Bonney Lake’s J. Michael Kelly will race this weekend in the Albert Lee Cup at Seafair. Kelly helms a hydroplane watercraft on behalf of team Schumacher Racing  in the H1 Unlimited hydroplane racing league.

Last year, Kelly came in fourth place in the No. 88 Degree Men sponsored hydroplane at the Albert Lee Cup. His standing in the race took a hit when the cowl separated from Schumacher’s craft in Heat 2A (see embedded video). The Degree Men’s Hydroplane flipped underwater, and the view from the onboard camera shows another hydroplane driving through the separated cowl.  Kelly returned for the third and final heats, taking second and fourth respectively.

The craft’s destruction prevented it from appearing in last summer’s Bonney Lake Days parade, said H1 Unlimited photographer Lisa Courneya.

This year, Kelly and Shumacher are operating boat No. 37, sponsored by Miss Beacon Plumbing.  The newest boat in the Schumacher fleet was built last year in Kent by Ron Jones, Jr. Jones, Jr’s father, Ron Jones Sr., had a strong hand in the evolution of hydroplane racing, and a short biography can be found here.

The Albert Lee Cup begins Friday and runs through Sunday. Heats will take place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.