In "unlimited" hydroplane racing i think there has only been 2, the '69 pay n pak and the '90 winston eagle, but there have been a bunch being that Donald Campbell is a national hero to me, Bluebird K7 springs to mind.
It is just the rules, with the limited amount of power available unlimiteds need to get aero lift to reach the speeds that they can, and the turns are wide enough that there is less to be gained from a wider stance than would be lost down the straights.
It used to be the same for models here, when I started racing with brushed motors and Nicad cells there was a mixed field of semi scale boats and riggers, with no real advantage to be had either way, riggers were a little more optimised for rough water, and scales a bit more so for smooth, but either could win on any given day. Now we have three times the power in a boat half as big again that weighs the same, a rigger is in a different league.
Paul Upton-Taylor, Greased Weasel Racing.
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