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At speed
Making the pass
Makes pass clean
Boat flips over
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Editors
Note: This letter was sent to us by a reader who saw our articles on
safety in racing, and particularly our Series form 2000 on the HANS Device
Hi, my name is Zak Larimore and I m a 20 year old fireman from Springfield,
Ohio. My father and I have been racing hydroplanes for the past eleven years
and in the summer of '97 (August 1997) my father was involved in a serious accident. In the
first turn of the final event of the '97 Molson Thunderfest in Kelowna, British Columbia, he rolled his open cockpit hydro at over 165 mph while
moving forward. He stopped in about four feet. See the series of pictures
to the right that show my Father making the pass and then the boat flips
over.
On top of the sheer inertia,
the water rushing in around him forced him forward even harder. His left shoulder harness actually sheered the 1/4 in thick washer which was used to
help spread the load to the half inch thick carbonfiber/steel firewall and
actually pulled the harness through the wall. He went forward and went under
the steering wheel and under the dash and after four minuets under water with
no air was extricated from the boat.
After he was admitted to the hospital in
a coma we had a chance to look at the device. The tethers which attached to
the helmet itself actually stayed intact and literally pulled the helmet apart but never detached. Now he is alive and well and after building a new
boat, continues to race today.
He only drives in Qualifying and testing now
but hey, he is a happy, healthy man and owes it to the HANS device and the
people who designed it.
Sincerely, Zak Larimore/ Springfield, Ohio
The author can be contacted at contacts@autoracing1.com
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