Another high-speed pursuit

• Published July 14, 2008

• Comments (0)

Mike Harmon awoke Monday with thoughts of hydroplane racing still dancing in his head. Then he got out of bed.

“Holy smokes, am I sore today,” Harmon said. “I’ve got a bruise on my left thigh about the size of an orange. I have a bruise on my right knee, a bruise on my elbow.”

Harmon, 44, of Lacey, is no stranger to fast driving and bumpy rides. He’s a veteran of 20 years with the Washington State Patrol, cruising Interstate-5 from Nisqually to Federal Way.

But Monday’s aches and pains came from a rougher ride in the cockpit of a C-Stock outboard hydroplane as part of the Capital Lakefair Regatta on Capitol Lake Sunday.

“It’s a lot different than going fast in a patrol car,” Harmon said.

The Lakefair Regatta was Harmon’s maiden voyage into outboard hydroplane racing. The first time behind the steering wheel, he rode his black and orange hydroplane to second and third place finishes in two heat races to advance to the finals in the OSY 400 pro class.

In the finals, experienced racers got the best of him and he finished last in field of six.

“They squeezed me out right at the start line,” Harmon said. “I had to get off the throttle because I was going to get rolled.”

There was no disappointment in Harmon’s voice, only excitement that hadn’t yet worn off from approaching speeds of 60 mph on the water.

Harmon and his older brother Tim Harmon, of Maple Valley, fulfilled a childhood dream. They grew up in the Tri-Cities, listening to the roar of the bigger, faster and more powerful unlimited hydroplanes on the Columbia River.

On Sunday, they had their own powerboat and their own race team, which they call T&M Racing.

“My brother and I always dreamed of doing it,” Mike Harmon said. “My brother and I are pretty close. He always wanted to mechanic one, I always wanted to drive one.

“This was kind of our test run. It was going to be our first race or our last race, depending on how we did. We were just absolutely amazed at how nice all these people were who were involved in this racing.”