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Growing up in the Seattle area, hydroplane racing was a big, big deal for me. I never missed a race until my early 30's. We rode our bikes to Stan Sayers Pits on Lake Washington both days on every race weekend until I finally got old enough to drive there. Admission, since it was a public park, was free.
I saw plenty of blow overs. I saw a couple of drivers die right there in front of me. Pretty rough. It was a bit after I quit going every year that the teams started using F-16 canopies on the boats, which I'm sure has saved many lives. I think top speeds now regularly run into the 180's or more, and I remember one making some sort of speed run down Lake Washington somewhat recently (last ten years?) that topped 200 mph. Seems like a lot more blow overs these days, possibly due to the speed, possibly due to the feeling of security that canopy provides, enticing them to push harder.
But, yeah, fast on water is as dangerous as it gets.
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Jeff
'72 911T 3.0 MFI
'93 Ducati 900 Super Sport
"God invented whiskey so the Irish wouldn't rule the world"
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