Just curious, why does no one care about boat racing? Why does no one care about Hydroplane GP racing. I mean...yeah, they basically race in oval shapish docks...but are you really expecting Nordschleife for these things? but I've been to one recently in person and I think it was pretty awesome. Great sound, great speed, and really cool to watch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBPZLT1Najg

So...no coverage? Does no coverage automatically = no interest? Or is it just not commercialized yet?

In the late 80s and early 90s this stuff was all over ESPN. I used to watch it all the time.

Yeah I watched it when I was growing up, but just lost interest in it I guess.

nah, the cool ones are powered by a helicopter turbine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4-ciUt07hU&feature=relat > then what you posted


But on a more serious note, hydroplanes are really awesome. Like them a lot. I think Eurosport kept broadcasting a league up until 2004 or 2005 but then, it's as if they vanished.

Quote from DeadWolfBones :

In the late 80s and early 90s this stuff was all over ESPN. I used to watch it all the time.

Yup I used to watch it. TNN used to have dirt racing every Thursday night too. If only we had some kind of "speed channel" that showed various forms of motorsport all day...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_SAFjARlMc

Offshore is the way forwards

Quote from UncleBenny :

Yup I used to watch it. TNN used to have dirt racing every Thursday night too. If only we had some kind of "speed channel" that showed various forms of motorsport all day...

I loved TNN back in the day!

But these hydroplane leagues still exists dont they? I mean is there anyway to watch them? Or are they just completely not broadcasted all together?

I remember watching them as a kid. Never really got into them until recently when I actually saw a hydroplane.

Definitely still racing, couple links I found quickly:

http://www.ulhra.org/

http://www.gold-cup.com/

The Gold Cup isn't terribly far away from me, I might have to look into it because they'd probably be cool to see in person. Only thing is I'm already trying to get to 2-3 Nascar races, the Red Bull Air Race in NYC, NHRA supernationals in NJ, and various other local races this summer haha.

Quote from lizardfolk :

Just curious, why does no one care about boat racing? Why does no one care about Hydroplane GP racing. I mean...yeah, they basically race in oval shapish docks

theres your answer

Quote :

but are you really expecting Nordschleife for these things?

well...
no

does accepting this limitation make watching boats go round in circles any more interesting?
no

I love this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Iyw5LFrJs

Quote from Shotglass :

well...
no

does accepting this limitation make watching boats go round in circles any more interesting?
no

Well...for 1 NASCAR and IndyCar isn't exactly an underground sport. So the fact that the tracks are oval shaped doesnt really have much to do with it imho. 2 what ever happened to the racing for the sake of racing? Does it really matter if the hydroplanes race on a Nordschleife-like course compared to Daytona? Not really...the boats themselves are already a tremendous feeling in the first place.

Besides, by this point, it doesnt really matter if the boats go round and round in circle or a more complicated circle. The hydroplane sound is absolutely epic, they have an awesomely futuristic chassis (unlike NASCAR) and they look really cool when they gracefully glide on the water (and creating huge streams while they are doing it)

So...no my question isnt answered. If they were once popular why aren't they popular now? Did FIA take it over or something?

Quote from diablo21 :

I love this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Iyw5LFrJs

I think the hydroplanes are a little cooler. But the fact that it's racing on a very very tight and complicated course would call for a more minimalistic design. I'm more meh to those kinds of boat racing but I still think it's cool

Yes it is kind of a sad state of affairs. There is no national coverage of hydroplanes in the US on TV. Some of the unlimited and limited inboard hydroplane races are carried on local television stations. We race a Grand Prix which is the largest piston powered class of hydroplanes. Check out our website for some video and info tompakradooni.com. You can see our schedule there too and there are links to the sanctioning bodies where you can find all the different events. I blog at hydroracertv.com and we cover all types of boat racing. This summer we plan to webcast all the GP races on the East Coast with hydroplanequebec.com and HRTV. If you live near a GP race please come out, they are normally free or very inexpensive and a great time.

If you are more interested in the turbine powered hydroplanes check out http://www.abrahydroplanes.com/.

Quote from UncleBenny :

Yup I used to watch it. TNN used to have dirt racing every Thursday night too. If only we had some kind of "speed channel" that showed various forms of motorsport all day...

google search speed vision, or speed channel

Quote from logitekg25 :

google search speed vision, or speed channel

It was a joke, SPEED doesn't show enough actual racing.