Madison Regatta

The Lucas Oil Indiana Governor's Cup or Madison Regatta, is a hydroplane boat race and is the first official race of the Air National Guard H1 Unlimited Series season. Its title sponsor for 2010 is Lucas Oil. The race is typically held around Fourth of July weekend on the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana, USA. Madison has hosted the Madison Regatta annually since 1951, although the race was also contested in the 1930s. The race inspired a Hollywood motion picture in 1999 titled Madison which starred actor Jim Caviezel.

History

Informal racing took place in Madison, Indiana as early as 1911. But the first major race didn't occur until 1929. That was when the now-defunct Mississippi Valley Power Boat Association conducted a race for the 725 Cubic Inch Class, which evolved into the Unlimited Class after World War II. The MVPBA conducted the Webb Trophy at Madison in 1930. The Webb Trophy was the MVPBA equivalent of the APBA Gold Cup--their top award.

The 725s raced at Madison throughout the 1930s until the disastrous Ohio River flood of 1937 and World War II brought down the curtain for a while.

The current series of regattas in Madison began in 1949. This was a "wildcat" race, administered by the Ohio Valley Motor Boat Racing Association of Cincinnati. The largest class present was the 225 Cubic Inch Class.

The first Unlimited race took place in 1950. The Unlimited races at Madison in 1950-51-52-53 were one-heat multi-class free-for-all affairs. They didn't count for National High Points.

The first High Points Unlimited race at Madison occurred in 1954. This came about largely through the efforts of Madison Courier columnist Phil Cole. (A High Points Unlimited race must be scheduled for a minimum of two heats with at least four boats making a legal start.)

Madison had an uninterrupted string of High Points Unlimited races every year from 1954 through 2012. The 2013 races were canceled because of flooding on the Ohio that covered the pit area, although the land-based events associated with the regatta went on as scheduled.^[1]

The Madison committee is the longest continuously active Unlimited committee in the country. Madison Regatta, Inc. (formerly the Madison Boat Club) has hosted the Unlimiteds every year since 1950 (except in 2013, when the boats made it to Madison but the river didn't allow racing). Seattle didn't start until 1951. Detroit has been on the circuit since 1946, but with four different committees.

A total of 54 major Unlimited races (excluding the free-for-all races) have been run at Madison since 1954.

List of Madison Regatta winners

2008 winner FormulaBoats.com

References

External links

• Madison Regatta
• H1 Unlimited