Reprinted from The Daily Colonist, July 29, 1980
KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) — "You can't win if you don’t play,” said Pay 'n Pak hydroplane driver John Walters after a first-run test of his new machine on the Columbia River one day before the Columbia Cup race.
He may have played too hard. The boat that had electrified a large crowd on Saturday horrified those gathered for the race Sunday.
Walters took the Pay 'n Pak for a test spin around the course prior to the day’s first scheduled heat.
Accelerating hard down the straightaway in front of the south bank of the river, the boat was caught by the wind, turned on its heel and went hurtling 30 feet into the air. The boat flipped backward 2½ times, hit the water on its nose and flipped backward again, coming to rest upside down in the water.
Walters was ejected on the first flip. The rescue barge was at his side 55 seconds after the start of
the crash. Divers were in the water helping the injured driver 10 seconds later.
Walters, an experienced young limited hydroplane driver making his debut on the unlimited circuit, was rushed to hospital where he was treated for a broken hip socket and a rash of cuts, bruises and sprains.
Damage to the boat was concentrated on its right side, where the front portion of the sponson was sheared off. The top was smashed. Crew and designer Jim Lucero estimated damage at $30,000 but said the boat was not a total loss.
Owner Dave Heerensperger said Walters was running the course to get his timing down against the start clock and evidently got moving too fast for the tail wing and sponsons to handle.
