post No. 9 Fireworks Show
Sunday,
July 4
8:30
a.m.: Unlimited Testing
9:30 a.m.: 2.5 Liter Testing
9:30 a.m.: MRO Non-Denominational Chapel Service
10 a.m.: Opening Ceremonies
10:30 a.m.: Air Show
10:50 a.m.: Unlimited Heat 1A
11:10 a.m.: Unlimited Heat 1B
11:25 a.m.: Vintage 2A
11:45 a.m.: Vintage 3A
Noon: Vintage Drivers Autograph Session
Noon: River Open
1:15 p.m.: Unlimited Heat 2A
1:35 p.m.: Unlimited Heat 2B
1:50 p.m.: 2.5 Liter Final
2:10 p.m.: Vintage 1A
2:35pm Unlimited Heat 3A
3 p.m.: Unlimited Heat 3B
3:15 p.m.: Vintage 3A
3:30 p.m.: Provisional Heat or 2.5 Liters
3:45 p.m.: Air Show
4:10 p.m.: Budweiser Madison Regatta World Championship
Unlimited Final Heat
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