Hydros Notebook | David Bryant dry despite a flip

How safe are unlimited hydroplanes, skimming over Lake Washington at more than 160 mph?

David Bryant flipped the U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors just outside of turn one of the second lap of Heat 2A and didn't even get wet.

Bryant's boat ended up upside down and he immediately climbed out through the escape hatch and onto the bottom of the boat. He stood there as the boat was towed in, visibly upset only because his day of racing had ended.

"I'm fine, I won't even be sore," Bryant said. "It wasn't that hard of a hit. We almost did a 360 and landed right side up. As it went up, I thought 'Holy crap' because it was totally unexpected. Usually that's the safest place on the race course. You hit hard, but usually you don't go over."

Bryant, 41, is a second-year driver from Mesa, Ariz., in only his 10th race.

He stayed in the pits for the remainder of the race, signing pieces of broken fiberglass and giving it to fans who asked. On his official driver's badge, next to his picture, a crew member had etched "flipper" in black ink.

It was the first time Bryant has been over in an unlimited and it won't serve to slow him down.

"You push these boats hard enough and it's going to happen," Bryant said. "No big deal."

Third and in Lane 3 at the time of his flip behind leader Jeff Bernard and Steve David, Bryant said he knew he couldn't win and was trying to be conservative when disaster struck.

"I was trying to keep it safe down the straightaways and not do anything stupid," Bryant said. "I got a good start, I got out in front, but with those two boats it would be pretty tough to beat them from the outside. I hit a roller, it got unhooked, air got under the sponsor and off we went."

Bryant said the boat would be fixed and ready for San Diego.

In the meantime, he admitted he needs to figure out how to get the inside lane.

"That shouldn't have been a legal start," Bryant said. "We're not supposed to go under 70 mph before the start and [Bernard and David] weren't going that fast. This boat is fast enough to win. That's why I feel bad for the guys on the crew who gave me a great boat."

Besides Bryant, the big loser from the accident was Bernard.

In the restart, Bernard jumped the gun and incurred another penalty for being off plane. He finished fourth, collecting 169 points instead of the 400 he could have earned had Bryant not flipped.

"It stinks because we were probably going to win that heat and pick up points on David," Bernard said. "We lost the points, but we're just glad that Bryant is OK."

Last year it was the U-9 that flipped in the first heat. That boat, driven by Chris Bertram and owned by Mike and Lori Jones, is still being repaired and won't race at all this season.

Mike Jones was at Seafair and served as a driver representative.

Muscatel falls short again

Any chance that Dr. Ken Muscatel had of making the final in the U-25 Miss Procraft Windows ended when a broken coupler knocked him out of Heat 2A.

Muscatel, who is last in points among drivers who have made it to every race this season, has never won despite being a driver since 1991.

Muscatel did not get his boat running in time to start the provisional heat. In fact, of the six boats in the provisional only Kip Brown in the U-17 Our Gang Racing managed to make it onto the course. Brown ran one lap and was declared the winner and given the provisional spot in the final.

"I'm disappointed I didn't get to race," Brown said before the final. "I wanted to go out and have some fun. But we're glad to get in. Who knows what could happen in the final? I just want to keep clean and let the other guys take themselves out."

Brown was fourth in the final,

Last week in the Tri-Cities, Brian Perkins drove the U-50 Miss Albert Lee/Spirit of the Navy as the provisional boat and finished second after several penalties.

Becker gets redemption in unlimited lights

It was sweet redemption for Paul Becker, the UL-14 driver who won the unlimited lights.

Becker, who inadvertently went around the unlimited course and was disqualified in an earlier heat, came back to win the final when he nailed the start.

"The timing was perfect," Becker said. "You just keep working, you come back and relax and drive. We had a plan and we executed it."

Crowds estimated at 375,000

Race organizers estimate there were more than 375,000 who gathered on the shores of Lake Washington or at the log booms in boats to watch the three days of unlimited hydroplane qualifying and racing.