COEUR d'ALENE - No question about it, the drivers who will be zipping their hydroplanes across Lake Coeur d'Alene this weekend during the return of the races are the cream of the crop in the racing world.

They didn't get to the cockpit by accident - years of training will be behind each steering wheel when they hit the water beginning today.

But that doesn't mean the thrill of the race is reserved only for them.

Quite the opposite.

It's for anyone, and practice isn't required.

"It's very realistic," said Bob Wright, about the hydro simulator that's in town this weekend as part of the Diamond Cup Regatta. "It gets your blood going, it really does."

As the name suggests, the hydro simulates the feeling of sitting behind the wheel during a race.

Make no mistake, it's a real hydroplane, a 1973 model and former national champion. But a $10,000 remodel job changed its windshield into a video screen so images of real races flash across the driver's view. Resistance pushes through the steering wheel, so turning hairpin corners is exactly as difficult as it is in real life. That's the kicker. The boat never leaves dry land, but once a driver climbs into the cockpit and the roof closes, he or she would never know.

"It doesn't matter how old you are," said Wright, Hopp Racing Team spokesperson, about the ride, which can feature "crashes, flips, missed buoys and hit bridges."

"It's a scream," he said.

It's the creation of real hydroplane racers Greg and Jerry Hopp, who will be in town racing on the actual water besides lending out their toy ride. A first of its kind and sponsored by American On Site Services, the simulator made its debut at the Tri-Cities races last month. Here, it will be stationed on East Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive near Silver Beach where the real race course is set up so thrill seekers can climb into the seat.

Even if you crash, you'll walk away in one piece.

Rides will be $3 for kids and $5 for adults.

Wi-Fi buy to help operate hydro boats

The races must go on.

Thanks to a last minute technological donation, that will be the case.

Bumps in the road are par for the course in pulling off the return of the hydroplane races on Lake Coeur d'Alene after a 45-year absence, but organizers hit a major one this week when they realized they didn't have the infrastructure for Wi-Fi connections along the course.

Without the technological footprint in place, racers and their pits wouldn't have been able to communicate - which is to say, the races wouldn't have been allowed to continue.

But thanks to a last minute donation by Hagadone Corp., $15,000 of infrastructure was purchased and the Wi-Fi connection completed, said Judd Jones, director of technology for Hagadone Corp.

"These guys have to have that to pull the race off," Jones said about the Wi-Fi, which happened with the help of Frontier Communications. "It's a pretty sophisticated set up."

The project was planned and equipment was ordered with installation being completed within 72 hours and tested with only one day to spare.