Three-boat crash mars Hanauer's victory

By Glenn Nelson
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 9, 1982

Executone driver George Johnson climbs out of the cockpit of his sinking boat, which had just been struck by the Pay 'n Pak (left) during an early heat in yesterday's Emerald Cup on Lake Washington. Pak driver John Walters was seriously injured. Johnson suffered a leg laceration.

Chip Hanauer of Seattle won the Sea Galley Emerald Cup yesterday, but he had been in a somber mood earlier in the day.

He had taken the Atlas Van Lines for a flighty test run just prior to the regatta and was concerned over rough water conditions on Lake Washington.

Prior to his wild ride in the Atlas, Hanauer witnessed Ron Armstrong's first run in the recently repaired Miss Budweiser, which had been damaged in Dean Chenoweth's fatal blowover-type flip last week in Pasco.

Armstrong provoked gasps of horror from the crowd amassed on the Lake Washington shores when the Bud several times went airborne.

"He scared me really bad," a pale Hanauer said at the time. "I hope Ron just takes it really, really safe. The whole course is really rough. I hit a low roller that knocked the wind out of me. When we get to the final heat, the water will be like an ocean.

"I'm very disappointed about the way we handed out there. This is the roughest I've ever seen it here. But everybody will be all right as long as everybody keeps their heads about themselves."

Well, everybody kept their heads for about one hour. Then, Heat 1B began.

Near the end of the front straightaway, Executone, on the outside lane, hit a bad spot that had plagued the unlimiteds throughout qualifying this week. Executone swerved to the left and went up on its right sponson.

The Squire Shop was heading broadside into Executone but driver Tom D'Eath decelerated and turned sharply to the left. Executone settled, but, according to driver George Johnson, its motor continued running and the boat again spun to the left, into the infield. D'Eath once again turned sharply to the left but was unable to avoid a collision.

Trailing the field, Pay 'n Pak zoomed into the wreckage, swerved left, and ran up onto the Executone, ripping apart the boat's rear cowling. The Pak went airborne, made a complete revolution and crashed onto the back of the Executone. As the Pak slammed right-side up onto the water surface, driver John Walters was pitched out of the cockpit, suffering serious injuries.

Walters, 28,  was listed in serious condition this morning at Harborview Medical Center.

The Renton resident had been placed on a ventilator after he was no longer able to breathe on his own and it was discovered he had water in his lungs. A CAT-scan X-ray was taken to check for head injuries and Walters underwent surgery late last night. He has switched to an intensive-care unit.

Walters suffered three spinal fractures but no paralysis, a broken left leg, a broken right elbow, a bruised lung, a concussion and injuries to his left eye. Johnson emerged with a leg laceration and D'Eath escaped uninjured.

Executone immediately sank to the bottom of Lake Washington.

A livid D'Eath blamed Johnson for the mishap.

"The guy should have a sponson up his butt," D'Eath said. "In this sport, we take four boats out of the top flight into the final. Fourth is what you should be racing for, not first. It's a long way 'til 4:10 (the scheduled start of the final heat). I was just trying to stay out of trouble. I couldn't believe my eyes when (Johnson) went sideways and into my lane.

"I know the water doesn't look bad from here but we've had problems with that spot all week. It shouldn't take a book to fall on somebody's head to find that out. A driver should always be looking for bad spots.

"I saw the bottom of the Executone and went into survival plan, cranking hard to the left and decelerating. The boat landed right-side up and instead of regrouping, accelerated like it'd like to continue racing. It went sideways again and sent us into another collision course with me. taking an altogether different evasive action. I was left between the devil and the deep blue sea. Boats were coming up on my left and there was this one on my right. I went left again because these boats don't turn right. Executone was going backwards but still under power and blasted into my side."

Johnson, the Executone's rookie driver, said he knew he was a slower boat and took every safety precaution possible.

"I was where I wanted to be, on the outside," he said. "I was a slower boat than these guys and wasn't on the inside. There were five other boats out there and they were going comparable speeds. The Squire was starting to back down because he was early at the start. I thought I was out of everybody's way but the boat dug in and went to the left.

"I went up and over the windshield but held onto the steering wheel and stayed in the cockpit. When the boat comes up, I'm sure the staff of the wheel will be broken to prove this. The engine was still running and I think I remember reaching reaching down and shutting off the master switch."

Hanauer was in front of the accident but said, "I was George (Johnson) at the five-minute mark and it looked like his boat was out of shape. It seems to me he wasn't listening to what his boat was telling him."

It was ironic that the Pak would be involved in such an accident. According to Pak crew member Tom Bailey, the team's pre-race strategy was to stay away from all the other boats at the start.

"Our game plan was to stay away from the spray of the water and work our way through the pack in an organized fashion." Bailey said. "It was only the first heat and winning the first heat doesn't win the race.

"We didn't want to go out front like we did at Pasco just to get sawed off by the Atlas."

The Pak suffered rips through out its hull and a hole near the right side of the cockpit. The craft reportedly is through for the season. Owner Dave Heerensperger is already in the process of building a new boat.

Squire crew chief Jerry Zuvich thought the damage to his boat could be repaired. The left sponson, which had been rebuilt after damage sustained in Bill Muncey's fatal accident in the former Atlas hull at Acapulco, was destroyed. The frame of the air tunnel was severely damaged and the rear transom ripped up by Executone's propeller.

"It's similar to what happened to the Budweiser," Zuvich said. "You often loose integrity repairing the sponson like that - it depends on how much you want to dive into the repair."

The Atlas had cornered impeccably after several aerodynamic changes, leading to commanding wins in two preliminary heats and in the winner-take-all final. But the victory, of course, was overshadowed by Walter's injuries.

"It would have been more fun it he were out there racing," Hanauer said.

Miss Budweiser finished a surprising second, but even showing up yesterday was a miraculous achievement. The Bud crew worked around the clock to repair the boat's damaged sponsons and set the fiberglass deck just Saturday.

Ron Armstrong, who was hired Friday as Chenoweth's successor, qualified the Bud at 127.298 mph and was seeded in the fast heats.

Despite the Bud's solid performance, owner Bernie Little was not satisfied.

"I don't know what to do," he said. "We have some problems. When I race, I want to race! We were starting to take off at 135. I don't like telling my driver to go 140 in the straights when we have been going 170-180 all season."

Pay 'n Pak driver remains in serious condition

By Glenn Nelson

Photos by Greg Gilbert
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 9, 1982

Pay 'N Pak goes airborne after running across the Executone, middle, which has just struck
The Squire Shop, foreground, in an early head of yesterday's unlimited hydroplane race.

Unlimited-hydroplane driver John Walters remained in serious condition this afternoon with multiple injuries suffered yesterday during a preliminary heat in the Sea Galley Emerald Cup on Lake Washington.

Chip Hanauer of Seattle drive the Atlas Van Lines to victory in the race, but the victory was marred by the accident that injured Walters, driver of the Pay 'N Pak.

Walters was pitched out of his craft in a collision with the Executone, which a split second earlier had lost control and struck The Squire Shop.

The Pay 'N Pak begins a complete side flip. Its driver, John Walters, was injured seriously.

The 28-year-old Renton resident underwent surgery last night at Harborview Medical Center and was moved into an intensive-care ward. Walters had water in his lungs and was put on a ventilator when he could not breathe on his own.

Walters suffered three spinal fractures but no paralysis, a broken left leg, broken right elbow, a bruised lung, a concussion and injuries to the left eye.

George Johnson, driver of the Executone, had a leg laceration; the Squire driver, Tom D'Eath, was uninjured.

The Pay 'N Pak flips upside down, and its driver, John Walters, is thrown from the boat.

The Executone sank to the bottom of Lake Washington.

The accident did not seem to dampen the spirits of the huge crowd that lined the race course to celebrate the event that traditionally signals the end of Seafair.

Hanauer and the Atlas were nearly flawless during victories in two preliminary "fast heats" and the winner-take-all final heat. He outdueled Ron Armstrong and the Miss Budweiser, which flipped last week in Pasco, killing Dean Chenoweth.

Frank Kenney Toyota-Volvo, driven by Ron Snyder, finished third yesterday. Miss Prodelco-Mr. Auto, driven by Steve Reynolds was fourth and Tempus, piloted by Jack Schafer Jr., was fifth.

"The boat was running a bit loose during testing and we were making adjustments all race long," said Hanauer, whose six unlimited wins makes him the winningest active driver.

That the Budweiser even made it to the pits yesterday morning was a minor miracle. The Bud crew worked around the clock to repair severe damage on the boat's left sponson and a whole in its rights sponson. Armstrong, who was hired Friday, qualified yesterday morning at 127.298 mph and was seeded into the fast heat.

Walters Remains Popular Guy in Pits

By Mark McKenna

Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald, July 24, 2004.

John Walters will be as inconspicuous as an unlimited hydroplane crew member can be this weekend in Lampson Pits.

He’ll spend much of his time on the deck of the U-8 Llumar Window Film with his head buried in the boat’s turbine, trying to squeeze as much speed out of the engine as possible.

But inevitably, some hard-core hydro fan will recognize him in his mechanic’s suit and spring the question: Hey, aren’t you the guy who ...?

“Yeah, that’s me,” Walters will answer. “I’m the guy who drove the Pak.”

Walters won only one race aboard the famous Pay ’n Pak turbine, but it was his qualifying run right here in the Tri-Cities that made him sort of an icon in the sport.

On July 27, 1980, Walters, then a 27-year-old unlimited rookie driver from Renton, took the Pak on a mid-morning test run in preparation for its first-ever race.

As the sleek boat took the corner and cruised toward the start clock at about 170 mph, its nose suddenly rose into the air. Walters fought the boat to no avail, and sat helplessly as it took off into a spectacular end-over-end flip. After 21⁄2 times around, the boat slammed into the water and shattered across the river.

“I remember thinking, ‘I can save this,’” Walters said. “But then the boat kept climbing and climbing. It was like someone kicked out a jack from underneath me. Then I saw the blue bridge disappear, then I saw the horizon and then the boat’s shadow on the river. Just like my famous quote — sky water, sky water. It seemed like the it took forever.

“I don’t remember hitting the water or coming out of the boat,” Walters continued. “But I do remember the water was cold, and I knew that I was supposed to raise my hands above my head if I was OK. When I did that, I remember a huge roar from the fans. I was hurting, but that made me feel great.” Walters dislocated his hip and shoulder and also suffered several cuts and bruises, but he considers himself lucky.

“When I saw tape of the flip, I realized it could have been much worse,” Walters said. “I still had all my arms and legs.”

It was soon determined that accident was caused by a faulty horizontal wing, which was damaged the previous day during a trailer fire.

The flip didn’t scare Walters out of the driver’s seat. In fact, he said from his hospital bed that he would resume racing.

Two years later, Walters finally brought the Pak home a winner as he outdueled Budweiser’s Dean Chenoweth in the final heat in Romulus, N.Y.

Walters’ good fortune didn’t last long, however. Later in the 1982 season, he was involved in a collision with the Squire Shop, driven by Tom D’Eath, and George Johnson’s Executone at the Emerald Cup in Seattle that forced him to leave the sport for good.

Walters suffered multiple fractures and head injuries, and doctors told his wife, Arlene, that the outlook was grim.

“Doctors said I would probably lose the sight in my left eye, that they might have to amputate my right arm below the elbow and that I might lose my left leg. It was pretty bleak.”

Walters recovered much better than expected, thanks to 14 months in Harborview Medical Center and 11 surgeries. Still, he lives with constant pain.

“I hurt every day,” Walters said. “I still have problems with my hip and back. But I’m active, and sometimes I even overdo it, usually when I’m running and jumping around with my grandkids.”

After the Seattle crash, Walters continued to stay close to the sport. He worked on Fran Muncey’s Miller American, Bill Wurster’s Mr. Pringles, and he was the crew chief for Bob Fendler and Jerry Rise’s Appian Jeronimo in the mid-1990s before reuniting with Wurster on the U-8 team.

Walters, 51, who now lives in Issaquah, juggles hydroplane racing with his full-time position at Three Five Systems, Inc., an electronic manufacturing company in Redmond.

“I’ve got a great situation. I have a good job and I still get to tinker with hydroplanes,” Walters said. And despite that ominous summer day in 1980, Walters enjoys coming back to the Columbia Cup.

“The Tri-Cities is a wonderful place to race,” he said. “The course is fast and the race committee is so committed to putting on a great race. And the fans really know the sport.”

Which is why Walters expects to hear from several fans who want to talk about THE FLIP.

“It’s amazing the number of people who I run across that say, ‘Geez, I was there on the beach when you flipped the Pak,’” Walters said. “But I don’t mind. There were a lot of people who shared the experience that day, and it’s kind of fun to talk about.”