Fearless Fred Alter

From the Detroit River Regatta Association

Fred has been active in Hydroplane Racing since the 1940's. He grew from a pit lizard hanging around Kean's Harbor to a crew member, driver, boat owner, official and unlimited racing commissioner. He has the distinction of having driven more hulls (boats) in competition than any other driver on record.

Known to many as "Fearless Freddie", he earned that nickname through many exploits. A limited class racer with the late Bill Muncey and Ronnie Musson in the 1950's, Fred got his first chance to drive an unlimited racer in 1955 in Bill Stroh's Miss Detroit. Ray Crawford, an Indy 500 driver, wanted no part of Unlimited powerboat racing after just one heat in the boat. Fred got his chance. He drove a competitive race and drove everything from clunkers to race favorites for the next 20 years.

Fred's racing days are best remembered when he was at the helm of Jack Schaefer's unwieldy blue monster, Such Crust III, the first twin-engine three-pointer. At times, Fred seemed to go up into Lake St. Clair in his battle to get the thundering monster to turn around. Yet by the time the rest of the fleet neared the Naval Armory, Alter would be in their roostertails. "I may not win, but I'm spectacular;" he would joke with his crew. He was spectacular enough to be nicknamed "Fearless".

In the 1957 Silver Cup Race on the Detroit River, Fred was thrown out of George Simon's Miss U.S. while leading Gold Cup winner Jack Regas in Hawaii Kai. "Fred shot out of Miss U.S. like a rocket;" Regas said. "He hit the water and tumbled like a rag doll." Regas drove to Alter's aid only to be greeted by "Thanks, Jack" as Fred swam back to the Miss U.S., climbed in and drove back to the pits. The doctors and Simon said Fred and the boat were through for the day.

He did an encore four years later in the President's Cup in Washington only this time there wasn't enough left of his Such Crust IV to drive back. The two accidents did more for Alter and his fellow drivers than all of his victories or daring feats on the water. He became a crusader for driver safety. Bright colored helmets to make the driver more visible in the water, the use of smoke flares and the stopping of a race when a driver was in the water became mandatory.

In 1973, he drove the experimental Miss Lapeer - the first boat to use a turbine engine. Although it took over a decade, most of the boats today use a turbine engine for their power plant.

He went on to be the Unlimited Racing Commissioner, developed the kit boat to enable low budget teams to step up to a more competitive hull, founded the "Pioneers of Powerboating", an arm of the Great Lakes Maritime Institute, to preserve the history of the sport and brought the "Hall of Fame" award to Detroit to honor those who have contributed so much to the sport.

Recently, many of the vintage hydroplanes were involved in filming the story of the 1971 Gold Cup held in Madison, Indiana. Fred not only drove a vintage craft for the filming, but he earned a place in the Hollywood Stunt Men's Union for his driving exploits during filming. Fred remains active as a bottling plant - engineering consultant while indulging in his love for vintage watercraft by completing one of the original Unlimited Hydroplane kit boats.

* Fred Alter - Major race wins

- 1956 Indiana Governor's Cup - Madison, IN - U-2 Miss U.S. 1
- 1957 Detroit Memorial - G-22 Such Crust III
- 1958 International Cup - North Carolina - U-2 Miss U.S. 1
- 1965 South Shore Trophy - Lake Tahoe - U-70 Such Crust IV

* Fred Alter: The boats

Fearless Freddie has driven more different Unlimited hulls than any other driver. In a 20-year career, Fred drove 21 boats under 27 different names for these owners:

U-5 Miss Detroit (2) 55 Bill Stroh
G-22 Such Crust III (2) 56-57 Jack Schafer
U-2 Miss U.S. 1 (1) 56 George Simon
U-2 Miss U.S. 1 (2) 57-58 George Simon
U-79 Nitrogen 58 Samuel F. DuPont
U-56 Gave VI (2) 59-60 Joe Schoenith
U-70 Such Crust IV (2) 61 Jack Schafer
U-70 Such Crust IV (3) 62 & 65 Jack Schafer
U-99 Mariner Too (1) 63 Jim Herrington
U-80 Blue Chip (1) 64 Dick Gordon
U-80 Blue Chip (2) 65 Dick Gordon
U-8 Miss Dixie-Cola 66 Laird Pierce
U-8 Parco O-Ring Miss(1) 67-68 Laird Pierce
U-99 Mariner Too (2) 67 Jim Herrington
U-13 Miss Budweiser II (1) 69 Bernie Little
U-77 Miss Owensboro 69 Bill Sterett
U-5 Miss Schweppes 69 Joe Schoenith
U-1 Miss Bardahl (5) 69 Ole Bardahl
U-13 Miss Budweiser II (2) 70 Bernie Little
U-5 Towne Club 71-72 Fred Alter
U-44 Gale's Roostertail (3) 73 Joe Schoenith
U-44 Pizza Pete (2) 73-74
U-44 Miss Cauffiel of Toledo 73
U-44 Atlas Van Lines (6) 74
U-44 The Roostertail 74
U-99 Miss Lapeer (2) 73 Jim Herrington
U-64 Miss Vernors (1) 75 Jerry Kalen