1949 Gold Cup Remembered

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

In a 1971 interview with this writer, popular "Wild Bill" Cantrell was asked to identify the one race above all others in his career that stood out as the most memorable. He quickly acknowledged it to be the 1949 APBA Gold Cup, which he won on the Detroit River at the wheel of MY SWEETIE.

Cantrell had been racing boats and cars since 1924. He had piloted a 725 Cubic Inch Class racer--the WHY WORRY--in the 1939 Gold Cup Regatta. Bill’s first ride in an Unlimited hydroplane occurred in 1948, when hired by owners Ed Gregory and Ed Schoenherr of Detroit.

Co-owner Gregory had handled MY SWEETIE in its debut race--the Ford Memorial Regatta--but quickly concluded that an experienced professional driver was needed.

The Allison-powered MY SWEETIE was designed by John Hacker to be a single-step hydroplane but with the propeller amidships and a buffer step forward and a tunnel in the afterplane. The craft utilized a forged steel propeller--the first of its kind.

All three of the Unlimited races that Cantrell entered in 1948 were disappointments. The brand new MY SWEETIE was fast but failed to score in either the Gold Cup or the Silver Cup, and could place no higher than sixth in the President’s Cup.

Then came the magical year of 1949 in which "Wild Bill" would make his claim to fame by winning every race that he entered except the Harmsworth Trophy.

Ten boats qualified for the Gold Cup event that was scheduled for July 2 of that year. MY SWEETIE was the fastest with a 92.402 average for three laps of the 2-1/2-mile course. Cantrell’s two most formidable rivals were Stan Dollar in SKIP-A-LONG--the 1949 Harmsworth winner--and Dan Arena in SUCH CRUST I--the 1948 Season High Point champion.

Rounding out the field were Morlan Visel and Al D’Eath in HURRICANE IV, Guy Lombardo and Joe Van Blerck in TEMPO VI, Chuck Thompson in the original MISS PEPSI, Albin Fallon in the defending Gold Cup champion MISS GREAT LAKES, Norman Lauterbach in HOT METAL, Cameron Peck in ASTRAEA II, and Lou Fageol in the 7-Litre Class SO-LONG.

An up and coming 20-year-old named Bill Muncey, who would go on to win eight Gold Cups between 1956 and 1979, failed to qualify at the minimum speed of 65 miles per hour in 1949 with his 225 Cubic Inch Class MI-SON. (This was in the days when any inboard hydroplane over 10 feet in length could theoretically participate in the Gold Cup.)

Arena and SUCH CRUST roared to victory in the opening stanza and set a Gold Cup heat record of 74.809 in the process, followed closely by SKIP-A-LONG with MY SWEETIE trailing in third. The SWEETIE had an early lead until Cantrell’s foot accelerator broke on lap two, which slowed the boat almost to a halt for a few seconds. Bill reached under the dashboard, grabbed the fuel control rod, and managed to finish ahead of fourth-place TEMPO VI by steering with one hand and feeding the proper amounts of fuel with the other.

In the Second Heat, Cantrell shattered Arena’s mark with a clocking of 76.964. SKIP-A-LONG took second once again, turning 75.134, with the CRUST third at 74.146.

Heading into the finale, Cantrell and Arena were tied with 625 points apiece with "Wild Bill" in line for 400 bonus points for the fastest heat providing he finished all three 30-mile heats. Stan Dollar trailed with 600 heat points but possessed an elapsed time edge on both the SWEETIE and the CRUST and thereby had the inside track on the 400 bonus points for the entry that turned the fastest 90-mile race.

With all of the chips riding on the final 30-mile moment of truth, Cantrell proved his mettle in championship fashion. He broke his newly established heat record with a mark of 78.645, followed by SKIP-A-LONG at 77.227 and SUCH CRUST at 76.529.

Bill Cantrell had won the Gold Cup--his most cherished goal after 25 years of boat racing. "Wild Bill" had also set a Gold Cup competition lap record of 85.731.

Cantrell’s long-time friend and fellow boat racer George Davis of IT’S A WONDER fame recalled this incident that occurred at the 1949 Gold Cup when Bill brought MY SWEETIE back to the dock to receive the trophy. "When he came in by the judges’ stand, Bill got out of the cockpit and kissed the deck of that boat! Then he pulled his old dollar watch out to see what time it was" to note his moment of triumph.