MADISON REGATTA MADISON REGATTA GUIDE, PAGE 6 River City Trading Post file photo The hydroplanes charge out of the turn to begin the final heat in the 2018 Madison Regatta. Festival, boat racing action return to the Ohio July 5-7 By DAVE TAYLOR Madison Regatta, Inc., the all-volunteer was held sporadically through the Great hydroplane as a “Floating Chamber of organization that promotes the world- Depression, ending after the 1937 flood. Commerce” for the city, collecting eight The River City Trading Post class event each year, has in recent years The current series started in 1949; the National Championship distinctions and Combine the audio/visual excitement implemented changes to the festival in an Governor’s Cup began in 1951. Today the four prestigious Gold Cup champion- of speed and thunder on the Ohio River effort to preserve – and ideally boost – the event draws as many as 60,000 spectators ships along the way. Today, the team with the polished sounds of today’s best weekend experience and increase atten- to Madison’s riverfront. is sponsored by a west coast banking musical entertainment and you will expe- dance. The organization has expanded the Unlimited hydroplanes, the world’s fast- chain and races as Miss HomeStreet/Miss rience the Madison Regatta/Roostertail music festival and the financial success of est competitive race boats, are essentially Madison. The team’s conquest of the 1971 Music Festival on Madison’s riverfront the 2018 event indicates the Roostertail water-bound, propeller-driven aircraft American Power Boat Association Gold this summer! Music Festival will continue to become a powered by Vietnam War-era helicopter Cup race on home waters was broadcast Madison is once again preparing to cel- more significant addition to the weekend turbine engines and World War II-vintage worldwide on ABC-TV’s Wide World of ebrate Independence Day with racing and of attractions. fighter plane engines. The 30-foot hulls Sports and memorialized in the motion music with the 2019 Madison Regatta/ “What we’re hoping to do is cross- can reach speeds of nearly 200 mph on picture “Madison,” starring Jim Caviezel Roostertail Music Festival, featuring the over,” says Madison Regatta President the straight-aways of the Bill Cantrell and Bruce Dern. fastest race boats in the world compet- and Milton resident Matt True. “We’re Memorial Race Course. These craft raise The popular Grand Prix World ing for the oldest trophy in motorsports hoping boat fans become music fans and a large plume of water – commonly called Supercharged Hydroplane Series returns – the prestigious American Power Boat music fans become boat fans. ” a roostertail – trailing behind as they again this year bringing the audio excite- Association Gold Cup – and a festival of Concerts for the Roostertail Music negotiate the straight stretches, and pro- ment of big block automotive engines bands on the historic city’s riverfront, Festival begin on Thursday, July 4. All duce a high wall of water in the turns as roaring in the river valley. The “Five to July 4-7. concerts will be held in Bicentennial Park the cornering blade provides leverage for the Five” vintage hydroplane organization The weekend of racing and bands will on Madison’s riverfront. hulls cornering at racing speeds. Visually- will bring a touch of nostalgia to the event be preceded by a week-long festival of The Madison Regatta features more spectacular, hydroplane racing is the most with heats featuring antique racing craft events that include a 10K walk/run, beauty than a century of river racing tradition. exciting event in motorsports. on the river. pageants, remote-control hydroplane races, The 2019 event marks the 69th anniver- The City of Madison also celebrates For tickets, RV parking and informa- firemen’s waterball fight, the Regatta sary of the Indiana Governor’s Cup race the longest ownership of an Unlimited tion regarding festival events and sched- parade on Friday, July 5, and twilight fire- for Unlimited hydroplanes. Organized hydroplane racing team. Since 1961, ule, visit www.MadisonRegatta.com or call works over the river on Saturday evening, powerboat racing in Madison began in Miss Madison, Inc., has campaigned the Madison Regatta Inc. at (812) 274-0400. July 6. 1911, but ceased during World War I and world’s only community-owned Unlimited Prestigious Gold Cup returns By DAVE TAYLOR with everyone doing their two-year offer was accept- River City Trading Post part, we are a powerful ed and the Gold Cup was team doing great things coming back to Madison!” Competition for the for Madison. We are listen- In addition to the most treasured prize ing to our fans and deliver- 1971 race, Madison also in powerboat racing is ing the things they think hosted Gold Cup races returning locally to the are most important.” in 1979, won by the late banks of the Ohio River The Gold Cup has been Bill Muncey in the “Blue this summer after an contested most frequent- Blaster” Atlas Van Lines; absence of 39 years. ly on the Detroit River and in 1980 in which the The American Power but Detroit race officials late Dean Chenoweth Boat Association Gold Cup announced recently they drove Bernie Little’s Rolls- race will be contested dur- would not be hosting an Royce Griffon-powered ing the Madison Regatta Unlimited hydroplane race Miss Budweiser to victory. and Roostertail Festival, in 2019. Following that Madison’s boat rac- set for July 4-7. The his- announcement, negotia- ing tradition goes back to 12 pages tory of coveted bauble, tions between local regatta the year 1911 when local sometimes called the officials and Tim Austin, motorboat enthusiasts “Golden Goblet,” dates the new chairman of the challenged each other to to 1904 when it was con- H1 Board of Directors, a hastily-organized race. tested for the first time on began in earnest. The two That event grew into Y the Hudson River in New organizations reached an what was called an annual . 75 cents York. agreement on Wednesday, “water carnival and aquat- EDFORD, K Madison first hosted March 6, to bring the Gold ic event” in the years prior B the Gold Cup race in July Cup race to Madison for to the first World War. Trimble Banner 1971, when the event was not one, but two consecu- Madison was in the broadcast on ABC’s Wide tive years. Madison will national spotlight in 1930 World of Sports. That sto- again host the Gold Cup hosting the Mississippi ULY , 2019 ried event drew an esti- in 2020. Valley Power Boat J 4 mated 110,000 spectators, “H1 Unlimited is very Association’s National HURSDAY, largest in Madison Regatta pleased that the Madison Regatta featuring the DAVE TAYLOR/River City Trading Post T history, and saw the under- Regatta values the impor- Webb Trophy Race. Milton Mayor Denny Jackson and Madison Regatta President, Inc., President Matt True pose with the Gold budget hometown hydro- tance of the Gold Cup, its Following the devastating Cup trophy. Jackson is a three-time past president and race chairman of the regatta committee. True is a plane Miss Madison sweep heritage and Unlimited flood of 1937 during the the competition with racing,” Austin said in a Great Depression, boat Milton resident. the late Jim McCormick news release. racing died out in Madison at the wheel. The movie 136,True said that among until the raceNo. was revived 12 Vol.“Madison,” starring Jim current regatta committee in the late 1940s. Caviezel, was loosely based members there has been This year marks the on that event. a lot of mystery about the 69th consecutive running The Gold Cup trophy was Gold Cup, how the deci- of the Indiana Governor’s presented to McCormick sion is made each year Cup Race in Madison. and the hometown crew where it will run. As was the case in 1971, by renowned bandleader “This was a midnight ‘79, ‘80 and the World Guy Lombardo, himself hour deal,” True said Championship Race in the winning driver of the Monday. “After reading 1972, the Governor’s Cup Gold Cup 25 years before the disappointing news will also be presented in Tempo VI. about Detroit, honestly simultaneously to the Gold Madison Regatta I figured we were head- Cup winner. President Matt True, a ed for the same fate. We The A.P.B.A. Gold Cup Milton resident, said he made the best offer we will not be the only race and the all-voluntary could make and it wasn’t action fans will be treated local race committee are looking good. We spoke to over an action-packed ecstatic over coming to with [H1 Vice Chairman] weekend. The Grand Prix an agreement with H1 Charlie Grooms over the World class of automotive- Unlimited, governing body phone on Tuesday night powered hydroplanes will Public hearing for for Unlimited hydroplane the 5th. I told him we compete for the North racing, to bring the cel- had a good press release American Championship ebrated race back to the and a bad press release and several classes of Ohio River. The last time and Wednesday night the vintages hydroplanes are the Gold Cup was contest- 6th at the meeting we expected as well. ed on the Ohio River was were making some kind In conjunction with at Evansville in 1988. of announcement good or the boat racing, the “We are thrilled to be bad. He said he was going Roostertail Music Festival, bringing this cup back to to get to work.” has grown into one the Madison the committee True admitted he didn’t largest music festivals in has worked hard and hard sleep well Tuesday night.