Chip Hanauer
Encyclopedia
Lee Edward "Chip" Hanauer (born July 1, 1954 in Seattle) is the third most successful Unlimited Hydroplane
racer in history. He has won the APBA
Gold Cup
a record 12 times and was the driver of one of the most famous boats in APBA history, the Miss Budweiser
, in the early to mid 1990's. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
in 1995 as their youngest inductee. In 2005, he was inducted into the International Motorized Vehicles Hall of Fame. In 1991, he temporarily left the waters for auto racing
only to return a season later.
In the early 1990s, Hanauer suffered a series of severe injuries in high-speed unlimited hydroplane accidents. Those accidents eventually pushed him to make the decision to retire. One of those accidents triggered a serious condition in which he lost his voice -- only to regain it several years later after learning of a treatment in which Botox is injected directly into the throat. He continues to volunteer his time at a home for disadvantaged children in Seattle. He also volunteers as a transporter for Disabled American Veterans: he picks up disabled veterans from their homes and drives them to appointments at the VA Medical Center in Seattle.
Hydroplane racing
Hydroplane racing is a sport involving racing hydroplanes on lakes and rivers. It is a popular spectator sport in several countries.-International Professional Outboard Hydroplane Racing:...
racer in history. He has won the APBA
American Power Boat Association
The American Power Boat Association is a New York non-profit, membership owned corporation that was created in 1903 by an act of the New York legislature as a racing association for powerboats. It is the United States sanctioning authority for the Union Internationale Motonautique , the world...
Gold Cup
Gold Cup (motorsport)
The APBA Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the Gold Cup, is a hydroplane boat race and is the second official race of the 2010 H1 Unlimited season. The race is scheduled to be held July 9–11, 2010 on the Detroit River in Detroit, Michigan, USA...
a record 12 times and was the driver of one of the most famous boats in APBA history, the Miss Budweiser
Miss Budweiser
The Miss Budweiser were 22 Hydroplanes sponsored by Budweiser beer. They were owned by Bernie Little and , his youngest son, Joe...
, in the early to mid 1990's. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
International Motorsports Hall of Fame
The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer...
in 1995 as their youngest inductee. In 2005, he was inducted into the International Motorized Vehicles Hall of Fame. In 1991, he temporarily left the waters for auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
only to return a season later.
Biography
He was born on July 1, 1954 in Seattle. Hanauer grew up with a poster of the international Grand Prix auto racing star Jim Clark of Scotland on the wall of his boyhood bedroom. But finances and his home in Seattle, Washington -- a major center of boat racing -- dictated that he start in small hydroplanes. By age 22, he had graduated to unlimited hydroplanes. The team owner of the Toyota-sponsored auto racing team for which Hanauer briefly drove in 1991 commented later that Hanauer would certainly have been successful in automobile racing had he pursued that career progression.In the early 1990s, Hanauer suffered a series of severe injuries in high-speed unlimited hydroplane accidents. Those accidents eventually pushed him to make the decision to retire. One of those accidents triggered a serious condition in which he lost his voice -- only to regain it several years later after learning of a treatment in which Botox is injected directly into the throat. He continues to volunteer his time at a home for disadvantaged children in Seattle. He also volunteers as a transporter for Disabled American Veterans: he picks up disabled veterans from their homes and drives them to appointments at the VA Medical Center in Seattle.