Ed Cooper, Jr. and his 'relic' evolve nicely in hydroplane game

By Gordon Engelhardt
Reprinted from the Evansville Courier & Press, June 24, 2006.

Ed Cooper Jr.'s "Turbinator" no longer is considered an ancient relic, a historical anomaly paying tribute to a long-lost era of hydroplanes, when piston boats roared majestically around the course, giving Thunder on the Ohio its name back in 1979.

Cooper's boat, sponsored locally by Master Tire, has raced from the back of the pack to the forefront of the sport.

Asked about the "Turbinator" nickname, Master Tire driver Jimmy King couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"It's a turbine thing. It's definitely a hoot," he said. "Everybody looked down their nose at that program for so many years."

Driving the turbine-powered LLumar Window Film a couple of years ago, King recalled a race in which Cooper's boat "went past me like I was standing still."

LLumar owner Bill Wurster later muttered sarcastically under his breath: "I guess I have to buy a piston boat to be competitive now."

Although he wasn't in position to say anything at the time, King admired Cooper for being shrewd enough to turn his World War II-era Allison aircraft power plant

into a vessel that could compete favorably with his rivals, all powered by technologically superior Vietnam-era jet turbine helicopter engines. Some hydro purists condescendingly refer to the turbine boats as "hair dryers" in reference to the whining, whirring sound they make around the course.

"I couldn't laugh because I was still driving for him (Wurster)," King said. "But if they were able to make that boat run (that fast), I was thinking there's no reason we can't make this thing run (faster). (Cooper) woke a lot of people up."

Mitch Evans drove the U-3 Cooper's Express to its first victory in 1989 at Tri-Cities, Wash. Then came a long dry spell. Cooper didn't record another win until 2003, when Evans drove the U-3 to its other three victories, at Thunder on the Ohio, the Detroit Gold Cup and the Bill Muncey Cup in San Diego.

Cooper's success infuriated the restricted turbine-powered teams, setting off a firestorm of controversy. He says his name became too involved in the breakup of Hydro-Prop, the sport's governing body.

Ed Cooper, Jr. will race again this year at Thunder on the Ohio in Evansville,
Cooper is in his Posey County shop where he is getting his boat ready.
Photo by Bob Gwaltney

In 2004, Thunder race chairman Tom Sawyer led a revolt. Evansville was the first site to race independently of Hydro-Prop, which disbanded after the season. The new American Boat Racing Association (ABRA) was formed in its wake.

Sawyer, who had several other issues with Hydro-Prop, did not want Cooper restricted to the point where he couldn't be competitive. Racing against generally faster boats, Cooper's boat had always been unrestricted. Once the ABRA was formed, turbine-powered boats continued to be restricted while Cooper's boat was not.

"There's no question that the changes have been for the better," Cooper said. "There are still growing pains, yeah. Race sites have equal partnership with the owners, there's no question that's a move for the better in my opinion. I think those things were in the works. My situation happened to be incidental. I don't know if I deserve the credit or the blame and I don't really care."

The world didn't change for Cooper when he won his first race in '89.

"I guess it doesn't turn out to be that big of a (deal)," Cooper said. "It was the same kind of feeling at your college graduation. You walk out the door and you think the sun will be shining and the birds will be singing. You think it would be awesome, but it's just another day."

Asked why he continued to persevere through all those long, hard years of mediocrity, Cooper said there are only a few bona fide contenders at any motor sports venue, whether it's the Indy 500, NASCAR or hydroplane racing.

"Why do you suppose they play the (high school) basketball tournament every year in Indiana? The truth of the matter is, the majority of teams don't stand a chance," he said. "You go to a race in Evansville and among the nine or 10 boats there, we were never the least likely to win. If there were 10 boats there, we might be (among) the three least likely to win, but we never finished last. Last year, we finished fourth in the nation."

King, who drove Master Tire to a third-place finish last year at Thunder, also ended third in the national high points driver standings.

A native of Madison, Ind., Cooper settled in Posey County, teaching geography at North Posey Junior High for 30 years before retiring in 2005. He graduated from the University of Evansville with bachelor's and masters degrees in education/history/geography/social studies the same day in 1973.

As far as racing, Cooper doesn't prefer piston-powered boats because he's a historian. He races piston-powered boats because he doesn't have enough money to run a turbine team.

"This whole team I have has been built on hard work and determination," he said. "It sure as hell wasn't money. We do things differently. If we can't go buy things, we make them. The boat and the truck and the shop were all built by us."

He speculates most turbine teams run on a budget ranging from $600,000 to $800,000.

"We run our team at about 15 percent of that," said Cooper, 56. "The economics and pressure to survive, especially last year, has gotten worse and worse."

Miss Elam driver Dave Villwock said Cooper epitomizes the quote attributed to inventor Thomas Edison: "Genius is two percent inspiration and 98 percent perspiration."

"Truer words were never said," Villwock said. "(Cooper) overcame obstacles because he had good vision."

While Cooper is easy to work with, his temper erupts occasionally because he is a perfectionist.

"He's pretty intense and focused on what he's doing," Cooper crew member Rick Bowles said. "Not everybody has that focus."

Cooper may downplay his emotions, but no one can ever take away his feeling of satisfaction after winning Thunder in '03.

"Wherever teams are from, they tell you the hardest race to win is your hometown race," Cooper said. "More people there participated in helping get you to that particular point. They share the fruits of all labors. It's special to win at home, although every one is different."