Bernie Little was the most successful owner in Unlimited Hydroplane racing

Hydroplane racing

Hydroplane racing is a sport involving racing hydroplanes on lakes and rivers. It is a popular spectator sport in several countries.-International Professional Outboard Hydroplane Racing:...

 history. His Miss Budweiser

Miss Budweiser

The Miss Budweiser were 22 Hydroplanes sponsored by Budweiser beer. They were owned by Bernie Little and , his youngest son, Joe...

team won 134 of the 354 hydroplane races they entered. They won the high points championship 22 years in 40 years of competition

Competition

Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...

, and the Gold Cup

Gold Cup (motorsport)

The APBA Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the Gold Cup, is a hydroplane boat race and is the second official race of the 2010 H1 Unlimited season. The race is scheduled to be held July 9–11, 2010 on the Detroit River in Detroit, Michigan, USA...

 14 times. His first victory came on the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 near Kennewick, Washington in 1966 for the Columbia Cup

Columbia Cup

The Tri-City Water Follies Lamb Weston Columbia Cup is a hydroplane boat race in the H1 Unlimited season. The race is held each July on the Columbia River in Tri-Cities, Washington, USA. The race is the main attraction of the annual Water Follies festivities...

. The winning driver, Bill Brow, won in the Miss Budweiser with a winning speed greater than 98 mph.

Little's team is also known for making an enclosed driver's seat to improve driver safety, after driver Dean Chenoweth was killed in a crash in Kennewick, Washington during qualification for a race in 1982.

His team employed some of the biggest names in their field, including designer

Designer

A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...

 Ron Jones

Ron Jones

Ron Jones may refer to:*Ron Jones , Doctor Who*Popeye Jones , professional basketball player*Ron Jones , Windsor, Ontario city councillor...

, and driver Chip Hanauer

Chip Hanauer

Lee Edward "Chip" Hanauer is the third most successful Unlimited Hydroplane racer in history. He has won the APBA Gold Cup a record 12 times and was the driver of one of the most famous boats in APBA history, the Miss Budweiser, in the early to mid 1990's. He was inducted into the International...

 who won more Gold Cup races than any other driver, and is second only to Bill Muncey

Bill Muncey

William Edward "Bill" Muncey was an American hydroplane racing legend from La Mesa, California. He won 62 races, the most races in the history of the sport...

, and Dave Villwock, in total races won.

Little has been inducted into the Unlimited Hydroplane Hall of Fame, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame

Florida Sports Hall of Fame

The Florida Sports Hall of Fame is an association dedicated to honoring athletes with outstanding achievement in sports in Florida. It has expanded its goals to include encouraging physical fitness among Florida's citizens through the example of its honorees.The FSHOF was founded by the Florida...

, and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum for American motorsports legends. It was originally located in Novi, Michigan and it moved to the Detroit Science Center in 2009.-Museum:...

. Chenoweth, Hanauer, and another driver for Little, Tom D'Eath

Tom D'Eath

Tom D’Eath was an American hydroplane and racecar driver.-Career summary:Tom D'Eath won three American Power Boat Association Gold Cups and three the Prince Edward Canadian Gold Cups. He remains the only three-time winner of both. He has also won National Championships in virtually every other...

, are also in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.