|
1997 Molson Thunderfest Unlimited Light Preliminary Heats Unlimited Light Heat 1A Unlimited Light Heat 1B Unlimited Light Heat 2A Unlimited Light Heat 2B * * * Amazing High-Flying Flip Thrills Crowd at Kelowna Boat Race KELOWNA, B.C. (Special) -- George Stratton of Las Vegas, Nev., executed an amazing maneuver on gusty Okanagan Lake during a Unlimited Lights Racing Series preliminary heat here Saturday afternoon as action continued in the Molson Dry Thunderfest for unlimited hydroplanes and their seven-litre support series, the Lights. Stratton, just after narrowly losing to ULRS points leader Bo Schide, Dayton, O., and traveling in excess of 140 miles an hour, blew his Wild Fire boat over backwards and reached an altitude of 30 feet before doing a perfect 360, then crash-landed -- upright -- and kept the motor running long enough to steer his way back over to the pits. Stratton suffered no serious injury, aside from being generally shaken up. A crowd of some 15,000 gave the hardy pilot a rousing ovation. The boat incurred minor hull damage, which may be repaired in time for Sunday's Lights final. * * * Hydro 'Plane' Lives Up To Its
Name In a word: unbelievable. Before thousands of horrified fans, one of the high-powered hydroplane boats at Thunderfest did the near-impossible yesterday afternoon. Wild Fire, piloted by racer George Stratton, had just crossed the finish line at 150 miles per hour when its bow lifted off the surface of Okanagan Lake. The north wind raised the boat right out of the water and sent it looping backward in mid-air. It completed a full circle before splashing down. Miraculously, the boat landed right-side-up and Stratton, unhurt, was able to drive the boat to shore. Spectators went wild, and race officials shook their heads in wonder. "Absolutely unbelievable," said Bob Flajole, a broadcaster who has followed hydroplane racing for 25 years. "I've seen boats go over, but I've never seen a recovery like that. "It's very fortunate he made it all the way over. If it was half over, he would have been hammered big time." The same type of 360-degree blowover has injured many racers and killed a few. But Stratton, a Las Vegas native who has raced only four times in the class, managed to keep; his presence of mind and steer the boat through the flip. Once back on the water, he continued driving in case the impact had blown a hole in the hull. "I had to drive it back!" he said, laughing, just before medics whisked him away for a check-up. A steady 25-km/h wind kept the other Unlimited Light hydroplane racers from flooring it throughout the day. Veteran racer Lee Davies, who has been blown over 15 times in his career, had to be conservative when he competed in his qualifying round for tunnel boats earlier yesterday. "It's pretty windy and rough. These are pretty small boats. The bigger boats seem to handle it better," he said. "You can deal with the wind, but when you get rough water AND wind, you're bouncing and it's hard to hold your head straight." Rain threatened to soak the estimated 15,000 fans, but the clouds cleared away by early afternoon. The forecast for today -- the final day of Thunderfest -- is sunny with afternoon cloudy periods, a 20 per cent chance of rain and a high of 32C. (Reprinted from the Kelowna Daily Courier, Sunday, August 3, 1997) * * * Driver Points at Himself For Blame Driver George Stratton didn't offer any excuses for his actions that caused the Wild Fire to blow over yesterday at the Molson Dry Thunderfest. More than 15,000 race fans and dozens of unlimited hydroplane veterans were left shaking their heads in disbelief after Stratton walked away from the spectacular crash in his Unlimited Light boat on Okanagan Lake. Stratton's boat did a complete revolution in the air before landing right side up. He fired up the boat and drove it to the pits. He was travelling about 100 miles per hour, trying to catch the heat's leader, when the wind got under the boat. "It was pretty much a dumb rookie move," Stratton said a few minutes after the crash. "I shouldn't have done it." Blowovers happen once in a while in unlimited hydroplane racing but no one remembers a driver firing his craft up and cruising back to the paddock. "I've never seen anything like that in all my years of racing," said Close Call's veteran driver, Mark Tate. Last weekend in Tri-Cities, Miss Budweiser driver Dave Villwock suffered a blowover. The boat was in pieces and Villwock had to have his hand re-attached. He has lost two fingers on his right hand. This is Stratton's fifth race after a career in racing smaller boats. He was close to the leader of his heat but he had to take a wide turn to avoid a stalled boat. That meant he really had to step on the throttle to catch the leader in the straightaway. Althrough Stratton -- he's from Las Vegas -- said he has the boat's safety features to thank, he had some luck, too. Wild Fire did one revolution and then landed tail first, much like an airplane. "It was like landing a Piper," he said. 'What goes through a driver's mind, what does he see and hear, when he has flipped the boat at such a high speed? "I was just hoping I would get out of this thing all right," said Stratton, who didn't have any injuries from the crash. "I watched the sky go around. And all the way through the loop my crew chief Kim Gregory was saying (through the radio): 'I hope you're OK, I hope you're OK.' "It was like riding a ferris wheel." And why didn't he just wait for a tow once the boat had stopped flying? "I was thinking that if I had a hole in the boat I didn't want it to sink in deep water," said Stratton. The crowd gasped in excitement and then applauded the fact Stratton was uninjured. The boat suffered damage to the rear right section and the front right sponson. Word among the crew members is they'll have it ready for Stratton to race in the Unlimited Lights final today. (Reprinted from the Kelowna Daily Courier, Sunday, August 3, 1997) * * * Hydroplane Racer Flips in Unlimited
Light Final KELOWNA, B.C. (Special) -- Veteran boat racer and owner Bob Larimore, 54, Springfield, O., survived serious injury when his Unlimited Light seven-litre hydroplane flipped and crashed hard in Okanagan Lake prior to the start of the Light championship final Sunday afternoon. Larimore was knocked unconscious and trapped underwater in the open cockpit of his Pete's Wicked Ale/Pegasus Special before rescue divers pulled him out. He wasn't breathing at the time, but artificial respiration was launched, followed shortly by Larimore beginning to breath on his own. Doctors at the Molson Dry Thunderfest said, preliminarily, that Larimore appeared to have no fractures, but that he might have suffered a concussion and a broken nose. He was taken to Kelowna General Hospital for further observation. The Unlimited Light final was rescheduled for later in the day. Unlimited Light Final 1. Bo Schide, Dayton, O., Alamo,
94.446 Bo Schide won his third Unlimited Light final of the season in the Alamo out of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., an event that was interrupted when veteran racer and defending ULRS series champion Pete's Wicked Ale/Pegasus of Springfield, O., flipped on a warmup lap. Driver Bob Larimore, 54, was rescued unconscious and unbreathing from the wreckage, but revived before being taken to Kelowna General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Bo Schide held off a hard charge from George Stratton in the freshly repaired Wild Fire to win his second straight Unlimited Lights final. The win keeps Schide and Alamo boat owner Ned Allen firmly atop the Lights points race. The final was stopped before the first start when Bob Larimore rolled the Pegasus/Pete's Wicked Ale in warmup laps. Rescue workers responded quickly, but Larimore was underwater for almost four minutes. His boat is one of the last not to use an enclosed canopy, which will be required next season. Larimore was taken to Kelowna General Hospital and is reported in serious but stable condition. He will be held for a few days for observation. Larimore's lungs filled with fluid and he was unconscious, but otherwise suffered no major injuries. (Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald, Monday, August 4, 1997)
Questions, comments? E-mail
the
site's webmaster. |
