1987 Budweiser Thunderboat Championship
Hydroplane racers take safety features from Indy
DETROIT (AP) — The fact that Steve Reynolds is alive today is proof that unlimited hydroplane racing is heading in the right direction.
Reynolds is in Methodist Hospital at Indianapolis this week while the rest of the thunderboat drivers are on the Detroit River qualifying for today’s Spirit of Detroit race.
But, according to two-time defending Detroit champion Chip Hanauer, Reynolds wouldn’t have survived last weekend’s crash at Madison, Ind., had he not been protected by a closed cockpit.
There were reports — subsequently proved to be incorrect — on Friday that Reynolds had regained consciousness after being in a coma since crashing the Cellular One boat. David Reddick, a spokesman for Methodist Hospital, said the driver remained unconscious in serious but stable condition. He been listed in critical condition for several days.
Hanauer, winner of this race four of the last five years and of five straight Gold Cup championships, was die fastest qualifier on Friday. His Miller American turned a fast lap of 142.925 mph on the ever-changing 2.5-mile course laid out between Belle Isle and the Detroit mainland.
That made him second to Jim Kropfeld and the Miss Budweiser, which easily led first-day qualifying on Thursday with a course-record speed of 150.830 mph.
Hanauer, who set the previous course record of 139.384 mph in 1984, was thinking more about Reynolds on Friday than about fast laps.
The 31-year-old Seattle resident was one of many in the crowded pits who cheered happily when it was announced on the public-address system that Reynolds had regained consciousness and was responding to treatment.
Despite the false report, though, Hanauer said Reynolds survived only because of the change to enclosed cockpits.
"Look at the statistics," Hanauer said. "There have been three bad crashes since the end of last season. The drivers have walked away from two of them completely unscathed, and Steve is going to be OK."
Of the boats currently competing on the unlimited hydroplane circuit, only three — Hanauer’s Miller American, Kropfeld’s Miss Budweiser and Reynolds’ Cellular One — are outfitted with the new F-16 fighter-style enclosed cockpit.
Reynolds walked away uninjured from a crash at Pasco, Wash., during testing last November. Last May, Kropfeld escaped injury after crashing at Seattle during a test run, despite being trapped in the cockpit for nearly 10 minutes while on a breathing apparatus.
"I’m real proud to say our team took the first step in the change," Hanauer said. "We sat down and looked at the accidents that had been happening and found that the common denominator was that the least damage in each case was to the cockpit of the boat.
"We figured if we could keep the drivers in the cockpit, that would be the key to keeping the driver safer."
That was a departure from the old theory of trying to have the driver thrown clear in a crash.
"We looked to the Indy cars and the horrendous accidents and how the drivers walked away from them," Hanauer said. "In 1983, we went to the six-point harness like they use in Indy-car racing. No one had strapped themselves in a boat in a long, long time. It was revolutionary."
The enclosed cockpit is the next step in the safety evolution, and now the belted-down driver looks out at the world through hardened plastic windshields while breathing air through a hose.
"I’ve been racing since I was 9 years old and this is the first time I’ve done it indoors," Hanauer said. "I know, objectively, this is a safer vehicle. Comfort doesn’t matter much in this situation. Safety is paramount."
(Reprinted from the Associated Press, July 12, 1987)