Madison Regatta facts for kids

The Madison Regatta, also known as the Indiana Governor's Cup, is an exciting boat race. It happens every year around July 4th weekend. The race takes place on the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana. This event features powerful hydroplane boats in the H1 Unlimited racing series.

Madison has hosted this race every year since 1951. However, some races also happened in the 1930s. A Hollywood movie called Madison was made in 2005 about this race. It starred actor Jim Caviezel. The Regatta has also been part of the important APBA Gold Cup race several times, including in 1979, 1980, 2019, and 2021.

History of the Madison Regatta

Early Days of Boat Racing in Madison

Boat racing started informally in Madison, Indiana a long time ago, around 1911. The first big race happened in 1929. This race was for a special type of boat called the 725 Cubic Inch Class. These boats later became what we now call the Unlimited Class after World War II.

The Mississippi Valley Power Boat Association (MVPBA) held a race for the Webb Trophy in Madison in 1930. The Webb Trophy was their top award, similar to the APBA Gold Cup. These 725s raced in Madison throughout the 1930s. Racing stopped for a while because of a big flood on the Ohio River in 1937 and then World War II.

Starting the Modern Regatta Series

The current series of Madison Regattas began in 1949. This was a "wildcat" race, meaning it was not part of a main racing circuit. It was run by the Ohio Valley Motor Boat Racing Association. The biggest boats racing then were the 225 Cubic Inch Class.

The first Unlimited race in Madison happened in 1950. From 1950 to 1953, these Unlimited races were usually just one heat. They included different types of boats and did not count for National High Points.

Becoming a Major Race Event

The first Unlimited race that counted for National High Points in Madison was in 1954. This happened thanks to the hard work of Phil Cole, a writer for the Madison Courier newspaper. For a race to be a "High Points Unlimited" race, it must have at least two heats. Also, at least four boats must start the race legally.

Madison hosted High Points Unlimited races every year from 1954 to 2012 without stopping. The races in 2013 were canceled because of flooding on the Ohio River. The water covered the area where the boats were kept. However, other events related to the regatta still took place. The races were also canceled in 2015 due to river conditions.

Madison has hosted the important APBA Gold Cup race several times. These years include 1971, 1979, 1980, 2019, and 2021. Madison also hosted the U.I.M. World's Championship in 1972 and 2004.

The Madison committee is the longest-running group that organizes Unlimited boat races in the country. Madison Regatta, Inc. (which used to be called the Madison Boat Club) has hosted these races every year since 1950. The only exceptions were 2013 and 2015 due to river conditions. Other cities like Seattle started in 1951. Detroit has been racing since 1946, but with different organizing groups over the years.

List of Madison Regatta Winners

Here is a list of the winners of the Madison Regatta over the years.

2008 winner FormulaBoats.com

¹ The 2015 race was declared a non-championship round because of high water and debris on the Ohio River where six of the 11 boats withdrew. The five boats participated even without points.