American Boat Racing Association changes its name to H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Unveils new international brand

Published 12:37 pm Thursday, November 19, 2009

H1 Unlimited announced today that after five years it is retiring the name American Boat Racing Association (ABRA) and will officially be known simply as H1 Unlimited.

According to H1 Unlimited Chairman Sam Cole, the switch to the new name was brought on by the organization’s recent expansion into the international market, beginning with this weekend’s Oryx Cup in Doha, Qatar.

“Our racing series long ago accomplished the mission implied by our old name and with the beginning of the racing series internationally we need a name that more closely represents our new global reach,” Cole said in a press release.

The announcement was made during a press conference prior to the

start of today’s qualifying for the inaugural Oryx Cup UIM World Championship.

“We are honored to be able to make this new announcement, creating a new ‘brand ‘ for our sport which reflects our status as the number one hydroplane sport in the world,” Cole added.

The series’ presence in Doha, Qatar signifies the growth beyond being known as just an American sport, according to Cole and Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al Thani, president of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation, the organizer of the Oryx Cup.

The creation of the H1 Unlimited moniker by Cole and the organization’s board of director’s seeks to develop a brand name for the struggling sport of hydroplane racing, rather than create another association acronym.

The H1 Unlimited name mirror’s other highly popular powerboat racing series such as Class One (offshore), P1 (offshore) and F1 (tunnel boats), which are international in scope and enjoy immediate recognition internationally.

The legal structure of H1 Unlimited will not change and the board remain the same. The racing series will run under the sanction of the American Power Boat Association based in Eastpointe, Mich.

Preliminary heat races will be held on Friday (11/20) and Saturday (11/20) with an end of day Saturday winner-take-all final for the UIM World Championship. Because of the 11-hour time difference between Pacific Standard Time and Qatar time (Greenwich Mean Time plus-3 hours) most of the racing will take place in the early morning hours. For race times and live streaming broadcasts visit www.abrahydroplanes.com.