Seattle, WA (June 14, 2000) - High winds Wednesday postponed Russ Wicks attempt for the World Water Speed Record for a propeller-driven boat in the Miss Freei unlimited hydroplane. The winds caused white caps on Lake Washington, preventing safe conditions for the attempt.
Wicks and the Miss Freei will attempt to break the longest-standing major speed record in history, tomorrow, Thursday, June 15 from 7:00 a.m. to noon at Sand Point.
"It is ironic that on Flag Day the winds prevented us from making an assault on Roy Duby's 200 mph record," Wicks said.
After a long delay Wednesday, both Wicks and team owner Dr. Ken Muscatel drove a recreational boat on Lake Washington then returned to confer with American Power Boat Association (APBA) officials about the conditions of the water.
"It is just too rough for the team to make an honest attempt at breaking the record today. We need to make two runs on the one-mile straight course within a 20-minute period and it doesn't appear that mother nature is cooperating," Wicks said. "The two runs in different directions are then averaged together for the official record speed."
Wicks added, "During the last week of testing we reached speeds over 200 mph and the boat is handling the best in two years so I am confident that with good weather on Thursday these fans will see a piece of motorsports history."
The current one-mile World Water Speed Record for a propeller-driven boat has not been broken in nearly four decades. The current world record of 200.419 miles per hour was set in 1962 by Roy Duby in the Miss U.S., at Lake Guntersville, Alabama.
About the Miss Freei Hydroplane
Miss Freei is a regulation propeller-driven unlimited hydroplane featuring a jet-fueled Lycoming L-7C turbine engine (out of a military Chinook helicopter), producing 3,000 horsepower at 10,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). The boat is 28 feet in length, weighs 6,600 pounds and features a safety canopy from an F-16 fighter jet. At speed, Miss Freei throws over a ton of water into the air, creating a 200-foot rooster tail shooting up to 40 feet high.
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