When Sunday came around, Todd Anderson was already used to the swampy weather of Central Florida.
He had been there a week and a half, accompanied by his father, his two older brothers and some family friends from Texas.
Anderson and the gang went down early to test the waters in Lake Alfred and to work on the boat — to see which motor settings were most appropriate, how the water changed throughout the day, to prepare for the big day. That big day was Sunday, Oct. 19, the day of the 2014 World Hydroplane Championship.
“I had the opportunity to race at Worlds in Italy and Poland the past two years,” Anderson said. “And racing overseas is really exciting and is something I want to keep doing, but it felt good racing at home and having racers from Europe travel to compete here.”
Anderson, 22, a Northlake native and graduate of Illinois Wesleyan, has been racing powerboats since he was 12. His brother Jay got into it before him and their father Barry before them. For 55 years, Barry Anderson raced powerboats all over the country, and he is now the pit crew chief of his youngest son’s team. Other teams from overseas had crews of 30 or more, major sponsors and the most modern and aerodynamic boats that money could buy. Todd Anderson’s crew was modest in comparison.
In hydroplane racing, divisions are split up by boat motor size, which usually depends on how fast the racers ride. Todd Anderson has been racing at both the 125cc and 175cc classes for years now and has found success in both, 175cc being the most competitive. In the few years leading up to the World Championship in Florida, he has won two national championships, set course records across the country and in the 2014 campaign alone, he remained undefeated.
The German and Italian Federation teams have dominated the World Title in the 175cc class in recent years. In Florida, Todd Anderson would race to qualify at 125cc on Friday and Saturday and 175cc on Sunday.
“It was a good year,” Anderson said. “We raced well at the 125, achieved our goals, but the whole time I was looking forward to Sunday.”
Races consist of four heats, six laps per heat. A driver’s best three heats, determined by their finishing position, are scored and one is discounted to determine the final result.
On Sunday afternoon, Anderson and the other drivers met 30 minutes before the start of the race for the usual safety procedures and course guidelines. The grandstands began to fill, American flags waved and the water was calm. So was Anderson.
Minutes before the 1 p.m. start, he climbed into his 400-pound, 12-foot long boat, No. 11 painted on both sides. The fans in the stands stood on their feet anticipating the start. On the dock, Barry Anderson said a silent prayer.
When the first heat began, Anderson jumped out to an early lead and would never lose that position. He crossed the finish line three seconds in front of favorites Marcin Zielinski from Poland and Massimo Rossi from Italy.
“After that first heat, that’s when I started to believe I could really take the whole race,” Anderson said. “The boat drove so well.”
In the second heat, Anderson finished second. His boat felt heavier on the water and wasn’t able to catch up to Rossi, who finished first. After the second heat, the drivers took a lunch break.
“I never eat during races,” Anderson said. “When you’re bouncing around on the boat, I never want to risk an upset stomach.”
Instead, the team made tweaks to the engine. All weekend long, Anderson insisted they make adjustments so the boat would be faster but would put more wear and tear on the engine. They made small changes during the break, leveled off the engine’s temperature, tightened the nuts and bolts.
In the third heat, Anderson emerged out of turn one in first with Rossi in second. The two leaders crossed the one-mile oval unchanged for six laps. The young American now had two first-place finishes and one second place. The Italian had a third, a first and a second.
After lap one of heat four, Anderson had a comfortable lead on the inside, but what he saw making the turn devastated him.
“A boat had flipped over, and that’s when I noticed the red caution flag,” Anderson said. “I felt really good about that heat. It looked like I had the World Championship won and nothing to worry about, but we had to start again.”
Rossi won the fourth heat after they restarted, with Anderson second. The Italian team began celebrating, honoring the tradition of the World Championship by throwing the winning racer into the lake. Anderson and his crew looked on in confusion, waiting for the official tally. The points at the top were even, so the judges had to determine the lowest total time of each racer’s three best heats.
A few anxious minutes passed. The crowd sat restless as the officials scrambled to find a winner. As Rossi splashed around in a premature celebration, the microphone cackled to life and announced that Todd Anderson was the 2014 World Hydroplane, 175cc Class Champion.
“Beating the Europeans, having Rossi think he won and winning out the whole season felt awesome,” Anderson said. “It was a long and exhausting race, and having my family as my crew and them being there for me, I couldn’t have done it without my dad or my brother. It was a total team win.”
Anderson is already looking forward to Italy, where the championship is being held next year, but will certainly enjoy the year until then. The year he could call himself world champion.
