Hanauer, Turbine Combine for Gold Cup Record

Salt water and turbine blades, which have never been compatible in unlimited hydroplanes on Mission Bay, meshed Friday for a Gold Cup qualifying record.

Chip Hanauer brought Fran Muncey’s 4-year-old turbine-powered Miller American out of mothballs--with modifications by crew chief John Walters--and averaged a record 141.788 m.p.h. around the Bill Muncey Memorial course.

The record Hanauer broke was his own, set in the same boat, in the 1985 Gold Cup qualifying on Seattle’s Lake Washington.

Hanauer, 31, a former Seattle schoolteacher, is seeking to win a record sixth consecutive Gold Cup Sunday in the 82nd renewal of America’s premier powerboat race.

“This is the same boat, but then again it’s quite different from anything we’ve ever run,” Hanauer said. “The boat has a totally different configuration, which makes it feel different to me.

“As far as the salt buildup, which has hurt us in the past, apparently we didn’t have any today because it ran nice and cool with no apparent problems.”

National champion Jim Kropfeld, who tested the salty waters driving Miss Budweiser for a surprising 11 laps early in the windy afternoon, posted a qualifying speed of 139.752.

“I was cruising around looking for reference points,” said Kropfeld, who draws a map of the course and tapes it in his cockpit before the race. “My memory isn’t what it used to be, so I need a map to know where I’m at.”

Kropfeld, 47, who runs a muffler shop in his native Cincinnati when he isn’t racing, has won five of the six unlimited races this year, and a victory Sunday would clinch his second straight national championship.

Although both have won here in piston boats, neither Hanauer nor Kropfeld has ever won as much as a heat on Mission Bay since their teams switched from pistons to turbines two years ago. Since turbines were introduced into the sport in 1974, only one, Miss 7-Eleven last year with Steve Reynolds driving, has ever won a heat here.

Last year, Hanauer and Kropfeld both failed to even make the championship heat as Miss Bahia, an 18-year-old piston-powered boat driven by Ron Armstrong of Lakewood, won the race.

Armstrong qualified again Friday, coaxing two laps of 117.608 m.p.h. from the U-80, which was built by owner Bob Patterson of Van Nuys in 1966.

The first day of qualifying wasn’t all smooth sailing for the two favorites, however.

Miss Budweiser sputtered and failed to get under way twice in the morning, and Miller American’s first test on the water lasted less than a lap.

Neither problem was related to the salty conditions.

“The engine just stalled on us,” Kropfeld said. “It had nothing to do with the water. We put another engine in and had no problems.”

Kropfeld said he took so many more laps than usual because he had not had the Bud boat up to speed for six weeks.

“I haven’t even sat in it for three weeks, so I had to reacquaint myself with all the dials. The winds were really kicked up at the north end. There was a two-foot chop that made it more like running in the ocean.”

Hanauer’s problem with the Miller boat turned out to a steering vibration caused by a loose bushing.

“Everything was running smoothly until I got up to about 160 and the steering got so bad the boat was getting away from me,” Hanauer said. “I shut it down and the crew tightened the bushing in the rudder, and we went back out.”

Hanauer said he felt that Kropfeld, if he so desires, could raise the record as high as 150 m.p.h. today.

“Qualifying records don’t mean much to me,” Kropfeld countered. “All you need do is 105 to get in the race. The only reason we’d go any faster than we did would be to test out some new things. As far as speed is concerned, we’re happy right now.”

Kropfeld set the Bill Muncey Memorial course record in the Miller High Life Thunderboat Regatta last year with one 2 1/2-mile lap at 143.266 m.p.h. Qualifying for the Gold Cup, however, is two laps.

This is the third Gold Cup to be held in Mission Bay. Both previous races were won by Miss Budweiser, in 1969 by Bill Sterett Sr., and in 1970 by Dean Chenoweth.

Nine boats qualified Friday, with another four or five expected to make the 105 m.p.h. minimum today.

Oh Boy Oberto, with George Woods driving, was the fastest piston-powered boat at 126.139 m.p.h. The only other turbine boat on the water, Mr. Pringles, was qualified by Scott Pierce in seventh place at 115.943 m.p.h.