Hydroplane Racing -- Daredevil Evans Finds Success Living, Driving American Dream

The throttle wasn't stuck as Mark Evans rushed toward the finger-shaped dock at 150 mph. He had no intention of stopping, even though the race was over.

Evans has a gift for making the routine interesting. And his high-speed beeline for shore two years ago in Kansas City, Mo., left some of the biggest names in hydroplane racing - Miss Budweiser owner Bernie Little, Smokin' Joe's owner Steve Woomer and UHRA Commissioner Bill Doner - only a few seconds to ponder whether Evans was crazy before getting soaked by his roostertail.

"You should have seen them crawling over each other's back to get out of the way," said Ron Jones Jr., a former employer of Evans'. "And here comes Evans. Then he turned the steering wheel. He hosed everybody. You could just see the grin through his facemask."

Dave Villwock's crash in the Tri-Cities 10 days ago thrust Evans, driver of the PICO American Dream, to the forefront of hydroplane drivers. He has won the past two races and probably is the favorite to win this weekend's Texaco Cup on Lake Washington. But recent success hasn't changed his outlook on life.

He carries a disposable camera in the cockpit so he can take pictures while driving 150 mph during heat warmups. He races cars and snowmobiles, and flies planes and helicopters - all as fast as he can without losing control. All with a big, life-loving smile on his face and a sparkle in his blue eyes.

Norman Mark Evans, 40, inherited his name from his late father, Norm Evans. He also inherited his dad's carefree attitude. In a sport full of charismatic, sometimes crazy characters, Evans is perhaps the most colorful.

"I was a pretty wound-up kid - hyper, real hyper, no fears kind of guy," Evans said. "If we were going to jump off a bridge into the water, I was usually the first one over. I don't know why. I just kind of had the daredevil in me. My dad was pretty aggressive, too."

Evans' father taught Mark and his brother, Mitch, how to race boats on Lake Chelan, where they worked the cash register and filled up rental boats at the marina as young kids. He bought the hydroplanes that gave both their start on the unlimited circuit.

Unfortunately, he hasn't been around to watch his sons rise to the upper ranks of hydroplane drivers - Mitch now drives for Appian Jeronimo. Norm Evans was murdered in 1981 while working on his ranch north of the lake, shot in the head at close range six months after marrying his second wife, Helen Copeland.

Copeland's nephew was convicted of the crime and sent to prison. Mitch, 37, and Mark believe more people were involved. They believe it was a contract killing and went through nine lawyers trying to prove it, only to fail after spending all the proceeds from their father's estate, which they were forced to sell.

Family members eventually convinced them to stop pursuing the case. Even now, 15 years later, "it's always in the back of your mind," Mark said. "One of these days hopefully all the truth will come out."

The brothers help organize the Norm Evans Memorial Regatta every September in honor of their father. It's perhaps the only race they watch rather than drive, something Mark can't stand.

Racing is Mark's life, whether it's down the ski slopes at Stevens Pass or in the choppy waters of Lake Washington. He started in unlimited hydroplanes in 1979 when he drove a boat sponsored by Seattle's Evergreen Roofing that he affectionately called "The Green Bomb" because he kept blowing up the engine.

In fact, it wasn't until recently that Evans' driving ability began to garner as much recognition as his personality. He spent several seasons toiling in Fred Leland's infamous "Rock Boat" before moving to Jones' American Spirit, in which he won his first race.

Last year he drove the Miss Budweiser and won the last two races of the season. Then he was replaced by Villwock. And this year he started off miserably with Leland's PICO boat, failing to finish three of the first four races.

But he kept getting in the cockpit. He figured luck would eventually turn his direction. Besides, he still was having fun.

"I call him a `Yahoo' driver," said Nate Brown, who collided with Evans in a race in Norfolk, Va. "He loves doing it and he's not afraid to put the gas down. He's a great boat racer."

Now everybody wants an autograph or a comment from the Wenatchee resident. Little, the Budweiser owner, approached Evans after Villwock flipped and asked him to return to the best-funded boat on the tour.

Evans said no. Money and trophies and points aren't what's most important. He's happy with Leland, and in contention for his first drivers championship.

Maybe then his driving ability will be as noteworthy as his easy laugh, quick wit and desire to have fun.

"Oh, he's not as nutty as he seems," said PICO owner Fred Leland, who hired Evans again before the beginning of this season. "He's just good humored. And he's a great driver."

Notes

-- Leland announced that Jerry Hale will drive the U-99 Team Stihl hydroplane at this weekend's Texaco Cup. Hale, 54, is the oldest rookie in unlimited history. He replaces Mark Weber, 33, the youngest driver on the tour, who left to drive the Miss Budweiser after Villwock's crash.

Hale had been driving for the Miss Exide. Mike and Lori Jones, the boat owners, have not named a replacement.

-- Leland also said he would enter three teams this weekend - PICO American Dream, Team Stihl and the unsponsored U-98 hull that raced in Seattle last year. Leland, who threatened to pull his boats out of last week's race in Kelowna, B.C., said he was no longer upset with the UHRA's rpm restrictions. The UHRA fined Leland more than $7,000 and took away the points his Team Stihl boat earned in the Tri-Cities final because it had gone over the rpm limits several times.