Racing community emotional after drag boat pilot dies in LakeFest accident
Photo courtesy: Rick Bassanelli
By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula
The community of drag boat racers and fans showed their emotions Sunday, Aug. 9, during a tribute pass hours after Mike Fry, pilot of the Meanstreak II, a Top Alcohol Hydro (TAH) boat, died earlier that morning in an accident at LakeFest on Lake Marble Falls.
“When it came down to the Top Alcohol Hydro finals, instead of racing, the two men left their canopies open and idled down the strip,” said Captain Glenn Hanson of the Marble Falls Police Department, Aug. 10. “It was really emotional; a lot of people were crying.”
The two pilots, Rick Allen of Total Kaos and Steve Streeter of Untouchable, decided to take a tie in Fry’s honor.
Hanson said crew members and fans lined up at the edge of the lake after the announcement about Fry’s death. “There aren’t that many guys who do this,” Hanson said. “It’s a family because they travel from place to place every week. They lost a friend.”
For the full story, see the Highlander, Tuesday, Aug. 11.
