1995 Texas Hydrofest
Race Summary
LEWISVILLE (July 16) -- Two weeks later [after the Madison race], and a thousand miles away at Lewisville Lake, immediately north of Dallas, the competition resumed with the Texas Hydrofest. The Budweiser camp had repaired its so- called "T-3" hull and Chip Hanauer was back, relatively healthy again, to drive it. This led to Chip setting a qualifying record, eclipsing the earlier efforts of Mark Tate in the Smokin' Joe's, and it was the Hanauer-Budweiser combination that ruled the day.
The race itself was close fought, with the major item of concern being high winds in the late afternoon. They forced a delay in the race program and it wasn't until nearly 6 o'clock in the evening that the winner-take- all final was run. The Budweiser, as noted, won it going away, with Tate second and Dave Villwock -- again assuming a bride's-maid role -- finishing third in the PICO.
The Smokin' Joe's did manage to beat the Budweiser in one preliminary heat, and won two others, so it stayed with 196 points of its rival in the high point standings.
(Reprinted from the URC Electronic Thunderletter No. 29 September 28, 1995)