1954 Gold Cup Remembered

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

For pure boat racing, it's hard to top the classic 1954 Gold Cup at Seattle. Indeed, boats ran head-to-head with each other all day long on that memorable August 7.

SLO-MO-SHUN V, driven by Lou Fageol, finished first in all three 30-mile heats. But Lou had to win them the hard way--especially in Heat Two, when SLO-MO-SHUN V, SLO-MO-SHUN IV, and MISS U.S. shared the same roostertail for seven of the eight laps.

SLO-MO-SHUN V was also the first boat to achieve competitive results with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. (All of the Gold Cup winners from 1947 to 1953 used Allison power.) This particular Merlin was salvaged from the ill-fated QUICKSILVER of 1951.

George Simon finished second overall with MISS U.S., while Lee Schoenith took third with GALE V, the National High Point Champion that year.

SLO-MO-SHUN IV and Joe Taggart had an "off" day in 1954. The "IV" jumped the gun in Heat One and ran out of gas on lap seven due to a faulty fuel diaphragm. They finished third behind SLO-MO V and MISS U.S. in Heat Two and third behind SLO-MO V and GALE V in Heat Three.

One of the most famous mishaps in Gold Cup history occurred during the warm-up for Heat Two. While jockeying for a starting position with GALE IV, Bill Cantrell’s steering mechanism jammed. He ended up in the rock garden of a lakeshore home, just south of the Floating Bridge and north of the start/finish line.

"Wild Bill" was unhurt but his boat suffered bottom damage and was through for the day. Cantrell was overheard to say, "This is the first time I ever walked home from a boat race."

Bill had had a similar experience with MY SWEETIE in the 1948 Gold Cup at Detroit. That time, a loose battery pounded a hole in the underside and Cantrell beached the boat to prevent it from sinking.

A near-catastrophe marred the running of Heat Three. Lou Fageol was making one of his chillingly spectacular "flying starts" from under the Floating Bridge with SLO-MO-SHUN V when WHA HOPPEN TOO, driven by rookie Marv Henrich, emerged from the pits and cut straight across the path of the oncoming SLO-MO-SHUN V, which was running at top speed.

Fageol and the "V" bounced perilously but managed to stay upright and went on to win the race, while Henrich was disqualified as a result of the incident.

Following his victory in the 1954 Gold Cup, Fageol announced his retirement from competition. He mentioned the name of the future Unlimited Class superstar, Bill Muncey, to SLO-MO owner Stan Sayres as a possible replacement. Nothing came of the suggestion as Lou returned in 1955 for what would prove to be his final appearance as a driver.