Chip Hanauer
Hydroplane racing legend Lee Edward "Chip" Hanauer was born on July 1, 1954 in Seattle, Washington. Chip started racing powerboats at the age of nine, when he purchased his first race boat for $250; at age 10, he placed 5th in the Junior Stock Hydroplane Class for 9-to-12-year-olds. Soon enough, other championships would come his way: at 18, he won his first American Power Boat Association (APBA) Championship in the 145 Class.
In 1976, at the age of 22, Chip graduated cum laude from Washington State University and got his first taste of unlimited hydroplane racing when he made his debut in the Tri-Cities, Washington, driving the Sunny Jim--Barney Armstrong's machine--a boat that was just as old (if not older) than Chip, having debuted as The Breathless. He failed to qualify there, but got to race in The Seafair Race in Seattle, Washington the following week and finished eighth.
Chip worked as a teacher, teaching emotionally disturbed children, and he became a full time unlimited hydroplane driver in 1978 when The Squire Shop Racing team hired him to replace Jerry Bangs, who died in an accident at the 1977 Seafair race. Chip earned his first victory in 1979 at Ogden, Utah. He drove for The Squire Shop until the 1981 season, when his big break arrived in 1982: becoming the driver for Atlas Van Lines (sadly replacing owner/driver legend Bill Muncey, who died in the final race of the 1981 season when his boat flipped in Acapulco, Mexico). Before the accident, Bill requested of his then-wife Fran that if he died, the race team would continue. Fran selected Chip to drive and it's been said that he was hand-picked by Bill to replace him.
Entering the 1982 season with a new boat, a new race team and a new owner, Chip went on to win five races, including a thrilling come-from-behind and head-to-head victory against the Miss Budweiser in that year's APBA Gold Cup (the oldest motor sports trophy) in Detroit, Michigan, a venue which Chip considers to be "The Yankee Stadium of Boat Racing". In addition, he went on to win his first Unlimited National and World Championships.
1984 & 1985 saw changes for Chip, as he and the race team entered into the turbine age with the advent of a new Atlas Van Lines turbine-powered boat, replacing the traditional piston-powered hydroplane powered by World War II-era V-12 aircraft engines. The team saw some success as they adjusted to a new boat & engine, yet they still managed to win their third straight Gold Cup. At the end of the season, Atlas Van Lines got out of the sport and the team saw a new sponsor in 1985--Miller Brewing Company--and the boat became the Miller American. That year, Chip became a dominant force, winning his 4th straight Gold Cup and winning another National Championship.
1986 became a year where he was challenging the late Garfield "Gar" Wood for the most consecutive Gold Cup wins with five and he tied the record in Detroit, Michigan...where it all started. In 1987, a new boat arrived for Chip, featuring a canopy to protect the driver; while adjusting to it, Chip had modest success, but a new milestone happened in San Diego, California, when Chip won his sixth consecutive Gold Cup and thus eclipsed Gar Wood's record. 1988 saw Chip win a 7th consecutive Gold Cup victory, piloting a damaged Circus Circus hull, owned by the Muncey racing team.
More changes were to come with the exit of an owner/sponsor and the entrance of a new owner/sponsor: at the end of the 1988 season, Fran Muncey & Miller Brewing Company left the sport and Bill Bennett, owner Circus Circus Hotels and Casinos, purchased the entire Muncey operation and made a full comeback into the sport with the U-31. While racing for the Circus, more victories came and Chip once again took the National Championship, in 1990. At the end of that 1990 season, both Circus Circus and Chip left the sport. Chip tried his hand at auto racing, driving for Toyota, but he made a comeback to hydro racing, joining Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser racing team in 1992.
Victories followed Chip, but so did the injuries: in 1994, he fractured four vertebrae in a warm-up accident at the Gold Cup race in Detroit. He also suffered a neurological disorder which took away his ability to speak for three years. When Chip spoke, he sounded as though his voice was straining. The injury, as a result, left him in an intense depression. In addition, he suffered concussions, broken bones and lingering neck pain. Chip regained his voice eventually with Botox injection treatments.
In 1995, Chip was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame at the age of 40, being the youngest active racer at the time. Shortly after in 1996, Chip left the Budweiser Racing team, citing safety issues, and was out of the sport once again until 1999, when Fred Leland in the U-100 Pico American Dream Racing team came calling; Chip answered the call and won an unprecedented eleventh Gold Cup win. During that time, Chip was closing in on the late Bill Muncey's record of 62 career victories but, at the end of the 1999 season, Chip retired from hydroplaning for good: some say it was the injuries suffered over the years, but others say he did it out of respect to his friend & mentor Bill Muncey, to neither meet nor exceed Bill's number.
Whatever the case, Chip stated he has no regrets about leaving the sport. Chip now volunteers his time to charity and is an annual color commentator for the Seafair Unlimited Hydroplane Race in Seattle, Washington broadcast on CBS-affiliate KIRO-TV 7.
In 1976, at the age of 22, Chip graduated cum laude from Washington State University and got his first taste of unlimited hydroplane racing when he made his debut in the Tri-Cities, Washington, driving the Sunny Jim--Barney Armstrong's machine--a boat that was just as old (if not older) than Chip, having debuted as The Breathless. He failed to qualify there, but got to race in The Seafair Race in Seattle, Washington the following week and finished eighth.
Chip worked as a teacher, teaching emotionally disturbed children, and he became a full time unlimited hydroplane driver in 1978 when The Squire Shop Racing team hired him to replace Jerry Bangs, who died in an accident at the 1977 Seafair race. Chip earned his first victory in 1979 at Ogden, Utah. He drove for The Squire Shop until the 1981 season, when his big break arrived in 1982: becoming the driver for Atlas Van Lines (sadly replacing owner/driver legend Bill Muncey, who died in the final race of the 1981 season when his boat flipped in Acapulco, Mexico). Before the accident, Bill requested of his then-wife Fran that if he died, the race team would continue. Fran selected Chip to drive and it's been said that he was hand-picked by Bill to replace him.
Entering the 1982 season with a new boat, a new race team and a new owner, Chip went on to win five races, including a thrilling come-from-behind and head-to-head victory against the Miss Budweiser in that year's APBA Gold Cup (the oldest motor sports trophy) in Detroit, Michigan, a venue which Chip considers to be "The Yankee Stadium of Boat Racing". In addition, he went on to win his first Unlimited National and World Championships.
1984 & 1985 saw changes for Chip, as he and the race team entered into the turbine age with the advent of a new Atlas Van Lines turbine-powered boat, replacing the traditional piston-powered hydroplane powered by World War II-era V-12 aircraft engines. The team saw some success as they adjusted to a new boat & engine, yet they still managed to win their third straight Gold Cup. At the end of the season, Atlas Van Lines got out of the sport and the team saw a new sponsor in 1985--Miller Brewing Company--and the boat became the Miller American. That year, Chip became a dominant force, winning his 4th straight Gold Cup and winning another National Championship.
1986 became a year where he was challenging the late Garfield "Gar" Wood for the most consecutive Gold Cup wins with five and he tied the record in Detroit, Michigan...where it all started. In 1987, a new boat arrived for Chip, featuring a canopy to protect the driver; while adjusting to it, Chip had modest success, but a new milestone happened in San Diego, California, when Chip won his sixth consecutive Gold Cup and thus eclipsed Gar Wood's record. 1988 saw Chip win a 7th consecutive Gold Cup victory, piloting a damaged Circus Circus hull, owned by the Muncey racing team.
More changes were to come with the exit of an owner/sponsor and the entrance of a new owner/sponsor: at the end of the 1988 season, Fran Muncey & Miller Brewing Company left the sport and Bill Bennett, owner Circus Circus Hotels and Casinos, purchased the entire Muncey operation and made a full comeback into the sport with the U-31. While racing for the Circus, more victories came and Chip once again took the National Championship, in 1990. At the end of that 1990 season, both Circus Circus and Chip left the sport. Chip tried his hand at auto racing, driving for Toyota, but he made a comeback to hydro racing, joining Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser racing team in 1992.
Victories followed Chip, but so did the injuries: in 1994, he fractured four vertebrae in a warm-up accident at the Gold Cup race in Detroit. He also suffered a neurological disorder which took away his ability to speak for three years. When Chip spoke, he sounded as though his voice was straining. The injury, as a result, left him in an intense depression. In addition, he suffered concussions, broken bones and lingering neck pain. Chip regained his voice eventually with Botox injection treatments.
In 1995, Chip was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame at the age of 40, being the youngest active racer at the time. Shortly after in 1996, Chip left the Budweiser Racing team, citing safety issues, and was out of the sport once again until 1999, when Fred Leland in the U-100 Pico American Dream Racing team came calling; Chip answered the call and won an unprecedented eleventh Gold Cup win. During that time, Chip was closing in on the late Bill Muncey's record of 62 career victories but, at the end of the 1999 season, Chip retired from hydroplaning for good: some say it was the injuries suffered over the years, but others say he did it out of respect to his friend & mentor Bill Muncey, to neither meet nor exceed Bill's number.
Whatever the case, Chip stated he has no regrets about leaving the sport. Chip now volunteers his time to charity and is an annual color commentator for the Seafair Unlimited Hydroplane Race in Seattle, Washington broadcast on CBS-affiliate KIRO-TV 7.