GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The city of Guntersville is gearing up to host Guntersville Lake Hydrofest, this June. It’ll be the fourth year of races since the resurgence of hydroboat racing on Guntersville Lake.

New this year, racers will be competing for the American Power Boat Association (APBA) Gold Cup. This will be the first time the Gold Cup has been given out in Alabama.

The announcement was made at an event on Friday. Phillip Mosley, chairman of the Hydrofest planning committee, said people should expect to see a lot of speed.

“We look forward to the most competitive experience we’ve had on the water since we brought the boats back to Huntsville” he said.

Hydrofest will feature three different types of hydroboats: H1 Unlimited, Grand Prix America, and the Pro-lite Series. All of the boats can reach top speeds, but the H1 Unlimited is the fastest.

“The H-1 unlimited boats can reach speeds up to 200 miles per hour” Mosley said. “We kind of refer to it as NASCAR on water.”

The hydroboats are a special type of boat that use helicopter engines.

Katy Norton, with Marshall County Tourism & Sports, said the Hydrofest 2021 was extremely successful. She said there were more than 22,000 attendees. All of those attendees helped bring in $3 million dollars in revenue for Guntersville.

“More than half (of the attendees) are from out of the area,” Norton said. “The overall impact of that on our community is huge.”

Norton said, “we are very excited and feel like 2022 will be just as big, if not bigger.”

This year, Hydrofest is also celebrating the 60th anniversary of Roy Duby setting the World Speed Record on Guntersville Lake. The record of 200.419 miles per hour still stands today for piston powered boats

Tickets for this years event go on sale April 1st. Hydrofest takes place June 25th and 26th.