Slo-Mo-Shun V Flip

The famous flip in 1955 of the Slo-mo-Shun V. Color film from the pit area shows driver Lou Fagel brought to shore and includes Ted Jones and Bill Muncey who witnessed the event.

[@tadroid3858]

From the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum website, Lou suffered the following injuries: "four fractured vertebrae, four broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a permanently damaged heart. This was Unlimited racing’s first blow-over accident." Yeah, I'd quit, too.

[@timacrow]

I wasn't born when this happened, but I do remember Bill Muncie doing the announcing for the hydro races on TV when I was a kid.

[@patfromamboy]

I have a piece of the boat he was killed in. It was returning from Acapulco and stopped at Shakey’s Pizza in Hazel Dell Washington.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

It is eerie, we see Bill Muncie, looking stunned and concerned....he was to meet a similar fate, 27 years later. Those old hydro drivers knew their number could be "up" at any time, yet they persisted!

[@W7DSY]

I saw that happen, as I did when Miss Thriftway plowed the coast guard boat. I was only 7 yrs old at the time.

[@tknudcarter]

I saw the flip happen too. I was 8. We were sitting on the shore almost opposite the flip. The boat landed so perfectly and coasted to a stop. I was also there for Muncey plowing into the coast guard cutter but I didn't see it. The Official Barge was in the way. I remember they stopped the race and we didn't know why. Miss Thriftway lost it's rudder. Muncie jumped out of the boat before the impact.

[@gregsmith1115]

I believe Lou quit driving after that. I was just a little kid then, but I remember those days.

[@hectorsalazar5584]

Notice the damage to the wood hull after the flip? Tuff ass canoe ya got there.. awesome time period for pistons and hydros..

[@patfromamboy]

I have a piece of the Atlas Van Lines that Bill Muncey was killed in. It stopped at Shakey’s Pizza in Hazel Dell Washington when returning from Acapulco and a piece fell off into my hand.

[@daro2262]

I saw that live on King Charles 5

[@W7DSY]

Me too, Da Ro!

[@budlanctot3060]

Me, three.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

Bill O'Mara making the call...he also called the race, where Quicksilver took a dive to the bottom of the lake...way back in 1950 or so. Bill actually led people in a prayer for the two guys who died. O'Mara was a good guy, who apparently had been caught with an underage youth...KING dismissed him, and he was forced to work at several small radio stations for the rest of his long career. No one mentioned this situation, for many years!...Nowadays, such a dalliance would be blasted all over the media. Pat O'Day pretty much forced his way into being a race caller for the hydros...he was just OK...for him, it was a vanity trip!

[@johnfedoroff358]

God Bless These Brave Brave Men who drove these Boats

[@kenprice1961]

WHY?

[@lorihaun9956]

Did the boat catch on fire and sink? It looked like it was on fire after the flip.

[@l.johnperry4072]

Whatever happened to the driver?

[@consv]

Those boats used airplane engines if I remember correctly.

[@nofaithjusthope8714]

Rolls-Royce Griffin and Allison V1710 mostly

[@curbozerboomer1773]

Nice recall...duh!

[@jeffpelkey6077]

Is that Chris Economacki doing the commentary?

[@tomtaylor9352]

That was Bill O'Mara, King TV sports "Mr. Hydroplane"

[@curbozerboomer1773]

@@tomtaylor9352 So sad, that many people have forgotten about Bill O'Mara!...The recently deceased Dori Monson told a neat story, of Bill, after having a conversation with Dori about Dori not being able to pay for his college studies--Bill stepped up and paid for the next couple quarters of college for Dori! No one in this life is mistake-free, but poor Bill really got black-listed by the local Radio and TV stations for many years. It was wrong!

[@kenprice1961]

These "announcers" are a colossal JOKE! They think they have to TELL you............EVERYTHING YOU CAN SEE!! DUHHHHHH!!