Deck2Deck.us: Fantasy Unlimited Hydroplane Racing

D2D: Please share with us some of you background, such as where you were born and raised, etc.
DH: I was born in Chertsey, UK and moved the Dubai when I was 3 years old. Spent the next 14 years moving between the UK and Dubai for school. Finally settled back into Dubai in 1994 for work. I grew up around the guys at Victory Team and Al Shaali Marine and that was my first bite of power boat racing. Moved to Chicago in 2007.

D2D: What is your title and responsibility with Peters and May?
DH: Managing Director / President – responsible for managing the two U.S. offices and developing business in the USA, Canada, Central and South America.

D2D: How did you and Peters and May became involved in the sport?
DH: We have been working with Sheikh Hassan and the QMSF for some time now and when the Doha race was first arranged he asked us to meet Sam Cole to discuss the shipping. We attended the Evansville race and immediately became hooked on the sport.

D2D: How did the U-37 sponsorship come about?
DH: We were fortunate enough to be able to sponsor the U-37 for the first Oryx cup. During the event we were able to get to know the team and see their potential and desire to win. At the same time we saw great potential in the sport, despite some people’s views; this sport is progressing and reaching new audiences. As a sponsor it is certainly a different, but effective way, to get your name out there!

D2D: What is your fondest memory of the sport?
DH: Although relatively new to the sport I already have some fond memories, and that just goes to show the impact this sport has on each individual. As a sponsor of the U37 I would have to say that my fondest memory was from when the damaged T4 hull was taken back to the pits in Detroit. Scott Raney and the team set to work on removing, and successfully starting the wet Turbine, much to the amazement of onlookers and other teams alike. This season has been very rough for the team but we have been delighted to be part of such an incredible group of people.

D2D: What is your favorite race site you have visited and why?
DH: I get asked this question a lot (especially buy race organisers!) and the simple answer is I don’t have a favorite. Each race site is individual and brings a different aspect to the sport. Race sites (and their fans) are one of the key factors in what makes the sport so special.

D2D: What hopes do you have for the sport moving forward?
DH: Moving forward, I hope that the sport can continue to grow, but at the same time maintain the fundamentals that have made it so popular through the years. We are fortunate that the history of this sport is so long and exciting. Yes there has been tragedy though the years but at the same time each supporter, team member, organizer or driver has memories of great moments in the sport.
I would like to see some of the old US race sites come back onboard and also to see more international races. There are a lot of challenges ahead as the sport pushes to become a more professional sport, but I am confident that the Officials and race site organizers will be able to evolve accordingly.

D2D: What are the biggest positives and biggest negatives of the sport in your eyes?
DH:For me the positives massively out weight the negatives and there are far too many positive aspects to mention. If I had to name a few I would say that this sport has an incredible history, incredible personalities and is well organized. What makes it so special is the fact that it is highly competitive, but as the same time, most of the teams are very close. If there is an accident or injury the whole sport rallies to support those in need.

The likes of Sam Cole, Taryn Baze, Wes & Diane Patton, Steve Montgomery and the rest of the officials do an outstanding job at balancing their personal work and organizing an excellent series of racing. It can sometimes be a thankless job, especially when racing incidents are involved, but they continue to push forward.

Sometimes it is easy to forget that the majority of the crew, organisers and officials are volunteers. As the sport grows (particularly on the international front) it will need to become more professional, as it will be difficult for people to take extra time off work to volunteer. That brings with it increased costs as well as other organizational pressures. At the moment the sport is driven by the officials and the owners and this may have to change (become more independent), in order for the sport to successfully grow.

The fan base for H1 is quite limited, by that I mean that it does not reach out to the full spectrum of potential fans. Age groups are also limited within the organization. Looking around the pits it is pleasing to see the same old faces and organizers but it is important that new blood is brought into the sport to replace those that might retire. The knowledge is held by a select few and it is vital that this is passed onto future generations.

Modern technology will play an important role in the development of the sport. This year Walt Ottenad has been producing onboard footage from a number of boats. This allows the officials to have a better view of racing incidents, allows the fans to see what the driver sees and provides a good platform to display sponsors logos. Simple technological improvements can prove very attractive to fans and sponsors alike. Who knows what we might see next season.

At this time H1 is on the crest of a wave. The question is how it will ride that wave. With the world economy still in crisis it is difficult to attract new sponsors to a sport that has lost a number of historical race sites. However after the success of San Diego, the increased TV coverage and the growth internationally I am confident that we will all be able to enjoy this amazing sport for years to come. As both a series sponsor and team sponsor we are committed to the sport. We sponsor powerboat racing at all levels and we intend to have 4 classes of boats (3 already agreed) racing under the P&M Banner next season.