Wikipedia / Miss Madison
Wikipedia / Miss Madison
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.
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 # | Years | Wins | Powerplant | Formerly | Notes |
1 | 1961-1963 | 0 | Allison V-12 | U-79 Nitrogen | Destroyed in 1963 Gold Cup trials |
2 | 1963-1971 | 3 | Allison V-12 | U-79-2 Nitrogen Too | 1971 Gold Cup champion |
3 | 1972-1977 | 0 | Allison V-12 | - | - |
4 | 1978-1988 | 1 | Allison V-12 | Pay 'n Pak and Atlas Van Lines | - |
5 | 1988-1990 | 1 | Allison V-12 | - | - |
- | 1991-2006 | 2 | Lycoming Turbine | - | - |
6 | 1988 | 0 | Allison V-12 | Risley's | Is the Cooper family U-3 hydroplane, borrowed for one race. |
7 | 2007–2023 | 12 | Lycoming 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. |
8 | 2018-2024 | 1 | Lycoming Turbine | Miss 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. |
8 | 2025-present | 1 | Lycoming Turbine | Miss Budweiser (T-3) | A boat owned by Dave Bartush of Detroit MI, was leased by Miss Madison Racing for the 2025 season after Charlie Grooms wrongfully sold the teams former hulls (2007 "Sharky" and T-7) and equipment to Bruce Ratchford. Under the leadership of Crew Chief Trey Holt, the team plans to compete in Guntersville Alabama, and the hometown race the Madison Regatta. |
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
Year | Driver |
2008 | Steve David |
2009 | Steve David |
2010 | Steve David |
2012 | Steve David |
2014 | Jimmy Shane |
2015 | Jimmy Shane |
2016 | Jimmy Shane |
2017 | Jimmy Shane |
2019 | Jimmy Shane |
2021 | Team only Jeff Bernard (1) and Jimmy Shane (2-4) |
2022 | Jimmy Shane |
Gold Cup Championships
Year | Driver |
1971 | Jim McCormick |
2014 | Jimmy Shane |
2015 | Jimmy Shane |
2017 | Jimmy Shane |
2019 | Jimmy Shane |
2021 | Jimmy 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) Goodman Real Estate 2022-present (U-91)
Sponsors by Year and Hull
Year | Hull Number | Name |
1961 | 5879 | Miss Madison |
1962 | 5879 | Miss Madison |
1963 | 5879 | Miss Madison |
1963 | 6079 | Miss Madison |
1964 | 6079 | Miss Madison |
1965 | 6079 | Miss Madison |
1966 | 6079 | Miss Madison |
1967 | 6079 | Miss Madison |
1968 | 6079 | Miss Madison |
1969 | 6079 | Miss Madison |
1970 | 6079 | Miss Madison |
1971 | 6079 | Miss Madison |
1972 | 7206 | Miss Madison |
1973 | 7206 | Miss Madison |
1974 | 7206 | Miss Madison |
1975 | 7206 | Miss Madison / Hamm's Bear |
1976 | 7206 | Miss Madison / Miss Lynnwood |
1977 | 7206 | Miss Madison / Barney Armstrong's Machine / Starvin’ Marvin |
1978 | 7325 | Miss Madison (Hull originally U-25 Pay’n Pak) |
1979 | 7325 | Miss Madison |
1980 | 7325 | Dr. Toyota |
1981 | 7325 | Frank Kenney Toyota-Volvo |
1982 | 7325 | Frank Kenney Toyota-Volvo / Rich Plan Food Service |
1983 | 7325 | Frank Kenney Toyota-Volvo / Rich Plan Food Service |
1984 | 7325 | American Speedy Printing |
1985 | 7325 | American Speedy Printing |
1986 | 7325 | Holset - Miss Madison |
1987 | 7325 | Holset - Miss Madison |
1988 | 7325 | Holset - Miss Madison |
1988 | 8803 | Miss Madison (Leased from Cooper's Express) |
1988 | 8806 | Holset - Miss Madison / Risley's Holset - Miss Madison |
1989 | 8806 | Holset - Miss Madison / Holset Miss Mazda |
1990 | 8806 | Holset - Miss Madison / Holset Miss Mazda |
1991 | 8806 | Gaylord's at Kilohana / Valvoline Miss Madison / Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
1992 | 8806 | Kellogg's Tony the Tiger |
1993 | 8806 | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
1994 | 8806 | Powerball / Miss Madison |
1995 | 8806 | Jasper Engines and Transmissions / Dewalt Tools |
1996 | 8806 | Dewalt Tools |
1997 | 8806 | Dewalt Tools |
1998 | 8806 | Miss Madison |
1999 | 8806 | Miss Madison (White) |
2000 | 8806 | Miss Madison (Yellow) / Oh Boy! Oberto |
2001 | 8806 | Oh Boy! Oberto |
2002 | 8806 | Oh Boy! Oberto |
2003 | 8806 | Oh Boy! Oberto |
2004 | 8806 | Oh Boy! Oberto |
2005 | 8806 | Oh Boy! Oberto |
2006 | 8806 | Oh Boy! Oberto |
2007 | 0706 | Oh Boy! Oberto |
2008 | 0706 | Oh Boy! Oberto |
2009 | 0706 | Oh Boy! Oberto (U-1) |
2010 | 0706 | Oh Boy! Oberto (U-1) |
2011 | 0706 | Oh Boy! Oberto (U-1) |
2012 | 0706 | Oh Boy! Oberto |
2013 | 0706 | Oh Boy! Oberto (U-1) |
2014 | 0706 | Oberto |
2015 | 0706 | Oberto (U-1) |
2016 | 0706 | HomeStreet Bank (U-1) |
2017 | 0706 | HomeStreet Bank (U-1) |
2018 | 0706 | HomeStreet Bank (U-1) (except San Diego) |
2018 | 1806 | HomeStreet Bank (U-1) (San Diego) Miss Madison had acquired Bernie Little's hydroplane racing assets) |
2019 | 1806 | HomeStreet Bank (U-6) Entire 2019 season |
2019 | 0706 | Oberto Specialty Meats (U-1918) Tri-Cities, Seattle, and San Diego Only |
2021 | 0706 | Goodman Real Estate, HomeStreet Bank (U-1) Guntersville and Madison Only |
1806 | HomeStreet Bank (U-1) Tri-Cities and San Diego Only | |
2022 | 1806 | HomeStreet Bank (U-1) |
0706 | Goodman Real Estate (U-91) |
from http://www.namba.com
Drivers
Drivers of Miss Madison since 1961.
Driver | Year |
Marion Cooper | 1961-1963 |
Morlan Visel | 1963 |
Buddy Byers | 1963-1965 |
Jim McCormick | 1966, 1969-1971 |
Ed O'Halloran | 1967-1968 |
Charlie Dunn | 1972-1973 |
Tom Sheehy | 1973, 1982 |
Milner Irvin | 1974, 1978-1981, 1984 |
Jerry Bangs | 1975 |
Ron Snyder | 1976, 1982–84, 1986–88 |
Jon Peddie | 1977-78 |
Andy Coker | 1985-1986 |
Jerry Hopp | 1986, 2000 |
Mitch Evans | 1988 |
Mike Hanson | 1988-98 |
Todd Yarling | 1999 |
Charley Wiggins | 2000 |
Nate Brown | 2000 |
Steve David | 2001-2013 |
Jon Zimmerman | 2011 (Back-up driver for the Gold Cup while Steve David was recovering from injuries from Madison) |
Jimmy Shane | 2014-22 U-6 (2019) |
Jeff Bernard | 2019-22 Second boat (2019, 2022-), Primary (Gold Cup, 2021) |
Dylan Runne | 2023 U-6 |
Andrew Tate | 2023-24 U-91 |
Brandon Kennedy | 2025 U-6 |
References
External links
Official website; Retrieved January 18, 2007
Official website; Retrieved July 15, 2014