1995 Kansas City Hydrofair
Smithville Lake, Kansas City (Smithville Lake) MO, June 18, 1995

KANSAS CITY (June 18) -- After a year's hiatus, the unlimiteds were back in the Show Me State and back at Smithville Lake, just north of Kansas City, for only the second time. Many witnesses to this exciting event call it, arguably, the best race of recent years and some insist there has never been anything like it.

With a new lane-choice formula invoked for the first time -- with first-heat winners given last choice and thus being relegated to outside lanes for the second heat -- no less than seven DIFFERENT boats won the seven heats (including the provisional) leading up to the winner-take-all final. Not only were the blue ribbons shared by many teams, but the racing was as close and deck-to-deck as anyone might imagine.

Late in the day, as a strong breeze began to pummel the lake's waters, Hanauer admitted to serious discomfort. It developed that, while bouncing over a high roller in Detroit two weeks previous, he had suffered injury to rib and back muscles (apparently still tender from a couple of serious mishaps suffered in 1994). Rather than fight the choppy water in lane one, Hanauer opted for a lane farther outside. Steve David jumped at a chance to put his T-PLUS Engine Treatment on the inside -- and then led practically from wire-to-wire to annex an upset victory in the Texaco Star Mart presents Kansas City Hydrofair. Special kudos went to owner Jim Harvey and his T-PLUS crew for their efforts since Detroit, where the boat wound up tossing a propeller with near- disastrous consequences to the hull.

A couple of taped-and-battered boats, Smokin' Joe's and the Miss Budweiser, also damaged by buffeting waves, were able to run two-three in the T-PLUS wake.

(Reprinted from the URC Electronic Thunderletter No. 29 September 28, 1995)

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Sunday, June 18, 1995) The modern era of unlimited hydroplane racing dates, essentially,from 1946. in the ensuing 50 seasons, never has there been a race in which the first seven heats produced sevendifferent winners-- until this day and the $160,000 Texaco Star Mart/Presents Kansas City Hydrofair on Smithville Lake just north of here.

And so it came down to a championship heat in which a septet of successful- albelt somewhat battered- boats did battle, with a surprise winner, Steve David in Jim Harvey's T-PLUS Engine Treatment, emerging victorious in a wire-to-wire romp. It was the Pompano Beach FL veteran's first win since the final race of 1993 at Honolulu and came just two weeks after his craft was severely damaged when a prop let go in the Gold Cup final at Detroit.

The T-PLUS averaged a modest 135.800 miles an hour over the final five laps, or ten miles. But David never looked like relinguishing the lead, despite some wild, sponson-rattling challenges by Mark Tate in a taped-up Smokin' Joe's. The U-10 had been wounded in a wild Heat 3B spinout as he vainly chased Chip Hanauer and the Miss Budweier. The Bud was a patched-up boat, too, by final time-- largely due to a series of high-speed hops in the final turn of Heat 1B duel with Tate. Ditto Dave Villwock's PICO American Dream, which nearly rolled over in Heat 3B, came to a lurching halt and was finally restarted in time to beat the Smokin' Joe's, which also restarted, to the finish line.

David, however, kept out of trouble all day long, winning the day's first heat, running a calm third as Mark Evans and The Wellness Plan upset Hanauer's Bud in Heat 2A, and then a solid second in that stirring Heat 3B.

Evans, who finished a strong third at Detroit, nearly did the same here, driving past Hanauer on the last lap off the final before running out of gas and failing to finish.

Heat 2A (and 2 B) marked the debut of unlimited racing's new "Fan Plan," a device wherby high-point boats from first-heat sections surrender lane choice order to lower finishers. It was voted in by the Unlimited Racing Commishsion board in November, but due to match-race format in Phoenix and the traditional clock start atDetroit was not implemented until here. It was an unqualified success in terms of providing wide-open racing and will be in force throughout the remainder of the season.

The Heat 1B battle between Tate and Hanauer, and a 2B war between Villwock and Tate were memorable clashes-on a day when the racing was of the highest quality and consistency. The Texaco Star Mart/ presents/Kansas City Hydrofair drew a paid, three day crowd of 17,500, under the promotional auspices of the URC.

The 1995 Hooters Unlimited Hydroplane Series resumes this weekend at Pontiac Thunder On the Ohio in Evansville, Ind. Hanauer, suffering from a torn intercostal muscle in his rib cage, got a doctor's okay Monday to drive, but Budweiser owner Bernie Little has hired Mark Evans as a backup driver-just in case, Fred Leland will replace Evans in his U-99.9 with Jimmy King, who drove one of the Exide boats at Detroit in 1994.

QUALIFYING--1. Chip Hanauer, Miss Budweiser, 160.235 (betters record of 159.876, Chip Hanauer, Miss Budweiser, 1992); 2. Mark Tate, Smokin' Joe's, 158.384; 3. Dave Villwock, PICO American Dream, 158.359;4. Steve Davis, T-PLUS Engine Treatment, 155.062; 5. Mike Hanson, Miss Jasper Engine & Transmissions, 153.718; 6. Mark Evans, The Wellness Plan, 142.783; 7. Scott Pierce, Miss D.O.C./ Acuvue, 138.758; 8. Ken Muscatel, Miss Hydroblast,135.918; 9. Mitch Evans, Kendall Motors Oil, 132.278; 10. Jerry Hopp (boat qualifiedby Mark Evans), Miss K.C., 131.974.

HEAT 1A-- 1. Steve David, T-PLUS Engine Treatment, 139.605; 2. Mark Evans, The Wellness Plan, 138.828; 3. Scott Pierce, Miss D.O.C./ Acuvue, 121.278; 4. Mitch Evans, Kendall Motor Oil, 120.054. Jerry Hopp, Miss K.C.DNF. FAST LAP -- David, T-PLUS Engine Treatment, 141.852 (2nd lap).

HEAT 1B-- 1. Mark Tate, Smokin' Joe's, 145.032; 2. Chip Hanauer, Miss Budweiser, 144.099; 3. Dave Villwock, PICO American Dream, 136.533;4. Mike Hanson, Miss Jasper Engines & Transmissions, 131.370; 5. Ken Muscatel, Miss Hydroblast, 115.632. FAST LAP-- Chip Hanauer, Miss Budweiser,147.894 (3rd lap).

HEAT 2A-- 1. Mark Evans, The Wellness Plan, 141.00; 2. Chip Hanauer, Miss Budweiser, 139.257; 3. Steve David, T-PLUS Engine Treatment, 135.183; 4. Mike Hanson, Miss Jasper Engines & Transmissions, 132.477; 5. Jerry Hopp, Miss K.C., 106.329. FAST LAP- Evans, The Wellness Plan, 141.286(2nd lap).

HEAT 2B-- 1. Dave Villwock, PICO American Dream, 143.634; 2. Mark Tate, Smokin' Joe's, 142.629; 3. Ken Muscatel, Miss Hydroblast, 129.282; 4. Scott Pierce, Miss D.O.C./ Acuvue, 122.742; Mitch Evans, Kendall Motor Oil, DNF. FAST LAP-- Villwock, PICO American Dream, 146.2543rd lap).

HEAT 3A-- 1. Mike Hanson, Miss Jasper Engines & Transmissions, 131.358;2. Scott Pierce, Miss D.O.C./ Acuvue, 129.456; 3. Ken Muscatel, Miss Hydroblast,97.302; Jerry Hopp, Miss K.C., DNS; Mitch Evans, Kendall Motor Oil, DNS. FAST LAP- Hanson, Miss Jasper Engines & Transmissions, 136.687 (1st lap).

HEAT 3B-- 1. Chip Hanauer, Miss Budweiser, 144.714; 2.Steve David, T-PLUS Engine Treatment, 142.164; 3. Mark Evans, The Wellness Plan, 128.931;4. Dave Villwock, PICO American Dream, 86.493; 5. Mark Tate, Smokin' Joe's,67.695. FAST LAP-- Hanauer, Miss Budweiser,144.714? (1st lap).

FINAL- 1. STEVE DAVID, T-PLUS Engine TREATMENT,135.800; 2. MARK TATE, SMOKIN' JOE'S, 130.475; 3. CHIP HANAUER, MISS BUDWEISER, 128.795; 4. DAVE VILLWOCK, PICO AMERICAN DREAM, 128.165; 5. MIKE HANSON, MISS JASPER ENGINES &TRANSMISSIONS, 116.890; 6. KEN MUSCATEL,MISS HYDROBLAST, 76.345; MARK EVANS, THE WELLNESS PLAN, DNF. FAST LAP -- DAVID, T-PLUS ENGINE TREATMENT, 143.748 (1st lap).

EAGLE SNACKS Presents O'DOUL'S HIGH POINTS (drivers) 1. Chip Hanauer, 4545; 2. Mark Tate, 3886; 3. Dave Villwock, 3582; 4. Steve David, 3366; 5. Mark Evans, 2136; 6. Mitch Evans, 1802; 7. Mike Hanson, 1364; 8. Scott Pierce, 1341; 9. Ken Muscatel, 978; 10. Jerry Hopp, 719; 11. Tom Hindley, 525.

EAGLE SNACKS Presents O'DOUL'S HIGH POINTS ( boats) 1. MISS BUDWEISER, 4545; 2. Smokin' Joe's, 3886; 3. PICO American Dream, 3582; 4. T-PLUS Engine Treatment, 3366; 5. The Wellness Plan (U-99.9), 2670; 6. Kendall Motor Oil (U-3), 7. MISS JASPER Engines & Transmissions, 1364; 8. MISS D.O.C./ Acuvue (U-50), 1341; 9. Miss Hydroblast (U-14), 978; 10. MISS K.C. (U-7), 719.

(Reprinted from the Electronic URC Hydroletter, Vol. 1, no. 15)

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