Hanauer, Tate Come to a Crashing Halt

One of the most violent multi-boat crashes in unlimited hydroplane history knocked Chip Hanauer and Mark Tate, the two favorites, out of the second heat Saturday and jeopardized their chances of winning the 81st annual Gold Cup today on the Detroit River.

Hanauer, a 10-time Gold Cup winner, and Tate, the American Power Boat Assn. unlimited champion, were racing side-by-side at about 150 mph going into the first turn on the first lap of the 2 1/2-mile course when Hanauer’s red Miss Budweiser appeared to hop in the water and climbed up over the canopy of Tate’s purple and yellow Smokin’ Joe’s boat.

After crushing Smokin’ Joe’s canopy and damaging a sponson, the 6,200-pound Miss Budweiser flew about 75 feet in the air before crashing upside down in the river. The impact caused the boat to flip over and come to rest right side up.

Neither driver was seriously injured, a testament to the F-16 fighter plane canopies now being used on all unlimiteds. Hanauer was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where he was treated for facial lacerations. Tate, who was trapped in his cockpit by the damage and had to crawl out through an escape hatch in the bottom of the boat, did not have a scratch.

“I saw him out of the corner of my eye, the next thing I knew he was right above me,” Tate said. “I got a pretty good jolt when he hit. We’ve raced tighter than that in the past, but we were both running as fast as we could to get the edge through the first corner. I had about a half a boat length on him when he hopped up on top of me.”

The crash should have been spectacular to spectators on the Belle Isle bridge, near where the hit occurred. Hanauer’s boat is 30 feet long and 13 feet wide--roughly twice the length and weight of a Winston Cup stock car.

Both owners, Bernie Little of Miss Budweiser and Steve Woomer of Smokin’ Joe’s, said their crews were prepared to work all night in an attempt to repair the damage in time for today’s third heat and the Gold Cup final. Because the heat had actually started, backup boats could not be used.

“From looking at videotape, it appeared the two boats were close enough that they could have handed over a cup of coffee,” said Bill Doner, unlimited hydroplane commissioner. “You could feel it coming. These two guys are so aggressive, and such bitter rivals, that neither was going to give an inch.”

In both of the last two seasons, the championship came down to the final heat of the final event at Pearl Harbor. Both times Hanauer won, bringing the boat championship to Little.

Before the second heat crash, Hanauer and Tate had scored impressive first-heat wins.