Alagi - The Gold Cup Champion

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

Since 1904, the APBA Gold Cup has become an American sports tradition. The cup is to boat racing what the World Series is to baseball and what the Daytona 500 is to NASCAR.

Only on rare occasions have boats from other continents come over to compete for the golden goblet. And very few of these have ever been competitive.

The Gold Cup's one and only foreign champion is ALAGI, which won the 1938 race on the Detroit River in record time.

ALAGI was a 19-foot 7-inch step hydroplane from Italy and used half of an Isotta-Fraschini aircraft engine. ALAGI's owner and driver was Count Theo Rossi di Montelera, the head of the Italian vermouth industry.

Foreign entries had been prohibited during the first three decades of Gold Cup competition. This was changed in 1937 when the APBA ruled that boats from other countries could participate, provided that they affiliate with an American yacht club that was a member of the American Power Boat Association.

There had been discussion on this point ever since a special series of match races run in Florida in 1934. On that occasion, the American Gold Cup Class contingent had been decisively beaten by Count Rossi and his UIM 12-Litre Class BARRACUDA.

The 12-Litre boats, administered by the Union of International Motorboating, were roughly comparable to the APBA Gold Cup Class hydroplanes, which had a piston displacement limitation of 732 cubic inches.

Up until this time, foreign boats had competed primarily in Harmsworth international races with unlimited engine size permitted. These included MISS ENGLAND II in 1931, MISS ENGLAND III in 1932, and MISS BRITAIN III in 1933.

In early 1937, Theo Rossi of Turin, Italy, announced that he was preparing two 12-Litre Class rigs for the Gold Cup. These were the ALAGI that Rossi himself would drive and the ARADAM, which would be piloted by Guido Cattaneo.

The names ALAGI and ARADAM were taken from a couple of mountain peaks in Ethiopia, where Rossi had served as a cavalry lieutenant with the Italian army during the North African war of 1935-36.

Rossi was a frequent visitor to the United States throughout the 1930s. In 1932, he had captained the Italian bobsled team in the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, New York.

Both ALAGI and ARADAM used the 12-litre V-6 in-line Isotta-Fraschini engine, rated at 500 horsepower. In contrast, Maurice Vasseur's 12-Litre Class RAFALE VI, which represented France, used a Farman V-12 aircraft engine, rated at 500 horsepower.

Rossi's boats were painted flame red, the national Italian racing color. They had aluminum engine cowlings and wasp tails, wrapped around single-seat cockpits. And both used two duraluminum rudders--one forward and one aft--that were chain-steered.

ALAGI and ARADAM differed in one important respect, however. ARADAM's hull was constructed of steel frames and weighed 2000 pounds. ALAGI, on the other hand, utilized duraluminum frames and weighed 1880 pounds.

The 1937 Gold Cup Regatta in Detroit was the most colorful, from an international standpoint, than any other hydroplane race in history. Joining the European trio was the MISS CANADA II from Ingersoll, Ontario, driven by Harold Wilson.

The United States delegation comprised Clell Perry in NOTRE DAME, Bill Horn in HOTSY TOTSY III, George Reis in EL LAGARTO, Joe Schaefer in DELPHINE IX, F.G. Erickson in IMPSHI, Lou Schafer in MISS CINCINNATI, JR., Marion Cooper in HERMES III, Bill Cantrell in WHY WORRY, and Jim Anderson in WARNIE.

All of the boats at the 1937 Gold Cup were step hydroplanes without sponsons. This was before the advent of the three-point hydros.

Nine boats crossed the starting line in Heat One with ARADAM failing to start. ALAGI, running in only her first heat of competition on American water, was not at her best and finished a distant fourth behind NOTRE DAME, MISS CANADA II, and RAFALE VI.

NOTRE DAME had the lead for much of Heat Two as well, until ALAGI slipped past to take first position and hang onto it until the finish. Count Rossi averaged 60.581; Perry did 60.023. This was puzzling, because NOTRE DAME was clearly the fastest boat on the river that day.

One explanation as to why NOTRE DAME did not challenge ALAGI for the lead had to do with the possibility that Perry had mistaken the ALAGI for the ARADAM. The two Italian boats were virtually identical in outward appearance. NOTRE DAME and ALAGI had both lapped ARADAM. When ALAGI went by NOTRE DAME, Perry believed it to be ARADAM and saw no need to charge after a boat presumed to be a lap behind.

Perry rebounded from his apparent lapse of intelligence in Heat Two and led all the way in Heat Three. The Duesenberg-powered NOTRE DAME averaged 68.645 for the 30 miles, which was the fastest Gold Cup heat since the cubic inch displacement limitation of 1922. ALAGI made a race of it all the way in Heat Three with an average of 67.678.

NOTRE DAME was the overall winner with 1900 out of a possible 2000 points; ALAGI was second with 869. Count Rossi had the satisfaction of setting a Gold Cup 3-mile lap record of 71.446. This compared to NOTRE DAME's fastest lap of 70.791.

A few weeks later, at the President's Cup in Washington, D.C., NOTRE DAME and ALAGI again finished one-two. NOTRE DAME averaged 62.087 for the 45-mile race, but ALAGI managed to win the final 15-mile Potomac River heat at a record-breaking 66.128.

That same weekend, ALAGI set an American 12-Litre Gold Cup Class straightaway record of 91.408 over the measured mile.

ALAGI had demonstrated that she could run with the best of the Gold Cup boats. But American editorial writers seemed less than overwhelmed by the overall quality of the European 12-Litre challenge.

In the opinion of MOTOR BOATING MAGAZINE, "They were all short and beamy in design, with underbody features resembling outboards and could not stand any degree of rough water although the [Detroit River] was comparatively calm."

On the positive side of the coin, MOTOR BOATING applauded the European drivers as "true sportsmen, taking their defeat without complaint and praising their American counterparts, thereby increasing interest in international racing."

For the 1938 season, Rossi proposed a series of races under UIM rules for a 12-Litre Gold Cup Class World Championship. The plan called for four cumulative point contests. The first would be in Paris, France, followed by another in Venice, Italy. The scene would then shift to the United States, where the Gold Cup and the President's Cup would be considered the third and the fourth in the series.

The concept was looked upon as an alternative to the Harmsworth Trophy, the bronze plaque traditionally emblematic of the speedboat championship of the world, which had been defunct since 1933.

Rossi dominated the action at both of the European races with ALAGI and shipped the craft to America with hopes of a clean sweep in his quest for the world title.

As things developed, Rossi was the only European to make the trip and the only participant to compete on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Cattaneo's new boat, the ASSO, wasn't ready in time.

Both the Italians and the French seemed to be having the same difficulty that had bothered them in the past. They were building boats that were undeniably quite fast but were suitable only for one-mile and other records on flat water…and not for crowded rough water courses, such as those at Detroit and Washington.

The ALAGI of 1938 seemed to be the exception. Rossi's boat had speed and stability and handled the U.S. race courses with ease.

As the lone representative of the 12-Litre Class, ALAGI faced a combined Gold Cup and 725 Cubic Inch Class fleet that included NOTRE DAME, MISS CANADA III, MISS GOLDEN GATE, MY SIN, EXCUSE ME, DELPHINE IX, HERMES III, WARNIE, WHY WORRY, WHO CARES, and PIN BRAIN.

The fleet included three boats that utilized the new-style three-point (non-prop-riding) design: MISS GOLDEN GATE, MY SIN, and EXCUSE ME. But only MISS GOLDEN GATE was a factor in the Gold Cup.

The defending champion NOTRE DAME team had a new hull for 1938 that never made it to the starting line. Theo Rossi's good friend Clell Perry flipped the boat on the day before the race and was badly injured. On race day, September 5, NOTRE DAME was at the bottom of the St. Clair River. There were those in the NOTRE DAME organization who suggested that their boat had been the target of foul play.

MOTOR BOATING MAGAZINE speculated that perhaps the rudder design was responsible for the NOTRE DAME crash. But twenty-four years later, in 1962, Shirley Mendelson McDonald, daughter of owner Herb Mendelson, reported a far more sinister reason to interviewer Fred Farley. She insisted that someone whose identity was known to the Mendelson team had deliberately "sawed away part of the step."

Whatever the explanation, no official action was ever taken against the alleged saboteur and the 1938 Gold Cup was run as scheduled.

Rossi was reported to be so distraught after the accident that he considered withdrawing from the race.

At the start of Gold Cup Heat One, MISS CANADA III took the lead with ALAGI right behind her. The Canadian craft with Harold Wilson driving was faster through the turns, but Count Rossi would close the gap in the straightaways.

MISS CANADA III posted a lap speed of 72.144 and appeared to be in command of the race, which MOTOR BOATING MAGAZINE described as being "as beautiful a contest as anyone would want to see" for the first nine miles.

But as Wilson neared the finish of lap three, the Miller V-12 engine started smoking badly. MISS CANADA III then had to withdraw due to the failure of the oil scavenging pump. This allowed the distant--but steady-running--MISS GOLDEN GATE to move into second-place.

ALAGI averaged 63.155 for the 30-mile distance to MISS GOLDEN GATE's 56.319. No one else finished.

Attempted repairs to MISS CANADA III were without much success as oil pump trouble still prevailed in Heat Two. She managed a distant third at 57.582.

ALAGI averaged 66.080 and finished nearly two minutes ahead of second-place Dan Arena and the Hispano-powered MISS GOLDEN GATE, which did 61.809. Joe Schaefer ran one lap at 57.884 with DELPHINE IX but then withdrew with a gearbox problem.

In the third and final heat, three boats made a start, but the result was the same. ALAGI won going away, averaging 63.786 and posting a perfect score of 2000 points--1200 for winning three heats, 400 bonus points for the fastest heat, and 400 bonus points for the fastest race.

MISS CANADA III ran last and broke a connecting rod on lap ten. MISS GOLDEN GATE, described by MOTOR BOATING MAGAZINE as "The only ray of American sunshine," checked in second at 52.420.

MISS GOLDEN GATE pilot Arena and riding mechanic Danny Foster--a low-budget team from California--outran and outlasted everyone else in the race except for the winner Count Rossi--even though Foster had to hand-operate the fuel control for the last eight laps after the fittings connecting the foot throttle with the carburetors went adrift.

After World War II, Foster became a Gold Cup-winning driver in his own right with victories in 1947 with MISS PEPS V and in 1948 with MISS GREAT LAKES.

MOTOR BOATING MAGAZINE summarized the 1938 Gold Cup in these words: "Count Theo Rossi of Turin, Italy, is the man of the hour. What this Italian Count did to the best boats, which the United States and Canada could produce, is almost too sad a story to relate. The Americans and Canadians spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the best engines and hulls, which could be produced in this country, but not one of them performed in comparison to ALAGI."

Rossi had arrived in the United States with a fast, perfectly tuned, and painstakingly assembled engine and a boat that did everything that was asked of it without falling apart.

In winning the 35th annual Gold Cup, ALAGI set two records with a mark of 72.707 miles per hour on the third 3-mile lap of Heat One and an average of 64.340 for the full 90 miles. Both of these were faster than the lap and race speeds attained by Gar Wood's Unlimited Class MISS AMERICA in 1920 on a 5-mile course. Only Wood's 70.412 mark for the 30-mile distance remained inviolate as Rossi's best heat was turned at an average of 66.080.

The speed of ALAGI in the 1938 Gold Cup was quite remarkable, when considering that MISS AMERICA used a pair of Smith-Liberty engines with horsepower to burn. ALAGI, on the other hand, had to make do with a single diminutive Isotta-Fraschini.

With the Gold Cup in his grasp, Count Rossi hoped for better competition at Washington, D.C., three weeks later. Unfortunately, this was not to be as ALAGI was the only Gold Cup Class boat to make an appearance. Despite promises from several top contenders and others of lesser distinction, the Americans shamefully reneged. In so doing, they conceded the President's Cup--and the UIM World Championship--to the Italian nobleman by default.

Rossi had crossed the Atlantic to challenge for the two most coveted United States trophies...only to have them virtually given to him.

The President's Cup event thus consisted of ALAGI running a single unopposed heat around the 2-1/2-mile course on Saturday, September 24. Rossi averaged 66.981 for the 15 miles. His fastest lap was 68.285.

Being the sportsman that he was, Rossi insisted that the gold replica of the President's Cup that he had won without opposition on Saturday be put up for a handicap race between his boat and the 225 Cubic Inch Class fleet on Sunday the 25th.

The 225s were a most vibrant category in the late 1930s. They were the first inboard class to wholeheartedly embrace the futuristic three-point hull design. Most of the 225 Class hydroplanes were products of the famed Ventnor Boat Works of Ventnor, New Jersey--the firm that patented the three-point concept. Most used the 219 cubic inch Lycoming engine.

In 1937, at Red Bank, New Jersey, a 225 (TOPS II) had actually defeated a couple of Gold Cup Class boats (MA-JA II and MISS PALM BEACH) in the race for the National Sweepstakes Trophy.

At the 1938 President's Cup, the race committee spotted the 225s one minute and 50 seconds--almost a full lap ahead of ALAGI. The Count had to give his craft every bit of speed that he had to overtake the smaller boats.

One by one, he passed them, all except MISS MANTEO II, a very fast Ventnor three-pointer, driven by George Seay of Norfolk, Virginia.

As Rossi finished his fifth of six laps, MISS MANTEO II still had the advantage. But ALAGI was catching up.

The crowd, which included President Franklin D. Roosevelt, tensed as this was clearly going to be a race to the finish line. If either craft faltered, even for a second, the lead would go to the other. But neither Rossi nor Seay faltered--not in the slightest.

MOTOR BOATING MAGAZINE described the sixth and final lap: "MISS MANTEO II was half way up the home stretch when ALAGI got around the last turning buoy. Each driver turned on all the steam he had. MISS MANTEO came toward the finish line like a bullet at better than 70 miles per hour. ALAGI must use all of her 91 mile record speed to win. This speed is equivalent to better than 133 feet per second. And it was enough to win. Just before the gunner was to give the finish gun to MISS MANTEO, ALAGI shot into the lead and over the finish line. Her margin of victory was only a matter of two seconds."

Upon returning to the dock, Rossi was besieged by representatives of the press. The Count exulted in broken English, "They figure handicap too close. I had to go all out, all the way."

Rossi had indeed gone "all out." ALAGI checked in with an elapsed time of 12 minutes and 55 seconds or 69.677 miles per hour--a world record for the 15-mile distance. Her fastest lap (on the sixth time around) was an unprecedented 70.866.

Behind ALAGI and MISS MANTEO II came Joe Taggart in TOMYANN II and David Gerli in GEN V, while Jack "Pop" Cooper in TOPS II and Gibson Bradfield in BAD NEWS failed to finish.

President Roosevelt, who viewed the race from the upper deck of the presidential yacht POTOMAC, was so thrilled by the close finish that he immediately sent for Theo Rossi and George Seay to join him aboard his yacht, where he heartily congratulated the two competitors for their sportsmanship and excellent driving.

Count Rossi's presence on the 1937 and 1938 APBA tours certainly generated a lot of favorable press for the sport. The fans, the participants, and the media were all impressed with ALAGI and her colorful driver. As a gentleman and as a competitor, Rossi represented his homeland well. And in America, he was clearly the most popular foreign driver since Englishman Kaye Don challenged Gar Wood for the Harmsworth Trophy in the early 1930s.

The 1938 President's Cup Regatta was the Count's final competitive appearance in the United States. Rossi planned a return trip in 1939. But because of the imminence of the war crisis that threatened to engulf Italy at any moment, he was unable to obtain a visa to get out of Italy.

This was most unfortunate, because ALAGI was fresh from a victory in the Venice race on July 1, 1939. Rossi had then shipped the boat to Detroit, where it was awaiting him.

The Count's unavoidable absence not withstanding, the Gold Cup committee suggested the possibility of providing a substitute driver for ALAGI. Gar Wood, Jr., a national champion outboard pilot, offered to get behind the wheel.

But an exchange of cables with Rossi in Turin revealed that he had not sent either ALAGI's special propeller or the starting bottles of compressed air. These were so precious that he carried them with his personal baggage.

ALAGI was eventually sent back from the U.S. to Italy and placed in storage. A few years later, the warehouse that housed the ALAGI and the ARADAM was reported bombed by the Allies. Both boats were destroyed.

Ironically, one of the last races in which ALAGI participated was the 1939 Duce Cup, where she finished second to Guido Cattaneo's ASSO. The Duce Cup was sponsored by the Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

The remarkable record of ALAGI, the Gold Cup champion, now belongs to history. After World War II, Count Rossi was made an Honorary Vice-President of the American Power Boat association.

To this day, Rossi and ALAGI stand unchallenged as the most successful foreign team in Gold Cup history. No one else has come close to matching the Italian's record.

Rossi's legacy to the sport is the prestigious Martini & Rossi Trophy, which he donated. For the past four decades, the trophy has been presented annually to the National High Point Champion Unlimited hydroplane team. (Bernie Little's MISS BUDWEISER has won it twenty times.)

The Martini & Rossi Trophy stands as a lasting tribute to one of racing's all-time greats.