Tunnel boat racer won’t let disease slow him down at Seafair
Aug 1, 2012, 9:55 AM | Updated: 1:17 pm
Ruben Ascencio grew up near Detroit, Mich. falling in
love with the Gold Cup and hydroplane racing. He’s in
Seattle this weekend to show why he’s one of the top
drivers on the tunnel boat circuit and a man who won’t
allow a disease to diminish his dreams.
I’ve heard of unlimited hydroplanes and limited lights,
but tunnel boats are new to me and to Seafair.
“It’s an Indy car without wheels,” explained Ascencio. “On a straight-away you’re trimming the boat out and driving on a cushion of air. The difference is to turn these things, you drop the boat and get it all wet, grab a hand full of wheel, and the hooks come up from the other side.”
This year, Seattle’s Seafair decided to include tunnel
boats, the fastest and hardest turning race boat in the
world. The speed varies from 75 to 135 mph, depending on
the class and the boats can turn on a dime, pulling four
Gs in the corner.
“The sport is both fun and scary,” admits the Beaumont,
Texas husband and father of two children.
A greater scare came into Ruben’s life in 2004 when he was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis.
Symptoms included dizziness, numbness in his fingers and
fatigue. With the right medication, diet, and the power
of positive thinking, Ascencio has been able to continue
his boat-racing passion.
“About 40 percent of the people who have MS do nothing
about it. A big dose of dealing with the disease is
having the right attitude and not giving up. Through my
experience, too many people are throwing in the towel. Give it a battle and see how it turns out.”
Ascencio’s symptoms can sometimes be triggered by heat
sensitivity. That’s a huge problem when he’s wearing a
fire-retardant racing suit and confined in a tiny, enclosed cockpit.
“It gets pretty darn hot in there, so I will pay the
price,” Ascencio told me. “After a long, hot weekend, the
symptoms do sometimes flare up. During the race, the
adrenaline kicks in and I’ve been lucky enough not to have it (MS) put me on the beach.”
Ascencio will be racing Friday, Saturday and Sunday as he goes full throttle for the top prize in F1 Prop Tour Group on Lake Washington.
