San Diego Bayfair event banner featuring a hydroplane boat, a person on a flyboard, and palm trees. Text reads: “San Diego Bayfair, World Series of Powerboat Racing, Southern California’s Largest Beach Festival.”.

Powerboat racing at San Diego Bayfair 2026

September 29, 2026/Jan Wagner/
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Taking place September 18-20, right next to the beach on San Diego’s beautiful Mission Bay, the sounds of screaming powerboats filled the air during San Diego Bayfair — a major event that the whole family enjoys.

Inflatable San Diego Bayfair archway entrance at an outdoor event.
A checkered feather flag that reads “San Diego Bayfair” and “Event Entrance.”.
Two tall advertising feather flags for the San Diego Bayfair event, one marked “Event Entrance” and the other featuring a hydroplane boat.
Informational sign for Mission Bay Park listing boating regulations, speed limits, age requirements, and watercraft rules, including a map of the area with a legend.
Topographic map of Mission Bay Park in San Diego, including a legend for waterway regulations, facilities, bridge clearances, and location coordinates.
Two hydroplane race boats speeding across the water, kicking up large white sprays.
People sitting in folding chairs along a waterfront park, with a golf cart parked in the foreground.
A woman wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses raises a fist in front of an outdoor crowd near a lake.

Each time the next race was about to begin, workers on quads drove up and down the beach urging swimmers to get out of the water. They, and the many people watching from their lawn chairs on the shoreline, were then thrilled by the next round of exciting racing.

A person sitting on the sand watches another person ride an ATV into shallow water.

Organizers expected nearly 100,000 people over the three-day event, but it never felt crowded because they were spread out across Mission Bay’s East Vacation Island, Crown Point and Fiesta Island, providing plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the event. The more than 500 volunteers, without whom this event could not be held, did a great job helping to put on this annual event and making sure that the spectators had a great time. Furthermore, the San Diego Tourism Marketing District was a major backer.

People gathered on a grassy waterfront park with bicycles, folding chairs, and a golf cart under a large tree, with a cityscape across the bay in the background.
A seagull in flight over calm water.
A concrete bridge spanning a wide bay, viewed from a rocky shoreline.
A motor yacht on a bay, with a roller coaster and an observation tower visible among trees in the background.
A white sport fishing yacht named “Thunder” cruising on the water.

Visitors to San Diego could stay right next to Mission Bay in San Diego Bayfair’s partner hotels or in RVs.

Beachfront bungalows along a sandy shore with people relaxing and swimming in the water.
A sandy beach along a bay with small hotel buildings, trees, and a few people resting in the shade.

“San Diego Bayfair is part of a rich motorsports history in San Diego,” said Bob Davies, Bayfair’s race director. “You get families who’ve been coming for 40-plus years standing right next to families attending for the first time. It’s a great event for the family.”

A person’s feet resting on sandy ground near a multicolored beach ball.
A person wearing a blue patterned shirt eating purple shaved ice with a plastic spoon.

“Founded in 1964, Mission Bay Park was built to host hydroplane races. From the oval course to the banked shores to dissipate boat wakes, the 2.5-mile course is the longest and fastest on the H1 Unlimited circuit.”

Two hydroplane race boats speeding across a bay, creating large plumes of water spray, with a residential hillside in the background.

The Bill Muncey Cup, which was displayed prominently at the front of the stage during the event’s award ceremonies, is named for Bill Muncey, the legendary hydroplane racer who, according to hydroplane historian Dan Cowie (thank you Wikipedia!), was “without question, the greatest hydroplane racer in history.” “Muncey was nicknamed ‘Mr. Unlimited’ and won 62 races, which was the most races in the history of the sport until Dave Villwock broke his record in 2011″ (thank you Wikipedia!).

Seven trophies displayed on tables in front of a San Diego Bayfair banner, with the large Bill Muncey Cup trophy in the foreground.
The Bill Muncey Cup trophy featuring engraved winner plaques and a commemorative plaque depicting the Washington Mutual Thunderboat Regatta.

The weather for this year’s event was absolutely gorgeous. Unlike other motorsports events where spectators sit in bleachers on assigned seats, spectators at San Diego Bayfair can and do walk around, free to choose great vantage points from which to view the racing action…

Spectators in folding chairs sit along a sandy shore watching a public event.

… as well as check out the vendor village…

Outdoor vendor booths at an event, including a freeze-dried candy stand and an official merchandise tent.
A mobile merchandise stand for Strong Racing displaying shirts, hats, and two posters featuring Tahoe Miss and Maverick hydroplane race boats.

… and the pits, where boats were being worked on between racing heats, after they were lifted high out of the water by towering cranes.

A sign for the San Diego Bayfair powerboat racing event, featuring a map of Vacation Isle gates and a QR code to view maps online.
A sign that reads “San Diego Bayfair World Series of Powerboat Racing” above the text “Boat Team Drop Off ONLY.”.
Outdoor event area with race boat trailers, large cranes, and people walking on a sunny day.
A crew member works on a yellow hydroplane boat mounted on a trailer, with its engine resting on a stand nearby.
Two large cranes with American flags on their booms are positioned behind a row of parked racing boats at a marina.
A crane lowers a blue and white racing boat marked “GP-17” toward a boat ramp where crew members stand.
A crane lifts a large white racing boat hull above a trailer, with a crew of workers standing around it on an asphalt lot.
Three crew members in team uniforms work on a large exposed engine suspended by a hoist in front of an orange racing boat.
A row of hydroplane racing boats parked on trailers along a waterfront, with crew members nearby and a crane in the background.
A yellow and blue hydroplane race boat with its engine cowl raised, parked on a trailer near the water.
A mechanic leans over a large, high-performance supercharged engine mounted on a wooden pallet.

One of the race fans told us of a great vantage point from which to photograph the racing action, and they were right! We shot photos of much of the racing from that very location.

A driver crawls onto their capsized, multicolored hydroplane in the water as a yellow race boat speeds by in the background.
A person in a helmet and jumpsuit stands on a colorful, partially submerged racing boat in the water.
A white motorboat tows a bright green and blue race boat with a yellow-helmeted driver on a bay with a city skyline in the background.
Three men in matching blue shirts and bucket hats stand by the water at a Westcoast Mobile Incident Rescue event.
A crane lifts a metal rescue boat labeled “RESCUE” above a busy race boat pit area.

The U.S. Coast Guard demonstrated how they use a helicopter to rescue people from the water. Then, last Sunday, I spoke to that very same helicopter pilot at the MCAS Miramar AirShow, in San Diego (to be covered soon here, in “AutoMatters & More”).

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter hoists a rescue swimmer from the water near a shoreline.
U.S. Coast Guard helicopter in flight with an aircrew member visible in the open side door.
U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter in flight against a cloudy blue sky.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter hovering over the water near a beach and a residential hillside.

Depending upon the class of powerboats that is racing, the courses are different. The feature H1 Unlimited hydroplanes race was held on the 2.5-mile Bill Muncey racecourse. Heading into the three-day event, Jimmy Shane, driving the U-27 Miss Apollo, held a 180-point lead over Andrew Tate in the U-1 BWR Racing hydroplane, in their ongoing competition for the H1 National High Points Champion title. According to Darrell Strong, co-owner of H1 Unlimited, “San Diego has flipped championships before, and everybody in the pits knows it” — and that is precisely what happened again. On the final day of the event and of the season, Andrew Tate, driving the U-1 BWR Racing hydroplane, came from behind with an average speed of 152.956 mph to win the Bill Muncey Cup, and the team also won the 2026 H1 Unlimited hydroplane season.

Two hydroplane racing boats speed across the water in front of a city skyline.
Three unlimited hydroplane race boats speeding across the water, kicking up large wakes.
Three hydroplane race boats speeding across a body of water, leaving trails of spray.
Two racing hydroplanes speed through the water alongside a large motor yacht on a bay.
Three hydroplane race boats speeding across a body of water, creating large spray plumes in front of a shore with motorhomes and houses.
Two hydroplane boats racing on the water, creating large spray plumes in front of a hillside residential area.

See the recap and final results at: https://h1unlimited.com/andrew-tate-wins-the-bill-muncey-cup-and-claims-2026-national-high-points-championship/.

A gold and white BWR Racing hydroplane boat speeding across the water, creating a large white wake.
Members of the BWR Racing team hold up the Bill Muncey Cup trophy during a presentation ceremony.
A racing team lifts a large trophy, the Bill Munces Cup, while standing on a podium.
A large crowd of people sitting and standing on a lawn at an outdoor event, many wearing matching orange, blue, and black uniforms.

In addition to the H1 Unlimited hydroplanes, other classes of powerboats competing included Grand Prix America hydroplanes and sportsman classes from the Southern California Speedboat Club and RPM Racing. 1-Liter, Crackerbox, SA-105, Pro Stock, SE and flatbottom were represented.

Sticker collection featuring the Grand Prix America Hydroplanes logo, Fast Loud Photography, Rooster Tail Talk Podcast, and Jesel Valvetrain Innovation logos.
Two race boats on the water, with the drivers in orange and yellow helmets waving to the crowd.
Two race boats speeding across the water, one white and one yellow.
Two racing boats with multi-person crews competing on the water.
Two race officials stand in an orange aerial lift, with one holding a checkered flag.
Two people in a racing boat named Cracker Jill with American flag decals on the side, both wearing orange helmets and life vests while waving to the crowd.
A team celebrating a third-place win, with a baby sitting inside a large silver Bill Muncey Cup trophy.

San Diego Bayfair will be returning to San Diego ‘s Mission Bay on September 17-19, 2027. To keep up with the latest information, visit https://sandiegobayfair.org.

A large American flag hanging from the extended boom of a telehandler.

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Copyright © 2026 by Jan Wagner – AutoMatters & More #946r2

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Jan Wagner

2 Comments

  1. David Sperry on October 1, 2026 at 10:12 pm

    Jan, that must have been a very exciting weekend. Never, in all the places I’ve lived in the world, have I been able to see a powerboat/hydroplane competition. The spectacle and noise must be very exciting! What amazes me is when the hydroplanes, going a few hundred MPH, become airborne and land upside down, with rarely an injury. Did anyone go airborne at this event? Great column. David.

    Reply
    • Jan Wagner on October 2, 2026 at 11:01 am

      Hi David,
      Thank you for your comments.
      San Diego is the only place that I’ve lived where I’ve seen powerboat racing. It is, indeed, exciting to watch. Unlike automobile racing, where the track surface does not change much over the course of a race (except for the accumulation of dust, “marbles” (little bits of tire rubber) and water — if it rains, the racing surface upon which powerboats race can become much more rough due to wind gusts and wakes from other boats. This can and sometimes does result in powerboats launching into the air and even flipping. I did not see that happen this year, but I did see and photograph that happen at San Diego Bayfair last year.
      Jan

      Reply

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