The H1 Unlimited hydroplane series race the world's fastest race boats
2025 Season Schedule
May 17
Preseason Testing Day
Tri-Cities, Washington
June 6–8
July 4–6
July 25–27
August 1–3
September 12-14
Meet the H1 teams
Select your team
- U-12 Graham Trucking
- U-8 Beacon Electric
- U-6 Miss Madison
- U-11 Flav-R-Pac
- U-21 Lakeridge Paving Co.
- U-9 Beacon Plumbing
- U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate
- U-27 Miss Apollo
U-12 Graham Trucking
Driver:
Owner:
Jeff Bernard, U-12- Graham Trucking, Graham Trucking Racing
Bernard, born in Allen Park, Michigan, and now living in Kent, Washington, is a fourth-generation racer who began racing powerboats in 1993 at the age of nine. In 2002, at the age of 17, he advanced to inboard hydroplane racing. He is still actively racing in the inboard category and has raced Grand Prix boats during his two-year hiatus from driving an Unlimited.
In 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2018, Bernard was inducted into the APBA Hall of Champions. He is the nephew of former hydroplane drivers Mark and Mike Weber.
Bernard’s first Unlimited Hydroplane ride was in 2005 in Fred Leland’s U-99 Lakeridge Paving at the Seattle Seafair Race. Since then, he has accumulated 3 H1 Unlimited race victories.
U-8 Beacon Electric
Driver:
J. Michael Kelly
Owner:
Darrell & Vanessa Strong (Strong Racing)
J. Michael Kelly – U-8 Beacon Electric, Strong Racing
Michael Kelly piloted the U-1 Beacon Electric for the Strong Racing team in 2024, following a standout 2023 season where he earned his second National Championship and his first "U-1" hull designation. Over his impressive career, Kelly has won 2 APBA Gold Cups, 2 H1 Unlim-ited National Championships, and holds 26 World Records across various classes. He is a 14-time National Champion, a 10-time APBA Hall of Champions inductee, and a 17-time H1 Un-limited race winner.
Kelly captured his first H1 Unlimited hydroplane victory at the 2009 inaugural U.I.M. World Championship Oryx Cup in Doha, Qatar. With two race wins in 2021 (Guntersville and San Di-ego), he secured his first Driver’s High Points Championship and repeated the feat in 2023 while also clinching the Team National Championship. With a career spanning 21 years, Kelly stands among the most seasoned and accomplished drivers on the circuit.
When not racing, Kelly works as a lead carpenter in the Pacific Northwest. A graduate of Kent Meridian High School in Kent, WA, he lives in Bonney Lake, WA, with his wife Angela and their sons Brennen, Carson, and Asher.
U-6 Miss Madison
Driver:
Owner:
Brandon Kennedy, U-6 Miss Madison. Miss Madison Racing
2025 marks Brandon Kennedy’s debut in the H1 Unlimited series, taking the wheel of the U-6 Miss Madison. A fourth-generation racer with over 20 years of experience, Kennedy has earned a reputation as one of the most accomplished inboard drivers in North America.
He is a 10-time winner at Régates de Valleyfield, a Grand Prix Challenge Champion, and a multi-time HRL Grand Prix Series Champion. Kennedy holds three standing hydroplane rec-ords and is a two-time APBA Hall of Champions inductee.
Brandon has captured championship wins in multiple classes, including 2.5 Stock, H350, and Grand Prix. He began racing at age 14 and won a Summer National Championship in just his third weekend on the water.
With a proven track record of consistency, speed, and championship success, Kennedy now brings his experience and winning pedigree to the Unlimited ranks.
U-11 Flav-R-Pac
Driver:
Jamie Nilsen
Owner:
Jamie Nilsen, U-11 Flav-R-Pack, Unlimited Racing Group
Jamie Nilsen transitioned to Unlimited Hydroplane racing after a successful career in Inboard Hydroplanes, where he captured the 2013 5-Liter National Championship and multiple Grand Prix titles.
He made his Unlimited debut in 2010 with Billy Schumacher’s U-37 "Miss Peters & May," of-ficially qualifying as an Unlimited driver in 2013 aboard the U-21 Go Fast Turn Left Racing entry. In 2014, he earned his first Unlimited heat victory at the Madison Regatta.
In 2025, Nilsen returns to the series driving the U-11 under the banner of Flav-R-Pac, bringing his experience, consistency, and calm command of the course to one of the sport’s most recog-nized teams.
U-21 Lakeridge Paving Co.
Driver:
Gunnar O’Farrell
Owner:
Gunnar O’Farrell, U-21 Lakeridge Paving Co., Go fast turn left Racing
Gunnar O’ Farrell took the wheel of an Unlimited hydroplane in racing action for the first time in 2023, but he is no stranger to the sport or to the seat of the U-21. Gunnar began going to rac-es at the age 6 with his family. By 8 years old he was in the hydroplane museum building an outboard boat. He started in outboard (Stock and pro classes) when he was 9 years old and drove for 6 years.
At 20, he decided to make the next step and move to the inboard class and drove in the 2.5 mod and stock classes. His career really accelerated in the inboard class, where in 2021 he won summer nationals.
In 2022, the O’Farrell family bought a 2.5 mod and has been restoring it. In 2022, Gunnar was given the opportunity to drive an Unlimited Hydroplane. He completed his 15 laps going over 130 mph and became a qualified Unlimited hydroplane driver. His fastest lap was 145.175 mph. Gunnar’s first race was at the 2023 APBA Gold Cup in Seattle, where he qualified at 145.572 MPH and competed in all four qualifying heats, but did not make the Final Heat.
U-9 Beacon Plumbing
Driver:
Owner:
Corey Peabody, U-9 Beacon Plumbing, Strong Racing
Peabody started racing outboard hydroplanes alongside teammate J. Michael Kelly in 1998. Corey became a qualified H1 Unlimited hydroplane driver in 2016, and since then has driven for three different teams.
Peabody joined Strong Racing in 2021 and scored his first career Unlimited win at that season’s HAPO Columbia Cup, in the hometown of owners Darrell and Vanessa Strong. In a thrilling victory at the 2022 Guntersville Lake Hydrofest, he won the prestigious APBA Gold Cup. He was the only driver to post podium finishes in every race of the 2021 season, and won all but one heat he entered during the 2023 season.
The 2024 season saw Corey grab wins in Tri-Cities and the APBA Gold Cup in San Diego – his second Gold Cup victory.
As part of a team reorganization in late 2022, Peabody also assumed the responsibilities of Team General Manager.
U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate
Driver:
Owner:
Andrew Tate. U-91 Goodman Real Estate, BWR Racing
Andrew Tate comes from a legendary boat racing family—his great-grandfather, grandfather, parents, and younger brother have all raced competitively. He began his own racing career at age 11 in APBA Stock and Modified Outboard classes, earning multiple National Champion-ships. In 2010, he transitioned to the Inboard category, continuing his winning ways in both the American Powerboat Association (APBA) and Hydroplane Racing League (HRL).
In the HRL, Andrew captured back-to-back Grand Prix Season Championships in 2022 and 2023, including consecutive wins in Valleyfield, Quebec. He also earned two victories in the H350 class in 2022 and was named the 2022 HRL Driver of the Year.
Andrew made his Unlimited Hydroplane debut in 2016 behind the wheel of the U-9 Del-ta/Realtrac for Mike and Lori Jones. That same year, he won the Seattle Seafair Cup and was named H1 Unlimited Rookie of the Year. He has since amassed 11 Unlimited race wins, includ-ing a prestigious APBA Gold Cup victory in 2018. An honor he shares with his father, Mark Tate, as the only father-son duo to have won the trophy. Andrew is a 2-time H1 Unlimited Na-tional Champion (2018, 2024) and has been inducted into the APBA Hall of Champions 5-times total in 4 different years (2010, 2015, 2018, and twice in 2025).
Dave Villwock, U-27 Miss Apollo, BWR racing
Dave Villwock began his Unlimited Hydroplane racing career in 1992 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest champions in the history of the sport. Over an incredible career spanning more than three decades, Villwock has won 67 races, making him the winningest driver in the 119-year history of Unlimited Hydroplane racing.
His achievements are unmatched: 10 National Championships (1996–2004, 2011), the most by any driver, including a record seven consecutive titles. 10 APBA Gold Cup victories (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), the most prestigious title in the sport.
In recognition of his extraordinary accomplishments, Dave Villwock was elected to the Motor-sports Hall of Fame of America, where he will be officially inducted as part of the Class of 2026.
Even today, Villwock remains a respected figure in the paddock, inspiring a new generation of racers with his unmatched record, technical mastery, and unwavering passion for hydroplane racing.
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