Hydros return to Pateros Terry Troxell Memorial Regatta

PATEROS – After missing 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, the 11th annual Terry Troxell Memorial Hydro Classic returned to Pateros August 21-22 with thrills, more spills than usual, a new racing class, and an added venue to its annual summer racing circuit.
A second crane was staged at the Lakeshore Park launch site this year to help hoist boats into and out of the water and move the class heats along more efficiently. Racers had to contend with some stiff wind and rough water conditions that blew the boats off the water partway through the second day of competition, said Pateros resident and race supporter George Pearson.
During this year’s competition two boats collided on a course corner, another sank while parked at the dock, and veteran owner/driver Dale Burnison, owner of the vintage Country Girl, was ejected into the water for the first time in his long racing career.
Pearson was the 2019 recipient of the Terry Troxell Memorial Trophy, named for the late unlimited hydroplane driver and 2005 Gold Cup winner who died in 2009. This year’s trophy recipient was race supporter Debbie Myre.
The Miss Pateros, a Sportsman Entry (SE) class boat that was a regular attraction at previous races was not among the competitors this year. Owner/driver Brandon Cushing has sold the Miss Pateros and has turned his attention toward helping his son compete as a driver. The Miss Pateros was sponsored by the Pateros Chamber of Commerce and Thomason Law and Justice.
A new racing class, the J Stock, was added this year for nine-year-old racers getting acquainted with the sport. The J Stock included the first Jim Yancy Inspiration Award that was won in its debut year by Seattle-area driver Carson Kelly.
When algae bloom in Spanaway Lake forced cancellation of this year’s race there earlier in the season, Tacoma Inboard Racing Association representatives were on the lookout for another location to add to their racing circuit. Someone suggested Brewster just upriver from Pateros. They loved the site and after some obligatory discussions with city and EMS staffers it was decided, said Pearson. The hydros will race at Columbia Cove Park on the second weekend of September next year. An exhibition race is scheduled for Oct. 9 this year to give spectators at the new venue a taste of what to expect.
Brewster will be the sixth Eastern Washington stop on next year’s hydro circuit including Soap Lake, Chelan (2), Manson, Pateros, and Brewster.