THE SIDELINES : Ohio Hydroplane Race Delayed

High water levels of the Ohio River caused organizers today to postpone the Thunder on the Ohio unlimited hydroplane race scheduled this weekend.

It is the first time since 1981 that the race has been postponed. Under the revised schedule, qualifying will be conducted July 7 and 8, and racing will begin at noon on July 9.

Jan Theubach, director of the Freedom Festival, said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has projected that the river will crest at 35.7 feet on Thursday, the day before qualifying was to have begun. “If the river is higher than 22 feet, we can’t hold the race,” Theubach said.

The problem is not that the river is too deep, she explained. “It’s the pits, that’s all,” she said. “The crews have to be able to set the cranes out, and if the concrete’s under water, you can’t set the cranes out.”