SNHL San Diego Bayfair Race Recap

The conclusion of the inaugural SNHL Season would take place in paradise at sunny San Diego, CA where 17 drivers took to Mission Bay for the final race weekend of the season. Entering the weekend, the championship was all but sealed for Eddie Kanfoush in the Llumar Window Films who's dominance and consistency each and every weekend would pay off here at San Diego Bayfair. An intense battle for 2nd in national high points was set in stone between Nicholas Miller in the Les Schwab Tires and Cei Bowen in the Tide with 12 points separating the two entering the weekend. Nicholas Miller took the qualifying honors with his 5th pole position of the year in what has been a tremendous year for Les Schwab Tires in that regards. Electricity was in the air with every driver looking to close out the season with a victory on beautiful Mission Bay.

Tim Johnson would win the first heat of the day in the Pico American Dream, Nicholas Miller started off strong with a big heat 1B win over Eddie Kanfoush, and Kelsey Best flew the Spirit of Qatar to a heat 1C Victory. The Llumar Window Films would find its way back into the winner circle in 2A while his teammate, Cei Bowen, in the Tide would rebound from a penalty in 1B with a heat 2B win, and Matt Johnson would be victorious in 2C that saw only 2 boats finish. The Tide would get a crucial heat 3A win over the Beacon Plumbing driven by Adam Putich, the Albert Lee Appliance charged hard for a heat 3B win over the Les Schwab Tires, and Kanfoush would rack up another heat win on the season in 3C.

The final consolation heat of the inaugural SNHL season would consist of Cale Bruce in the U-10 Smokin' Joe's, Jeff Dewalt in the U-12 Graham Trucking, David Johnson in the U-20 Appian Jeronimo, KC Duncan in the U-60 Miss Thriftway, Kelsey Best in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar, and Tim Johnson in the U-100 Pico American Dream. Best would snag the inside lane and never looked back as his race was perfectly ran from the get-go. The Graham Trucking was the boat that came closest to challenging the Spirit of Qatar as Dewalt had a solid start from the outside, but would end up crashing out before he could finish. The Spirit of Qatar would be the final trailer boat of the year, with Tim Johnson ending up in 2nd place, Cale Bruce would place 3rd, David Johnson finished 4th, and both Jeff Dewalt and KC Duncan would not finish,

The San Diego Bayfair final heat would be one of the more peculiar final heats of the season with a lot of action happening in the final minutes before the start that dramatically changed the outcome of the final heat. The field of boats included the U-8 Llumar Window Films, U-8 The Tide, U-9 Les Schwab Tires, U-21 Albert Lee Appliance, U-37 Beacon Plumbing with Adam Putich making his first final appearance, U-1918 Oberto, and the U-96 Spirit of Qatar as the trailer. With under a minute to go before the start of the final heat and tensions running high, many drivers were eager to go for lane 1 in hopes to end the season on a positive note. One of those drivers who has had a roller coaster of a season was Mickey Washburn, who would pursue Eddie Kanfoush in cutting the course, but in doing so, would cut right in front of Cei Bowen in the Tide on the back stretch. Bowen would maintain control until Washburn over compensated on his correction, and ran into the back of the Llumar which rebounded his boat back into the way of the Tide as both boats would collide and crash out of the final heat.

Shortly after this incident, Putich thought he saw an opportunity to steal lane 1, but misjudged the amount of room he had as he struck a buoy and pitched out to Matt Johnson's lane, causing the Albert Lee to rollover. With all of the ensuing mayhem, 3 boats would make a legal start; DJ Miller in the Les Schwab, Eddie Kanfoush in the Llumar, and the trailer Kelsey Best in the Spirit of Qatar. Miller got a near perfect start on the outside with a bunch of boat speed over Kanfoush entering the 1st turn. 2 of the #1 qualifiers on the season would go into a 1 on 1 battle for the final race of the 2018 SNHL season. Miller would maintain a strong 1 roostertail lead from the outside as the Les Schwab Tires team have been awaiting this performance in a final all season long. Kanfoush would try every angle of attack on the course, but it was no match for Nicholas Miller in the Les Schwab Tires as he would claim the victory in the final race of the year at San Diego Bayfair. 2nd would go to Eddie Kanfoush in the Llumar Window Films, and 3rd place would be Kelsey Best in the Spirit of Qatar.

With a long awaited final heat win, Nicholas Miller would also secure 2nd place in national high points, just 74 points over Cei Bowen. Miller had proven time and again this season that he was the fastest driver on water with 5 top qualifier awards, but he finally achieved the greatest thrill of racing with a highly anticipated final heat win after coming through in the clutch. We caught up with Nicholas Miller and the Les Schwab Tires team after they had scored their first win in the SNHL at San Diego.

"Scoring the victory at San Diego was a dream come true! It felt liberating finally overcoming the mistakes I had made throughout the season and even the race itself. Going into the last race of the season, I was determined not to end the season winless, especially after coming co close at Detroit. In the final heat, I was committed to being patient and timing my own start and ignoring what other drivers were doing. This ended up putting me in the best position to capitalize on the incidents during the mill. Boat racing is a tricky balance between patience and aggressiveness, and patience definitely paid off this time. I'm glad I was able to end the season on the highest note I could. Hopefully I can carry this momentum into next season and compete for the championship title."

Eddie Kanfoush finished off the season like every other weekend that has led him to a national championship; consistently. While Kanfoush would come in 2nd in a destructive final heat, he had nothing to hang his hat on after securing a national title as well as being the overall weekend points winner for the 5th time this season. Kanfoush's season was beyond anyone's expectations as his clean, yet aggressive driving style paid off as the Llumar Window Films was the only boat to make every final this season. Even Eddie found himself surprised at the amount of success the Llumar team has had in the inaugural year as they walk away with the 1st ever SNHL National Championship.

"It’s absolutely incredible. Words can’t entirely describe it. The team worked so hard this season to make sure the boat was set up perfectly and I had to drive really hard and apply pressure in just about every race this year. Our goal at the start of the year was to do the best we can and I think we succeeded. Props to everyone else who raced this season as well. They definitely didn’t make it easy!"

Best would manage to survive the melee during the milling period as the trailer position provided a great benefit to the Spirit of Qatar. Knowing that a victory was virtually impossible, Best ran a clean, conservative final heat that secured him a spot on the podium for the final race of the year. While the Spirit of Qatar team was satisfied to end off the season on a solid 3rd place finish, Ellstrom Racing always has a championship state of mind as they didn't quite meet their goal for San Diego.

"We are always happy to get on the podium, especially from the trailer boat position. This being said, our goal this weekend was getting a race win and things didn't quite go our way. We were in position to win all three preliminary heats but getting taken out by a driver who'd already been DQ'd and tapping a buoy meant we had to fight once more to make it to the final. We have lots to work on this off-season and are really looking forward to next season...there were quite a few competitors out there just getting their feet wet this season and we expect the competition to increase as people get comfortable fighting for lanes and driving on the inside. Looking forward to the future of the series."

It was a bittersweet season-ender for Cei Bowen in the Tide as he never got the chance to really compete in the final heat after being taken out during the mill. Still, Bowen would end the season in the top 3 in points along with being the first ever SNHL Gold Cup winner in what was a hydroplane race for the ages. One of the fastest drivers in the fleet, Bowen has proven that he can be a threat at any given race site and that he can only improve from here on out after the inaugural SNHL Season.

"I wasn't too mad about the San Diego final. Mickey knew his situation and knew he had to get lanes 1 or 2 to win the race, just came in a little too hot. But I wanted to come into San Diego not worrying about points and just having fun during this race. Although the rough ending I will look to rebound in Season 2 by just practicing more. I think I showed my worth at the tracks even though making some mistakes. I think I showed I can run with this fast guys and be competitive. I'm just gonna do some more practice on starts and not worry too much on flying the boat since I think we will get new physics by the time season 2 rolls around. Biggest thing ending season 1 and going into season 2 is work on practicing more and not worry too much in the exhibitions since it's basically a big testing session."

Matt Johnson would fall victim to another drivers mistake in the final as a solid season would be shadowed by a DNS in the final heat of the season. The Go Fast Turn Left team had quite a spectacular year that saw them start the year outside the top 10 and finish in 4th place in points. Johnson quickly improved each and every race learning how to push the Albert Lee hull to its limits. With a massive win at Seafair from the trailer position, Matt Johnson has showcased that he can come through in the clutch to win races, even from the back. While the San Diego final will leave a sour taste in the mouth entering the off season, Matt Johnson will be a contender entering the 2nd SNHL season after his consistency on the year gave him a top 5 finish in the points standings.

"I was definitely disappointed with what happened in the final. I felt like I was in a really good spot to finish on the podium and end the season on a really high note. Even though the final was disappointing, the race as a whole went really well. I made a dumb mistake in my first heat that cost me a possible 1st or 2nd place finish but it was the first time all season that I won 2 preliminary heats so I was really happy about that. I think the biggest take away from San Diego, and the season as a whole, is that if I stick to my strategy and run my race I can be a threat to just about everyone on the course. It was a great season, I had a lot of fun, I learned a lot, and I can't wait for next year."

The Oberto team had its fair share of struggles this year which came as a shock to many considering Mickey Washburn was the last Hydromod champion. But with an entirely different game engine and much more complex physics, the inaugural SNHL season was a learning curve for many like Washburn. The Oberto performed exceptionally well at Bayfair, consistently finishing with 2 2nd's and a 3rd in the prelims to lock himself into the final heat. With the last final heat win of the year up for grabs, Washburn took the aggressive approach to secure the inside lane but it backfired. While the final race of the year ended in disappointment, Washburn still ended up 6th in points and has a lot to look forward to in season 2.

"Yeah It was great to be in the last 2 final heats of the year. But it’s going to be a long summer having to live with wrecking before the start and taking out another driver. I don’t know if I’ll be asked to drive the 1918 again or not. But whatever I’m driving I can’t wait for season 2."

With the final race of the inaugural SNHL season in the books, overall I have to say the 1st season of the Saturday Night Hydro League was a success considering the ongoing changes to the game. I've seen improvements made from every driver this season as well as major strides being made with the game overall. Regardless of what happens in future seasons/leagues, I am thankful for having the opportunity to play a hydroplane video game that I only imagined in my dreams when I was young. Huge shoutout to Scott Przybylski for making the most enjoyable video game I have ever played, and a shoutout to all of the drivers who participated in the inaugural SNHL season. I'm glad I have gotten to know all of you guys well and that our community is strong because of our passion for hydroplane racing. Great things are to come for the future of this game and the Hydrosim community!

Congratulations Eddie Kanfoush on winning the 2018 SNHL National Championship!

It's been regarded as the most prestigious trophy in the sport of hydroplane racing, the hardware that every hydro racer dreams of achieving, the oldest active trophy in motorsports history; The Gold Cup. Since 1904, the Gold Cup has been the pinnacle of hydroplane racing bringing similarities to what the Indy 500 means to automobile racing. Only the best of the best have etched their name onto the historic Gold Cup trophy with names like Gar Wood, Bill Muncey, Chip Hanuer, and Dave Villwock seeing many victories at the prestigious event. This upcoming weekend, we'll see one driver immortalized as the inaugural SNHL Gold Cup champion over a stacked level of competition with a staggering 20+ boat field expected. With 4 flights of heats and what's at stake in each heat, the Detroit river is bound to provide the most thrilling racing on the planet while creating some havoc as it will be a dogfight between these drivers until the 2018 Gold Cup champion is crowned.

Entering the weekend, Eddie Kanfoush has a substantial lead in national high points piloting the U-8 Llumar Window Films with 1347 points over his teammate Cei Bowen. The only driver with multiple final victories this season, Kanfoush is one of the favorites entering the Gold Cup as he hopes to get back into the winners circle at his hometown race in Detroit. He has the chance to clinch the championship in Detroit if he can tame the treacherous Detroit river. With Team Wurster dominating the year in national high points, there's a good chance that both drivers can secure 1-2 in points for the season. For Eddie Kanfoush, winning the Gold Cup would be icing on the cake to an incredible season for Team Wurster.

"It would mean a lot to me. Detroit is the closest race to my home, so finally everyone’s on my home turf, and also the Gold Cup is the oldest active motor sports trophy, and to put my name on it would mean the world."

The Tide and Cei Bowen enter the weekend behind his teammate in the points, standings but has a great opportunity to dig into that lead with 4 critical flights of heats. There's no doubt that a lot is on the line for this team, but we have seen enough consistency from Bowen to know that he'll be a contender for every second in the Gold Cup. Strategy in the mill and lane selection will play a huge factor in his chances to get his 1st win in the SNHL. With the Detroit course as unique as it is, any victory here will have to be hard-fought, but Bowen feels very confident in his abilities here on the Detroit river.

"I honestly feel very good about Detroit. I know that I'm not the best at getting lane one so I've been practicing a bunch of different strategies and scenarios to win races. I can't tell exactly what I've been working on but I got a game plan in my head of how I will win. I feel that I have a pretty good chance of winning. Looking to see Eddie make mistakes that cost him but at the same time rooting for him since he is my teammate. Just hoping to have better luck and to see my boat up front."

With an outside shot of the championship in sight, DJ Miller in the Les Schwab Tires will look to take every opportunity he can get to close in at Detroit. Miller has had a fair chance in the finals that he has been in this season to win, but has been limited to the outside in every final heat. For the Gold Cup, however, the outside may provide an advantage for Miller as the Roostertail turn brings speeds in excess of 200 MPH down to below triple digits. With a hairpin turn like the infamous Roostertail turn, boats on the outside have that edge of carrying out more speed off the corner than the inside lane. With arguably the quickest hull in the field, its a must win scenario for the Les Schwab Tires team. A crucial Gold Cup victory could be more of a game of survival than anything for Miller.

"Winning at Detroit would sure mean a lot. I'm confident in my ability to run well there. I know I have a boat capable of winning, but a combination of my own mistakes and some bad luck has kept me out of the winner's circle so far this season. Detroit will be as much about survival as it will be about racing, I think."

Beau Rarig and the Miss Budweiser enters Gold Cup weekend riding off of a wave of momentum from Seafair after a 2nd place finish in the final. In the 3 finals Rarig has started in, 2 have been on the podium including the Guntersville victory so there's no doubt that the Bud is capable of winning at Detroit. Given the rich history of Bernie Little's Budweiser team, it wouldn't be a surprise to see another Gold Cup victory take place under Little's flawless leadership. With the level of competition through the roof, many drivers are expected to lay it all out on the line for the Gold Cup. For Beau Rarig however, he takes after his owners words of wisdom for winning the notorious race.

"Simple: Keep it on the water. As Bill Muncey said, you don't win at Detroit, you survive it. This course is notorious for causing accidents, so it's not a stretch to say some drivers will make mistakes. If we can capitalize on those mistakes, without making any ourselves, we'll be in good shape. We intend to win the Gold Cup, and keeping the boat on the water is the first step to achieving that goal."

The Albert Lee Appliance and Matt Johnson are coming off of a huge moral victory in the final at Seafair as they look to continue their success on a much different course. After a mind blowing win from the trailer position in Seattle, the challenging Detroit course will make a back to back victory very strenuous for Johnson. One of the most persistent and fastest improving driver on the season, there's a solid chance we will see the GFTL team on the front row in the final for the Gold Cup. Looking to keep up the momentum from Seattle, Johnson knows that as long as keeps his strategy in place that he has as solid of a shot as anyone to win the Gold Cup.

"Detroit is going to be tough. It's rough, it's fast, and it can create some really close racing. In Seattle I proved that you can never count anyone out and I think that's even more true in Detroit. My strategy hasn't changed and I'm confident that I will come out with a good result as I have all year. I'm excited to ride my momentum from Seattle and fight for the Gold Cup."

Tim Johnson has had his early struggles in the inaugural SNHL season, but saw major improvement at Seafair where he scored over 1000 points on the weekend and made his first final appearance. While he was unable to finish in the Seafair final due to an incident in the backstretch, the Pico American Dream made significant progress as Tim looks to continue to build off his successful weekend at Detroit. Tim has been known to be a risk-taker so Detroit could be quite the weekend for the Leland entry. After the strides he made at Seafair, Tim will look to keep the Pico on the water with a somewhat conservative approach in hopes of a successful Gold Cup.

"I think keeping the boat on the water and legal will be the key to getting into the final. But the final itself is a whole different animal. Trying to stay out of the way of the more aggressive drivers is probably the best."

For a driver like Mickey Washburn, the season hasn't panned out the way he wanted it to as the U-1918 Oberto has yet to make a final. The Gold Cup won't make his chances any better, but Washburn has shown the potential to succeed if the boat is running at its best. With the high points championship indefinitely out of reach, Washburn is still in good position to place in the top 10 with room to move up in points. With the type of season the Oberto team has had, a Gold Cup victory may require a dose of luck. Luck could be the difference for Washburn who hopes to leave Motor City as Gold Cup Champion.

"It would be huge to win the Gold Cup. Guntersville was my owner's hometown race, Tri-Cities was mine, and Seattle was my owner's home town race and all three we walked out with our tail between our legs. So if we could pull out a Gold Cup win all that will be forgotten. It's going to be a wild day of racing and maybe some luck will fall our way this weekend."

The atmosphere surrounding Detroit intensifies as we inch closer to the drop of the green flag of the inaugural SNHL Gold Cup. The action on the water will be second to none as the Detroit river provides some hectic deck to deck racing throughout the course whether that's the Belle Isle turn, the stretched out straightaways, or the infamous Roostertail turn. We are bound to see drivers push their skill-set to the ragged edge on an unforgiving Detroit river that is sure to claim some victims. The Gold Cup will be a cat and mouse game of who can push the limits further than any other driver. Everything that has happened so far on the season will be thrown out the window when Gold Cup Weekend begins. The very best hydroplane drivers in the world will be racing for pride, for glory, for immortality. Who will earn the right to greatness as the 2018 Gold Cup champion?

2018 SNHL Columbia Cup Race Recap

The mighty Columbia river saw 16 of the worlds fastest hydroplanes compete for the highly sought after Columbia Cup in the sizzling heat of Tri-Cities, Washington. Expecting some of the best racing on the planet, fans left Sunday feeling extremely satisfied after witnessing their favorite teams roar down the river deck to deck at over 200 MPH. The Water Follies weekend was full of shock and awe moments with qualifying being the setting stone for the race weekend with Eddie Kanfoush in the U-8 Llumar Window Films knocking off Nicholas Miller in the U-9 Les Schwab Tires in qualifications for 1st. With the hull nearly taking flight several times, Eddie flew the Llumar to a staggering 162.486 MPH lap, which not only set the fastest lap in SNHL history, but destroyed the Les Schwab's reigning qualifying streak. With 4 flights of heat with at least 5 boats starting in each heat, it was bound to be an exciting Columbia Cup weekend.

The first flight saw plenty of interesting storylines begin to take shape with the Les Schwab getting a solid 1A victory, David Johnson in the U-20 Appian Jeronimo claiming his first win in the SNHL in 1B, and Codee Guyll in the U-16 Oh Boy! Oberto getting a surprise heat 1C victory after top qualifier Eddie Kanfoush jumped the gun by a landslide. In the 2nd flight of heats, the Albert Lee Appliance and Matt Johnson got a huge win in 2A over a fast Eddie Kanfoush, Cale Bruce in the Smokin Joes redeemed himself from a 6th place finish to a heat 2B win, and Beau Rarig got a solid 2C victory in the Miss Budweiser. 3A saw a good deck to deck battle with Peyton Hopp in the Degree Men taking the win over the Bud, Cei Bowen got a huge win in 3B against a tough competitor in Cale Bruce, and his teammate Eddie Kanfoush got a dominating victory in 3C. In the final flight of preliminary heats, it all came down to the wire for some teams that would determine whether they would make the Columbia Cup final. Back to back wins in 4A propelled the Llumar team to the Columbia Cup final, Cale Bruce in the Smokin' Joes finished the prelims strong with a 4B win after a destructive and confrontational heat, and the Tide captured another big win in 4C to give him a guaranteed spot in the final.

The consolation was action packed as it was the last chance opportunity for anyone to claim the last spot in the Columbia Cup. 6 boats entered the consolation after dealing with 100 degree heat all weekend long and trying to overcome their mistakes to be eligible for the final. Nicholas Miller, who surprisingly found himself in the consolation, nailed the start and never looked back as a hard charging Peyton Hopp in the Degree Men could not chase down the flighty Les Schwab Tires as he blew over in the final lap trying to catch him. Nick would advance on as the trailer in the final heat, with Mickey Washburn in the Oberto being the only other driver to complete the heat finishing 2nd.

The Oberto team had a somewhat successful weekend despite not making the final as Mickey finds himself 6th in the points standings. With his current positioning, the Oberto team is on pace to finish the year off strong as Mickey has a boost of confidence after a good weekend.

"Although we missed the final we had a good weekend if the front wing didn’t malfunction we would’ve been in the final. It was working again for the conny and it ran good I just jumped the gun. So now we are looking forward to Seattle my sponsors home race and looking to keep improving each race."

Another team that barely missed the final was the Schumacher racing entry of Peyton Hopp and the Degree Men. After a consistent showing at the Columbia Cup, an unfortunate driver error that cost him everything in 4B ruined the chances of earning a spot in the final heat. The agony of defeat once again went to the way of Peyton Hopp as he will have to wait another race for a chance at making his first final. While Peyton admittedly made a crucial mistake, he takes value in his driver errors that can potentially push him to become a better driver.

"After the heat 4B incident, I was devastated for the Degree Men team after we had such a big run in the prelims just for me to mess it all up for the team and be at fault. We worked too hard not to make it into the final at Tri-Cities and I'm sure my mistake will haunt me for quite some time. Despite the heart break, we still had a heck of a weekend and have the potential to improve further as all I can do is forget about the past and think about the future. We have some deck repairs that need to be made, but we look forward to Seattle and are striving to make our first final this season."

The 2018 Columbia Cup final saw 7 of the fastest unlimiteds that proved to be the ones to beat enter in to fight side by side for the prestigious Columbia Cup. The drivers included Eddie Kanfoush in the U-8 Llumar Window Films, Cei Bowen in the U-8 Tide, Cale Bruce in the U-10 Smokin' Joes, Beau Rarig in the U-12 Miss Budweiser, Codee Guyll in the U-16 Oh Boy! Oberto, Matt Johnson in the U-21 Albert Lee Appliance, and Nicholas Miller in the U-9 Les Schwab Tires as the trailer. The start of the Columbia Cup saw 7 powerhouse unlimited's roar down the front stretch with Matt Johnson in the Albert Lee blasting out in front entering turn 1 with the Llumar on his inside and the Tide on his outside. We saw a thrilling 2 lap battle between the Albert Lee and Llumar with the Tide in close pursuit on the outside. The high flying Eddie Kanfoush eventually got the lead and never looked back as a battle for 2nd then came to place between the Albert Lee and Tide. Cei Bowen found a hole to shoot through to the inside of Matt and took it as he was able to steal 2nd place from the Albert Lee team. 4th place was Nicholas Miller after a tough fight to the front from the trailer position, 5th was Beau Rarig, 6th was Codee Guyll, and 7th was Cale Bruce.

After 2 dominating performances in back to back races, Eddie Kanfoush is sitting on cloud 9 with an extension to his points lead. A combination of talent and clutch ability has lead the Llumar team to massive success in the first half of the season. Considering the amount of success, Eddie is feeling confident heading into the 2nd half of the season in hopes of securing the first ever SNHL championship.

"I’m feeling pretty solid at the moment. The boats behind me are hungry for wins and they are very fast, so I need to be consistent. My boat has felt great at each race and the team has worked super hard to get us where we are now. I’m gonna keep looking at each race like I have all year. I’m just gonna run my race and try and put the U-8 Llumar Window Film boat on top!"

Cei Bowen's consistency paid off in a substantial way at the Columbia Cup with not only a 2nd place finish in the final but moved up in the points standings behind his Wurster teammate in 2nd ahead of Nicholas Miller. After a rough start to the Wurster stable, both team members were able to comeback from their early struggles as they both find themselves 1-2 in the national high points. After an early season hiccup, the Tide has been on a roll as Cei looks to continue his impressive run at Seattle.

" I had two heats that did not go in my favor. A 3rd place at first and a 5th (80 mph violation and jumping the gun) which didn’t help me at all. But ended up coming back and winning my last two heats. I feel like those last two heats and the final have given me momentum to use for the next race. If everything goes to plan I could start gaining points on Eddie and hoping that he makes mistakes. Just gonna be a long battle for the top spot in points."

After missing out on the first race of the year in Guntersville, Matt Johnson in the Albert Lee Appliance has come on as one of the more up and coming competitors in the SNHL and after an explosive Tri-Cities race, he currently resides 5th in points after only 2 races. Proving to be one of the more resilient drivers on the circuit, Matt had quite the weekend at Tri-Cities that ended off with a solid podium finish in the final. After a stunning weekend, Matt has the potential to reap the rewards with a top 5 finish in national high points.

"The biggest change is after missing the first race of the season I was just shooting for a top 10 finish but now after Madison and Tri-Cities I know a top 5 finish is definitely within reach. I'm really happy with the result at Tri-Cities and I'm proud of the 21 team for giving me a fast boat to compete with. My main goals have been to be consistent, keep the boat upright and get points in every heat, and I think I've proven that to be a successful strategy. For the rest of the season I'm definitely going to stick with that strategy and I'm confident that I can put myself in a good position to finish high in the standings."

Finishing just outside the podium after a much earned 4th place finish from the trailer, it was a rather difficult weekend for the Les Schwab Tires crew and Nicholas Miller. After narrowly missing the top qualifier spot, things just didn't get much better for one of the fastest drivers in the series. A stroke of bad luck as well as making the final through the consolation heat resulted in a loss of position in the points standings as Miller dropped to 3rd. At the midway point of the season, the Les Schwab Tires team just has to regroup and look forward to the next weekend as Nicholas Miller prepares for Seafair.

"I made a few too many mistakes in the preliminary heats. I just got to learn from them and keep charging forward. I am very excited for Seattle. It's my hometown race. Winning there would be very special."

For the Miss Budweiser and Beau Rarig, Tri-Cities was a solid weekend but could have been better given the current national high point circumstances. The Bud was very quick on the Columbia River but just could get the job done in the final as they settled for 5th. With the 2nd half of the season set to get underway at Seattle, the Budweiser team will look to gain ground on the top 3 in points and hope to get back to victory lane. In fact, their simplistic strategy is to "Win every race" as put by Beau Rarig after the Tri-Cities final.

The Columbia Cup in Tri-Cities, Washington describes the ideal hydroplane racing atmosphere as fans were on their feet all day long for the action packed racing that took part. Marked as a must-see event on the tour, many drivers agree that Tri-Cities makes for some of the best racing you'll see all season long and that remark was certainly on display at this year's Columbia Cup!

Seattle, Washington is considered home to many teams on the SNHL circuit as many grew up on the shores of lake Washington hearing the roar of aircraft engines and seeing the spectacle of hydroplane racing since 1951. While Seattle is known for its aviation industry, there will be a completely different type of planing this weekend with a large field of 18+ unlimited hydroplanes expected for the Seafair Cup. One of the more notable races of the season, the 2 mile course is the shortest of the year yet will provide for some exciting deck to deck battles all weekend long with its short straightaways and tight turns. With Seattle being the start of the 2nd half of the season, we will see the championship picture more clearly and find out who's willing to put it all out on the line to build momentum entering the latter half of the inaugural season. The emerald city has a rich, historic love for hydroplane racing as it was the first major sport that had arrived in Seattle at the time and it continues to this day. All eyes will be on the best of the northwest out on the Ted Jones racecourse as the most talented drivers in the world will look to take home the Seafair Cup.

Eddie Kanfoush and the Llumar Window Films had been dominant to say the least in the first half of the season, racking up 7 heat wins and 2 final victories in the first 3 races. A monumental start to the season, Kanfoush has all eyes looking upon him as the rest of the field will look to catch up to him in national high points in the 2nd half of the season. Seafair is a must-win event for many competitors as a lot are from the pacific northwest, providing an even tougher challenge for Fast Eddie who is looking for the Washington sweep as well as 3 in a row. With stout competition looking to secure a much needed home victory, Eddie knows that his boat has been extremely fast at every single race and that a win in Seattle would be real sublime at this point in the season.

"I'm feeling good! The boat has been an absolute rocket ship these past two races. I just need to try my best and try not to make any mistakes. The competition has been fierce so far this year, and with Seattle being the home race for so many drivers and teams, I'm gonna need to work very hard if I want a third win. I feel like I might not make too many friends if I can sweep the Washington races, though."

One of the hometown favorites has to be Nicholas Miller in the flighty Les Schwab Tires who has proven to be one of the most talented hydroplane drivers in any lane. Arguably the quickest accelerating boat in the fleet, Miller has shown the uncanny ability to balance the canard wing to perfection in nearly every race. Seattle will be a challenging course considering the short length of the course and how rough lake Washington can get at times, but expect the Les Schwab Tires to skip across the wakes at break-neck speeds. Looking to comeback from a under-performed Columbia Cup, Miller has his sights set on putting together a solid weekend to kick-start his 2nd half of the season on the right foot.

"I'm really looking forward to this race. I know the U-9 can win races. I intend on driving my own race and doing whatever it takes to get the victory."

One of the bigger surprises of the season thus far has been the consistency of Matt Johnson in the Albert Lee Appliance. After missing Guntersville, Johnson shot onto the scene with a blaze of glory by making the final through the consolation in his debut, and finished on the podium in 3rd at the Columbia Cup. Seemingly improving each heat he goes out in, Matt now finds himself 5th in points after only 2 races run in the season, an incredible feat to say the least. The Albert Lee Appliance team is on a freight train of momentum heading into Seattle as they sit in prime position at this point in the season. Looked upon as Go Fast Turn Left's favorable race, Matt has the utmost confidence that he can pull together a sensational weekend for the Albert Lee Team.

"Winning in Seattle would be huge. Everyone wants to win at home and not only is Seattle the home of our sponsor, but it's the home of our team too. Besides just winning at home, it would also be a big step up in season points. I think we have definitely surprised a few people by sitting in the top 5 after only competing in 2 races and we're looking to continue that success. Seattle is going to be a tough race; now that we're halfway through the season, everyone has improved and has some good experience under their belts, and the rough water is going to be tough to deal with. As always, I'm excited to get out there and compete, and most importantly, to come back to the dock with points every race."

Looking to make his return after an early, heartbreaking end to his Madison final is Kelsey Best in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar. After a perfect outing in the prelims in Madison, Best was one of the favorites to win the Madison Regatta final but alas he fell victim to a few incidents in the mill that led to a shaky start and an eventual blowover in the final. After missing Tri-Cities to repair the damages done to the hull, Best is looking forward to making an electric rebound in Seattle with a fast, newly rebuilt Spirit of Qatar. Currently on a 4 heat race victory streak, Best is bound to be quite the contender heading into the Seafair Cup.

"The boat is all fixed and the team is excited heading into Seattle. From here on out we know the national high points championship is likely out of reach so we will be looking to get many heat wins and hopefully a race win to give the team confidence heading into next season. We will be looking to limit mistakes on the water but still push the boundaries as our team is aggressive by nature. We hope to gain more points than anyone else from here on out."

You'll be sure to hear the roar of the crowd when you see the beautiful U-16 Oh Boy! Oberto driven by Codee Guyll exiting the Stan Sayres pits as a fan favorite. Backed by the infamous Art Oberto and Oberto beef jerky, the Ellstrom Racing entry has had a solid season so far coming off of a successful Tri-Cities race where he placed 6th in the final. Making only 2 appearances on the year at this point, Codee has showcased his talented abilities as a driver and has plenty of potential given he's only been to 2 races and has made both finals. As a driver, Codee is confident in his strategic abilities that helps him improve each and every time out.

""I'm confident in my strategy. I'm not really at the level yet where I'm battling for the big trophy at the end of the race, so I'm staying back and avoiding mistakes and trying to keep my boat on the water. So far, its paying off and I was even able to win my first ever heat that way. The important thing for me, as a new driver, is that I'm getting better every race and am becoming more of a threat each time I'm on the water."

An old-time classic will be seen out in Lake Washington for the first time in a great while as Chris Porten will look to bring out the U-25 Miss Pay'n Pak to Seafair. After a pretty successful debut in Tri-Cities, Porten will look to gain some more experience with the hull and become more comfortable with what the boat can and can't handle. In his debut at the Columbia Cup, Porten was able to make the consolation after sticking to the outside lane all weekend, showing that staying out of harms way can benefit you in the long run. The Pak is back at Seafair and while it won't be fighting furiously for lanes, expect to see a confident and improving Chris Porten behind the wheel.

"As of now, I don't have much experience with the Seattle course. However, I'm getting more confident in my abilities to control the boat so the race should go well for the Pay 'n' Pak. Like the Columbia Cup, I'll probably race from the outside and try to stay out of trouble."

There's nothing like the Seafair summer tradition ending with the long awaited Seafair Cup fast approaching. Many of the Seattle based teams will be looking to push their equipment to the limit and find the winning formula to victory lane at Seafair. With race weekend almost here, there's an electric feeling in the atmosphere as the worlds fastest hydroplanes are set to make history in the SNHL as the most talented drivers on water battle deck to deck for greatness on the infamous waters of Lake Washington. Get ready for a jaw-dropping, adrenaline pumping thrill ride that will take your breath away at any given moment.

This isn't any ordinary hydroplane race, this is Seattle. This is Seafair

Race 2 of the SNHL Madison Regatta Indiana Governor's Cup is upon us as teams all across the country prepare for what should be an action packed weekend on the Ohio river in Madison, Indiana. After an eventful Guntersville final that led to an abundant of penalties and defeat, Beau Rarig in the U-12 Miss Budweiser nailed the start and survived to be crowned the Southern Cup champion and the first ever SNHL final heat winner. Currently sitting 2nd in National High Points, the Budweiser team is riding on a wave of momentum as we caught up with Beau Rarig and asked how his expectations changed since winning the inaugural race of the season.

"I think everyone's expectations of me have risen since Guntersville. Some have said I got lucky in the Southern Cup Final, and to an extent, I believe that too. I'm not the fastest driver in the field, I will admit that. The key to Budweiser Racing's success going forward is to maintain consistency. Simply finishing in the top 3 each heat was enough to place into the Final, and now Miss Budweiser is second place in National High Points. I won't make any predictions of how Madison will turn out, but I'm confident Miss Budweiser will be a legitimate threat to the rest of the field."

While a hint of pure luck was given to the Budweiser camp on that final win, there's no denying that consistency paid off well for Beau Rarig and that could be the key to a successful year for Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser. Entering a challenging course this weekend in Madison, this could be the true test for Beau with a hungry field eager for their first win. Searching for his first win after nearly boasting a perfect weekend is Eddie Kanfoush in the U-8 Llumar Window Films from Team Wurster. The U-8 was a rocket ship at Guntersville as Eddie showcased his potential as a champion to the tune of 3 straight preliminary heat wins. He came up just short of a final victory, however, as the Llumar finished 2nd in the Southern Cup final after he jumped the gun but 1st in national high points. Asked if being the points leader this early on leads to more pressure, Eddie replied with confidence.

"Absolutely. Leading points kinda puts more of a target on your head, so the pressure is on to keep it up and try to stay on top. All I can do to handle it is run my race and try not to worry too much about anyone else."

Proving that he can fly the boat while keeping it on the water, the Llumar Window Films will be the hull to watch entering the Indiana Governor's Cup after an electric start to the season. Madison is a completely different course than Guntersville as the long straights coupled with hairpin turns make an already rough ride on the Ohio river more challenging. One driver to keep a close eye on is none other than the current 2.5 mile qualifying record holder, Nicholas Miller piloting the U-9 Les Schwab Tires. At a blistering 161.306, he set the tone for a solid weekend finishing the 1st race of the season 3rd in the point standings. Being one of the many victims of a penalty in the final, Jones Racing will be looking to rebound on a challenging Ohio River. Known to fly the boat more like a plane than a hydro at times, Nicholas gave his take on what could be an advantage in Madison with the unique course design.

"I think the long straightaways can provide an advantage to the outside lanes. A fast boat can keep momentum on the outside and avoid the risk of being pinched by other boats. It'll be interesting to see what lanes other drivers prefer."

Given how fast we've seen the Les Schwab Tires at Guntersville, you can bet that Nicholas Miller will be one of the top threats entering Madison. One driver that will be looking for redemption from Guntersville is the 2nd half of Team Wurster, Cei Bowen in the U-8 Tide. Cei kicked off his season with a bang being 1 of only 3 drivers to hit the 160+ mark in qualifying. Capitalizing on his qualifying time, the Tide would go on to win 2 of 3 preliminary heats. Disaster struck however in the final, as a critical lane infraction penalty before the start ruined any chance of a victory at Guntersville. All in all, Cei still had a dominating weekend as he sits 4th in national high points. With this weekend's race at his home course, Cei is confident he can rebound with authority in Madison.

"It’s my home track and been going for 17 years now and I feel pretty confident. Qualifying may be rough but the heats and final I’m very confident. Been running lane 2 a lot and it has been very powerful for mainly heats but if I can get a good start in the final it’ll be a dog fight for the win. Hopefully I won’t make any mistakes this weekend but I’m looking to move up to 1st or 2nd after Madison in the standings."

He also has a boost on confidence to the fact that Team Wurster is on a rampage after 1 race. The Llumar sits 1st in points while the Tide is comfortably in 4th, and there's a great possibility that this team is just getting warmed up. Cei and Eddie have great chemistry working together and it shows on the course and off it. Asked how far they think this team can go this season, Eddie didn't hesitate to respond.

"I think we can go pretty far. Cei’s a great driver, I think we make a pretty good team. We have high expectations for our team so we’re gonna work as hard as we can to exceed them."

The sky is the limit at the moment for Team Wurster, but there's a lot of season still left to be played. One competitor hoping for new beginnings after a lackluster performance is Mickey Washburn in the U-1918 Oberto. After a great start to the season with a 4th place qualifying position, Mickey struggled mightily in the preliminary heats. He didn't have a terrible weekend by any means (one 2nd place finish, and 2 4th's), but Mickey was looking for much more that the current results imply. With a fast Madison course ahead, the Oberto team is looking for redemption to save their season early on.

"After qualifying 4th fastest it was down hill from there. But this weekend is a new race and time to get the 1918 Oberto back on track. If I have any hope for a national title I can’t make any mistakes this weekend."

The Oberto will be a crowd favorite to watch, whether that's the 2018 Oberto or the only community owned hull in the world, the U-6 Miss Madison sponsored by Valvoline. Madison has a rich history of hydroplane racing, and this upcoming weekend, it will only add more with an expected field of 16+ boats for the Indiana Governor's Cup. Who will begin their season at Madison? Who's going to conquer the Ohio River? Who's going to be crowned the Indiana Governor's Cup Champion? We'll find out soon enough.

You gotta Regatta!

Hey Scott, not meaning to sound impatient, but just asking about how the progress is going with the game.

Anything new that you've been working on that we can expect in the future or any updates to fix a few bugs?

Awesome that you've created the best hydroplane racing game ever and that it's just getting started!

Very nice! Already enjoy this more than the Rfactor hydromod, hope this is the future of hydro simming!
Love the addition of the canard wing, it brings so much more to the table in terms of the realism and racing in general.

Every now and then, it won't allow me to join the uhl server as I'll click join and the camera will pan out like its going to the course for a second, then go back to the menu.

Nonetheless, I'm really excited for updates in the future!

We have monthly exhibitions going on at the moment as you can go to the leagues page to check it out and sign up if you want. We also have a discord channel where you can chat with us about the game and everything hydroplane related. Our signature season, the Saturday Night Hydro League, takes place in the winter time where the racing gets real competitive!

You can join our discord channel and there will most likely be somebody who can race with you. If you want to jump on the UHL server in game, type in 'Uhlhydroplanes.com' in the server box to join the server that we use to race

SNHL Homestreet Bank Cup Race Recap

We returned to the historic waters of Lake Washington as a staggering field of 22 hydros filled the Stan Sayres pits, tied for the largest boat count in SNHL history and the 2nd time this year the league has had a massive 22 boat field. 2 rookies would make their inaugural SNHL debut with Travis Johnson in the 2013 U-22 Webster Racing and Brian Johnson in the 1982 U-00 Atlas Van Lines. With nearly two dozen drivers striving for the Homestreet Bank Cup, the competition on the water would be fierce and unrelenting as no victory would come easy at this years Seafair. Last years winner Matt Johnson would seek to be the first driver in SNHL to successfully defend a championship race that he won the year prior. Entering Seattle, Nicholas Miller in the U-75 Digital Confectioners presents Depth held a slight lead over Johnson in the U-10 Matt Johnson Design as they would be a focal point for the majority of Seafair Weekend.

The pursuit of the Homestreet Bank Cup would begin with 3rd place in points Tim Johnson in the U-50 Miss Tri-Cities getting the win in 1A. 1B Saw the top 2 in points face off with Nicholas Miller edging out Matt Johnson in 1B, Kyle Lewis got a heat win in his first competitive heat in the U-96 Miss Elam Plus in 1C, and defending league champ Eddie Kanfoush got the win over Peyton Hopp in 1D. 2A would see the crowd favorite Kelsey Best in the U-12 Miss Seahawks grab the win, Tim Johnson would out-duel his brother Matt in 2B for 400 valuable points, Peyton Hopp in the U-5 Graham Trucking secured the heat victory in 2C, and DJ Miller would extend his points lead with a 2nd consecutive heat win in 2D.

The 3rd and final flight of heats would prove to be detrimental to some drivers and crucial to others as it would be the final chance for all 22 drivers to secure a spot on the front line in the Seafair Final. 3A would be one of the most destructive heats in SNHL to date as a delayed reaction by Peyton Hopp would lead to a chaotic mistake that would dramatically alter the heat before it even began. Coming to the entrance of turn 2, Hopp lost his lane after Cei Bowen in the U-43 Notre Dame moved into 1 as he had overlap on him. Hopp got off the throttle after getting up to speed trying to block off the overlap, but it would be too late as he slammed into the Notre Dame which sent Bowen into Miller and Tim Johnson that eventually created a massive pileup in turn 2. Miraculously, all drivers were able to continue and finish the race with Chris Porten in the U-65 Oberto Specialty Meats while Hopp would be penalized and receive 6th place points, costing him a bid into the final. "Thought I could make up enough ground to defend lane 1, but ultimately I should have moved to the outside" Hopp exclaimed. "Looking back, it was a bone-headed move and it cost me a chance to get into the final. All I can do is accept my mistake and continue to improve myself as a driver."

Kanfoush would grab the heat 3B victory over Mickey Washburn, Matt Johnson finally picked up a prelim heat win in 3C, and Kelsey Best would power the 12th boat to victory in 3D. Cei Bowen would walk away with the consolation heat win in the U-43 Notre Dame, securing his spot as the trailer boat in the Homestreet Bank Cup Final Heat.

All of the intense racing over the Seafair weekend would culminate to the Homestreet Bank Cup Final Heat. DJ Miller in the U-75 Depth entered the final with the most points on the weekend, followed by Eddie Kanfoush in the U-1 Llumar Window Film, Matt Johnson in the U-10 Matt Johnson Design, Kelsey Best in the U-12 Miss Seahawks, Tim Johnson in the U-50 Miss Tri-Cities, Mickey Washburn in the U-9 Kramerica presents Miss Vandelay, and Cei Bowen in the U-43 Notre Dame as the trailer. Kelsey Best would overtake everyone in the back stretch and grab lane 1, but he jumped the 1 minute pin as he would be penalized 1 lap. The final turn before the start would be dramatic as Miller was forced to go to the outside since Best was in 1 and M. Johnson was in 2. The first turn was full of intensity as Miller lead the way on the outside while Tim Johnson sneaked inside of Matt Johnson, making Matt go out into Washburn and almost flipping over. Matt would eventually get into Tim's roostertail out of turn 2 and roll over, ending his final.

Two intense deck to deck battles happened for the majority of the race as Tim Johnson was closing in on Mickey Washburn for 1st, while Nicholas Miller battled Eddie Kanfoush for 3rd. Johnson closed the gap quickly in the final lap, but Washburn was determined to earn his first win as his precise handling of the corners as well as holding Tim tight in lane 1 gave him an advantage. Out of the final turn coming down the final stretch, Washburn would edge out a flying Tim Johnson in the closest finish to a final in SNHL History. 3rd would go to Nicholas Miller, followed by Eddie Kanfoush, Cei Bowen, Kelsey Best, and an unfortunate DNF for Matt Johnson.

Mickey Washburn drove the race of his career in front of an ecstatic Seattle, Washington crowd in the U-9 Kramerica presents Miss Vandelay. Washburn had momentum from the very beginning of the weekend, placing 2nd in qualifying and ultimately walking away with his first career SNHL final victory. Pre-race strategy played a huge role in Washburn's path to victory. "My pre-race plan was to leap frog the trollers, but I had an issue and had to hang back. Because of that issue, I had to try and nail the start from the outside. As I exited the first turn, I had the lead, and all I could think of was I had 2 fast boats to the right and 2 fast boats to the left. While I was coming up the backstretch, I realized how tight turn 2 would be. I did not want to mess anything up for the other boats in turn 2, so I tried to be fast and leave room for everybody in that turn. Then, as I headed down the front stretch, I was waiting for my spotter to say “clear“ so I could move over. Jeff did an awesome job as my radio guy in the heat. After that, my plan was be fast in the straightaways and tight in the turns. My last time through turn 1, Tim hooked and I thought I had him beat. He flew down the backstretch and he was right on my hip again. We dragged raced to the finish line. I finally have a SNHL final heat victory, and it was one of the Washington races- which makes it even better.”

Tim Johnson gave it his all in the U-50 Miss Tri-Cities, but fell just a sponson length short of his first career SNHL final win. Johnson's effort proves that he has the capability to win and looks to make an impact down the stretch. "It was tough coming out of that one knowing we were so close to winning but I gotta give a lot of credit to Mickey, he drove a great race. Looking towards Detroit, it's gonna be a tough one. The water is always rough and doesn't give much margin for error so keeping the boat under control will be important. DJ has a sizable lead at the top so it will be tough to catch him but I'm gonna do my best to take advantage of the opportunities I get. I'd like to give a shoutout to Matt Johnson Designs for adding some flair to the traditional Miss Tri-Cities paint scheme for the remainder of the season."

While Nicholas Miller failed to grab his 3rd final heat win of the year, he secured a spot on the podium and further stretched out his points lead as he yet again got the most weekend points for the 3rd time this season. If Miller continues to be consistent like he has all season long, he can find himself locked in as the season 2 champion in the near future. “I am really happy with how Seattle went. Earning the most points was my goal and I am very happy with a podium finish. It was a much-needed confidence boost after Tri-Cities. Detroit is a race I am really looking forward to. I just need to focus on finishing well, winning heats when I can. This should keep the pressure more on the guys behind me in points and less on myself. If I can come away with the most points again after Detroit, I'll be in good shape for the San Diego finale.”

It was an unfortunately abrupt ending for Matt Johnson in the Homestreet Bank final heat as he lost control of the U-10 Matt Johnson Designs hydroplane and barrel-rolled into the infield. Needing to gain as much ground as possible on a surging Nicholas Miller, Johnson will have to be near perfect moving forward if he looks to gain the lost ground.
“Overall Seattle was a bit of a disappointment, I made a few mistakes that cost me some valuable points but I was able to get some good results in my preliminary heats so there was still some positive that came out of the weekend. Practice is going to be key leading up to Detroit as the course is a beast that I haven't tamed yet. It's a rough course with a weird layout and last year it didn't go so well. The biggest thing I need to do is avoid mistakes and be patient. The harder I push, the harder it pushes back and just surviving the race is half the battle. I'm excited to get back out there but I know I have a lot of work to do before then.”

With this years incredible Seafair event in the books, the season will get even more competitive down the stretch with a tough Detroit river scheduled up next for the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Hydrofest. Miller has extended his lead in national high points to 421 over Matt Johnson, with Tim Johnson close behind in 3rd place in points and the defending champion Eddie Kanfoush in 4th on the outside looking in. 2 races left to go in the season and with a treacherous 2.71 mile Detroit course ahead, you can bet that it will be one of the most critically acclaimed race weekends of the 2019/2020 SNHL Season. Who will come out on top in Mo-town? We'll find out on January 18th.

We are officially halfway through Season 2 of the Saturday Night Hydro League and there has been no shortage of deck to deck, edge of your seat racing this year. The level of competition this season has grew substantially from season 1 as many of the drivers in the top 10 in points still have a realistic shot of capturing the SNHL high points championship at the end of the season. With the major change to the milling period from season 1, the pre-race has become all more important without a required speed limit and the factor of the 1 minute score up buoy makes the final minutes before the start of the race more critical than ever. With Seattle, Detroit, and San Diego still remaining on the schedule, we'll take a brief look at what the first half of SNHL Season 2 has brought us.

The race for the Southern Cup began the 2019/2020 SNHL Season with 20 total participants seeing action on the waters of Lake Guntersville. Being the first race of the 2nd SNHL Season, Guntersville saw the leagues first crop of rookies see some action on the water with Tab Hebert (fill in for Cei Bowen in the U-43 Notre Dame), Luke Nelson (2012 U-37 Beacon Plumbing), Gavin McClure (GP-25 H8 Cancer Racing), Aidan Shan (U-15 Aussie Endeavor) and Tyler Kaddatz (U-7 Spirit of Detroit) all getting their feet wet in their first race. The racing was intense for most of the day on the rough Guntersville race course as one of the biggest storylines throughout the prelims would be the beginning of the season 2 rivalry of Nicholas Miller and Matt Johnson with both drivers being drawn into 3 consecutive heats together. Miller would best Johnson 2 out of the 3 heats and go on to win the Southern Cup final over Johnson, and an incredible podium finish for Saxon Hopp in the U-100 Znetix who stunned everybody with his Guntersville performance.

The Gold Cup would be moved to Madison, Indiana in 2019 as a staggering field of 22 boats would show up for the 2nd annual SNHL Gold Cup, the largest field of boats at 1 race in SNHL history. This would also mark the first time the flight of heats would go to an E section since a maximum # of 5 boats were allowed in a single heat. 2 newcomers to the SNHL would make their debuts on the Ohio River with Anthony Luce in the U-20 Appian Jeronimo and a former Hydromod UHL champion Craig Montgomery dusting off the cobwebs in his legendary U-44 Team Hormel presents Spam. The racing was action-packed throughout the weekend with no shortage of intense deck to deck racing. Matt Johnson and Eddie Kanfoush would have stellar days in the preliminary heats, but they would succumb to the perfection of Nicholas Miller in the Digital Confectioners presents Depth as Miller would out duel Johnson in the Matt Johnson Design in a thrilling Gold Cup Final. Nicholas "DJ" Miller would go on to write history in Madison as not only the first SNHL Gold Cup winner in Madison, Indiana, but establish himself as the first driver in SNHL History to have a perfect weekend with 2100 points earned from a historic Gold Cup weekend.

The Columbia Cup saw 18 drivers take action on the mighty Columbia river as 2 more rookies made their first appearances on the season with John Ashby in the U-88 Nationwide Insurance, and Adam Frankham in the U-11 Peters & May. Miller held a substantial lead in the points at the beginning of Columbia Cup weekend as he would capture his 3rd top qualifier award of the season while breaking the SNHL 2.5 Mile World Record at a blazing speed of 164.324. Matt Johnson would gain ground on the points lead through the prelims as he piloted the U-10 Matt Johnson Design to 4 consecutive heat victories to Miller's 1 heat victory. The Columbia Cup final would shake up the course of the season after a series of events occurred during the final minute before the heat started. Tim Johnson in the U-50 Miss Tri-Cities would jump the score up pin and later make contact with Saxon Hopp in the Znetix after Johnson was forced to lane 3 after Nicholas Miller tried to shoot the gap between Quinton Miller in the Sonics, and Tim Johnson. Nicholas Miller's move unfortunately cost him the Columbia Cup win as his brother Quinton Miller would snag his first SNHL final victory.

Nicholas Miller would be disqualified while Matt Johnson finished 2nd, closing the gap in the points lead to just 56 points behind Miller's 4,950. Tim Johnson in the U-50 Miss Tri Cities is 3rd in points with 4,456 points accumulated, only 494 behind. 4th in points is the underdog so far in the season, Saxon Hopp in the U-100 Znetix as he's 931 points behind with 4,019 points totaled. Rounding out the top 5 in high points is the defending series champion Eddie Kanfoush, with 3,926 points and 1,024 behind the leader.

For Eddie Kanfoush, the season hasn't been too kind to him after a rough start coming from a stout championship winning season. Kanfoush has proven in the past that he can be untouchable when he's at his best as he looks to have a disciplined 2nd half of the season. " The season definitely hasn't been ideal but, nothing's impossible. I'm gonna need to limit my mistakes and hope for some lucky breaks, but if everything goes to plan I can hopefully challenge for the title by the end of the year!"

Sitting 4th in points, Saxon Hopp has come out of the gates swinging this year as his incredible consistency in the prelims have paid off with a miraculous top 5 in points. In a position to contend for a title, Hopp is ready to take advantage of the field on the 2 Mile Ted Jones race course beginning with the starts. "I think the biggest thing is starts, if I can nail those right on the money then I have the advantage. Seattle is up next I believe that is my race course. My dad has had tons of success out there it's all about timing out there. We are constantly finding more speed in the boat. So happy with the team and boat so far in heat races its all about getting points so far I am consistent in finishing 2nd and 3rd in heats which is good. Just gonna keep on truckin' and stay to my strategy and hopefully try to get the championship."

Tim Johnson hasn't gone unnoticed this season as he has one of the quickest hulls in the fleet this year. Johnson has captured 2 heat victories in each of the first 3 races of the year, becoming one of the more elite drivers this season. For Johnson, he hopes to capitalize on others mistakes down the stretch. "I'm hoping to continue taking advantages of mistakes made by others and get as many points as possible. I've gotten pretty lucky so far this season and I'm hoping it continues through the remainder. Keeping the boat on the water and out of difficult situations is important. The boat is performing really well and we're excited for the next 3 races."

Matt Johnson had reeled in Nicholas Miller for the points lead after 3 races. Johnson and Miller seem to have a knack to be always battling each other when they are drawn into the same heat. In what has become the rivalry of SNHL Season 2, Johnson looks to maintain what he's been doing all season long in a fast U-10 Matt Johnson Designs. "I just need to stay consistent. As long as I keep putting myself in a position to win and avoid making mistakes I'll, at the very least, be putting a lot of pressure on DJ for that top spot. He's definitely not going to make it easy and I know there are a few really good drivers that are not that far behind me that will put up a fight too. These last 3 races are going to be a lot of fun."

Nicholas Miller has been the one to beat all season long so far as he made an early impact in the season. With 7 heat wins, 3 top qualifiers, and 2 final heat victories this season, Miller undoubtedly has been the MVP of season 2 so far. After seeing his lead in points decrease from Tri-Cities, Miller looks to rebound from a sub-par weekend by continuing his winning formula. "I intend to just keep doing what I've been doing, and keep trying to finish well. What happened in Tri-Cities was unfortunately beyond my control. Not to mention I've been dealing with medical issues this past month. I'm looking to rebound from all this. I really look forward to the 2nd half of this season as I know I can do really well, just gotta hope a little luck goes my way." Asked who would be the biggest threat in the 2nd half, Miller did not count out the rest of the field that trails behind the driver that's been battling with him all season long. "I'd say Matt Johnson, he's been really consistent all season and consistency is key to winning. But I feel everyone is really competitive - just about anyone can win when we're out there racing."

With plenty of racing still left to go in the season, we're bound to see some of the most exhilarating moments happen as the racing will tighten up down the stretch. The Homestreet Bank Cup in Seattle is considered a hometown race to many in the SNHL and is sure to provide some edge of your seat racing. Detroit will test every drivers patience and skill set on a rough Detroit river for the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Hydrofest. The pinnacle of the SNHL Season will conclude at the UIM World Championship in sunny San Diego, California where we will determine who the national high points will be here in season 2 of the Saturday Night Hydro League. Many thrills and spills to come in the 2nd half of the season as we head to the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle for the Homestreet Bank Cup.

Peyton Hopp- U-98 Mike's Hard Lemonade

Mickey Washburn, Saxon Hopp, and I are proud to announce the 3rd season of the Saturday Night Hydro League! With the rising popularity of this fantastic game adding more Hydrosim drivers nearly every day, we are splitting the league into 2 leagues with a 3rd league possible depending on how many people register for the season. The main league will carry over the SNHL name and will have 24 drivers eligible to compete in the league. The secondary league will be deemed SNHL 2 and the rest of the registered participants will be eligible to compete in this league, as long as there isn't an overwhelming number of players registered for the SNHL. The SNHL commissioners will determine who gets put in what league based on past season stats and your intentions to run either full-time or part time for the season.

The deadline to register before we put drivers in their respective leagues is September 12th. You are still eligible to register for the SNHL season after this deadline, but you will be put in the secondary league at minimum. The top 5 in points of SNHL 2 will be automatically promoted to SNHL 1 for the following season while the bottom 5 in points in SNHL 1 will be demoted to SNHL 2 for the following season. We have a massive 10 race schedule for both leagues so this season will be one to remember! See the official rulebook for SNHL Season 3 here: http://uhlhydroplanes.com/topic/163/snhl-season-3-rulebook

Schedule for SNHL 2:

Schedule for SNHL:

You can register yourself for the season by commenting on this post with your name and the boat you'll be using. You may use a real H1 Unlimited or Fantasy Unlimited, but please ask for permission to use a Fantasy boat that you didn't paint yourself! Remember that there shall be no more than 2 boats with the same # and no more than 1 fantasy boat with the same number can be registered!

Registered Boats:

U-98 Mike's Hard Lemonade -Peyton Hopp
U-9 Miss Vandelay -Mickey Washburn
U-16 Cheerios -Eddie Kanfoush
U-25 Hearn Motorsports presents H8 Cancer Racing -Gavin McClure
U-8 Jif Presents Mr. Pringles -Scott Przybylski
U-66 Dangerous Age -Harley Gray
U-1 Digital Confectioners Presents Depth -Nicholas "DJ" Miller
U-18 Bad Influence -Jeff Bernard
U-6 Oberto Presents Wonder Bread -Codee Guyll
U-10 Matt Johnson Design -Matt Johnson
U-12 Miss Seahawks -Kelsey Best
U-2 Tequila Patron ESM -Beau Rarig
U-90 Easton Eagles Racing -Nick Kish
U-1954 Dick's Drive-In -Craig Montgomery
U-88 Stupid Fast Racing -John Ashby
U-81 Holy Smoke -Kym Behrndt
U-31 SuperBee R\T -Jeff Dewalt
U-50 Staples presents JBoyz Racing -Tim Johnson
U-3 Chick Fil-A -Cei Bowen
U-22 Miss DHL -Darryl Kinsey Jr.
U-99 Mike's Hard Lemonade II -Saxon Hopp
U-79 Fun Times Gaming -Ryan Radinsky
U-100 PICO American Dream -Luke Nelson
U-65 Important Boat Designs -Chris Porten
U-24 Miss Stew's Garage -Quinton Miller
U-14 Red White and Brew -Mason McClure
U-20 Mountain Dew presents Jacked Up -Carson Kelly
U-77 Castrol GTX -Scott Witherell
U-8 Wounded Warrior Project -Ben Dowell
U-83 Blue Mule -Jeff Woolf
U-33 Fireball Whiskey -Scott Cardenas
U-55 John Player Special -Adam Thurston
U-56 Dunlop Motorsports -TJ Czerwinski
U-50 American Spirit -Dustin Hicks
U-711 Miss 7-Eleven -Mitchell Adams
U-17 Miss Red Dot -Jake Bell
U-99.9 Bucket List Miss Rock -Taylor Evans
U-101 Pride of Vallyfield -Remi Laurin
U-8008 Jimmy Shane -Jimmy Shane
U-0 Kentucky Wildcats -Brian Johnson
28-R Imagecraft -Kyle Lewis
U-10 Close Call -John Sjostrom
U-47 Papa Johns -Noah Johns
U-93 Miss Statesman -Jason Fitch
U-88 Degree Men -Tyler Roth
U-7 Miss Tri-Cities -Danielle Garner
U-19 J&D's presents Arctic Cat -Jay Sedrowski
U-25 Pay N' Pak -Todd Bréda
U-70 Miss Valvoline -Tait Meyer
U-550 Liquid Addiction -Michael Behrndt
U-55 Oh Boy! Oberto 1982 -J.M. Stübbers
U-3 Griggs presents Ace Hardware -Jayden Jamieson
U-59 Bud Light -Scott Garner
U-17 Target -Jared Meyer
U-95 Miss Pennzoil -Will Smoot
U-53 Pay -N- Pak -Richard Adair
U-73 Digital Roostertails -Chris Denslow
U-1890 Miss Wazzu -David Johnson
U-440 Bucket List Racing -Jack Heiser
U-206 Seattle SuperSonics -Ricky Mcqueen
U-87 Lisa's Homes -Luke Hugman
U-1918 Oberto Super Salami 2019 -Anthony Kidd

The Miss Castrol and Rockstar Energy are 2 boats I made and use them most of the time when I decide to run a fantasy boat

SNHL Homestreet Bank Cup Race Recap

We returned to the historic waters of Lake Washington as a staggering field of 22 hydros filled the Stan Sayres pits, tied for the largest boat count in SNHL history and the 2nd time this year the league has had a massive 22 boat field. 2 rookies would make their inaugural SNHL debut with Travis Johnson in the 2013 U-22 Webster Racing and Brian Johnson in the 1982 U-00 Atlas Van Lines. With nearly two dozen drivers striving for the Homestreet Bank Cup, the competition on the water would be fierce and unrelenting as no victory would come easy at this years Seafair. Last years winner Matt Johnson would seek to be the first driver in SNHL to successfully defend a championship race that he won the year prior. Entering Seattle, Nicholas Miller in the U-75 Digital Confectioners presents Depth held a slight lead over Johnson in the U-10 Matt Johnson Design as they would be a focal point for the majority of Seafair Weekend.

The pursuit of the Homestreet Bank Cup would begin with 3rd place in points Tim Johnson in the U-50 Miss Tri-Cities getting the win in 1A. 1B Saw the top 2 in points face off with Nicholas Miller edging out Matt Johnson in 1B, Kyle Lewis got a heat win in his first competitive heat in the U-96 Miss Elam Plus in 1C, and defending league champ Eddie Kanfoush got the win over Peyton Hopp in 1D. 2A would see the crowd favorite Kelsey Best in the U-12 Miss Seahawks grab the win, Tim Johnson would out-duel his brother Matt in 2B for 400 valuable points, Peyton Hopp in the U-5 Graham Trucking secured the heat victory in 2C, and DJ Miller would extend his points lead with a 2nd consecutive heat win in 2D.

The 3rd and final flight of heats would prove to be detrimental to some drivers and crucial to others as it would be the final chance for all 22 drivers to secure a spot on the front line in the Seafair Final. 3A would be one of the most destructive heats in SNHL to date as a delayed reaction by Peyton Hopp would lead to a chaotic mistake that would dramatically alter the heat before it even began. Coming to the entrance of turn 2, Hopp lost his lane after Cei Bowen in the U-43 Notre Dame moved into 1 as he had overlap on him. Hopp got off the throttle after getting up to speed trying to block off the overlap, but it would be too late as he slammed into the Notre Dame which sent Bowen into Miller and Tim Johnson that eventually created a massive pileup in turn 2. Miraculously, all drivers were able to continue and finish the race with Chris Porten in the U-65 Oberto Specialty Meats while Hopp would be penalized and receive 6th place points, costing him a bid into the final. "Thought I could make up enough ground to defend lane 1, but ultimately I should have moved to the outside" Hopp exclaimed. "Looking back, it was a bone-headed move and it cost me a chance to get into the final. All I can do is accept my mistake and continue to improve myself as a driver."

Kanfoush would grab the heat 3B victory over Mickey Washburn, Matt Johnson finally picked up a prelim heat win in 3C, and Kelsey Best would power the 12th boat to victory in 3D. Cei Bowen would walk away with the consolation heat win in the U-43 Notre Dame, securing his spot as the trailer boat in the Homestreet Bank Cup Final Heat.

All of the intense racing over the Seafair weekend would culminate to the Homestreet Bank Cup Final Heat. DJ Miller in the U-75 Depth entered the final with the most points on the weekend, followed by Eddie Kanfoush in the U-1 Llumar Window Film, Matt Johnson in the U-10 Matt Johnson Design, Kelsey Best in the U-12 Miss Seahawks, Tim Johnson in the U-50 Miss Tri-Cities, Mickey Washburn in the U-9 Kramerica presents Miss Vandelay, and Cei Bowen in the U-43 Notre Dame as the trailer. Kelsey Best would overtake everyone in the back stretch and grab lane 1, but he jumped the 1 minute pin as he would be penalized 1 lap. The final turn before the start would be dramatic as Miller was forced to go to the outside since Best was in 1 and M. Johnson was in 2. The first turn was full of intensity as Miller lead the way on the outside while Tim Johnson sneaked inside of Matt Johnson, making Matt go out into Washburn and almost flipping over. Matt would eventually get into Tim's roostertail out of turn 2 and roll over, ending his final.

Two intense deck to deck battles happened for the majority of the race as Tim Johnson was closing in on Mickey Washburn for 1st, while Nicholas Miller battled Eddie Kanfoush for 3rd. Johnson closed the gap quickly in the final lap, but Washburn was determined to earn his first win as his precise handling of the corners as well as holding Tim tight in lane 1 gave him an advantage. Out of the final turn coming down the final stretch, Washburn would edge out a flying Tim Johnson in the closest finish to a final in SNHL History. 3rd would go to Nicholas Miller, followed by Eddie Kanfoush, Cei Bowen, Kelsey Best, and an unfortunate DNF for Matt Johnson.

Mickey Washburn drove the race of his career in front of an ecstatic Seattle, Washington crowd in the U-9 Kramerica presents Miss Vandelay. Washburn had momentum from the very beginning of the weekend, placing 2nd in qualifying and ultimately walking away with his first career SNHL final victory. Pre-race strategy played a huge role in Washburn's path to victory. "My pre-race plan was to leap frog the trollers, but I had an issue and had to hang back. Because of that issue, I had to try and nail the start from the outside. As I exited the first turn, I had the lead, and all I could think of was I had 2 fast boats to the right and 2 fast boats to the left. While I was coming up the backstretch, I realized how tight turn 2 would be. I did not want to mess anything up for the other boats in turn 2, so I tried to be fast and leave room for everybody in that turn. Then, as I headed down the front stretch, I was waiting for my spotter to say “clear“ so I could move over. Jeff did an awesome job as my radio guy in the heat. After that, my plan was be fast in the straightaways and tight in the turns. My last time through turn 1, Tim hooked and I thought I had him beat. He flew down the backstretch and he was right on my hip again. We dragged raced to the finish line. I finally have a SNHL final heat victory, and it was one of the Washington races- which makes it even better.”

Tim Johnson gave it his all in the U-50 Miss Tri-Cities, but fell just a sponson length short of his first career SNHL final win. Johnson's effort proves that he has the capability to win and looks to make an impact down the stretch. "It was tough coming out of that one knowing we were so close to winning but I gotta give a lot of credit to Mickey, he drove a great race. Looking towards Detroit, it's gonna be a tough one. The water is always rough and doesn't give much margin for error so keeping the boat under control will be important. DJ has a sizable lead at the top so it will be tough to catch him but I'm gonna do my best to take advantage of the opportunities I get. I'd like to give a shoutout to Matt Johnson Designs for adding some flair to the traditional Miss Tri-Cities paint scheme for the remainder of the season."

While Nicholas Miller failed to grab his 3rd final heat win of the year, he secured a spot on the podium and further stretched out his points lead as he yet again got the most weekend points for the 3rd time this season. If Miller continues to be consistent like he has all season long, he can find himself locked in as the season 2 champion in the near future. “I am really happy with how Seattle went. Earning the most points was my goal and I am very happy with a podium finish. It was a much-needed confidence boost after Tri-Cities. Detroit is a race I am really looking forward to. I just need to focus on finishing well, winning heats when I can. This should keep the pressure more on the guys behind me in points and less on myself. If I can come away with the most points again after Detroit, I'll be in good shape for the San Diego finale.”

It was an unfortunately abrupt ending for Matt Johnson in the Homestreet Bank final heat as he lost control of the U-10 Matt Johnson Designs hydroplane and barrel-rolled into the infield. Needing to gain as much ground as possible on a surging Nicholas Miller, Johnson will have to be near perfect moving forward if he looks to gain the lost ground.
“Overall Seattle was a bit of a disappointment, I made a few mistakes that cost me some valuable points but I was able to get some good results in my preliminary heats so there was still some positive that came out of the weekend. Practice is going to be key leading up to Detroit as the course is a beast that I haven't tamed yet. It's a rough course with a weird layout and last year it didn't go so well. The biggest thing I need to do is avoid mistakes and be patient. The harder I push, the harder it pushes back and just surviving the race is half the battle. I'm excited to get back out there but I know I have a lot of work to do before then.”

With this years incredible Seafair event in the books, the season will get even more competitive down the stretch with a tough Detroit river scheduled up next for the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Hydrofest. Miller has extended his lead in national high points to 421 over Matt Johnson, with Tim Johnson close behind in 3rd place in points and the defending champion Eddie Kanfoush in 4th on the outside looking in. 2 races left to go in the season and with a treacherous 2.71 mile Detroit course ahead, you can bet that it will be one of the most critically acclaimed race weekends of the 2019/2020 SNHL Season. Who will come out on top in Mo-town? We'll find out on January 18th.

We are officially halfway through Season 2 of the Saturday Night Hydro League and there has been no shortage of deck to deck, edge of your seat racing this year. The level of competition this season has grew substantially from season 1 as many of the drivers in the top 10 in points still have a realistic shot of capturing the SNHL high points championship at the end of the season. With the major change to the milling period from season 1, the pre-race has become all more important without a required speed limit and the factor of the 1 minute score up buoy makes the final minutes before the start of the race more critical than ever. With Seattle, Detroit, and San Diego still remaining on the schedule, we'll take a brief look at what the first half of SNHL Season 2 has brought us.

The race for the Southern Cup began the 2019/2020 SNHL Season with 20 total participants seeing action on the waters of Lake Guntersville. Being the first race of the 2nd SNHL Season, Guntersville saw the leagues first crop of rookies see some action on the water with Tab Hebert (fill in for Cei Bowen in the U-43 Notre Dame), Luke Nelson (2012 U-37 Beacon Plumbing), Gavin McClure (GP-25 H8 Cancer Racing), Aidan Shan (U-15 Aussie Endeavor) and Tyler Kaddatz (U-7 Spirit of Detroit) all getting their feet wet in their first race. The racing was intense for most of the day on the rough Guntersville race course as one of the biggest storylines throughout the prelims would be the beginning of the season 2 rivalry of Nicholas Miller and Matt Johnson with both drivers being drawn into 3 consecutive heats together. Miller would best Johnson 2 out of the 3 heats and go on to win the Southern Cup final over Johnson, and an incredible podium finish for Saxon Hopp in the U-100 Znetix who stunned everybody with his Guntersville performance.

The Gold Cup would be moved to Madison, Indiana in 2019 as a staggering field of 22 boats would show up for the 2nd annual SNHL Gold Cup, the largest field of boats at 1 race in SNHL history. This would also mark the first time the flight of heats would go to an E section since a maximum # of 5 boats were allowed in a single heat. 2 newcomers to the SNHL would make their debuts on the Ohio River with Anthony Luce in the U-20 Appian Jeronimo and a former Hydromod UHL champion Craig Montgomery dusting off the cobwebs in his legendary U-44 Team Hormel presents Spam. The racing was action-packed throughout the weekend with no shortage of intense deck to deck racing. Matt Johnson and Eddie Kanfoush would have stellar days in the preliminary heats, but they would succumb to the perfection of Nicholas Miller in the Digital Confectioners presents Depth as Miller would out duel Johnson in the Matt Johnson Design in a thrilling Gold Cup Final. Nicholas "DJ" Miller would go on to write history in Madison as not only the first SNHL Gold Cup winner in Madison, Indiana, but establish himself as the first driver in SNHL History to have a perfect weekend with 2100 points earned from a historic Gold Cup weekend.

The Columbia Cup saw 18 drivers take action on the mighty Columbia river as 2 more rookies made their first appearances on the season with John Ashby in the U-88 Nationwide Insurance, and Adam Frankham in the U-11 Peters & May. Miller held a substantial lead in the points at the beginning of Columbia Cup weekend as he would capture his 3rd top qualifier award of the season while breaking the SNHL 2.5 Mile World Record at a blazing speed of 164.324. Matt Johnson would gain ground on the points lead through the prelims as he piloted the U-10 Matt Johnson Design to 4 consecutive heat victories to Miller's 1 heat victory. The Columbia Cup final would shake up the course of the season after a series of events occurred during the final minute before the heat started. Tim Johnson in the U-50 Miss Tri-Cities would jump the score up pin and later make contact with Saxon Hopp in the Znetix after Johnson was forced to lane 3 after Nicholas Miller tried to shoot the gap between Quinton Miller in the Sonics, and Tim Johnson. Nicholas Miller's move unfortunately cost him the Columbia Cup win as his brother Quinton Miller would snag his first SNHL final victory.

Nicholas Miller would be disqualified while Matt Johnson finished 2nd, closing the gap in the points lead to just 56 points behind Miller's 4,950. Tim Johnson in the U-50 Miss Tri Cities is 3rd in points with 4,456 points accumulated, only 494 behind. 4th in points is the underdog so far in the season, Saxon Hopp in the U-100 Znetix as he's 931 points behind with 4,019 points totaled. Rounding out the top 5 in high points is the defending series champion Eddie Kanfoush, with 3,926 points and 1,024 behind the leader.

For Eddie Kanfoush, the season hasn't been too kind to him after a rough start coming from a stout championship winning season. Kanfoush has proven in the past that he can be untouchable when he's at his best as he looks to have a disciplined 2nd half of the season. " The season definitely hasn't been ideal but, nothing's impossible. I'm gonna need to limit my mistakes and hope for some lucky breaks, but if everything goes to plan I can hopefully challenge for the title by the end of the year!"

Sitting 4th in points, Saxon Hopp has come out of the gates swinging this year as his incredible consistency in the prelims have paid off with a miraculous top 5 in points. In a position to contend for a title, Hopp is ready to take advantage of the field on the 2 Mile Ted Jones race course beginning with the starts. "I think the biggest thing is starts, if I can nail those right on the money then I have the advantage. Seattle is up next I believe that is my race course. My dad has had tons of success out there it's all about timing out there. We are constantly finding more speed in the boat. So happy with the team and boat so far in heat races its all about getting points so far I am consistent in finishing 2nd and 3rd in heats which is good. Just gonna keep on truckin' and stay to my strategy and hopefully try to get the championship."

Tim Johnson hasn't gone unnoticed this season as he has one of the quickest hulls in the fleet this year. Johnson has captured 2 heat victories in each of the first 3 races of the year, becoming one of the more elite drivers this season. For Johnson, he hopes to capitalize on others mistakes down the stretch. "I'm hoping to continue taking advantages of mistakes made by others and get as many points as possible. I've gotten pretty lucky so far this season and I'm hoping it continues through the remainder. Keeping the boat on the water and out of difficult situations is important. The boat is performing really well and we're excited for the next 3 races."

Matt Johnson had reeled in Nicholas Miller for the points lead after 3 races. Johnson and Miller seem to have a knack to be always battling each other when they are drawn into the same heat. In what has become the rivalry of SNHL Season 2, Johnson looks to maintain what he's been doing all season long in a fast U-10 Matt Johnson Designs. "I just need to stay consistent. As long as I keep putting myself in a position to win and avoid making mistakes I'll, at the very least, be putting a lot of pressure on DJ for that top spot. He's definitely not going to make it easy and I know there are a few really good drivers that are not that far behind me that will put up a fight too. These last 3 races are going to be a lot of fun."

Nicholas Miller has been the one to beat all season long so far as he made an early impact in the season. With 7 heat wins, 3 top qualifiers, and 2 final heat victories this season, Miller undoubtedly has been the MVP of season 2 so far. After seeing his lead in points decrease from Tri-Cities, Miller looks to rebound from a sub-par weekend by continuing his winning formula. "I intend to just keep doing what I've been doing, and keep trying to finish well. What happened in Tri-Cities was unfortunately beyond my control. Not to mention I've been dealing with medical issues this past month. I'm looking to rebound from all this. I really look forward to the 2nd half of this season as I know I can do really well, just gotta hope a little luck goes my way." Asked who would be the biggest threat in the 2nd half, Miller did not count out the rest of the field that trails behind the driver that's been battling with him all season long. "I'd say Matt Johnson, he's been really consistent all season and consistency is key to winning. But I feel everyone is really competitive - just about anyone can win when we're out there racing."

With plenty of racing still left to go in the season, we're bound to see some of the most exhilarating moments happen as the racing will tighten up down the stretch. The Homestreet Bank Cup in Seattle is considered a hometown race to many in the SNHL and is sure to provide some edge of your seat racing. Detroit will test every drivers patience and skill set on a rough Detroit river for the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Hydrofest. The pinnacle of the SNHL Season will conclude at the UIM World Championship in sunny San Diego, California where we will determine who the national high points will be here in season 2 of the Saturday Night Hydro League. Many thrills and spills to come in the 2nd half of the season as we head to the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle for the Homestreet Bank Cup.

The U-11 J&D's is open for the season. Just sign up on the season 2 post under leagues by commenting your name and the boat you want to race.

SNHL Southern Cup Race Recap

Guntersville, Alabama would host the 2nd annual season opener for the Saturday Night Hydro League as 20 drivers took part in the Southern Cup at some point during the race weekend. Many interesting storylines developed entering the Southern Cup that contributed to what would be a fantastic showing put on by all of the SNHL drivers in Guntersville. Beau Rarig would replace the defending champion of the series in the U-1 Llumar Window Films as Kanfoush would miss the race due to a scheduling conflict. Rarig was the ideal replacement driver for Kanfoush as he's as consistent as they come and was last year's Southern Cup champion. With Kanfoush absent, the top contenders for this years Southern Cup would be DJ Miller and Matt Johnson, who have had their fair shares of battles with each other last season. These storylines would go on to play a huge role in the race for the Southern Cup.

DJ Miller and Matt Johnson were slated to face off in Heat 1A as the top qualifier DJ Miller would have the edge on Johnson in 1A with Miller finishing 1st and Johnson close behind in 2nd. Tim Johnson would start his season on the right foot with a 1B victory, Saxon Hopp would capture his 2nd heat win of his career in 1C and Beau Rarig started Kanfoush's campaign with a dominant 1D win. Jake Bell in the U-16 Red Bull Racing would get the bizarre 2A win as he was the only boat that would finish, 2B would go to Tim Johnson as he racks up back to back heat wins, Saxon Hopp continued his impressive weekend with a 2C victory, and Matt Johnson would even up the score with DJ Miller as he won 2D with Miller finishing in 3rd.

The 3rd flight of heats saw some epic deck to deck battles with everybody trying to accrue enough points to make the first final of the season. Mickey Washburn in the Kramerica presents Miss Vandelay would punch his ticket into the final with a 3A win, Kelsey Best representing the 12th man got the win in 3B, Beau Rarig got Team Llumar their 2nd heat win of the day in 3C, and DJ Miller secured his spot in the final with a 3D win. The consolation heat would see 6 drivers try to lock in to the trailer position for the Southern Cup as the lineup consisted of Beau Rarig in the U-1 LLumar Window Films, Kelsey Best in the U-12 Miss Seahawks, Peyton Hopp in the U-5 Graham Trucking, Chris Porten in the U-65 Oberto Specialty Meats, Jake Bell in the U-16 Red Bull Racing, and Gavin McClure in the GP-25 H8 Cancer Racing. Rarig was eager to win this race considering he had a near perfect performance in the prelims but crashed out in 2A. Rarig nailed the start and had a flawless race as he advanced on to the Southern Cup final. Peyton Hopp would give pursuit and close in, but ultimately came up one position short after struggling with mechanical issues the whole weekend.

"We were confident entering Guntersville, but the rough waters of Lake Guntersville was too much for our equipment early on. Our rudder bracket failed us in the first flight of heats as the boat was uncontrollable coming to the start. We were able to replace it in time for the 2nd set of heats but the alignment was off for most of the weekend. Heartbreaking way to start the season, but we feel like we can rebound at the Gold Cup if we play our cards right."

After an entertaining weekend of back and forth racing, the Southern Cup was about to be decided as 7 drivers had earned their way into the final. The official lineup would be Beau Rarig in the U-1 LLumar Window Films (trailer), Mickey Washburn in the U-9 Kramerica presents Miss Vandelay, Matt Johnson in the U-10 Matt Johnson Design, Luke Nelson (rookie) in the U-37 Beacon Plumbing, Tim Johnson in the U-50 Miss Tri-Cities, DJ Miller in the U-75 Digital Confectioners presents Depth, and Saxon Hopp in the U-100 Znetix who entered the final as the leader in points after dominating the prelims. He held 5 points over DJ Miller entering the final who also had a commanding set of prelim performances. As the 5 minute gun sounded, disaster would strike before all the boats could enter the course as rookie Luke Nelson in his first final would hit a roller and loose control as he would flip over before he could make his way onto the course. Nelson had a strong day entering the final with 2 2nd place finished and a 3rd but alas he would not see the start of the Southern Cup. This incident would move Beau Rarig up to be eligible to fight for lanes since Nelson was out of the race before the 1 minute gun.

The Milling period saw strategies play out early with DJ Miller trolling and nearly shutting the boat down on the front stretch as early as 2 1/2 minutes. Matt and Tim would slow down and troll back nearly half a front stretch back from Miller around 1:45 to go from the start, meanwhile Saxon Hopp would leapfrog both and slow up near Miller for lane 2. At the 1 minute mark, everybody was legal as Miller maintained his speed to establish lane 1 with Hopp in lane 2 and Matt Johnson in lane 3 with his brother on the outside. Miller and Johnson would nail the start with Hopp a little late in lane 2. Washburn on the outside would lead into turn 1 but have the disadvantage being on the outside with the rough Guntersville waters. Miller would jump out to the lead out of turn 1 with Johnson and Washburn half a roostertail back, vigorously flying the boat to keep in pace with Miller on the inside. Miller would pull ahead from Washburn, but Matt Johnson would stay within a roostertail. DJ Miller would maintain his lead for 5 laps en route to an error-free Southern Cup victory with Matt Johnson finishing strongly in 2nd place and Saxon Hopp edging out Tim Johnson for his first podium finish in 3rd.

DJ Miller seemingly crushed the competition in Guntersville as he came away with 2 heat victories, the 2019 Southern Cup champion, and the current points leader. Arguably the fastest and most efficient driver in the SNHL, Miller is more that satisfied of the weekend results that will give him the confidence needed to continue the momentum in Madison. "I couldn't have asked for a better start to the season. Getting the victory the first race takes a bit of the pressure off to win, so I can focus more on being consistent and hopefully maintain the points lead. The Gold Cup is a big points race with the extra flight of heats. I plan on doing my best to be mistake-free and score as many points as possible. It would be great to score back-to-back wins, but I'm focusing on the big picture."

Matt Johnson would end up as the runner-up in the first race of the season, but that is surely nothing to hang his hat on as his solid performance on the weekend puts him 4th in points and withing striking distance of the points leader. For Johnson, it all comes down to the simplicity of putting in the time and effort to increase your chances of winning. "Practice. I've been working hard to get as much speed out of the boat as I can, especially at Guntersville. It's a rough course and I knew I needed to be at my best in order to compete. I had some pretty tough heat draws but I still had a really solid weekend and that final was really fun. Obviously I'm a little disappointed I couldn't come out with the win but I'm really happy that I was able to keep the pressure on DJ all 5 laps, and 2nd place is a great start to the season."

One of the major surprises of the weekend was the willpower and consistency shown by Saxon Hopp in the U-100 Znetix. Hopp showcased some excellent driving skills during the prelims that notched him 1100 and the points lead entering the final. Exceeding everyone's expectations, including his own, Hopp couldn't be more excited to walk away from the 1st race of the season 2nd in national high points. "Honestly, it's a great feeling. I thought I didn't have a chance, was struggling during testing and qualifying trying to get the boat to settle down in the very unpredictable waters of Lake Guntersville. Race time came and things fell into place I am extremely happy with the results. Could of nailed the start a little bit better in the final, but a 3rd place I can't complain too much about that."

Missing the qualifying session on Friday, the missed time and points didn't seem to phase Tim Johnson in the U-50 Miss Tri-Cities as he put up a solid showing in the preliminary heats, grabbing 2 1st place finishes. He ultimately placed 4th in the final, but ended the season opener on a high note as he currently sits 3rd in season high points. A solid start to the season, Johnson will look to get more aggressive in the battle for lane positioning while staying cautious in order to bring the boat back to the dock in one piece. "I was really happy with the preliminary heats. I got pretty lucky that the guys I was racing against had some equipment failure that i was able to capitalize on. Really wish we could have done better in the final but happy that we were able to finish and get a good point total that puts us in a good spot to start the season. I think to continue this I need to work on getting better lane position and continue to keep the boat on the water. Really looking forward to Madison and looking to try and climb in the standings."

Racing in place for Eddie Kanfoush, Beau Rarig seemed to have just a little rust showing when he was piloting the defending champions boat. Rarig proved to be a force to be reckoned with early on with a 1D victory, but succumbed to the rough waters of Lake Guntersville in 2A as he blew the boat over. Rarig would rebound however with a 3C and consolation heat win, and ended up finishing 5th in the final. "My performance could've been better. I had a solid chance to place Eddie into the top 3 in points, but my rollover in Heat 2A put a stop to that. I guess I'm still rusty from last season. At any rate, the boat is one hell of a machine, and I imagine Eddie will do just fine driving it, and he'll surely be a contender for the high point championship."

Mickey Washburn in the Kramerica presents Miss Vandelay boasted a Bill Muncey like start on the outside as he held the lead all the way to the first turn. He would end up falling back to a 6th place finish as he had no real opportunity to move over to the inside lane as he never had overlap. Despite the 6th place finish, Washburn is in solid positioning on the season so far as he sits 5th in high points. With the level of competitiveness in this league, Washburn knows that you have to pick and choose your battles out on the race course. "We have such a competitive field of boats you have to race smart in the heat races and make sure you make it to the final. Then in the final crank her up hit the start and hope for some luck."

The race for the Southern Cup did not disappoint as race fans witnessed some of the most precise hydroplane drivers in the world battle deck to deck all weekend long. DJ Miller seems to be the early front runner for the SNHL Season 2 champion but it is by far too early to make assumptions with 5 more races to go on the schedule. Matt Johnson has a history with DJ Miller and their battles with each other on the water, so expect their rivalry to heat up at the season goes on. Saxon Hopp came out of nowhere and impressed everybody at Guntersville as he will look to continue to improve after an explosive start to his season. Tim Johnson also looked incredible in Guntersville as he will be a contender to watch out for during the season, and let's not forget that Eddie Kanfoush will be back in his own ride in Madison after Rarig successfully filled in for him. Much more action-packed racing to come from the SNHL as we look forward to the highly anticipated SNHL Gold Cup being held in Madison, Indiana November 15th and 16th!

https://youtu.be/XQK4rmwEcF0

I think the boat just needs to be loosened up a bit in general but I like the new physics because it's more realistic. To be good at this game before, you had to really fly the boat and pull off ridiculously long wheelies. In this newer version its more about keeping the boat on the water as using the wing to fly the boat is a lot less forgiving. The point of no return is a lot closer to how it is in real life in this version.

It's all about picking your battles when to fly the boat and setting up for the corner

With the off-season under wraps and a slew of experimental exhibitions in the books, we look forward to a upcoming SNHL season that brings a completely refined format to the table for season 2. A lot of changes were made to the structure of the league, particularly the milling period procedures with an abundance of rule changes that will completely alter the outcome of races this season. Season 2 will have a new era of Hydrosim racing and with the playing field essentially being reset, drivers will have to rethink their starting procedures for the year.

The biggest rule change this season will be the dismissal of the 80 MPH rule as there will be no speed requirement during the milling period. Without the 80 M.P.H. rule in effect, the milling period will drastically change with even more opportunities for different strategies to take place. Another rule that was terminated for this season is the use of DMZ's as there will be no DMZ violation that can occur that would disqualify a competitor. One of the most intriguing rule additions this season is the 1 minute score up buoy, as all drivers will be required to score up at a specific buoy (exit pin of turn 1) at 1 minute. This rule will provide a unique challenge to all drivers as it ups the ante in the milling period leading up to the race.

Along with these major rule changes, SNHL Season 2 will also be the first season where community created boats can be used alongside the real H1 Unlimited hydroplanes that you saw in Season 1. Some will remain in recognizable H1 unlimited boats while many returning drivers opted to bring their breath-taking creations to the waters for the first time ever in SNHL. What made the registration process ever more entertaining this year, in a season of firsts, was the first annual SNHL Live Draft where many returning drivers made their picks live according to last years positioning in points. Below is the draft recap of the selections that were made in order of last years positioning in Season High Points

1st pick Eddie Kanfoush *U-1 Llumar Window Film
2nd pick Nicholas Miller *U-75 Digital Confectioners Presents Depth
3rd pick Cei Bowen *U-43 Notre Dame
4th pick Matt Johnson *U-10 Matt Johnson Design
5th pick Kelsey Best *U-12 Miss Seahawks
6th pick Mickey Washburn *U-9 Kramerica Presents Miss Vandelay
7th pick Tim Johnson *U-50 Miss Tri-Cities
8th pick Peyton Hopp *U-5 Graham Trucking 2013
9th pick Cale Bruce *U-1918 Oberto Specialty Meats
10th pick Scott Przybylski *U-8 Mr Pringles 1986
11th pick Chris Porten *U-65 Oberto Specialty Meats
12th pick Codee Guyll *U-57 Miss Viper
13th pick Jeff DeWalt *U-31 Super Bee R/T
14th pick David Johnson *U-11 Miss Exide 2
15th pick Quinton Miller *U-67 Miss Sonics
16th pick Jake Bell *U-16 Red Bull Racing
17th pick Saxon Hopp *U-100 Znetix
18th pick Harley Gray *U-6 Frosted Flakes 2019
19th pick Simon Fortin *U-88 Degree Men
20th pick Noah Johns *U-666 Doom Slayer
21st pick Matthieu Brown *U-16 Miss E-Lam plus
22nd pick Luke Nelson *U-37 Beacon Plumbing 2012
23rd pick John Ashby *U-88 Nationwide Insurance
24th pick Tab Hebert *U-33 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing
25th pick Craig Montgomery *U-44 Hormel Presents Team Spam

The defending champion of the league, Eddie Kanfoush, comes off of a stellar season 1 after he dominated the field with 14 heat victories and 2 Final heat wins. Sporting a beautiful combination of Llumar Window Films and his fathers 1 litre paint scheme of the Fast Eddie Too, Eddie is more than honored to be running under Bill Wurster as the U-1 while paying homage to his dad's racing career. "The Y-1 Fast Eddie Too was the boat of my childhood. I grew up with that boat, and I never got tired of watching my father drive that hull. He was very successful with it, winning 10 national high points championships in a row before retiring in 2014. When I won the SNHL championship with the Llumar team last year, it seemed like a no-brainer to me. Honoring my father while sticking with the team and sponsor that brought my success is something that I take great pride in, and I’m very excited to start the next season."

Kanfoush will look to continue his dominance this year under a completely refined race format that he hopes will play an advantage to his strategy. "Last season was a surprisingly good year for us, in all honesty I didn't expect to do that well. Now we have a decent amount of changes to the starting procedure, and that's gonna spice things up a bit. Some people are stronger with one format than the other, so that will definitely come into play. For me, I'm just gonna get some testing and practice in and try to maximize my ability to get lane 1 and hit a start. I don't know if I'll be able to defend my title, but I'm sure gonna try! The U-1 Llumar team is prepared, we've made several changes to the hull and we're ready to battle it out with the best of the best!"

DJ Miller wound up as the runner up last season despite being arguably the fastest driver on the water after securing 5 top qualifiers out of 6 races that were ran. Miller has the potential to really make an impact this season and make a run for the title as he feels confident with the new format moving forward. "My plan this season is to be consistent and do my best to put myself in positions where I can run well. I'm proud of my performance in the off-season races and I think if I can replicate how I ran there I have a shot at a championship run. A key component to a championship is making as few mistakes as possible. Last season I made a few too many mistakes, but I feel more confident in my driving abilities now, especially with the new boat. The U-75 DC Presents Depth is a fast ride and capable of devouring the competition, but it is my responsibility as a driver to put the boat in a position to win. The competition will be fierce, so I will need to pick my battles on the water wisely."

The Gold Cup champion Cei Bowen has something to prove in the sophomore season of the SNHL after dueling with DJ Miller for the runner up position late in the season. Unafraid to push any boat to the brink, Bowen has his eyes set on more than just a runner up position this season. "Proved consistent and running good, but not how we wanted the season to go. We are looking to reclaim my title at Detroit and also end out the season on top. Strategy wise we will do the same as last year. Run hard, clean starts, and beat ‘em from the outside. Looking forward to the season, have been doing some repairs and had sponsor issues during the off-season so haven’t done too many practice sessions or races." Bowen will be a force to be reckoned with if he can adapt quickly to the new race format in place this year.

Matt Johnson got better as the season progressed, working his way from the middle of the pack and finished the year 4th in points and a Final heat victory under his name in Seattle. Johnson was often seen as one of the cleaner racers towards the end of the season, hardly committing any penalties and driving a smooth, yet persistent race. Johnson looks to build off the off-season momentum as he has high confidence in his ability to be a top contender in Season 2. "I'm feeling really good about season 2. I've been practicing a lot and I've seen that pay off with some really good results during the off season. I think I can definitely compete for the national championship."

Despite missing 1 race in the season, Kelsey Best still managed to astonishingly place 5th in season high points after boasting a wicked fast boat ride in 2018/2019. Representing the 12th man with his new hull in the U-12 Miss Seahawks, Best looks to better himself in season 2 after an overly impressive season 1 campaign that at one point saw him hold a 4 heat win streak. "The U-12 Miss Seahawks team is excited and ready for the upcoming season. The changes to the start procedure will make for some interesting milling periods. We were fortunate our driver was able to secure Lane 1 consistently last season but we anticipate the competition will be more intense this season. As a team we hope to be able to make all the races as that wasn't the case last season. We are also looking for a bit more consistency from our driver as a lot of unforced errors took away heat wins last season. Improvements in these areas should result in us fighting for the high points championship."

Like many other drivers, Mickey Washburn looks forward to the challenge that awaits the season with the 1 minute score up buoy in effect. Coming off of a top 10 finish in points last season, Washburn looks to make waves in his new Miss Vandelay this year. "This season we will be looking to be consistent and have the boat in position to win. I like the new format. The race before the race should be interesting. I’m betting there will be a huge dog pile at the 1 minute buoy for each final heat. Should be fun. With a little luck this year maybe the Kramerica presents Miss Vandelay can find herself with a race win this season."

Tim Johnson showcased plenty of speed last year as he propelled his way to a 7th place in season high points, but there was more left desired in the inaugural SNHL Season for Johnson. With great talent came great risk for Tim Johnson last season, and unfortunately it hurt him more than it helped in crucial moments. In the SNHL, only those who take the most time and effort to perfect the art of speed on water have the most success and Tim is bound to do that in season 2. "We need to make sure to practice more. We put ourselves in many difficult situations because we couldn't keep the boat on the water. Getting familiar with the water will be key in securing better finishes. We had a good offseason and are looking forward to season 2."

The learning curve was bittersweet for Peyton Hopp in Season 1 after placing 8th place in season high points. Slowly developing as a driver Peyton Hopp has shown potential for consistency towards the end of last season and is eager to gain more experience in Season 2. The first driver in the draft that stayed with a real H1 Unlimited team, Hopp looks to make a statement this season. "Left season 1 with mixed emotions about our performance on the year, but we leave our first year behind us and have a great feeling about Season 2. Have to thank Schumacher for the opportunity to represent a great team and wish them luck on the upcoming year as they look to develop a new driver like myself. I'm stoked to sign on to Porter for the year and show all these driver owned teams how it's done!"

The rest of the returning SNHL field will all be sporting new colors as the majority finds themselves in their own beloved creation. The 2019 fleet will be a sight to see with many up and coming drivers like Chris Porten, Codee Guyll, Jeff DeWalt, and Quinton Miller will look to make an impact in some of the more awe-inspiring schemes this year. While many drivers have chosen to jump in their self-created hulls, drivers like Cale Bruce, Scott Pryzbylski and Saxon Hopp have found H1 Unlimited teams to pair with in a season that lacks them. Hopp in particular continues with Leland Unlimited in the U-100 Znetix and is poised for a hopeful sophomore campaign. "Fred Leland got some good equipment during the offseason, I got my rookie stripes out of the way. Looking to work on my qualifying speeds as well getting lane 1 and mixing it up with the competition I have a good feeling about Seafair with this boat. Fred has some of the best rough water boats and it's up to me to execute at every course we run on this year. I am happy to be apart of Leland Unlimited and to have Znetix on board."

By far one of the most interesting developments in the off-season was the return of a former multi-time UHL Champion as Craig Montgomery announced that he would bring the U-44 Hormel presents Team SPAM out of retirement. One of the most dominant drivers in UHL history, Montgomery will be a household name in his first season on competition in the SNHL. While his previous racing experience shows how efficient he was out on the water, Hydrosim and the SNHL is a completely different league than what the UHL consisted of. For Montgomery's first year back in competition, he doesn't expect any immediate success as he begins to learn the ropes in the SNHL. "I don't really have any goals! I haven't mastered these physics and I don't have the practice time that I used to. I hope to make good starts and stay out of trouble."

With all of the sudden changes in year 2 of the SNHL, this season will be a season of firsts as this years competition on the water will be incomparable to last years. Many drivers have honed their skills in the off-season, long awaiting the chance to prove their worth to compete with the very best of the best. Many potential storylines are up in the air before the season even begins, the racing atmosphere seems so palpable this year compared to last. Ranging from the obvious battle for the championship to who the 1st ever rookie of the year will be, there will be no shortage of entertainment throughout the season at every position.

Do you have what it takes to push yourself to the absolute limit, to overcome adversity, and to immortalize yourself as the Champion of SNHL Season 2? The path the glory starts Friday, October 25th in Guntersville, Alabama.

Peyton Hopp
U-9 Castrol