Hydros begin new chapter: Boat racing on Lake Mead dates to 1950

Friday, Sept. 19, 1997 | 9:18 a.m.

The only thing more technical than the makeup of the unlimited hydroplanes that will be racing on Lake Mead this weekend is the status of the Las Vegas Cup as an "inaugural" event.

That's the way the Las Vegas Cup is being billed, which only is technically correct. This year's race actually is the fourth installment of unlimited racing at Boulder Beach dating to 1950.

Back then, the race had no official name. After the inaugural, the race was dormant until 1956, when the first of three Sahara Cups was held. Then in 1959, the race was known as the Lake Mead Cup.

The prestigious APBA Gold Cup was scheduled for Lake Mead in 1960 but was canceled by inclement weather, capping the unlimiteds' second run of Las Vegas races.

The thunder boats didn't return to Las Vegas until 1986, when the first of five Silver Cups was staged. There was another hiatus, this one lasting seven years, before the race was resurrected as the Las Vegas Cup, which debuts this weekend.

The Las Vegas Cup actually will be the 12th unlimited hydroplane race held at Lake Mead, which makes the man-made lake one of the most frequented bodies of water on the unlimited tour.

Recently retired Chip Hanuaer was the last winner of a hydroplane race on Lake Mead, steering the locally-owned Miss Circus Circus to the race win and clinching the high points championship in 1990. It was the last of Hanuaer's three Las Vegas victories (provided, of course, he stays retired).

* TIGHT BATTLE: With five winners in as many races, this also has been one of the most competitive Formula One outboard seasons in recent memory. Floridian Terry Rinker and perennial championship contender Bill Seebold of Fenton, Mo., enter Las Vegas locked in a dead heat atop the point standings with two races to run. Each has won once this season. The Las Vegas Cup will mark the second year the tunnel hulls will race deck-to-deck on Lake Mead, although last year's race wasn't much of one, as high winds cancelled the championship heat. Greg Foster was declared the winner based on his combined finishes in heat and semifinal races.

* ROOSTERTAILS: The Las Vegas Cup will be broadcast by ESPN2 on a tape-delay basis. The first airing is set for 5 p.m. Sept. 26. John Nicholson, former Miss Budweiser driver Tom D'Eath and Steve Montgomery will form the broadcast team. Jim Hendrick and Dick Crippen will call the race live for the Unlimited Radio Network. ... There is no admission charge for the Las Vegas Cup but a pit pass will cost you $5. ... A record 221,278 fans, including 127,964 for Sunday's final, witnessed the Las Vegas Silver Cup in 1986. This year's crowd is expected to exceed 100,000 for the three-day weekend. ... Hydroplanes are capable of 200-mph straightaway speeds on a big 2.5-mile course but Close Call driver Mark Tate is expecting the top qualifying speed to be in the 150-mph bracket here -- provided the two-mile oval course off Boulder Beach isn't too choppy. ... Sunset Station will offer free shuttle service to and from the race course. ... While hydroplane racing is considered one of the most dangerous forms of motor sport, it has been 15 years since the last driver fatality (Dean Chenoweth in 1982). Fighter jet-type canopies, which totally enclose the driver, has made the sport a much safer undertaking. But there has been one serious accident this year that nearly severed the right hand of Miss Budweiser driver and defending series champion Dave Villwock in Tri-Cities, Wash. Villwock continues to recuperate from his injuries (two of his fingers were amputated) but hopes to return to the cockpit next season.