1982 Indiana Governor's Cup
Hanauer Sets Madison Course Record
MADISON, Ind. -- (AP) July 2, [1982] Chip Hanauer qualified for Sunday's Madison Regatta at a course-record 130.624 mph Friday, while former world record holder and defending champion Dean Chenoweth tried to solve a baffling series of engine failures.
Hanauer, 27, the youngest driver on the unlimited hydroplane circuit, piloted the Atlas Van Lines to the 2.5-mile Ohio River qualification record, breaking the former record of 130.058 mph by Chenoweth's Miss Budweiser last year.
"No, we're not interested in records, but we're interested in setting the boat up as fast as possible, in race situations," said Hanauer, who took over Atlas following the death last fall of veteran driver Bill Muncey, killed in a racing crash in Mexico.
Hanauer won his first race with Atlas last week in the American Power Boat Association's prestigious Gold Cup race at Detroit.
"Everybody else sat around and waited for good weather. We wanted to test in rough weather. We wanted to learn what the boat could do in race conditions," said Hanauer. "I want to go as fast as it's comfortable, but the potential for this boat is still months away."
Chenoweth had no trouble handling Miss Budweiser. His problem, however, was in the Rolls-Royce Griffon engines. He has gone through about five engines in the past four weeks, including two since Thursday, and is still perplexed by their inability to last.
"I don't know. I really don't know," Chenoweth said of the cause of the engine breakage. The first couple of races we used new propellers, and the boat wasn't handling. Then we went back to our old setup, and this afternoon I never made it through the turn.
"The crew is flabbergasted," said Chenoweth, the Madison winner the past two years. "We think we're just running into a rash of little problems. I just hope we have them ironed out by Sunday."
Chenoweth qualified Miss Bud at 128.023 mph on Thursday and backed that up with a run at 127.660 on Friday.
Going into Sunday's race for the Indiana Governor's Cup, Hanauer leads Chenoweth 1,925 to 1,900 in the season point standings. Third-place Pay 'n Pak is out with hull damage.
Three other boats qualified on Friday, bringing the field for Sunday's five heats of racing to eight. The qualification speeds for Atlas and Budweiser are far faster than the other six boats.
Heat 1-A will group Atlas against Steve Reynolds' Miss Prodelco (which qualified at 117.493 mph), Ron Snyder's hometown Miss Madison (113.493), and Scott Pierce's Gilmore Special (103.330). Heat 2-A will have Budweiser against Tom D'Eath's Squire Shop (117.035), Jon Peddie's Kentuckiana Paving (110.701), and Fred Giese's Captran Resorts (101.237).
Heat 2-A will consist of the two winners and two third- place finishers from 1-A and 1-B, while Heat 2-B will have the two second-place finishers and the two fourth- place finishers from 1-A and 1-B. The final heat will be made up of the top five boats, based on points earned in the preliminary heats.
(Associated Press, July 2, 1982)