Hanauer’s Voice Stricken

Chip Hanauer, unlimited hydroplane racing’s top driver, has revealed he has a rare neurological disorder that has attacked his vocal cords, leaving him without much of a voice.

Adductor spasmodic dysphonia - which causes the vocal cords to tighten and spasm - is incurable. It’s left Hanauer, 41, talking in a raspy murmur.

“It’s tiring,” he said Tuesday. “It’s very difficult to move my vocal cords.”

Miss Budweiser’s driver has found it difficult to conduct interviews for an outdoor sports television show he hosts.

“My media career as well as my opera career is not looking good at this point,” he said. “But it hasn’t affected the racing career. You just shut up and do the job.”