Hydroplane Racing at San Diego : Hanauer’s Bid to Tie Mark Ruined by Engine Trouble

SAN DIEGO —  It took failure for Chip Hanauer to fully realize what he has accomplished.

His hopes of winning an eighth consecutive American Power Boat Assn. Gold Cup disappeared shortly before he reached the first turn of Sunday’s unlimited hydroplane final at Mission Bay. The hot end of the turbine engine in his Circus Circus lost power, making room for Tom D’Eath of Fairhaven, Mich. to win in Miss Budweiser. D’Eath had a six-lap average of 124.593 m.p.h. on the 2 1/2-mile oval course for his first Gold Cup victory since 1976.

While D’Eath completed the first three laps, Hanauer attempted to re-start Circus Circus until his battery indicated to him that enough was enough. Then, he watched.

Hanauer, a Seattle driver with 29 unlimited victories, has a history of worrying himself through race weekends, so he never really took time to reflect on nearly equaling Bill Muncey’s record of eight consecutive Gold Cup victories.

As he was towed back to the pits by a patrol boat traveling 185 miles per hour slower than an unlimited hydroplane, he finally thought to himself: “Hey Chip, nice going.”

“I felt it was wrong to look back because yesterday’s home run is no good to anybody,” Hanauer said. “The last 15 minutes is the first time I’ve allowed myself to look back and say, ‘That’s pretty neat looking.’ I think we left a pretty high mark for everybody else.”

After the race, D’Eath took a moment to clasp his hands in prayer and look toward the sky before he climbed from Miss Budweiser to the open arms of his ecstatic crew. When Miss Budweiser ran low on fuel at the end of the fourth lap and lost speed, it appeared George Woods Jr. of Seattle would score his second consecutive victory at Mission Bay.