In a 2014 article, Jalopnik called hydroplane racing “as unreal as you can imagine.” It offered a glimpse into the world of H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing, with 3,000 horsepower engines and boats traveling at over 200 miles per hour. The races make for some amazing visuals, and offer a glimpse of vehicles that look unlike anything else on the planet.
A new article in The Seattle Times hearkened back to the legacy of one dominant team: Miss Budweiser, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch. The team was established in the 1960s, and gradually became a dominant force on the racing circuit.
From 1991 to 2004, the Miss Budweiser won all but one national title. That was in 1996 when the PICO American Dream, driven by Villwock, took the title. The next year Villwock was driving the Miss Bud.
Also driving for the team during that period was legendary driver Chip Hauser, who now maintains a YouTube channel with a focus on all things boating.
The article mentions that Miss Budweiser’s dominance led its governing body to take certain measures to bring them down to earth — none of which made much of a dent in their success. After the death of the team’s longtime manager Bernie Little, Anheuser-Busch announced that their sponsorship of the team would end.
Miss Budweiser’s legacy lives on, however: the hulls used in the races have gone on to compete under other owners, and other teams have made use of the infrastructure that they established. It’s a fantastic look at how one team changed the history of a sport — and how their work continues to play a role in it, long after the team ceased competition.
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