The Roostertail Turn

As a child growing up in Detroit, I was introduced to unlimited hydroplane racing at an early age. With perfect weather conditions, I could hear the growl of the race boats even though our house was nowhere near the Detroit River. On television I remember watching the broadcast of races from Seattle as the Detroit teams met their comeuppance. Rites of passage included crowding the banks of the river with hundreds of thousands of your closest friends for the annual race. Now there isn’t a race in Detroit and hasn’t been one for several years due to a variety of reasons.

I am now the president of Unlimiteds Detroit, a club that supports and promotes unlimited racing. From that position, I want to discuss unlimited racing, try to create interest, talk about the history and create new fans.

Are you wondering about the name of this blog? The Detroit River course has the tightest and shortest turn on the circuit. It’s situated between the Detroit Yacht Club and the Roostertail restaurant. Over the years the turn has proved to be exciting for the fans in the grandstands and a challenge for the drivers.

There are thousands of people going all the way back to Gar Wood who were involved in boat racing in Detroit. So that means there’s probably ten thousand stories. Let’s take a look at one individual who broke barriers to drive an unlimited hydroplane.

Brenda Jones, driver of the Miss KYYX from 1981 to 1983, passed away on January 2, 2026. Brenda was the first woman certified as an unlimited driver in the post WWII era. Brenda started her unlimited career in 1981 and was mentored by Al Thoreson, legendary crew chief from the 1950s to the 1990s. Thoreson was Brenda’s crew chief and driver coach on the Miss KYYX. While there was disbelief among the media, Al brought Brenda along and she passed her driver’s test with ease. Brenda’s best year was 1982 when she scored her only career heat victory in heat 2A at the Seattle Seafair. Jones scored 127 points in 1981, 509 in 1982 and 85 in 1983.

Photo - Hank Kociuszko

Detroit fans will remember that Brenda came to Detroit in 1982 for the Stroh’s APBA Gold Cup. Miss KYYX became the Miss CKLW - Brenda was sponsored by the Windsor radio station. Unfortunately, Brenda did not start or finish any heats after referee Lee Schoenith let her in without qualifying to help fill out the field.

Enough for now. Hope you enjoyed it.

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