San Diego Bayfair Returns to Mission Bay as H1 Unlimited Heads into Championship Weekend
Southern California’s largest beach festival, San Diego Bayfair returns September 18-20, with the world’s fastest boats roaring across Mission Bay.
Six H1 Unlimited hydroplanes are expected to take on the 2.5-mile Bill Muncey racecourse, with this year’s H1 Unlimited National Championship on the line.
“San Diego Bayfair is part of a rich motorsports history in San Diego,” said Bob Davies, Bayfair’s race director. “You get families who’ve been coming for 40-plus years standing right next to families attending for the first time. It’s a great event for the family.”
Organizers expect nearly 100,000 people total over the three-day event, which takes place on Mission Bay’s East Vacation Island, Crown Point and Fiesta Island. Race fans and casual visitors alike can enjoy boat racing, access to the pit area to see the boats up close, a Saturday car show, craft beer garden, and a daily U.S. Coast Guard aerial demonstration.
Adding to the on-water entertainment will be Grand Prix America Hydroplanes, with six teams expected to compete. Southern California Speedboat Club and RPM Racing will also race in sportsman classes that run near shore.
The H1 National High Points race will once again be decided on Mission Bay, as Jimmy Shane, driving the U-27 Miss Apollo, holds a 180-point lead over Andrew Tate in the U-1 BWR Racing.
“A fight for the National High Points Champion title is still tight, and we know how fast this can change in one weekend,” said Darrell Strong, co-owner of H1 Unlimited. “San Diego has flipped championships before, and everybody in the pits knows it.”
In 2025, the Bill Muncey Cup went to J. Michael Kelly in the U-8 Beacon Electric, who held off Andrew Tate’s U-91 in a tight finish to close out last season.
San Diego Bayfair depends on more than 500 volunteers each year to put on the event, which is one of the region’s biggest drivers of hotel bookings during the shoulder season between summer and fall. The San Diego Tourism Marketing District has been a major backer.
“Our fans have turned San Diego Bayfair into a full family vacation,” Davies said. “They can’t wait to visit San Diego and be a tourist for the week.”
Active military and reservists with ID get a free single-day admission to Bayfair, spouses receive a 50 percent discount. Children under 12 are free. This year San Diego Bayfair provided hundreds of complimentary tickets to the underserved community to attend. Bayfair will be livestreamed on H1 Unlimited’s YouTube page.
Founded in 1964, Mission Bay Park was built to host hydroplane races. From the oval course to the banked shores to dissipate boat wakes, the 2.5-mile course is the longest and fastest on the H1 Unlimited circuit. Both the course and the trophy are named in honor of the late Hall of Fame racer Bill Muncey, who championed the building of the racecourse.
Tickets are available now at sandiegobayfair.org.
About San Diego Bayfair: Thunderboats Inc. is a nonprofit organization to promote powerboat racing in San Diego and tourism in the Mission Bay area. For more information, visit Bayfair’s website www.sandiegobayfair.
About San Diego Tourism Marketing District: San Diego Tourism Marketing District (SDTMD) is a tourism Improvement District serving all areas within the City of San Diego. Lodging businesses with 70 rooms or more within the city are assessed a 2% fee on each room night. SDTMD uses these dollars to support marketing and promotional efforts of a variety of programs, services, and special events that increase room sales for assessed hotels. This consistent source of funding for tourism marketing allows San Diego to maintain its status as a competitive, first-tier visitor destination and is vital to the strength and success of the City’s tourism economy.
