Hydrotown welcomes 7 unlimiteds, 26 others to Gold Cup racing this week

Aaron Stephens has a name for the Tri-Cities when it comes to boat racing: Hydrotown.

The race director for the American Power Boat Association’s Apollo Gold Cup race that is rapidly approaching this weekend reminded the Herald that it was the newspaper itself that gave the race the moniker back in 1997.

“One boat sponsor, Flav R Pac, (was) owned by (the late Tri-Citian) Frank Tiegs,” said Stephens. “Darrell Strong owns two unlimited hydroplanes, and Bruce Ratchford owns three. Strong grew up in Pasco, and Ratchford grew up in Kennewick.

“The Chairman of H1 (Mike Denslow) is from Pasco,” Stephens continued. “The H1 general manager, Taryn Baze, is from this area and was the event director of the Water Follies. The Tri-Cities is the home of hydroplanes. This is Hydrotown.”

So consider this week a Homecoming, as the H1 Unlimited fleet arrives to complete for the Gold Cup.

This will be the 60th running of unlimited hydroplanes in the Tri-Cities.

Stephens says there will be 33 boats of some kind setting up in Lampson Pits on Thursday.

That will include seven H1 Unlimited hydroplanes:

• U-8 Miss Beacon Electric, driver J. Michael Kelly
• U-9 Miss Beacon Plumbing, driver Corey Peabody
• U-11 Miss Flav-R-Pac, driver Jamie Nilsen
• U-12 Graham Trucking, driver Jeff Bernard
• U-21 Spirit of America, driver Gunnar O’Farrell
• U-27 Miss Apollo, driver Dave Villwock
• U-91 Goodman Real Estate, driver Andrew Tate

This is the largest unlimited fleet of the season to this point, with U-12 and U-21 teams making their season debuts.

Bernard and crew chief Tom Anderson have been spending the last few months getting Rob Graham’s boat ready to run.

O’Farrell’s grandfather, Greg O’Farrell, and his father, Brian O’Farrell, have spent the last few months getting the Go Fast, Turn Left boat ready to go after Gunnar flipped it during the Spring Training event in the Tri-Cities back in May.

Meanwhile, here’s the rest of the class lineups numbers: five vintage boats, six Grand Prix boats, five 2.5 mods, four 2.5 stocks, and six 1.5 stocks.

The two 2.5 mods and stocks will all run together.

Current standings

Here’s the good news for the H1 teams: pretty much everyone still has a chance to win the national high points championship.

That’s what happens when the first race in Guntersville, Ala., was blown out by Mother Nature back in June; only qualifying points counted.

And the weather cut short the race in Madison, Ind., earlier this month.

Not many points have been compiled.

Here are the current standings heading into Friday: 1, Tate and the U-91, with 1,225 points; 2, Kelly and the U-8, 1,130 points; 3, Peabody and the U-9, 960 points; 4, Nilsen and the U-11, 925 points; 5, Villwock and the U-27, 655 points; 6, Brandon Kennedy and the U-6 Miss Madison, 225 points.

Kennedy and the U-6 only raced in Madison, and the team is not making the trip out west.

Villwock reported Monday night that the BMR Team will continue to use the boat nicknamed Sharky, the 2007 hull that ran as Miss Madison/Oh Boy! Oberto for years.

Villwock flipped in the U-27 in the first race in Guntersville, forcing the Bruce Ratchford team to bruins out the backup U-7 hull.

After the Gold Cup, the remaining two races are Seafair in Seattle, on Aug. 1-3; and the San Diego Bayfair, set for Sept. 12-14.

Revised schedule

Stephens sent out the most recently updated Water Follies schedule on Sunday night. Here it is (with a possibility of changing):

Friday, July 25

8 a.m. — Park opens

8:15 to 11 — Testing for all classifications

11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Air show

1:15 — 1.5 stock heat 1

1:35 — 2.5 mod/stock heat 1

1:50 to 3:50 — H1 qualifying

3:55 to 4:15 — Vintage boats

4:25 – 1.5 stock heat 2

4:45 — 2.5 mod/stock heat 2

5:05 — Vintage Dash for Cash

Saturday, July 26

8 a.m. — Park opens

8:15 to 9 — Testing for smaller classes

9 to 9:25 — Vintage9:30 — 1.5 stock heat 3

9:50 — 2.5 mod/stock heat 3

10-11 — H1 testing

11:15-1 p.m. — Air show

12 — All drivers autograph session at stage

1:15 — 1.5 stock heat 4

1:35 — 2.5 mod/stock heat 4

1:55 — Grand Prix America heat 1

2:25 — H1 heat 1A

2:55 — H1 heat 1B

3:15 — Grand Prix American heat 2

3:30-4 — Vintage

4:15 — H1 heat 2A

4:45 — H1 heat 2B

Sunday, July 27

7 a.m. — Park opens

7:30 — Church services at stage

8-9 — Joint testing for H1 and Grand Prix America

9-9:25 — Vintage

10 — Opening ceremonies

10:25 — H1 heat 3A

10:50 — H1 heat 3B

11:15-1 p.m. — Air show

1:10 — Grand Prix America heat 3

1:35 — 1.5 stock heat 5

1:55 — 2.5 mod/stock heat 5

2:20 — H1 heat 4A

2:50 — H1 heat 4B

3:15 — 1.5 stock final

3:35 — 2.5 mod/stock final

4-4:30 — Vintage

4:45 (5-minute gun) — Grand Prix America final

5:10 (5-minute gun) — H1 Gold Cup final

This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 12:40 PM.