1987 Budweiser's Thunder on the Ohio
Miss Budweiser wins at Evansville
EVANSVILLE (AP) - Turbine-powered boats continue to dominate unlimited hydroplane racing, leading some teams to question again whether the high-tech machines are fair competition for the older, slower piston engine boats.
"The turbines should be running in heats by themselves," said Fran Muncey, owner of the Miller American, one of four turbine boats in the Thunder on the Ohio race at Evansville Sunday.
The Miller American was replaced in the lineup by the Miss Madison after driver Chip Hanauer took his boat out before the start of the race with engine trouble.
The boat caught fire and Hanauer escaped injury. But the race, which had run three laps, had to be restarted.
Jim Kropfeld took an easy victory in the turbine Miss Budweiser with an average speed of 121.456 mph and was followed by Steve Reynolds in the Cellular One and Scott Pierce in the Mr. Pringle’s, the other two turbine boats.
Todd Yarling in the Risley’s Audio & Video hydroplane was the top-finishing piston-powered boat. The Miss Madison and Thor Racing team boats, also with piston engines, finished fifth and sixth.
Mrs. Muncey, the widow of hydroplane racing great Bill Muncey, said there are enough turbine boats to field a heat for that classification only. The top turbine boats could then run against those powered by the piston hydroplanes, which are powered by World War II fighter plane engines.
"That would be better for the race fans," she said. "They’d see fast racing every single time. You wouldn’t see any boats trailing the pack.
"Right now I think there’s just no way we could limit the turbines enough to make it comparable at all for the piston engines the way they’re running now."
Scott Pierce, driver of the Pringle's boat, agreed.
"I think that we put on a better show for the fans," he said. "I’m a race driver, I consider myself one of the best in the world, and I consider my competitors among the best. I want to race against them."
The victory on the Thunder’s 2-mile Evansville course was the third for Kropfeld, who won last year and was also the top qualifier.
"It’s awesome, I can’t imagine a boat that has the speed and turning ability that this boat has," he said.
Hanauer was not injured but the fire, which forced him to leap into the water after he shut the boat down seconds before the start, marked the end of a weekend of disappointment.
"This wasn’t a good day at all," he said. "The guys (crew) were real courageous with their fight and tried to take it down to the wire, but we just couldn’t do if." Reynolds credited the setup on Kropfeld’s Miss Budweiser for the victory.
"Jim was able to run 180 on the straightaways and I wasn’t able to get up there," Reynolds said. "I had power and could get up to 180 on that back straightaway, but with the wind coming straight at me the boat would come up off the water about a foot and I had to back off to keep from blowing it over. But the Budweiser is trimmed beautifully."
Hanauer received oxygen for smoke inhalation after the fire on his Miller American, but quickly returned to inspect the hydroplane, which showed apparent burn damage around the engine compartment.
"All of the sudden the engine started compressor-stalling real bad and I stopped, shut it off," the driver recalled.
"Then I could hear fire burning so I looked behind me and saw I had a lot of fire."
Hanauer, following the Unlimited Racing Commission rule-book, went to the bow of the boat and started waving his helmet to indicate he was not in danger and to wait for assistance.
"I couldn’t get any help and the fire kept building, so I figured it was close enough to death for me and I went into the water."
(Reprinted from the Associated Press, June 29, 1987)