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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Local Boat Racer Hindley Gets Unlimited Ride

Paul Delaney Correspondent

As a 14-year-old boy at Bead Lake, Tom Hindley and his dad built their first hydroplane. That little outboard launched a dream. It’s taken nearly 20 years, but Hindley’s dream of driving the ultimate race boat, an unlimited hydroplane, is finally at hand.

Hindley has just received a contract from Seattle owner Fred Leland to drive in seven of the 11 races on the 1995 Unlimited Racing Commission’s schedule.

Hindley, the newest local entry into the world of major-league motorsports, will get his feet wet (figuratively speaking, he hopes) when he debuts Leland’s Miss Rock in the American Power Boat Association Gold Cup June 4 in Detroit.

Other races on Hindley’s schedule will include the two Northwest stops, in Tri-Cities on July 30 and Seattle on Aug. 6.

Others are in Kansas City (June 19); Evansville, Ind. (June 25); Madison, Ind. (July 2); and San Diego (Sept. 17).

“We have sponsorship for those seven races,” Hindley said. “If we can pick up additional sponsorship, we’ll run at other races.”

The URC schedule opens at Firebird Lake near Phoenix April 23, moves to Miami on May 21, and also includes stops at Lewisville (Dallas), Texas July 16 and concludes with its annual trip to Hawaii on Oct. 15.

Remembering back to that first boat, Hindley said, “it had a 20-horsepower Mercury (motor), topped out at 40 mph and terrorized all the neighbors at the lake.”

A huge contrast to the monster he’ll wheel around the country this year. His new ride will bounce over the water at 200 mph powered by a 3,000-horsepower turbine engine.

Hindley completed his driver qualifications in 1994 and has drawn raves. “The head URC inspector (Ed Nelson) says I’m the fastest unlimited rookie qualifier in the history of the sport,” Hindley said.

He consistently topped the old 135-mph minimum for licensing.

The team plans to do some testing locally in April, Hindley said. A location is pending. Leland’s shop is also trying to get the Miss Rock hull ready for display at Spokane’s Auto, Boat, Speed Show on March 24-26.