White graphic decal on glass showing a hydroplane boat and text: "San Diego Bay Fair Sept 13-15 2024." Photo credit noted at the bottom.

High-speed powerboat racing at San Diego Bayfair 2024

September 17, 2024/Jan Wagner/
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Billed as Southern California’s largest annual beach festival and powerboat competition, “Mercurys Presents San Diego Bayfair” took place Sept. 13-15, 2024 at Mission Bay. The event was nestled in-between East Vacation Island, Fiesta Island and Crown Point. Thankfully our extreme heat wave had just ended and the weather was great.

Boats, personal watercraft, and kayaks are active on a bay with a cityscape and parked vehicles visible along the distant shoreline.
Team members in red shirts prepare a hydroplane boat with “Mercury Coffee Co.” branding, using a crane to lift it on a trailer at an outdoor event.
Three crew members work on a red and white hydroplane boat labeled “MERC” at a boat race event, with banners and equipment in the background.
A yellow powerboat is being prepared near informational signs at Mission Bay Park, including notices about Ski Beach boat ramp closures. Water and cityscape are visible in the background.
A crowd gathers along a sandy shoreline near palm trees and rocks, watching an event. Some people take photos while a man drives an ATV along the beach.

Bob Davies, the Racing Director for San Diego Bayfair, described the racing this way, at the awards presentation on Sunday afternoon: “Wow! I mean that is some of the best racing I think we’ve ever seen out here on Mission Bay. I mean seven boats in a final, six boats in the Unlimited Final, I mean for the last three days there has been stuff on the water constantly!”

A sports team in matching uniforms celebrates on stage as two members lift a large trophy; other trophies and people are visible nearby.
A red and yellow hydroplane speedboat labeled "Beacon Electric" races across the water, creating a large spray, with a yacht and shoreline visible in the background.

The action was non-stop, the competition was intense and there were far too many stories to tell. In one of the heat races, four boats were entered. Despite trying to time their arrival at the starting line just right, three drivers miscalculated, jumped the start and lost their positions to the driver of the fourth boat, who was way back at the start but thus won the race!

A park scene with tall palm trees, other greenery, a crowd of people, and a clear blue sky. The lower part of the image appears to be corrupted and is not visible.
A blue hydroplane speeds across the water, creating a large spray, with an orange buoy and parked RVs visible in the background.
Three powerboats, numbered 3 and 93, race side by side at high speed, creating large sprays of water, with spectators and trees visible in the background.
A person stands on an orange powerboat, holding a tow line connected to a white motorboat, with spectators and vehicles onshore in the background.

The H1 Unlimited website (https://www.h1unlimited.com) tells us that this was the 60th anniversary of San Diego Bayfair, and it marked the first time since 1989 that the American Power Boat Association’s (ABPA) Gold Cup trophy was contested on the two-and-a-half mile course. The Gold Cup is the oldest trophy in motorsports, dating back to 1903 when it was designed by Tiffany & Co. at a cost of $750.

A hydroplane boat graphic with "San Diego Bayfair" above and "Celebrating 60 Years" below, printed on a white background.
A promotional banner for the 2024 San Diego Bayfair APBA Gold Cup, featuring a Mercury's Coffee Co. branded hydroplane racing boat and event sponsorship details.

“The first Gold Cup race took place in June 1904 on the Hudson River in New York. In the early days, the boats plowed through the water rather than skim over the surface of it like they do in today’s events. The winning boat, the STANDARD, owned and driven by Carl Riotte, averaged just over 23 miles per hour. Measuring 59 feet in length with an 8-1/2-foot beam, the craft used a 110-horsepower Standard motor that resembled a miniature steam engine with its steel columns and open frame. Today’s unlimited hydroplanes are approximately 30 feet in length, weigh more than three tons, and fly across the water at nearly 200 mph.”

A large trophy with engraved plaques sits in front of racing boats and crew members at a dockside event.

“San Diego first hosted the Gold Cup in 1969 when Bernie Little’s ‘Miss Budweiser’ with Bill Sterett driving won the race in front of 125,000 fans in a powerboat without a canopy or seat belts.  The following year San Diego again hosted the Gold Cup, which was again claimed by ‘Miss Budweiser’ with Dean Chenoweth at the helm.  The Gold Cup didn’t return to San Diego again until 1987 when the locally owned ‘Miller American’ hydroplane of Fran Muncey won with legendary driver Chip Hanauer.  The last Gold Cup hosted in Southern California in 1989 was claimed by the turbine-powered ‘Miss Budweiser’ on Mission Bay.”

A crane lifts a yellow hydroplane boat labeled "U-40" over a dock area with workers and onlookers, with water and city in the background.
A yellow and blue hydroplane with "U-40" on the tail is being lifted by a crane, suspended in the air against a cloudy sky.
A hydroplane boat labeled "MERCURY'S" is docked in a marina with team members standing nearby; another hydroplane is visible in the water behind them.
Three hydroplane boats race on a body of water, creating large sprays, with a hillside town visible in the background under a clear sky.
A hydroplane boat labeled "MERCURYS.COM" emits smoke on the water near a grassy shore, with two people sitting and watching in the background.
Three colorful hydroplane boats race side by side on the water near a shoreline with spectators and trees in the background.
Three hydroplane race boats speed across a body of water, with a roller coaster visible in the background.
SeaWorld San Diego is in the background
Two people ride Kawasaki jet skis at high speed on open water, creating spray as they maneuver during a race or competition.

“The APBA Gold Cup is such a historic trophy with a rich history so determining which course will hold the honor of hosting this event each season is an important decision,” said Mike Denslow, chairman of the board, H1 Unlimited. “With the return of Bayfair to this year’s schedule, it was important for the Gold Cup to make a return to Southern California after more than two decades. The San Diego fans love unlimited hydroplane racing and we know the battle for the Gold Cup will be an incredible show on their race course.”

Panoramic view of a sandy shoreline with scattered trees and RVs, with a city skyline and tall buildings in the background across the water.
Large rocks scattered across a sandy beach with some small pebbles and the shadow of the rocks visible on the sand.
A person in racing gear and a life vest stands with arms raised on a purple and orange speedboat floating on water, near a sandy shoreline.

Complementing the many classes of powerboats racing, there many other activities and entertainment for the spectators, including a bustling vendor village, a lowriders car and bicycle show, a sea rescue demonstration by the U.S. Coast Guard, flyboarding (where riders stand on a platform as a jet ski-powered geyser lifts them high about the surface of the water and enables them to perform exciting stunts), games, food and more.

People and dogs gather along a sandy beach with palm trees, swimming, playing, and relaxing near the water; crowds are visible in the background on a sunny day.
A white and tan dog runs through shallow water, creating splashes as it moves forward.
A white and tan dog swims in the water, holding a stick in its mouth.
A dog swims in the water holding a long stick in its mouth, with splashes around its body.
A white and tan dog runs through shallow water at the beach with a stick in its mouth.
A group of people stand at a Mercurys Coffee Co. booth, handling red t-shirts near a price sign, with a red company truck in the background.
A custom lowrider car with vibrant red and pink paint, raised front wheels, and detailed designs, parked near a basketball court and trees by the water.
A man stands at an outdoor "Official Merchandise" booth for San Diego Bayfair, with staff and various hats and shirts on display.
Black and white circular sign reads "Legendary Bayfair Mission Bay SD CA Established 1964" with a drawing of a hydroplane boat in the center and a checkered border.
Four classic lowrider cars with raised suspensions are parked in a row at an outdoor car show, with trees, tents, and people in the background.
A vintage green Chevrolet Impala lowrider with a raised front end, displayed at a car show next to a large Mexican flag.
A car with a baby in the back.
View from inside a car with vibrant red and purple velvet interior, looking out at an outdoor basketball court where people are playing.
A custom red lowrider bicycle with intricate chrome details and airbrushed portraits is displayed on a raised stand at an outdoor event.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter in flight against a blue sky, with its rotors in motion and distinct red, white, and blue markings visible.
U.S. Coast Guard boat on the water with one person diving in and another standing on deck; shoreline with buildings and palm trees in background.
A helicopter hovers over water as a person in a wetsuit is being lowered by a cable during a rescue demonstration near the shore.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter performs a rescue drill over water, lowering a crew member toward a Coast Guard boat near a shoreline with houses in the background.
A person on a jet ski.
A person uses a water-powered jetpack, creating an arc of water above a bay, with a cityscape visible in the background.
A person uses a water-powered jetpack to perform a high arc above the ocean, creating a large spray, with a coastal city in the background.
A person operating a water-powered jetpack hovers above the water, with another person falling off a jet ski below, both surrounded by water spray.
An older man wearing a life vest rides an electric hydrofoil surfboard above the water on a sunny day.

For more information, visit the San Diego Bayfair website at https://sandiegobayfair.org, the H1 Unlimited website at https://www.h1unlimited.com, the Official Title Sponsor Mercurys Coffee Co. at https://mercurysracing.com and the American Power Boat Association (APBA) at https://www.apba.org/index.html.

Four speedboats race on a body of water, creating large sprays behind them, with a hillside neighborhood visible in the background.

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Copyright © 2024 by Jan Wagner – AutoMatters & More #854r2

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