Brent Hall’s Hydroplane Heroics

This episode is sponsored by Culligan Water

Welcome to Season 6 of The Adrenaline Zone, where hosts Sandra Magnus and Sandy Winnefeld sit down with Brent Hall, an ultra hydroplane racer and cancer survivor poised to make history as the first African American in the H1 Unlimited ranks. Brent shares his journey, from his early fascination with hydroplanes to navigating high-speed hazards on the water. Together, he and our hosts explore the intricate mechanics of hydroplane boats, discuss advancements in racing safety, and delve into the strategic teamwork required to compete at speeds exceeding 200 mph.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Brent was immersed in the world of hydroplane racing, a significant event in the region, and each summer, he eagerly anticipated Seafair, the biggest festival of the season. Collecting magazines and memorizing stats of his favorite drivers, he dreamt of one day driving a hydroplane. Beginning in the 5-liter class at age 36, he quickly rose through the ranks, eventually reaching the prestigious H1 Unlimited level.

Brent explains that hydroplane racers progress through various categories before reaching the Unlimited ranks. Emphasizing the importance of mentorship from Jerry Hopp, his "Mr. Miyagi," our guest notes that he taught him the art of mastering corners and navigating walls of water. Brent also gained invaluable experience in the Grand Prix circuit before finally joining H1 Unlimited, where he's now working on perfecting his craft.

As you will hear, hydroplane racing demands technical precision. The boats are powered by T55 turbine engines, typically generating up to 3,000 horsepower. Brent discusses the critical role of propellers, gear ratios, and telemetry in achieving peak performance. Safety advancements like enclosed capsules, neck restraints, and air masks are crucial for navigating speeds over 200 mph, ensuring drivers stay protected in this intense sport.

Training for hydroplane racing involves both real-world practice and simulation. Brent uses HydroSim, a realistic simulator replicating different courses, to refine his racing strategy. On the water, pre-race checklists ensure every mechanical detail is perfect, while a radio crew provides strategic guidance throughout the race.

Brent describes racing as an intense experience where every second counts. Racers must time their start to the millisecond and strategically jockey for position. When in "the zone," everything aligns perfectly, creating an unparalleled sensation akin to a perfect golf swing or hitting a baseball squarely. However, rough waters and competitor strategies can quickly disrupt this flow.

A cancer survivor, Brent shares his battle with stage IV kidney cancer, which required surgery and two and a half years of immunotherapy. Despite these challenges, he returned to racing just three months after surgery. As the soon to be first African American in the H1 Unlimited ranks, Brent recognizes his role as a trailblazer and strives to inspire the next generation of racers, including his son.

With the upcoming season approaching, Brent and his team continue to work on ensuring he has the equipment that will allow him to compete at his best, and he remains grateful for the support from all of his sponsors which helps fuel his racing dreams. Outside the boat, Brent excels at engaging fans, inspiring kids to pursue racing, and sharing his story to uplift others. Follow his journey on brenthallracing.com, and stay tuned for his incredible journey this season!

If you enjoyed this episode of The Adrenaline Zone, hit the subscribe button so you never miss another thrilling conversation, and be sure to leave a review to help get the word out to fellow adrenaline junkies.

Transcript

Brent Hall: I was coming into a corner hot and I had to crank tight. Didn't make it in the end. Swapped around and barrel rolled, but it landed right side up. I went down the back stretch and I noticed the boat was kind of squirrely. Then I went into the corner and I saw a deck peel off. I looked down, the whole left side of the boat was gone.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Have you ever considered traveling at 200 mph inches off the surface of the water?

Sandy Winnefeld: Well, today's guest, Brent Hall, does that aboard an unlimited hydroplane racer with Bucket List Racing. And he does it within feet of other boats and their massive rooster tails.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Brent is not only going to be the first African American to break into the h one hydroplane racing ranks, he is also a cancer survivor, having beaten kidney cancer just a few years ago.

Sandy Winnefeld: So many thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Culligan.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: With Culligan's drinking water systems, you can get the ultra filtered water you need to fuel your high performance lifestyle right on tap. Learn more at culligan.com.

Sandy Winnefeld: Welcome to Season 6 and we're really looking forward to this one.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: So Brent, welcome to The Adrenaline Zone. I am really looking forward to this conversation to talk about some of the similarities with hydroplane racing and flying in space and from Sandy's viewpoint, flying jet aircraft. And this is going to be a lot of fun. So thank you.

Brent Hall: Oh, excited, excited. And I was saying, welcome to my COVID castle. We built this when COVID happened, so I had a place to work and I've got my workout equipment. So yeah, we're ready to go. Let's do it.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Nice, nice.

Sandy Winnefeld: But we really are excited to have you, Brent. We've wanted to interview a hydroplane racer for a long time now, and we're delighted to have you on the show, but we always start by asking sort of where did you grow up? What were you like as a kid? How on earth did you get interested in, of all things, hydroplane racing?

Brent Hall: Sure. Yeah. So I definitely have grown up in the Pacific Northwest, and many who are listening to this podcast or viewing it know a lot that hydroplane racing is a big thing here. And so growing up as a kid, every summer I would look forward to the Seafair. And that's the biggest festival of the summer. Happens every august. It's usually the first weekend in August. And that's when I really knew that the exciting time of the year was here for me and definitely was a kid who geeked out on hydroplane. So I would collect all the little magazines and find my favorite drivers and read all about them, read all the stats. But, boy, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would get a chance to touch one, let alone drive one. So that's been an absolute honor and something I don't take lightly, but excited for the opportunity.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: So how did that happen? Is there training? Like a normal progression for a driver? You started in some kind of beginners league, and then there's a medium league, and then you get to the highest league. And how does that work?

Brent Hall: So many of the drivers, the top echelon, which is H1 Unlimited, and that's the governing body that I'm a part of. And I was a rookie last year, so that's kind of the highest level. And then there are definitely other levels, too. Like my son, he races outboards, and you can start as early as nine years old. And that's the Seattle Outboard association. This past weekend, we had our award ceremony, so really excited for just young kids, and we've got some older kids too, myself included, who race those outboard boats. So that's one level, but then there's varying levels of performance and outboard.

And then you also have what's called the inboard category, which is what the H1 Unlimited boats are the top category of. So unlimited can start with anything from one liter, that's a class that has a jet ski engine. They're usually about 14 ft to 16 ft long, go over 110, 115 miles an hour, maybe some even faster than that. Then there's two and a half stock. There's several classes that you can build up to, and those are all part of the American Powerboat Association. And so you kind of work through the ranks. And when I started, I started in 2007, at least a five liter, and that's got a small block V8 engine in it. And the boat that I went in was probably going about 100, 105. It wasn't the fastest boat, but it was a really safe boat. And it gave me a chance to see, like, “Hey, can I get it around the course?” And once I did that, I was like, “Yeah. I kind of like this.” And it really started even before that with radio control. So as a young kid and as a younger adult, I started playing with radio controlled hydroplanes, and we used to race those in the club. So those are some of the ways that you can get started.

Sandy Winnefeld: So these are small, like electric boats or gasoline power boats, little models.

Brent Hall: Yeah.

Sandy Winnefeld: Cool.

Brent Hall: So it didn't do as well with the gas. I struggled with that a bit, but the electric was perfect for me because it was plug and play. You just had to be careful. You could burn some stuff up, too. But those are 1/10th of the size of a real boat.

Sandy Winnefeld: But you were a little older than the average bear when you got the highest level of this sport, right? So what was that like? Were you accepted or it's like, “Who's this new old rookie guy?”

Brent Hall: Yeah. And I'll even say that I was the oldest rookie in the smaller classes, too. So I was a rookie at 36, and that's in the smaller classes. So I started with that 5 liter, then bought my own 2 1/2 stock and raised that per year. And I knew that boat wasn't super competitive. So, yeah, I think at that time, everyone's really welcoming and want to see you grow in the sport. So that's one of the things that I really love, and that my son loves, too, is the friendships we've built. We really have built some strong friendships, and we hang out together. We geek out, we work on stuff, and then may have a child or an adult beverage after that. So those are some of the things that we do. But I think that when it comes to coming in, I don't think there was any concern about me coming in and people wanting to share. But as you start moving up the different ladders there's really 9 or 10 unlimited boat opportunities in the world. To earn that, you have to kind of pay your dues.

And I would say I've had lots of experience in lots of different classes, but there are some who've had a lot more experience dominating a class. And so I think that's the piece that I'm working on my craft, making sure that I know how to handle a race boat of that power. But I did just before unlimited, raced with what's called Grand Prix. I did that for about six years. Jerry Hop was the owner of the boat. He really became my Mr. Miyagi. We joke a lot about that, but he taught me just how do you come into a corner and how do you stay in between two walls of water that can be several tons in weight, and if you go one side or the other side, you can tip the boat on. So you're definitely always your head on the swivel, really trying to find your lane. There's a lot to it that people don't necessarily understand. And I always love trying to explain that to people just so people love this for you even more.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: So let's talk about that for a minute, because what is the training like? Because it has to be sort of difficult to get water time. That has to be really precious. You have to be really prepared for it. We talked a little bit earlier before we started recording about simulations and using simulators. So what does the training program look like?

Brent Hall: For a lot of it is just get out and race. And so get your own boat, get out and race. And then we, obviously, it's a sanctioned event. We have referees that tell you how you're doing. There's court judges that tell you if you're you and friends on another boat and enforce the rules. But typically, it's seat time in the boat. That's really how you learn. We still do have a simulator. It's called hydro sim, and it's built on a game platform that's called rFactor, that a lot of auto simulation games are built on. But it's exactly like the unlimited boats. And you can see a version of the boat that I drove and several of the boats that have been in for the last couple of years and even some of the vintage boats. But it gives you the opportunity to feel what a different course is like and amazing that they even have all the exact buoys that are in the Seattle course versus Gunnersville, Alabama course. So you feel like you're there. I remember after going to Gunnersville and then I jumped on the simulator. I was like, “Wow, they did a really good job. This is very realistic, even the speeds as well.”

Dr. Sandra Magnus: If I may follow up on that, we had simulators as well. We also had motion based simulators that added that extra dimension. So I imagine there's a big difference between a static virtual reality kind of simulator and being on the water with the dynamics that you're living through. How do you adjust to that?

Brent Hall: Yeah, I wish I was with you. And the motion sounds a lot better because that gives you a lot more of the true sensation. You talk to a great driver and they'll tell you, you should feel everything. Like you're strapped in the boat and you should be uncomfortable, but you're strapped in, so you're one with the boat. You should feel every bump as you're going through. You're just kind of feeling everything out. You become one with the boat, and some say you feel it in your butt, because it's true. But that's how you sense, how's the boat flying? Is it flying enough? And obviously being in space, it's this feeling of floating. Well, if you're driving the boat, the boat should be floating on top of the water, pushing by a pack in the air. And if the boat's bouncing back and forth like this, every time it bounces, you're scrubbing off speed. And I don't think people know that. If it's up out of the water and floating, that's when there's the least resistance. But that's also the time where just a gust of wind or anything that you aren't aware of, or waves, that's what can tip you over. So you're always kind of looking for okay, is that wind gust going across the water? You have a radio person in your ear telling you, “Hey, watch the wind on the front stretch. It's pretty windy.” And, “I saw you get light the last time,” or, “You got three boats on your left. Stay tight.” A lot of instructions are happening while we're out there.

Sandy Winnefeld: Okay, I was going to ask about that. So I know that I know what my favorite parts of being a fighter pilot were, and I know Sandra probably has her favorite parts of being an astronaut. But out on the water, what is the best thing about racing for you? What's your favorite aspect of the sport?

Brent Hall: There's quite a few. And there's inside the boat and outside the boat, inside the boat, just that feeling of it's go time. Like, “Hey, we're ready to go. I've got my air mask on,” so very similar to probably what you wear. I'm strapped in, we're waiting for the count, and then just kind of finding that moment of calm before we really get after it. And then after that, you don't remember a lot. Your head's on a swivel. You're really thinking about all of your next moves. And one of the interesting things about when we prepare for a race that a lot of people don't know as much about either is there was a race before the race. So really, once you get out in the boat, there's a five second clock, and you need to jockey for position and get yourself at the start line at zero at full speed. And also, it would be most advantageous to be in the inside lane because that's the shortest way around the course.

So there's a lot of strategy. A lot of posturing or trying to get someone to go faster than they need to, so then they're over their clock, and if they're over when they start creeping up to the start line, they have to stay above 80. And if they've gotten too far too fast, then they can't really step on the gas and hit the line at zero. And if you hit the line at zero at 100, 160, 170, 180 miles an hour, that's when you really nail.

Sandy Winnefeld: I know from racing sailboats that when you get to a perfect start– Because you work your tail off to do that, it's not magically you're there. It feels really, really good when you get there, except we're going a heck of a lot slower than you are at the start.

Brent Hall: Well, I think it's all relative. Even people have asked me, like, “What's it like?” And I'm like, “Well, it's all relative.” Because we're strapped in, we have an air mask on. We have a full, enclosed capsule, 60 miles an hour in a pleasure boat is still fast. I mean, you got tears coming out of your eyes and the winds in your face, but it's just a different experience.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: So I'm curious about the H1 boats themselves. I'd love to hear all about how they're powered, how they combine the hydrodynamics and the aerodynamics and what kind of controls do you have?

Brent Hall: Yeah, let's see. So, let me make sure I get all those. So, number one, the boat itself, it's called an unlimited hydroplane, and it's propeller driven. So a lot of people see the turbine engine and the jet out the back and think, “Oh, is it jet powered?” So, there's a T55 turbine, that is the model number, and it comes out of a helicopter, and that is set in the boat, usually in the middle, a little bit to the back. But there's a gearbox that it points to, and there's a shaft to the gearbox and the output shaft from the gearbox to the propeller. And so there's a lot of mechanics and working parts there. And that was one of the challenges that I had this past season, was the gearbox let go. And so the boat that I'm in, we're pushing it faster than it was ever intended to be run. It was actually one class lower than unlimited. But we decided Kelly Stockland and Bucket List Racing did an amazing job of putting this boat together and getting it to go faster than it's ever gone before. And the gearbox is friendly sometimes, and sometimes it's not. So we called her Medusa, and because she has all these ports, and either loves you or hates you.

This year, she just wasn't happy. So what would happen is the temperatures would go up, and so I could see that in my gauges, and I'd start smelling smoke in the cockpit, and then look back, shut it down, and the gearbox would let go. And that's hard. Hard in a number of ways, because Kelly and the team worked so hard every time to rebuild that gearbox. I think in 2023, it was rebuilt three times. And that's all custom machining and putting it all together. And, man, just hats off to Kelly and the team for continuing to try. And then this year, we're really looking for a more competitive hall. And so we're in offseason talks to get that all together. And we're getting close, but there's a lot that goes into it.

But, Sandra, back to your question about the boat itself. So they're usually between 28 ft and 30 ft long. So that gives you an idea of the size. The motor I had was a little bit lower horsepower, but typically a T55 turbine, usually anywhere from 2700 hp to 3000 hp. So it's quite a bit of horsepower, but it's a different type. I mean, it really spools up. And then I'd say, the first time I was in an Unlimited, I just realized it's different than a Grand Prix or different than a 2 NaF stock. You really step on those and they get going. You'd hear people say this, “It’s like a school bus.” But some people would say it's like a school bus because it takes a while for it to spool up. But then you look over to your left and all of a sudden you see movies, “Okay, I'm going fast. And then when you hit the corner, you really know, because it's about 3 to 3 ½ Gs in the corner sometimes.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Oh, really?

Brent Hall: Oh, yeah. No, you have a headrest to keep your head off the windshield because of the G forces.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Wow, that's cool.

Sandy Winnefeld: The control’s in the cockpit.

Brent Hall: Yeah, controls in the cockpit.

Sandy Winnefeld: For real? What have you got? Steering wheel–

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Throttle?

Sandy Winnefeld: Pedals. How do you control the–

Brent Hall: Yeah, he's right. You're right. So, steering wheels, just like in a car, but definitely no power steering. So when you hit every bump, you're feeling it, and you're muscling it through the corner and muscling it back. So that's a steering wheel. And then we have two pedals, three pedals. Some boats have two. The H1 Unlimited boats have three, just for the sheer power of the wing movement. But my very far right pedal is my accelerator. So just like in a car, I'll hit that. And then there's two pedals right next to that. And you'd think there's a clutch and brake, but no brakes in the hydroplane. But it's to control the front wing. So the second pedal brings the wing up, and so that gives up force in the corners. And what you'll see on an Unlimited is as you hit the corner and you've got that big Wallace skid fin, water coming off, you start scrubbing off speed. So if you can force more air into the boat, it helps you come through the corner faster and cleaner. And then as you start coming out of the corner and then start straightening out, then you start seeing, “Okay, so now I'm starting to move, and I'm going straight ahead.” Well, the other far left pedal, that pedal controls the front wing and brings it down or puts down force on the boat. So if the boat starts getting out of shape, it reduces the airflow under the boat and brings the front end of the–

Dr. Sandra Magnus: So that’s stability.

Brent Hall: Stability. Yeah.

Sandy Winnefeld: So you're manipulating that.

Brent Hall: You bet.

Sandy Winnefeld: How has the– I mean, hydroplane boats have been around for a long time. I remember as a little kid watching them, I think, on San Diego Bay. Mission Bay.

Brent Hall: Sure. Mission Bay. Beautiful.

Sandy Winnefeld: How has the technology and design actually evolved over the course? Maybe even before your career? How are they different?

Brent Hall: Well, so the boats that we probably grew up on are the piston powered. So you would notice that a lot more sound and B12, loud steel, amazing horsepower, but a lot heavier, too. One of the things I remember about those engines is that was kind of the differentiators. If you could keep it running, sometimes some of the top boats might break them or throw a rod or something would happen, and that boat was out, and then the Atlas Van Lines would go in or the Budweiser would win. But there was a lot to the mechanics of those boats, and definitely a lot heavier. The other big advancement is the cockpit and the safety. So we lost some great drivers. Definitely, there were several in the ‘60s, but then when we lost Bill Muncey, and then we lost Dean Chenoweth right after that. There was this real need for, “Hey, how do we protect our drivers?”

And back then, the thought was, “Hey, if you get thrown from the boat, you get thrown clear, and then you might be hurt a little bit or banged up, but you'll be okay.” But that didn't always prove to be lucky. Depending on how the boat turned over, the driver may not have gotten a chance to get out. But Chip Hanauer and John Walters, people like that have survived it. They were thrown from the boat and, yes, broken bones or major injuries, but were able to survive. And now with the implementation of the capsule, obviously strapped in, so air masks. So if we were upside down for even upwards of an hour, we would be able to breathe underwater. Those are some of the advancements. And then definitely the boats themselves have changed aerodynamically over the years. The rear wing used to be a rear cockpit boat where the driver sat behind the engine, and we kind of feel all the smoke and the fumes and all that. Some drivers are like, “Aahh.” But that's how it is.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: That sounds horrible.

Brent Hall: Yeah, it might, but. But some would swear that, “Hey. I don't want to be in front of the engine because I can't see everything that's going on.” But now we're just so used to that. I couldn't imagine being in the back. You're flying the boat. The engine needs to do what it's doing. And I'm paying attention to mirrors and things like that that you didn't have to have when you got an enclosed capsule.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: So, before a race, before shuttle launch, for example, there's a lot of checklists and preparation that goes into getting the vehicle ready. So, I imagine you have a similar process for both prepping for the race and then understanding what kind of maintenance you need to do whenever. Can you walk us a little bit through how that works?

Brent Hall: Yeah, I took in. Boy, there's lots of checklists. You nailed it. I think about the crew with Bucket List Racing and all the other crews that I've been a part of, the team has to get the boat prepared, and that's everything from making sure the propeller’s on, the short shaft is in, everything coupled up. Typically, you'll hear us in the pits. We'll do a test fire of the engine, just making sure oil pressure is good, everything's the way it should be. And then we'll shut it down, let it cool off, make any adjustments that we need to make, and then bolt it up, put the cowling on, and get ready to go. But there's a lot more to that than what meets the eye is. Everything from little adjustments, like I was telling you about the skid fin. And that's really what turns the boat. On the left side of the boat, you'll see a big piece of metal that sticks in the water. Sometimes the angle that it's at can help the boat steer better, sometimes even just in and out. Like, is it straight or not? We measure that with lasers. So there's definitely a lot.

Even the propellers. So propellers are extremely important. That can be the differentiator of a couple miles per hour for sure. Do you have the right propeller on? Do you have the right gear ratio? And that propeller, we have a propeller person who will go into a dark room and check it with fluorescent light to see if there's any cracks, because if one of those, let's go– And number one, they're worth about $15,000, $20,000 each, depending on where you buy it from. But if one of those lets go, you can tear up the whole back end of the boat. The shaft can come undone. You can blow it over. I mean, as soon as the back of the boat drops, then you're lifting the front, and you're in a real dangerous spot. So there's just a lot of things that you have to double check and triple check just to make sure that nothing happens. And so that's very loosely some of the things that we do on the boat.

And then as a driver, one of the things that my mentor, Harold Mills, used to always say is just make sure your office is ready. And so the capsule for the driver is my office. So I usually loosen my belt, check to make sure that the air bottle is on. That's critical. You want to make sure that's done. Sometimes there's just like are the windows clean? Are your mirrors adjusted right? And we work with the crew on adjusting which way the mirror needs to be, but we work through all that to make sure that we're ready for that first run. And then we may do a test run and then pull it back in and then make some adjustments and then go back out again. So a lot of checklists, a lot of adjustments.

Sandy Winnefeld: So we were fortunate enough to interview Josef Newgarden, IndyCar driver. And those IndyCars are so tightly controlled, standardized rules. I mean, you can get thrown out of a race or penalized for the smallest little infraction. How standardized are your boats? How much control does the league or what have it have on that, or are you just free to do whatever you want to do? And how much of it's proprietary?

Brent Hall: Yeah, none of it's proprietary. And as a matter of fact, I'm proud of H1 Unlimited. They post their rulebook out. So if you're curious about it, you want to know, go take a look at the rulebook. But, no, there definitely are guidelines to make sure that the boats are evenly matched. But it isn't quite like a NASCAR Indy, where every boat or car is exactly the same. So we have different hall designs, and some have different motors. So most are running that T55 turbine that I mentioned, but there is one with an Allison piston powered boat, and the fans love that. And then last year, I had the T53 turbine. So there's a little bit more forgiveness on the boat makeup, shape, but there definitely are some rules as far as, like–

Sandy Winnefeld: Like, you couldn't strap a sidewinder rocket motor.

Brent Hall: No. No sidewinder rocket motors. No. No shuttle, no shuttle parts.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: That's a good rule. That's a good rule.

Brent Hall: Okay. No, none of that. But definitely, fuel flow is one. I think it's 4.1 gallons per minute. And if you go over that in each of the boats, there's a little red light that goes off, and I believe it's if you stay on that for more than 5 seconds, then you get a penalty. So, again, we're trying to make sure that we keep things as even as possible, and that was in the ‘90s. One of the ways to get to go faster is if you had more fuel flow, then guess what? You get to go faster.

Sandy Winnefeld: Sandra can tell you how many gallons per second.

Brent Hall: Oh, yeah, talk about that. I'm sure you burned some–

Dr. Sandra Magnus: 26 Olympic swimming pools in eight and a half minutes. That's the fuel for the shuttle. So, yeah.

So we're, of course, talking to launch control and mission control, and we take off. And you mentioned you have a voice in your ear when you're on the course. Is that your pick crew? Is there a special person who's sort of your course master voice, or how does that work?

Brent Hall: We have a radio person that's up in the corral, and sometimes those go up in, like, a scissor lift, so they're up high over the course, but then they can just give you guidance, and you actually have the person that's in the scissor list, which is helpful. But then you also have someone who's guiding you off the dock and out to the course and then also as you're coming back in. As you can imagine, there's a lot going on and a lot of adrenaline happening, and you want to make sure, “Hey, did you turn your igniters off? You don't want to burn those up. Are you getting full oil pressure?” So there's someone kind of in your ear reminding you to look at gauges. “Hey, what's the temperature like?”

Sandy Winnefeld: So you're not instrumented at all? I mean.

Brent Hall: No, we are.

Sandy Winnefeld: Okay, so can they read for you what some of your gauge readings are?

Brent Hall: They kind of go through a checklist for us to read.

Sandy Winnefeld: Can they see it themselves real time?

Brent Hall: No, not in this particular case. But what we do after is we have something in the boat that's called a race pack, which records it. Yep. Telemetry. So we take a look at fuel flows and have the throttle, all those things, and just check to see, like, “Hey, how are things operating?” And you can even get as strategic as, like, “Hey, Brent. When were you starting to put the front wing in the boat?” If you're putting it in too early, you're scrubbing off speed, and if you put it in too late, then you're getting out of shape. So I think there's a lot of strategy, and I think that's the one thing that, for me, might be a little bit of a differentiator. And just a way to learn is everyone has the same data.

So if you dig into the data center, just like you with flying, it's just knowing your data and knowing what those things mean and how your body helps create and reenact something that went well or stopped doing something that didn't, those are the things that you need. And having a team around you is so important. And having that person on the radio, you can have someone who's very quiet and maybe doesn't say much unless there's an issue. But being newer, I don't mind someone kind of rattling off, lots of reminders. And, “Hey, you're in lane 3. You've got boats in 4 and 5. Just stay tight.” Anything to kind of keep everybody safe and just to know where things are at. Your heart's beating so fast, and those races don't last very long, so any tip or advantage that you can get in communicating with your team is critical.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: It seems like that position. So we have Capcom and mission control talk to the crew, because they speak the crew’s language. So it seems like whoever's on the radio with you, you guys have to have a really good rapport and really understand each other's communication needs and or style. So do you practice that at all?

Brent Hall: Yeah. Well, it's interesting. So I'm talking with a good friend of mine. His name's Mitch Dillard. We used to race radio control boats together, but he is the most amazing boat setup of anyone that I've ever seen when it comes to radio control. And what I've realized is myself, another gentleman on our crew, Nelson Holmberg, we all came from RC and we've learned a lot about big boats through the little boats, and I think that's really going to transfer well. Mitch is an extremely calm person. Played football for Washington State in college and just nothing ruffles him. So that's the kind of person you need in your area. You don't want someone. “Oh, my God!” He was like, “No, do not do that.” And Mitch is definitely not that guy. Hey, could you imagine if you own that boat and you see someone doing something wrong, your pressure's going to go, “Oh!” But as a radio person, you have to watch.

Sandy Winnefeld: The real time instrumentation is going to be coming soon, I predict. Who knows?

Brent Hall: For them? Yeah.

Sandy Winnefeld: You are sitting in a gym right now and you told us a little bit about having headrests where they bang your head against. So tell us about the physical demands of racing these boats. Obviously, you got to be in some kind of physical condition because you're wrestling that steering wheel. But tell us a little bit about the physical side of this thing.

Brent Hall: Yeah, so definitely very physical. I mean, after a day's worth of racing and even just because you're so amped up, ready to go, rarely eat, you're just like, “I don't want to eat a whole bunch on a race day.” It can be taxing and you'll feel it the next day. Again, your neck bouncing around. And we actually do have a neck restraint that attaches to our helmet in case of impact. It keeps you from going too far, but there's muscles that you probably never thought you knew you had that start popping up. It's like, “Okay, I felt that.” But definitely arm strength is important. So I work on weights and then want to keep cardio up and make sure that I can endure those high pressure times in the heat. And then there is a lot of hurry up and wait, too. So I think there's even that mental just being calm. So, yeah, absolutely. Physically, you need to be ready. I will say I feel like my reflexes from racing boats over the years have just become super fast.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Oh, yeah.

Sandy Winnefeld: So I want to ask you about this. I've mentioned to a couple of our guests that when you're landing an airplane on an aircraft carrier, it is a very much a right brain experience. You have to process in parallel, you can't process in series and it's all spatial and seat of the pants and all that. Do you ever find yourself when you're feeling really good in a race that you're just sort of in a different zone?

Brent Hall: Yeah, you find the zone and then there's also times where, “Wow, where did the zone go?” There’ll be times where you're out there and you're just like, this isn't how I had this plan and a lot of this because there's so many factors. The other drivers don't want to make it easy for you. So definitely their teams and their radio person has a strategy for them. And if you get in rough water as a hydroplane racer, that's not where you want to be. And you can scrub off 2 to 5 mph. But, boy, when you have grabbed lane one and you're kind of in that smooth water and just sail, it's just cruising. Man, that's a beautiful place. Probably a lot like a golf swing. You may not be there that often, especially me being newer. But once you're there, man, it feels good.

Sandy Winnefeld: I've compared it to hitting a baseball, actually.

Brent Hall: Okay.

Sandy Winnefeld: Baseball players have told me that when you're not there, you're not there, just like you said. And when you're in the zone, it's a very special feeling.

Brent Hall: That's right.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: So you've alluded to this several times, but let's just talk about hazards directly. I mean, I would imagine finding yourself upside down in a hydroplane could be a bit of a scary experience. Even though you know you have oxygen and you're okay. I mean, getting turned over in a boat, first of all, has that ever happened to you?

Brent Hall: Yeah, I haven't been upside down, but I have done a barrel roll, so, yeah, one time–

Dr. Sandra Magnus: In a boat.

Brent Hall: In a boat, yeah. You're like that.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Do boats do that?

Brent Hall: Yeah, they're not supposed to. So definitely I was coming into a corner hot and I was trying to overtake first place. And the person that I was up against, he did everything. He was supposed to do, which was hold me tight, and I had to crank tight to get between him and the buoy. And I just didn't make it in the end, swapped around and barrel rolled, but it landed right side out. Now, we did have some damage on the boat, but it's one of those things in racing.

And then probably the most unique incident that I had was I was driving a boat for someone else, and he was on the radio talking to me, and I went down the back stretch, and I noticed the boat was kind of squirrely. That's weird. Then I went into the corner and I set the boat, and I saw a deck peel off and I was like, “That's not right.” And so I started going to the corner. It wasn't going as sharp in the corner as it used to. And I looked down, the whole left side of the boat was gone. So I was like, “Wow.” And that's at about 100 miles an hour when that happened. And so I kept kind of limping it around, and he's like, “Hey, looking good. Come on in.” And I was like, “You have no idea. You're going to kill me when I get in here. The boat is broken.”

Dr. Sandra Magnus: You can't see the other side of the boat.

Sandy Winnefeld: Yeah, part of it's still out there.

Brent Hall: It is.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: So is that the craziest situation you've been in or you have an–

Brent Hall: It is, because– Yeah, I actually finished the heat, which was weird. I came around that corner and it came straight, and the rescue crew was already following behind me. And then as soon as I dropped it off playing, it started wanting to sink. And a friend of mine, Kit Brownie, gets out. He's like, “Dude, that's not even right. You didn't even get wet. That's not right.” Yeah, those are some of the crazy situations. But I've had some close calls, too. And definitely the gearbox letting go is not ever easy. But one thing that I've always tried to do is not drive over my head. And so I know the amount of experience I have, and I still have to grow and creep up on that. You don't just go out and say, I'm going to go win a boat race. Now, matter of fact if you think that way, you're kind of disrespecting how much time it takes to get to that kind of success. And so again, I'll creep up on it. I have a great team around me to coach and train me up, but it's going to take some time and I know that.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: From a hazard viewpoint, what about the other drivers? Are they hazards, and how do you manage that? Because that's completely not in your, under your control at all.

Brent Hall: Yeah, that's kind of what we were talking about earlier, is just when you're a driver, you want to make sure someone, the person next to you going 180 miles an hour has good control of their boat. And that's why, “Hey, does he have the experience to do this? And I appreciate people asking those questions, but at the same time, that's my job, to make sure that I'm keeping myself straight, keeping them safe, and really knowing my craft. So, yes, a driver can be a hazard, too. Like I said, I spun out, if someone was behind me, they could have run right into me.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: That'd be bad.

Brent Hall: Well, yeah. And that's happened before in our sport. You really have to have the driver thinking about, “Okay. Yes, we are going 180 miles an hour, but where's my out if something happens?” Or, “If my lane goes away, what am I going to do?” Because that happens, too. If you're not up there, then you're not there. And so it's really easy for lanes to go away, and then all of a sudden, all you see is white water and you're open. You come out of it, but that's part of the risk.

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Sandy Winnefeld: So, Brent, you've got a couple of really interesting and compelling personal stories. Sandra and I love interviewing guests that have different types of risk that they face. And obviously, you face a really fun risk in the sport, but earlier in your life, you had to face a very difficult risk, and that was a battle with cancer. Tell our listeners about how you got through that.

Brent Hall: When I found out that I had cancer, that was numbing. Again, I had physicals every year for boat racing, and the only reason that I found it was I had an episode of blood in my urine. And I was like, “That's not right. And so I went to the doctor and they said, “Hey, you're pretty sick. Now, I know you've got a business trip, so you can go ahead and go on that, but when you get back, we really need to figure out a plan for you.” And we had done all the scans and found out that I had stage IV kidney cancer.

Sandy Winnefeld: Oh, my goodness.

Brent Hall: Yeah. My kidney was about the size of a grapefruit and it needed to be removed. It's really fortunate I have family members that work in the medical field that are doctors. And they said, you got to get to Fred Hutch. And I was like, “Okay.” But at the time, I was really numb. I just didn't know what to think or say. And I went to Fred Hutch, obviously, some of the most amazing cancer doctors in the world. And I got onto a clinical trial that had just been blessed as official, and it was immunotherapy. Did that for about two and a half years after the surgery. Actually after the surgery, I was walking that night and they were like, “Well, who are you?” And then that morning, they said, “Hey, I think you're okay to go. I can tell you're going to fight through this.” And that's just how I approach things. I'm sure. Were there times of fear just like getting the boat, yes, but I'm going to get up and get after it. And so that's what I did. And three months later, I was in a boat in Madison, Indiana. That's my t-shirt that I bought there and that two years of immunotherapy right now, no sign of cancer present. So very grateful for my doctors, Dr. John Gore, Dr. Thompson, the folks at Fred Hutch.

And then wanted the opportunity to give back. So when I got in unlimited hydroplane, and a good friend of mine, Kelly Price, he said, “Hey, do you know anything about Obliteride? And I said, “No, I don't.” But when he said, Fred Hutch, that's the bike ride, walk run that they put on for cancer research. And they raised, I think it's over $6 million last year. And I was the keynote speaker there and had a chance to tell my story in front of their audience and get people pumped up about doing the ride. And so extremely honored for that.

But cancer hasn't left us. My brother has just been diagnosed with lymphoma, and that just happened a couple months ago. And not many people know that, but that was really a tough thing to hear, and I think it's harder for me because it's him, not me. It's easier when it's yourself because you can control it, but when it's the last living sibling or last living family member that I have on my side, that's hard. So, luckily, he lives five minutes away, and we talk every day. I told him I was joining the show and I was going to get to speak to an astronaut. He's like, “Cool, tell me about it.” So, yeah, we're just trying to keep his spirits up. He's going through chemo. His cancer is a little different and has lost a lot of weight, so that's hard to see. But, boy, his spirit and his positivity hasn't left, and I think we got that from our mom.

Sandy Winnefeld: You were probably an inspiration to him, too. I imagine. Good.

Brent Hall: Yeah, I hope so.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Speaking of inspiration, you're the first African American in the sport, so that definitely is role model territory for lots of young men and women who might be interested in following in your footsteps.

Brent Hall: Yeah. And I realize how important that is, and I also realized that there was someone who paved the path for me. And you heard me mention him earlier, Harold Mills. He was a national champion driver in the limited ranks, and then also was an unlimited light driver. Very successful there. He got laps in an unlimited, similar to what I had, but hadn't gotten fully qualified. So you've heard me say this in other interviews, but he took it 90% of the way. I'm going to take the extra 10, and we're going to celebrate it together. I think the world of him.

Sandy Winnefeld: Wow. And if I've got this right, racing runs in the family, right? You've got a son who's involved in junior hydroplane.

Brent Hall: Yeah, I do. And it's a fun story that he even got involved, because, truly, the first eight years of his life, “Hey, dad. That's your thing, not my thing.” I try. I mean, he had baby shirts that had hydroplanes on it.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: You were trying.

Brent Hall: I was trying

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Every way you could.

Brent Hall: Yeah. And there were family members that are soccer players. He's getting soccer balls. Like, I can't win. You're getting all these soccer balls. But COVID hit. And a friend told me, Dave Valancourt, he told me, he said, “You ought to just tell him, try it for a year and see what happens.” And so he was in Ethiopia at the time with his mom. She's from there, they were visiting her mom, and I called him, and I said, “Hey, Seafair’s canceled because of COVID but the little boats might be running. How about we buy a boat and we just try it?” And he said, “Ishi.” And I said, “What?” That's Amharic for yes. And I said, “What?” And he said, “Ishi.” And I said, “Oh, man, don't say that twice. I got on the phone, I got boats ordered, I got motors ordered. He came back to a full outfit. We're like, “All right. Jump in the pool. We got to get this going.” But I think what really hooked him was not dad, and dad shouldn't hook him. So let's be clear about that. I don't want to force him into anything, but it's the friendships he made.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Yeah. Well, community is important and big time. And I have to go back to my previous question. Are there any women H1 drivers?

Brent Hall: Yeah. And this happened early in the ‘80s. Brenda Jones, she drove the Miss KYYX and was the first unlimited hydroplane driver. And, yeah, I'm connected with her on Facebook. I don't know her really well, but, man, I'm just honored. I think that's the thing about Facebook. You can reach out to the folks that you looked up to, man. I had the Seafarers’ Magazine with her in it, and I would love to get her to sign it someday, but she's an inspiration. And then Kayleigh Perkins got laps in the unlimited, the Oberto Unlimited. That was probably 2010, 2011. But we still need a current one. So I appreciate that I'm getting the opportunity, and I've got one lap left. The news, the Seattle Times definitely steers the haze that one lap left and then four competition heats. But definitely hope to be the first, but definitely hope to not be the last. And I want to see just the sport grow and its diversity, for sure.

Sandy Winnefeld: So we're just about out of time, Brent. But as we sign off here, tell us what's coming next for you. You got an upcoming season. Are you going to have a new boat, better gearbox? Tell us what's next.

Brent Hall: Yeah. So, boy, right now, every weekend is about trying to figure out that very question. So, we know that the 440 is not going to be the boat this year. That's the one that I drove last year. The gearbox would just take some work that we're not sure will actually help it. So I think we're going to pause on that but we are looking at different holes and would love to stay with the same team in Bucket List Racing. But what's really nice, and I'm just so impressed with how many people in the sport are trying to help me, whether from different teams or from the governing body, that just appreciate the way that I've come at the sport. And yeah, I'm willing to learn, I'm willing to grow, not afraid to get my hands dirty. But yeah, I've got some work to do in the next, probably 30 to 60 days to really define what that boat's going to be, what team it's going to be with.

And then the big thing is just what sponsors are going to be involved. Yeah, I love the sponsorship side of things and I'll just kind of close with that as sponsors are fans. And so when you wear their colors or show their logos, there's a lot of pride in that. I've had lots of sponsors that have supported me along the way. Boitano Homes, Les Schwab, you name it. We've got a long list, Mind Seekers, Gutters By Keith, I could list the whole name and I'm sure I left someone off, but just to say that there's a lot of people that support me and are going after my dream, this is a very expensive sport and sponsors are extremely critical.

Sandy Winnefeld: Hey, you're in Seattle. What about Microsoft? Come on.

Brent Hall: Microsoft? Yeah, I'd love that. Hey, hey. Say it. Say it.

Sandy Winnefeld: Well, from your lips to God's ears, right?

Brent Hall: Yeah, but you speak it into existence. And one of the things that I like to do is speak in front of all employee meetings. So I just did one two weeks ago with Talking Rain and got a chance to speak to them during black history month, and I was honored. They shared my video and people were emotional and truly proud of what they had seen. And we got a chance to interact and engage and I love that part of the sport. So I was talking to you about what was inside the boat, but probably where I excel is outside the boat and really engaging fans one by one, putting kids in the boat and getting them excited about it. Because guess what? Someone did that for me. And anytime I can do that, job well done.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Awesome.

Sandy Winnefeld: Well, Brent, this has been everything we were hoping for and more. If our listeners want to follow you this season, it's brenthallracing.com.

Brent Hall: Yeah. Brenthallracing.com is the website. Brent Hall Racing on Facebook, Brent Hall Racing on Instagram, Twitter.

Sandy Winnefeld: Oh, I will be watching. We are a good luck charm, by the way. Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500 after we interviewed him.

Brent Hall: Okay. Bring it.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: It was all us.

Brent Hall: It was all you. Okay, I will take it.

Sandy Winnefeld: All right. Thank you so much.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Thank you. That was really wonderful.

Brent Hall: My pleasure. Thank you.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: That was Ultra Hydroplane Racer and cancer survivor Brent Hall. I'm Sandra Magnus.

Sandy Winnefeld: And I'm Sandy Winnefeld. Thanks again to Culligan for sponsoring this episode, Culligan, water you love.

Dr. Sandra Magnus: Please pass our podcast around to your friends, and we'll see you next week with another fun episode of The Adrenaline Zone.