07/01/2026
When it’s time to turn the calendar to another month, it also means another issue of the Unlimited NewsJournal is available for your reading pleasure.
With the season’s first race only a few days away, our July issue features a report about what happened during the H1 Unlimited spring test session on the Columbia River several weekends ago. For readers who enjoy some history and the technology of these incredible boats, we also feature a first-hand account that describes Fred Leland’s efforts in the 1980s and early ‘90s to power his hydroplane with a monster Packard engine.
For the July issue we also reached into our vault and retrieved a story that we published more than 30 years ago about the sport’s legendary champion Bill Muncey and his talent as a musician. We also offer another quick look at the tragedy of 60 years ago that we featured last month, we preview next weekend’s Gold Cup in Madison, Brad Haskin tells us the latest news from the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum, and we remember a dear, kind friend of this publication and of this sport.
As always, the Unlimited NewsJournal is FREE. You can read, download, and/or print the July issue, or any of our previous issues, at unlimitednewsjournal.net. Happy Reading!
06/01/2026
Some say that summer begins with the arrival of June. If that’s the case, it must be time for the 2026 hydro racing season to get underway. It also means the June issue of the Unlimited NewsJournal has arrived.
This month’s issue is our annual season preview. Like he does each year at this time, the Swami puts on his turban, gazes into his crystal ball, and foretells what he believes will happen on H1 Unlimited racecourses during the season to come. We also offer readers our annual race program for the hard-core hydro fan. In it, we provide details about the boats and drivers that you won’t find in the race programs that will be sold at the race sites.
To recognize the 60th anniversary of one of the darkest days in the sport’s history, the June issue also looks back to the 1966 President’s Cup and reviews what happened on that Black Sunday when three of hydro racing’s top drivers were killed. After having featured the story of Rex Manchester the past two months, we also include a closer look this month at the career of one of the other victims of that terrible day: Don Wilson.
The June issue then wraps up with two of our usual features: a report about the latest happenings at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum and Chris Tracy’s column about the sport’s latest news.
As always, the Unlimited NewsJournal is FREE. You can read the June issue, or any of our past issues, at unlimitednewsjournal.net. Happy Reading!
05/01/2026
The May issue of the Unlimited NewsJournal is now available for your reading enjoyment.
This month, we feature an entertaining conversation between David Williams, the recently retired executive director of the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum, and one of our former editors, David Speer. The two Davids discuss a range of topics that include how Williams got involved in hydroplane racing, his efforts to preserve the sport’s heritage, and how he thought he might have killed one of the sport’s biggest personalities during a ride in a vintage boat on Lake Washington.
The May issue of the Unlimited NewsJournal also wraps up the story we started last month about the hard-luck career of Rex Manchester, which ended tragically on Black Sunday 60 years ago. Also, as we do every May, the issue looks back to what was happening in the world of big-time boat racing 100, 75, 50, and 25 years ago.
The May issue also includes an update about museum activities from Brad Haskin and a report of the sport’s latest news from Chris Tracy.
As always, the Unlimited NewsJournal is FREE. You can read the May issue, or any of our past issues, at unlimitednewsjournal.net. Happy Reading!
04/01/2026
No joke. The April issue of the Unlimited NewsJournal is now available for your reading enjoyment.
This month, we bring back the first segment of a story we published in 1991 about the hard-luck career of Rex Manchester. We begin with the story of how the World War II hero got involved in the sport and the boats that he drove during the early 1960s.
We also continue with the fourth and final segment of our visit with Steve Reynolds. In this month’s issue, Reynolds talks about driving an Unlimited hydroplane and discusses the issues of safety and the sport’s future from the perspective of when the interview was conducted in 1982.
The April issue also includes a new feature. Brad Haskin of the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum begins a monthly column that will keep our readers informed about what’s going on at the museum. The issue also has a couple of our regulars. Chris Tracy talks about the latest news, and editor Andy Muntz shares his views about the sport’s new starting procedure.
As always, the Unlimited NewsJournal is FREE. You can read the April issue, or any of our past issues, at unlimitednewsjournal.net. Happy Reading!
