All Pages - Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum2024-03-29T13:08:45Zhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/page/page/list?sort=mostRecent&feed=yes&xn_auth=noVISIT UStag:thunderboats.ning.com,2023-03-23:6315479:Page:2464022023-03-23T17:34:51.875ZDavid D. Williamshttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/DavidDWilliams
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<p><em><strong>A special thank you to friend of the museum Erick Rhyne for this amazing virtual tour of the museum.</strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong>Come in to visit us for the full experience!…</strong></em></p>
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<p><em><strong>A special thank you to friend of the museum Erick Rhyne for this amazing virtual tour of the museum.</strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong>Come in to visit us for the full experience!</strong></em></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&biw=1916&bih=1015&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=5917+South+196th+Street,+kent,+wa+98032&fb=1&gl=us&hnear=Seattle,+WA&cid=0,0,962684620264249601&ei=Jsy4TIeHEpKosAP-9tjgDg&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQnwIwAA" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum</strong></a></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">5917 South 196th Street Kent, WA 98032</span><br>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Phone: 206.764.9453</span><br>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">FAX: 206.766.9620</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Hours</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tues & Thur: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm</span><br>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Wed thru Sat: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm</span><br>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Sun & Mon: Closed</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Admission</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">General Admission: $10</span><br>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Seniors (60+) & Students under 16: $5</span><br>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Members & Children under 6: Free</span></p>
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<p><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&biw=1916&bih=1015&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=5917+South+196th+Street,+kent,+wa+98032&fb=1&gl=us&hnear=Seattle,+WA&cid=0,0,962684620264249601&ei=Jsy4TIeHEpKosAP-9tjgDg&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQnwIwAA" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Map...</strong></a><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=5917+South+196th+Street,+kent,+wa+98032&fb=1&gl=us&hnear=&cid=0,0,962684620264249601&ei=Jsy4TIeHEpKosAP-9tjgDg&ved=0CBcQnwIwAA&hq=5917+South+196th+Street,+kent,+wa+98032&ll=47.426671,-122.259071&spn=0.006295,0.006295&t=h&output=embed"></iframe><br>
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<p>Current $100+ Members, <span><a href="http://thunderboats.ning.com/group/video-vault" target="_self">enter the Vault now</a></span></p>
<p>> <a href="http://www.hydromuseumstore.org/general-membership/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Join Now</a> at the $100 or higher level. <span><a href="http://www.3vst.com/museum/052115/VideoVaultAccess_web.pdf" target="_self">Click here</a></span> to view PDF and learn more.…</p>
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<p>Current $100+ Members, <span><a href="http://thunderboats.ning.com/group/video-vault" target="_self">enter the Vault now</a></span></p>
<p>> <a href="http://www.hydromuseumstore.org/general-membership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Join Now</a> at the $100 or higher level. <span><a href="http://www.3vst.com/museum/052115/VideoVaultAccess_web.pdf" target="_self">Click here</a></span> to view PDF and learn more.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.3vst.com/museum/052115/VideoVaultAccess_web.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img width="600" class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112018040?profile=original"></a></p> Sign In or Sign Up Nowtag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-05-22:6315479:Page:906472015-05-22T19:29:31.399ZDavid D. Williamshttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/DavidDWilliams
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum is your ONLY source </strong><strong>for the best hydroplane footage!</strong></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Current $100+ Members, <a href="http://thunderboats.ning.com/group/video-vault" target="_self">enter the Vault now</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">>…</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum is your ONLY source </strong><strong>for the best hydroplane footage!</strong></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Current $100+ Members, <a href="http://thunderboats.ning.com/group/video-vault" target="_self">enter the Vault now</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">> <a href="http://www.hydromuseumstore.org/general-membership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Join Now</a> at the $100 or higher level.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">> <a href="http://www.3vst.com/museum/052115/VideoVaultAccess_web.pdf" target="_self">Click here</a> to view PDF and learn more.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ThunderboatsVideo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here</a> to go to Thunderboats Video</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">> <a href="http://thunderboats.ning.com/video" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here</a> to see member submitted videos</span></p>
<p></p> 2014 Annual Reporttag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-03-13:6315479:Page:894522015-03-13T20:41:07.446ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-5"><strong><span class="font-size-6">Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum</span><br></br> <span class="font-size-4">2014 Annual Report</span><br></br></strong> <span class="font-size-2">(click below to view)…</span></span></p>
<p><a href="http://thunderboats.org/files/HydroMuseumAnnualReport2014.pdf" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112016763?profile=original" width="550"></img></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.thunderboatstore.org/museum-donations/" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112016641?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="200"></img></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-5"><strong><span class="font-size-6">Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum</span><br>
<span class="font-size-4">2014 Annual Report</span><br></strong> <span class="font-size-2">(click below to view)</span></span></p>
<p><a href="http://thunderboats.org/files/HydroMuseumAnnualReport2014.pdf" target="_blank"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112016763?profile=original" width="550" class="align-center"></a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-4">Fast times on the water for amputees</span></strong><br></br> <strong>New program takes wounded onto lake in modified hydroplanes</strong></p>
<p>Two amputees were in for a day of exhilaration as they skimmed the surface of the water at Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s American Lake on May 8, 2014, zipping…</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-4">Fast times on the water for amputees</span></strong><br>
<strong>New program takes wounded onto lake in modified hydroplanes</strong></p>
<p>Two amputees were in for a day of exhilaration as they skimmed the surface of the water at Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s American Lake on May 8, 2014, zipping around at almost 60 miles per hour in a specially modified hydroplane.</p>
<p>“It’s incredible that they would do this for us,” said Wayne Biggs, one of the two amputees who drove the boat.</p>
<p>This was test day for a new “Warriors on the Water” program, created at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum in Kent to get lower-leg amputees in hydroplane races.</p>
<p>“It’s proof-of-concept day,” said Patrick Gleason, a program volunteer and referee for hydroplane races with the American Powerboat Association. “We want the drivers to try it, see if they like it and if it’s something they want to do.”</p>
<p>The program was created in collaboration with hydroplane racing legend Chip Hanauer, who volunteers at the Puget Sound Veterans Administration and Jeffrey Heckman, a doctor at the VA hospital’s Regional Amputation Center.</p>
<p>Together they came up with the idea and reached out to the museum staff, who brought it to life.</p>
<p>“We did a lot of talking with Dr. Heckman for this program,” Gleason said. “We went through everything with him and got a good understanding of their needs and safety concerns.”</p>
<p>Biggs and Kelly Bailey, the two test drivers, had never seen a hydroplane in person, let alone raced one before the event. Biggs is not a military veteran, but makes prosthetics for veterans at the Puget Sound Veterans Administration. He said he wanted to help pave the way for his patients to get involved in the program.</p>
<p>“For the amputees that I treat, I’m always looking for things for them to get involved with,” Biggs said. “After they lose a limb, they’re often trying to figure out what’s next. I want to help them do that.”</p>
<p>Most hydroplanes are made to kneel in, but for the program they were loaned a laydown boat from a private owner. They made a few modifications and painted it with the “Warriors” logo.</p>
<p>“If you like it, you can keep racing with us,” said David Williams, executive director at the museum, to the amputees before they got into the boat. “We want to create a motorsport that’s not adaptive, but that you can race with everyone else.”</p>
<p>Inside the boats made for one, amputees lay on their bellies. There was little room to maneuver, especially with all the required safety gear. Each amputee squeezed a lever with his left hand and steered with the right.</p>
<p>Although skimming on water at fast speeds might seem like a difficult skill to master, especially with a prosthetic limb, after some quick instruction the test pilots were soon speeding down the lake with ease.</p>
<p>“We don’t think it’s as big of a challenge for them as most people might,” Gleason said. “It’s mostly an upper-body workout.”</p>
<p>Bailey, an Army ROTC cadet before he lost his leg, went first. He circled around the lake in an oval formation several times.</p>
<p>After the rush of controlling such a fast machine, he couldn’t contain a smile as he exited the boat.</p>
<p>“It was a blast,” Bailey said to a small crowd standing by and waiting to hear his reaction. “It was faster than I expected and a lot of fun.”</p>
<p>He then got right back in the boat and readied himself for another, faster run.</p>
<p>Everyone was ecstatic; the program would be a success and it was something that amputees could do just as well as anyone else.</p>
<p>In the future, the program’s volunteers said they hoped to get more wounded warriors involved and competing in local hydroplane races. Race season began in April and runs through September.</p>
<p>If you’re a lower-leg amputee or want to be a volunteer, contact Williams at the museum at 206-764-9453.</p> Victory Education Programtag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-03-06:6315479:Page:891522015-03-06T16:25:34.015ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112016872?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112016872?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="375"></img></a></p>
<p>The Victory Education Program is a rigorously researched, classroom tested curriculum where we use the "Magic of Racing" to inspire students to pursue and excel in STEM education. The program is designed to encourage all children, including those from under represented groups, to envision themselves as potential engineers and problem solvers. We offer both…</p>
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<p>The Victory Education Program is a rigorously researched, classroom tested curriculum where we use the "Magic of Racing" to inspire students to pursue and excel in STEM education. The program is designed to encourage all children, including those from under represented groups, to envision themselves as potential engineers and problem solvers. We offer both classroom visits and field trips. Contact the Museum if you are interested in visiting with your class or having us visit your school at (206) 764-9453 or info@thunderboats.org</p>
<p>Also ask about our Summer Camp program where kids can build their own RC Hydroplane and take it home to race on their favorite lake.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112016948?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="275" class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112016948?profile=RESIZE_320x320"></a><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112017016?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="240" class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112017016?profile=RESIZE_320x320"></a></p>
<p></p> Learning Programstag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-03-06:6315479:Page:893332015-03-06T16:24:47.999ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p><span>The Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum offers two distinct learning programs: </span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><a href="http://thunderboats.ning.com/page/j-hydro" rel="noopener" target="_blank">J-Hydro</a></strong></span></p>
<p>The Junior Hydro Program (J-Hydro), is for kids 9 to 16 years of age. Children learn traditional wooden boat building skills while building and rigging their own…</p>
<p><span>The Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum offers two distinct learning programs: </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><a href="http://thunderboats.ning.com/page/j-hydro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J-Hydro</a></strong></span></p>
<p>The Junior Hydro Program (J-Hydro), is for kids 9 to 16 years of age. Children learn traditional wooden boat building skills while building and rigging their own J-Hydro and race their boat in APBA sanctioned events. The Museum created this “kit boat” to make it affordable for children to learn and participate. The boats are built alongside their family members at our Museum facilities.</p>
<p><em><strong><a href="http://thunderboats.ning.com/page/j-hydro" target="_self">More information...</a><br></strong></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><a href="http://thunderboats.ning.com/page/victory-education-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Victory Education</a></strong></span></p>
<p>Victory Education presents fun, engaging engineering challenges that allow students to apply science knowledge in meaningful ways through the excitement of hydroplane racing, while meeting the Washington State standards for learning.</p>
<p>In addition to introducing students to the excitement of engineering and STEM, the Victory Education Program fosters valuable cognitive skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, flexibility, persistence, and learning from failure.</p>
<p><em><strong><a href="http://thunderboats.ning.com/page/victory-education-program" target="_self">More information...</a></strong></em></p>
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<p></p> J-Hydro Programtag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-03-06:6315479:Page:893322015-03-06T16:22:16.467ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
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<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Junior Hydro Program (J-Hydro), is for kids 9 to 16 years of age. Children learn traditional wooden boat building skills while building and rigging their own J-Hydro and race their completed boat in APBA sanctioned events. The Museum created this "kit boat" to make it…</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10998247886?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10998247886?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="600"></a></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Junior Hydro Program (J-Hydro), is for kids 9 to 16 years of age. Children learn traditional wooden boat building skills while building and rigging their own J-Hydro and race their completed boat in APBA sanctioned events. The Museum created this "kit boat" to make it affordable for children to learn and participate. The boats are built alongside their family members at our Museum facilities.</span></p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10998248084?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10998248084?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="600" class="align-center"></a></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Contact Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum Executive Director, David Williams, for more information: </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="mailto:ddw@thunderboats.org">ddw@thunderboats.org</a> or 206.764.9453</span></p>
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</div> 1973 Pay 'N Paktag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-28:6315479:Page:887702015-02-28T19:54:35.663ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p><em>By Aaron Lynch</em><br></br> <em>Reprinted from <a href="http://thunderthebridge.blogspot.com">http://thunderthebridge.blogspot.com</a></em></p>
<p>News has broken recently that Ken Muscatel has purchased the former Pay 'N Pak "Winged Wonder" hydroplane with the intention of restoring it for the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum. This is, no doubt, a fitting home for one of the most successful and innovative boats in the history of the sport. In fact, with its record of four championships and…</p>
<p><em>By Aaron Lynch</em><br>
<em>Reprinted from <a href="http://thunderthebridge.blogspot.com">http://thunderthebridge.blogspot.com</a></em></p>
<p>News has broken recently that Ken Muscatel has purchased the former Pay 'N Pak "Winged Wonder" hydroplane with the intention of restoring it for the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum. This is, no doubt, a fitting home for one of the most successful and innovative boats in the history of the sport. In fact, with its record of four championships and twenty two race wins, the 1973-25 hull holds the distinction of being the most successful piston powered boat in the history of Unlimited Hydroplane racing.</p>
<p>On a more personal level, however, this boat holds the distinction of one of the first hydroplanes I have a personal recollection of. To give away my age, I don't remember the boat's glory days of the 1970's because I hadn't been born. As many readers of this blog will know, I grew up in Madison and make no secret of the fact that I am a fan of the Miss Madison team. Because of this, the old Pay 'N Pak boat is effectively the first boat I was able to get up close and personal with, as it was the Miss Madison boat during the time I was growing up. Therefore this post is going to be part history of the hull and part personal recollection with my main focus being on the boat's later years.</p>
<p>The story of the Winged Wonder began its life on the draftboards of master boatbuilder Ron Jones. The number of innovations involved with this boat are numerous. Although there had been a couple of Unlimited Hydroplanes that had sported the pickle fork design since the 1960's, this boat represented the first true breakthrough for the design that would soon become the norm in hydroplane racing. Seemingly overnight, the spoon nosed design was obsolete. It was also the first boat to use aluminum honeycomb as a primary building material, which made the boat much lighter than its competitors. Most apparent, however, was its use of a horizontal stabilizer which immediately set the boat apart from everything else in the pits and gave the boat a decided advantage, especially in the turns. Perhaps never before or never since has a boat represented such a separation from what was the conventional accepted design in the Unlimited class at the time, and went on to be an unheralded success.</p>
<p>This success came almost immediately. When a new boat is built any team can expect a period of time to "work out the bugs" so to speak and hold judgment on the boat's success until the hull is dialed in. As a sign of things to come, however, the "Winged Wonder" bucked this trend and won its very first race out of the box. With Mickey Remund at the wheel the Pay 'N Pak won all three heats at the 1973 season opener in Miami, but then would face stiff competition the rest of the season from Dean Chenoweth and the Miss Budweiser. At the end of the season, the Pay 'N Pak would win four races and edge the Miss Budweiser by less than 300 points to win the championship.</p>
<p>In 1974, the Pay 'N Pak took five of eight races with George Henley at the wheel and ended the season with a considerable lead over second place Miss Budweiser in the High Points. Things didn't come as easy in 1975. Jim McCormick was named the new driver of the Pay 'N Pak, but after he struggled in the season's first two races owner Dave Heerensperger coaxed former driver George Henley out of retirement to take over driving duties.</p>
<p>The bad luck didn't stop there, however, as the boat turned over at Owensboro and the boat didn't score any points. Four races into the season, the Pay 'N Pak found itself with no race wins and was well behind the Miss Budweiser and Weisfield's in the High Point standings. The season would turn after crew chief Jim Lucero returned the boat to the setup used in previous seasons and the team returned to its winning ways. Winning five of the season's final six races of the season with victories in Madison, Dayton, the Gold Cup in Tri-Cities, Seattle, and San Diego, the Pay 'N Pak completed one of the most dramatic comebacks in Unlimited Hydroplane history and captured the championship.</p>
<p>1976 would bring more changes as Bill Muncey bought out Dave Heerensperger's team and the Winged Wonder got a new paint job and a new home. Now racing as the Atlas Van Lines, the boat picked up where it left off and won five of nine races on the year, including a string of four straight first place finishes, on its way to the High Point championship. After four years of racing, the Winged Wonder's spot in history had been solidified. Its twenty one first place trophies made the boat the winningest hull in the history of the sport at that point. It was also the only hull to win four consecutive High Point championships up to that point. Although that feat would later be eclipsed by the T-3 then the T-5 and T-6 Miss Budweiser hulls, it should be noted that these hulls always won their titles in a "tandem" with the other hulls on the team whereas the Winged Wonder won all of its titles on its own. In only four seasons, the 1973-25 had made its mark on the sport for years to come.</p>
<p>In 1977, a new Jim Lucero designed hull became the primary hull for Bill Muncey's racing team and the Winged Wonder found itself on the sidelines for the majority of the season. The boat's only appearances for that season came in the Washington races, wearing the old Pay 'N Pak colors. With inexperienced driver Ron Armstrong at the wheel and working with a limited crew, the Pay 'N Pak's appearance at the Gold Cup in Tri-Cities and the Seafair trophy in Seattle were expected to be little more than a cameo for the Winged Wonder. In Heat 1A of the Gold Cup, however, the old Winged Wonder hull showed it was still a force, winning the heat going away. Then in Heat 2-C the Pay 'N Pak once again found itself going head to head with the Miss Budweiser for three laps until it's day ended with a violent hook that damaged the hull's left sponson. The following week at Seattle, Armstrong and the Pay 'N Pak won Heat 2A but then failed to finish the Final Heat on a day that was overshadowed by a tragic accident in Heat 1A involving the Squire Shop that ended the life of Jerry Bangs.</p>
<p>1978 saw another change of address for the Winged Wonder. The Miss Madison team was in desperate need of upgrading their equipment so the decision was made to acquire the 1973-25. The Miss Madison's previous hull, known as the Miss Madison III or 1972-06, was only a year older than the Winged Wonder but might as well have been built in a different era. The third Miss Madison boat was never the same after an accident saw the boat sink to the bottom of the Detroit River of the 1972 Gold Cup. The team spent the rest of the season in the garage repairing the badly damaged hull, then the next season the Winged Wonder debuted and the Miss Madison team found itself racing with a suddenly obsolete hull. Indeed, the Miss Madison III would turn out to be the last hull to be built with the old spoon nosed design built for racing in the Unlimited class (although a few other spoon nosed replicas of hydroplanes have been built for the intention of vintage exhibitions). Although I have never seen anything official in terms of the sale price, multiple sources have claimed that Bill Muncey effectively donated the boat to the Miss Madison team and sold the boat for $1. No doubt this was an act of goodwill on the part of Muncey but it would be hard to claim that Muncey would miss the old hull. In a bit of irony, the Miss Madison team was buying the hull that had made its previous hull obsolete, but that boat had itself been rendered obsolete by Bill Muncey's cabover "Blue Blaster" hydroplane, so once again the Miss Madison team would find itself racing with a boat that was certainly an upgrade over its previous hull but still dated in terms of Unlimited racing. A new team also brought the most dramatic changes to the boat in its history, as the hull was refitted to be powered by an Allison powered engine as opposed to the Rolls Royce Merlin engine which the boat had been powered by up to that point. With its new less powerful engine and the fact that the boat was now becoming dated as more and more cabovers were showing up in the pits, it is sometimes easy to forget about the old Winged Wonder's time with the Miss Madison team. As is often the case in Unlimited Hydroplane racing, however, the hull had a long career long after it was at the front of the pack. It should not be forgotten that of the sixteen years that the 1973-25 boat was in the pits and racing, for eleven of those years the boat was carrying the Seal of the City of Madison, Indiana.</p>
<p>1978 will always be remembered as a season in which Bill Muncey dominated the field in a fully dialed in Atlas Van Lines hydroplane. The tone was set in the season's first race when the Atlas Van Lines was not only the winner but also the only starter of the Final Heat. Muncey would win six of the season's seven races, his only loss coming due to a blown engine in the Final Heat at Tri-Cities. So despite being overshadowed on that season the Miss Madison still turned in a decent season, with a second place in the Gold Cup in Owensboro with Madison native Jon Peddie at the wheel and a second place in Tri-Cities with Milner Irvin at the wheel en route to a fourth place finish in the High Point standings.</p>
<p>1979 saw the Miss Madison team race a partial schedule, not making any appearances after finishing sixth at the Gold Cup race in Madison. In 1980 the team once again raced a full national schedule and, after struggling through the season's eastern tour, turned heads with a string of four straight podium finishes that was highlighted by a second place finish in the only Unlimited race to take place in Ogallala, Nebraska. 1981 was another banner year for the Winged Wonder and the Miss Madison. Despite no wins and only one second place finish in Evansville, the Miss Madison was a consistent finisher all season long, finishing on the podium in seven of nine races and finishing second in the High Point standings. In 1982 Tom Sheehy took over driving duties after Milner Irvin left racing for a year but the team continued its consistent ways, finishing second in Romulus, New York (ironically finishing behind the Pay 'N Pak, which was back in the sport after a hiatus and in the process becoming the first team to win with turbine power) and in Madison (the team's highest finish in its hometown race since that fateful day in 1971) en route to a fourth place High Point finish.</p>
<p>Ten years after its debut, the Winged Wonder had gone from the undisputed leader of the pack to a consistent if not spectacular racer on the Unlimited tour. By 1983 it was no secret that the best days were well behind the hull, but the boat was still making its mark as a solid performer for the Miss Madison team. In an era when the shelf life for many hydroplanes didn't exceed more than six or seven years, the Winged Wonder was finishing on the podium years after its initial construction. As if to show the boat wasn't completely obsolete, the Winged Wonder scored what was undoubtedly its most unlikely and arguably its most memorable victory in the 1983 season opener at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. At the Final Heat, Jim Kropfeld in the Miss Budweiser and Chip Hanauer in the Atlas Van Lines were so preoccupied with one another that the Bud blew its engine and the Atlas got off to an awful start. Ron Snyder, driving the Miss Madison (sponsored by Rich Plan) wired a perfect start and led the race from the onset. The Atlas Van Lines gave chase but succumbed to a blown engine of its own, giving the Rich Plan a clear path to victory. A decade after its debut, the Winged Wonder had scored its twenty third and most unlikely victory. It was also a race that solidified Ron Snyder's well earned reputation as a driver who was able to get the most out of underpowered equipment. As for the rest of 1983, the Rich Plan finished second in Detroit and finished an overall fourth in the High Point standings.</p>
<p>1984 saw another name change as the Miss Madison team secured the sponsorship of American Speedy Printing for the duration of the season. The season started well for the team with a third place finish in Miami and a third in Syracuse and the season ended well with a second place finish at the World Championship race in Houston. The rest of the season, however, was an exercise in frustration that saw the team finish no higher than fifth and included a four race stretch where the boat failed to score point in three races and could only muster a twelfth place finish in the other race. As a result of the dramatic mid-season swoon, the team finished seventh in the High Points and, for the only time in its history, found itself looking up in the standings at another Madison based boat. Jim Sedam's U-22 finished fourth in the High Points in its debut season. In 1985 the Miss Madison opened the season with back to back runner up finishes at Miami and Syracuse and closed the season with a third place in San Diego but was befelled by another midseason swoon (although not as dramatic as the season before) that relegated the team to a sixth place finish in the High Points, although it did earn the distinction of driver Andy Coker capturing the Rookie of the Year honors for that season. Miss Madison opened 1986 with another second place finish, and continue the season as a consistent performer. Driver Ron Snyder returned, but then was involved in an accident that saw him being thrown from the boat in Evansville. Despite the accident, Snyder and the Miss Madison closed the season out with a third place finish at the season finale in Las Vegas and finished the season fourth in the High Points.</p>
<p>Holset returned as sponsor for 1987 and the Winged Wonder continued its consistent ways. It was also about this time that I, as a resident of Madison, became aware of the hydroplanes. As I am sure is the case with many hydroplane fans, I inherited much of my fandom from my dad. At least once a year we would stop by the Miss Madison shop, where the crew has always welcomed visitors even to this day. Because of this, the 1973-25/Winged Wonder/Miss Madison IV was the first boat that I ever saw up close, even sitting in the cockpit at one point. The Holset Miss Madison turned in another solid season, although it scored only one podium finish, a third place in the Madison race that was cut short by the horrific accident involving the Cellular One that ended the driving career of Steve Reynolds. It was also announced during the season that the Miss Madison team would be debuting a new hull for 1988, so the 1987 season was meant to be something of a "farewell tour" for the historic craft. For the final race of the year, the team even entered the hull as the "Holset Mrs. Madison" to signify that this would be the final race for the hull. The Mrs. Madison finished fourth at the season finale in Las Vegas and its consistent performance throughout the season meant the team would finish third in the overall High Point standings.</p>
<p>Despite having what was supposed to be its "farewell" race at the season finale in 1987, construction delays to the new boat meant that the Winged Wonder would be pulled out of the garage for one final curtain call. Once again Ron Snyder and the team got more than seemingly possible out of the now ancient hull by scoring a surprise second place finish in Miami. After a fourth place finish in Detroit, the boat failed to make the cut for the Final Heat for the remainder of the Eastern tour. The 1973-25, once the most advanced boat in hydroplane racing, now looked more like a museum piece. The boat was the last conventional hull to race in the Unlimited class, and was one of the last boats to not have a canopy. Despite the boat being terribly antiquated in comparison to its competitors in 1988, designer Ron Jones and others who had been involved in the Winged Wonder throughout the years had to take pride in the fact that many of the innovations that this boat represented, including the horizontal stabilizer and the pickle fork design, had now become commonplace in the sport. The old hull had its last race at the 1988 Syracuse race, where the team failed to score any points. Despite its underwhelming finale, the boat no doubt had made its mark on hydroplane racing as a whole. After all, at the time of its retirement the boat still held the record for most race victories by a hull (that record would later be broken by the T-3 Miss Budweiser). The new Miss Madison hull was ready in time for the Tri-Cities race and at long last, the Winged Wonder was retired.</p>
<p>Over the next few years the 1973-25 would largely do display work around Madison, then sometime in the early 1990's the boat was sold to Dave Bartush who was at the time building up a collection of hydroplanes and keeping them in a warehouse in Detroit. It sat in the warehouse for the better part of twenty years, still in the Miss Madison colors. Then earlier this year new begin to leak that Bartush was looking to sell off some of his collection, which is where the Ken Muskatel and the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum comes in. With that the Winged Wonder now awaits restoration into its original form. Although I have to admit I'll be kind of sad to see the Miss Madison paint come off the hull it's fitting that the boat will wear the colors that it made such a huge splash and broke so many records in the early 1970's. Also, since H.A.R.M. makes a concerted effort to keep all of its boats in racing condition, the possibility of seeing the Pay 'N Pak "Winged Wonder" on the water again is certainly exciting. So while the boat won its championships and made its history years before, for a generation of fans around Madison this was the first hull that many of us saw and will always hold a place in our hearts.</p> Silent Seafair Thunder U-95tag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-21:6315479:Page:876902015-02-21T22:24:09.621ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p class="p1">Reprinted from <em>The Guide</em>, July 31, 1973</p>
<p class="p1">It’s a bird, it’s a plane! No, it’s, it’s Super-boat! Where? Why where else, on the course for the Seafair Unlimited Hydroplane Trophy Race. You may not see a big red S on its side, but you can tell it by its number. It is, and mark this well, the U-95.</p>
<p class="p1">Actually nobody yet really knows what exactly to expect from the worlds newest entry in the field of unlimited hydro racing. But it is expected by…</p>
<p class="p1">Reprinted from <em>The Guide</em>, July 31, 1973</p>
<p class="p1">It’s a bird, it’s a plane! No, it’s, it’s Super-boat! Where? Why where else, on the course for the Seafair Unlimited Hydroplane Trophy Race. You may not see a big red S on its side, but you can tell it by its number. It is, and mark this well, the U-95.</p>
<p class="p1">Actually nobody yet really knows what exactly to expect from the worlds newest entry in the field of unlimited hydro racing. But it is expected by many, this writer included, that the U-95 will perform some amazing feats, possibly as soon as the Seafair races.</p>
<p class="p1">The U-95 is the first turbine-powered unlimited in the world. Should it prove as successful as expected, it certainly won’t be the last.</p>
<p class="p1">The U-95 is in reality an intermix of aerospace technology, hydrodynamics and aerodynamics never before used in any form of boat racing.</p>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112016193?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/112016193?profile=original" width="470" class="align-center"></a></p>
<p class="p1">The hull was designed by Ron Jones, whose last effort was the Pride of Pay n Pak, the heartbreak kid of this year’s Gold Cup. At first glance the U-95 may look like other “pickle-fork” designs. Look again. U-95’s placement of the midships cockpit is different, as is the engine-well size and placement. Jones says it’s his first truly rear-engined unlimited. In addition, the controllable rudder and horizontal stabilizer in the tail section depart from conventional designs. The afterplane is a lot longer and the sponsons are shorter. The leading edge of the boat in the pickle-fork area is much farther toward the rear than in any other picklefork designs. Even the term pickle-fork is not accurate for U-95. Instead the crew has dubbed it “The Flying Wing.” Further, U-95 has provisions for the spoilers, meaning a capability similar to but not the same as air brakes or flaps. This, too, is a first for the Thunderboats.</p>
<p class="p1">To most fans, however, the hull and other innovations of U-95 are purely of secondary interest compared to its powerplant. U-95 marks the entry of turbine power in unlimited racing. U-95 is powered by two Lycoming T-53 engines. They weight 500 pounds each and each generates 1,700 horsepower, burning kerosene.</p>
<p class="p1">Why turbines? According to Jim Clapp, owner of the U-95, “The turbine engine is the engine of the future. It is almost trouble free has far fewer moving parts than piston engines, will operate in any position and under any atmospheric conditions, uses cheap, plentiful fuel and is virtually pollution-free. Carl Kiekaefer of Mercury Outboard Motor fame, proved his turbine engine in ocean racing so well he was ruled out of using them in that sport. Any Granatelli proved his turbine engine at Indianapolis and so frightened lesser men that he, too, was ruled out of using them another turbine in his cars. The unlimiteds are thrilling to watch, but their technical aspects and use of World War II engines never turned me on. Hull designs have changed little in 23 years. They are committed to engines which were new 28 years ago! That’s more than a generation! They are locked into re-building not only these old engines, but the same mechanical supportive systems that keep them running!”</p>
<p class="p1">James J. (Jim) Clapp, 42, owner of the U-95, was born in Tacoma and now lives in Bellevue. He is already established as a sportsman of note. Neither is he any stranger to racing. Racing under SCCA rules in class C & D (production) he won top honors in class for the northwest region in 1954,1955, and 1956 before his auto speed competetiveness was satisfied.</p>
<p class="p1">However, it is his love for boating which was ultimately to give birth to the U-95. The ideas came from his pleasure yacht, “Nothing More.” She is 58 feet loa, with a 17 foot beam, powered by twin-turbines, and with a crusing speed of 30 knots. The “Nothing More” is the largest, fastest, twin-turbined powered pleasure yacht in, the nation (some say in the world.) Jim’s experience with this craft convinced him of the feasibility of turbine power for unlimited racing.</p>
<p class="p1">After several discussions with the Unlimited Commission, the U-95 crew acquired an unprecedented waiver of rules plus a three-year time period in which to affirm the design concept and. race whenever and wherever the craft was ready and able.</p>
<p class="p1">In case you have now been excited to the point of wanting to develop your own unlimited, be advised that Jim Clapp has committed more than $250,000 to the pioneer project of the U-95, with No guarantee of any success at all.</p>
<p class="p1">Adding to the cost is a variety of exotic equipment being developed for the U-95 that will make it the most innovative hydro ever built. Many of the new ideas come from the aviation influence on the U-95, and to boat fans may seem like the latest pages of space news.</p>
<p class="p1">Because boat drivers are too busy to concentrate much on reading dials and gauges while competing, a second instrument panel not visible to the driver will be the focus of a video tape recording system, which will run whenever the boat is on the water. It will monitor readings of the 22 different systems and if something goes wrong, the tape can be played back on the shore to check the source of the problem. Next year the crew ashore will be able to follow the hydro’s systems at all times during the race. This system, called a real time data link, relays instant readings of all systems and functions to shore via radio.</p>
<p class="p1">Driver and crew will also have contact through a two-way radio system. The turbines make such a system feasible because they are quieter than conventional motors.</p>
<p class="p1">Also planned is an aural warning system that will put a beeping noise in the drivers headset and a warning light on the control panel.</p>
<p class="p1">Even if the U-95 performs flawlessly and wins the Seafair Race and all the rest of the races this season, their job will only be partially finished. High on the list of priorities is the matter of finding a sponsor.</p>
<p class="p1">Finding a sponsor is the responsibility of Richard Friel, formerly with Lear Jet, Inc. and now in business for himself here in Seattle. From his Norton Building office, overlooking Elliot Bay, he discussed the quest for backing. At this point he is working from a list of prospective sponsors, all national major companies. Dick expressed great optimism, for the sport of hydro racing, for the U-95, and for finding a sponsor. “We have four advantages,” said Dick. “We are a young team, we have made use of Aerospace technology, we are a hometown team, and we came from nowhere so we are free to experiment all we need to.”</p>
<p class="p1">“We have five goals. One; is to be there at Seafair. Two; is to float our boat. Three; to qualify. Four; is to not go crazy. Five; is to secure a solid national sponsor.”</p>
<p class="p1">So — U-95, super-boat, may not float. But then again, that’s not too likely, considering the tests its already been through. And it may just be, and this is far more likely, that it will be the hottest boat ever seen in hydro racing.</p>
<p class="p1">“You can go all out and bust your motor, or, you can go all our and bust your ass, or, you can hold back and save your motor and your ass.” And THAT is basically the decision of the driver.</p>
<p class="p1">U-95 will be piloted by one of Seattle’s favorite and most talented drivers. Leif (pronounced: <span class="s1">Layfe</span>) Borgerson, has 18 years of boat racing experience. He is only 27 years old. He is an auto mechanic by trade, but has progressed to the point that anything with a motor, seemingly, he can handle. Leif placed second in the 1968 Gold Cup, setting the Gold Cup qualifying record of 116.883 mph. He received the Mike Thomas Award in 1969, and again placed second in the 1970 Gold Cup race. Due to the complexity of the systems involved with U-95 and their relationship to aviation, Leif learned to fly to gain further understanding of the systems.</p>
<p class="p1">How good is the U-95? How fast? How long will the engines hold up? How will it perform in a race? No one really knows. But from testing, its estimated closed course speed is about 135 mph. Its estimated top speed is just over 160 mph. The goal of the crew is to vary the speed of the boat as little as possible, running down the chute at about 150 mph and average 130 mph. And that will be a record on any course in the country!</p>
<p class="p1">Super boat, flying wing, whatever you choose to call the U-95, it is a thunderboat without thunder of its own—and you can bet it will be out to steal everyone else’s thunder as it streaks down the course like lightning.</p> Hydroplane Racing: Juggling Dynamitetag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-21:6315479:Page:881402015-02-21T19:03:18.789ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p>July 13, 1987</p>
<p>DETROIT — In less than 12 months in 1981 and 1982, Bill Muncey and Dean Chenoweth, the two most victorious drivers in unlimited hydroplane history, died in racing accidents.</p>
<p>The sport, often cited as the most dangerous of all, has never really recovered.</p>
<p>Auto racers die, boxers die, football players die, hockey players die and sailors--19 in a single race--die in competition.</p>
<p>But rarely has any sport suffered the blow that unlimited racing took when…</p>
<p>July 13, 1987</p>
<p>DETROIT — In less than 12 months in 1981 and 1982, Bill Muncey and Dean Chenoweth, the two most victorious drivers in unlimited hydroplane history, died in racing accidents.</p>
<p>The sport, often cited as the most dangerous of all, has never really recovered.</p>
<p>Auto racers die, boxers die, football players die, hockey players die and sailors--19 in a single race--die in competition.</p>
<p>But rarely has any sport suffered the blow that unlimited racing took when Muncey and Chenoweth died. It would be like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier expiring in the ring.</p>
<p>Unlimited racing has not had a fatal accident since Chenoweth`s death in Seattle in 1982. But the pace of accidents has not necessarily slowed. Last Sunday in Madison, Ind., driver Steve Reynolds was seriously injured in a wreck. Reynolds had a testing accident with the same boat last fall, and driver Jim Kropfeld flipped the Miss Budweiser hydroplane in its first test run earlier this year.</p>
<p>Though other boat racing has more fatalities--one class has had five already this year--the unlimiteds and death have become linked in the public`s mind.</p>
<p>Drivers, here for Sunday`s Spirit of Detroit race, have pat replies to questions about the danger.</p>
<p>"It`s always the other guy."</p>
<p>"I wouldn`t be racing if I thought it would happen to me. I`m not crazy."</p>
<p>Miller American driver Chip Hanauer said he has talked about little except death and destruction in recent interviews.</p>
<p>"I understand the need to talk about it," he said. "A normal person spends his life trying to be more secure, and here we are out their making our lives less secure."</p>
<p>Hanauer compares the danger of unlimited racing to that of the space shuttle. "The general public was mortified when the shuttle blew up, but you talked to anybody who knew anything about it, and they expected something to happen eventually. Eventually they were going to have a disaster."</p>
<p>Hanauer admits that unlimited racing is "juggling with dynamite."</p>
<p>"I`m in this with my eyes wide open," he said. "I`ve seen accidents since I was nine years old," when he began racing boats.</p>
<p>Hanauer was involved in an accident in 1980. His boat suffered a blow-over, in which the wind catches a boat underneath and flips it, though he was not seriously injured.</p>
<p>"I was resigned in my mind when I started going over that I wasn`t going to make it, because you just don`t survive that kind of accident," Hanauer said.</p>
<p>The unlimiteds actually are not the most dangerous form of boat racing, said Dr. Matt Houghton of Empire, Mich., a medical consultant to several boat- racing classes. Houghton has been present at 17 boat-racing deaths.</p>
<p>An outboard class has had five deaths this year, Houghton said. Unlimiteds also would trail offshore power-boats in terms of danger, he said. Houghton said boating deaths among the high-speed classes are invariably caused by skull injuries that occur when the driver hits the water. "I`ve never seen a drowning in a high-speed boat," he said.</p>
<p>Houghton said safety is lagging a year or two behind racing technology, though the trend toward jet fighter-style canopies should be encouraged, he said.</p>
<p>Canopies obviously work. "Steve Reynolds proved that twice," Houghton said, because Reynolds twice survived accidents that would have been fatal without the canopy on his boat.</p>
<p>The answer is not necessarily limiting speeds, Houghton said. "Speed alone does not kill. It changes the mechanics of injuries."</p>
<p>Houghton said the prime cause of accidents is "overdriving for the conditions--period."</p>
<p>In fact, many in the sport were not surprised by Reynolds` accident. Reynolds often talked about his Rambo driving style and last year said the driver with the most "testosterone" would win the Detroit race.</p>
<p>Outwardly, Hanauer and the other drivers display little concern about the danger. But the risk of injury or death is one reason Hanauer has not married. "I wouldn`t want my family to live in fear 10 weeks a year," he said. But the feeling remains that if Muncey and Chenoweth, it could happen to anybody.</p>
<p>Last winter, Hanauer described how a driver like Chenoweth can be pressed into mistakes. Chenoweth died in an essentially meaningless qualifying run in Seattle.</p>
<p>"Race drivers have as big as egos as anybody else," Hanauer said.</p>
<p>"Chenoweth had told Budweiser he was going to quit after the season. Then the crew started talking about this Kropfeld guy and how he looks pretty good. "I think Dean started feeling, like, `Hey, they`ve forgotten about me already.`</p>
<p>"We had embarrassed them in Detroit and we kept moving on them. In the wreck, the blow-over that killed him, he was leaning on it all the way.</p>
<p>"He had it all the way down. And that wasn`t Dean. He was a very conservative driver."</p>
<p>Earlier in the season of his death, the newly married Chenoweth had told Hanauer how happy he was.</p>
<p>"He said, 'For the first time, I don`t need racing.' I said, 'If you don`t need it, get the hell out. Now.' "</p> A Brief History of Miss Spokanetag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-20:6315479:Page:876172015-02-20T04:18:43.320ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p>The saga of <em>Miss Spokane</em> began in the fall of 1957 when a small group of Spokane, Washington hydroplane enthusiasts formed first formed a corporation and then raised a reported $13,000 to purchase a surplus unlimited hydroplane hull from Seattle aerospace industry giant Bill Boeing. Boeing had built the boat as a backup to his successful unlimited <em>Miss Wahoo</em> and had held in in reserve.</p>
<p>From the outset, the boat was “community” owned and operated. Shares were sold to…</p>
<p>The saga of <em>Miss Spokane</em> began in the fall of 1957 when a small group of Spokane, Washington hydroplane enthusiasts formed first formed a corporation and then raised a reported $13,000 to purchase a surplus unlimited hydroplane hull from Seattle aerospace industry giant Bill Boeing. Boeing had built the boat as a backup to his successful unlimited <em>Miss Wahoo</em> and had held in in reserve.</p>
<p>From the outset, the boat was “community” owned and operated. Shares were sold to Spokane residents making them “owners”, and at one point over 10,000 “members” had each paid at least one dollar for a share of the boat.</p>
<p>A small group of businessmen calling themselves Miss Spokane Unlimited Hydroplane, Inc. managed the boat’s finances and day-to-day operations. The group was headed by Don Klages.</p>
<p>The team that the <em>Miss Spokane</em> group put together was largely made up veterans of the Army and Army Air Corp, with a number of them coming from the Washington Air National Guard’s 116 Fighter Squadron and 141st Air Refueling Wing at Geiger Field near what is now Spokane International Airport.</p>
<p>The team kept the original mahogany deck and outfitted the boat with special gold leaf numbering and a two-tone lilac and white tail. The U-25 designation contained a star between the ‘U’ and the ’25’, and it is thought that this reflected the military background of many on the crew.</p>
<p>The team selected former Army Air Force officer and local limited class boat racer George Alexieve as the team’s crew chief, and he in turn recruited engine men and others from the community and the local Air National Guard unit.</p>
<p>One of those recruited was a young Dallas Sartz, himself a Major in the Air National Guard. He became the first driver of the boat in competition. He and Alexieve drove the boat in its initial testing runs on Idaho’s Hayden Lake, and Sartz was at the wheel in its debut at the Apple Cup on Washington’s Lake Chelan in May of 1958 and a month later at the inaugural Diamond Cup in nearby Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.</p>
<p>Sartz made a career of the Air National Guard and would eventually retire from the Geiger Field unit with the rank of colonel with 35 years of military service. At the time of his retirement he was the chief maintenance officer for the 141st Air Refueling Wing.</p>
<p>Another recruit was Kent Simonson, who would serve initially as a crew member, then as crew chief, and eventually as owner of the <em>Miss Spokane</em> hull. Simonson had served as a mechanic and crew chief for transport vehicles on the Burma-Thailand-India transport system during World War II, and when he returned to Spokane after the war and interned as a boat builder and cabinet maker. His motor pool experience and his expert wood repair skills were invaluable to the crew.</p>
<p>Others joining the crew for the initial campaign were Dan Colman, John Morse, Jack Finlayson, Don Revard, Dan Gmeiner, Jim Hern, John Beers, Harold Carmen, and Bud Newton. Finlayson and Morse were the main engine men in the first two years of operation.</p>
<p>In 1960, Simonson became crew chief when Alexieve stepped away. Lloyd Massender took over as head engine man that year with Hardy Holder and Mel Cantor assisting him. All had extensive experience in working on airplane and racing engines.</p>
<p>Warren Schott would join the team the same year as head hull maintenance man. Schott’s son, Skip, would also join the team along with Larry Pierce, John Coleman, and Leonard Blum.</p>
<p>Following Sartz in the <em>Miss Spokane</em> cockpit were veteran unlimited driver Norm Evans of Chelan and limited hydro driver and decorated Marine war veteran Rex Manchester.</p>
<p>The <em>Miss Spokane</em> would campaign for only four abbreviated seasons. Financial constraints would limit their participation to only the races on the western swing of the unlimited class race schedule. The team was best described as “hard luck” as they suffered several near misses in their quest for victory.</p>
<p>With Evans at the wheel, the team was leading the 1959 Diamond Cup when the boat hooked in the third lap, throwing Evans from the boat and disqualifying it from further competition that day.</p>
<p>Manchester was leading on the final lap of the 1960 Seafair Trophy race when one of the other boats caught fire in the turn behind him stopping the race. In the re-run the next day, Manchester could not keep up with eventual winner Bill Muncey and <em>Miss Thriftway</em>.</p>
<p>A year later, Manchester would have the Lilac Lady leading by a good distance over the competition in the final turn of the 1961 Gold Cup on Nevada’s Pyramid Lake when he hit a huge rolling wave and flipped throwing him from the boat. The <em>Miss Spokane</em> sank in 80 feet of water, but was raised and brought back to Spokane after that race.</p>
<p>The badly damaged boat was leased to Bob Gilliam of Seattle in 1962, and the hull would never raced as <em>Miss Spokane</em> again. Home supply store owner Dave Heerensperger would sponsor the boat’s next campaign as <em>Miss Eagle Electric</em> for two seasons (1963 and 1964), and Jim Herrington of Michigan would race it as the <em>Miss Lapeer</em> from 1965 to 1967). As <em>Miss Lapeer</em> it would win its one and only race in the 1966 Sacramento Cup on Lake Folsom.</p>
<p>The <em>Miss Spokane</em> hull was retired after the 1967 season, and spent the next twenty years on display near Herrington’s business in Lapeer, Michigan. It was returned to Spokane in the mid-1980s and is reportedly stored in a garage in the Spokane valley area. Boeing’s <em>Miss Wahoo</em> was destroyed in an accident in 1966, but was an exact copy has been created by the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum of Kent, Washington and is popular at vintage hydroplane demonstrations around the Northwest.</p> Notre Dame & Miss Exidetag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-20:6315479:Page:875212015-02-20T03:35:44.616ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p><em>By Fred Farley – Unlimited Hydroplane Historian</em></p>
<p>A number of recent threads have mentioned the 1963 MISS EXIDE and the 1967 NOTRE DAME.</p>
<p>Ted Jones, who designed MISS EXIDE, told me that he disavowed the project when he heard that builder Ed Karelsen was going to put the boat together with a staplegun.</p>
<p>(Karelsen later vindicated himself with his creations of the 1967 MISS BARDAHL, the 1968 MISS BUDWEISER, and the 1969 NOTRE DAME, which were all excellent…</p>
<p><em>By Fred Farley – Unlimited Hydroplane Historian</em></p>
<p>A number of recent threads have mentioned the 1963 MISS EXIDE and the 1967 NOTRE DAME.</p>
<p>Ted Jones, who designed MISS EXIDE, told me that he disavowed the project when he heard that builder Ed Karelsen was going to put the boat together with a staplegun.</p>
<p>(Karelsen later vindicated himself with his creations of the 1967 MISS BARDAHL, the 1968 MISS BUDWEISER, and the 1969 NOTRE DAME, which were all excellent boats.)</p>
<p>The 1967 NOTRE DAME was one of the worst riding Unlimiteds that I've ever seen. Even builder Les Staudacher was baffled by the poor handling characteristics. Nevertheless, I don't blame Jack Regas for the boat's crash at Seattle.</p>
<p>Here's how it looked to me--and to the reporter from YACHTING MAGAZINE--from the press section of the Official Barge on Lake Washington.</p>
<p>As the seconds ticked away before the start of Heat 1-A, Bob Gilliam was sitting dead in the water on the start/finish line, trying to get HILTON HY-PER-LUBE started. Moments before the one-minute gun, Gilliam was finally able to get going. He left a side-ways trough as he cut across the infield in an effort to catch up with the other boats.</p>
<p>A minute later, the field thundered across the starting line. NOTRE DAME fell into the trough left by HILTON HY-PER-LUBE, hydrauliced the sponson, and ricocheted into the path of Chuck Hickling and the HARRAH'S CLUB. The two boats crashed and ended up on the bottom of the lake. NOTRE DAME was destroyed; HARRAH'S CLUB was through for the season.</p>
<p>I believe that Regas did not cause this accident. Gilliam did! The crash was a virtual replay of the Warner Gardner/Bill Cantrell incident at Madison, Indiana, in 1965. (Gardner, too, made a belated start with MISS LAPEER and left a side-ways trough. MISS SMIRNOFF encountered the trough and pitched Cantrell into the water.)</p> Hydroplanes 101tag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-07:6315479:Page:872022015-02-07T19:28:51.611ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>THE BOATS</strong></p>
<p>A modern Unlimited Hydroplane is the world’s fastest racing boat, capable of speeds in excess of 200 mph. It represents the product of over 100 years of evolution in race boat design and incorporates the most powerful engines, most advanced construction techniques and the best safety systems available in boat racing today. All Unlimited Hydroplanes are a “three point” design, meaning they are designed to only touch the water at…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>THE BOATS</strong></p>
<p>A modern Unlimited Hydroplane is the world’s fastest racing boat, capable of speeds in excess of 200 mph. It represents the product of over 100 years of evolution in race boat design and incorporates the most powerful engines, most advanced construction techniques and the best safety systems available in boat racing today. All Unlimited Hydroplanes are a “three point” design, meaning they are designed to only touch the water at three points when racing: at the rear of the two front “sponsons” (the projections of the hull in front of the driver cockpit), and the propeller at the rear of the boat. “Runners” under the sponsons and “shoes” at the rear of the boat are generally all that touch the water during race conditions. A modern Unlimited is made of aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber and graphite composites, and weighs a minimum of 6750 pounds in race trim. The boats are between 28 and 32 feet long, 12 to 14 1/2 feet wide and about seven feet from the bottom of the rudder to the top of the rear wing.</p>
<p>Driver safety is paramount in the design and operation of an Unlimited, so the boats have a number of systems designed to keep the driver safe in the case of an accident. The fully enclosed cockpit is the primary safety feature, incorporating a full interior roll cage that is bonded to the cockpit shell to maintain the integrity of the driver area. The windows are cut from the canopy of F-16 fighter jets, giving the driver ultimate protection, yet allowing him to see clearly. Five point quick-release harnesses are used to keep the driver strapped into the seat and an escape hatch is built into the floor of the cockpit to allow the driver to escape if the hydroplane flips and lands upside down. Every driver is required to wear a certified helmet and a HANS device for head and neck protection. He also wears a mask that incorporates an on-board air supply that allows him to breathe in case the cockpit fills with water, but also lets him communicate via the onboard radio. A “Rotor Burst protection System” (RBPS) is in place around the “hot end” of the engine to contain the fragments in case of a catastrophic failure of the turbine’s power rotor.</p>
<p>All of today’s unlimited hydroplanes are powered by a single Lycoming T-55 L-7 turbine engine that once powered our military’s Chinook helicopters from as far back as the Vietnam War. The turbine is capable of outputs of around 3000 HP and runs on Jet-A (kerosene) fuel. The large tail pipe in the back of the boat is only to allow heat to exit; no thrust is created from the exhaust. The engine’s output is hooked to a “gearbox” that has a single adjustable gear ratio that reduces the engine speed to the appropriate output shaft speed to make the propeller work most efficiently. A “long shaft” transfers the gearbox output through the bottom of the boat to the “strut” where the “short shaft” connects to it with a coupler. The short shaft has the propeller connected to the end and it allows the prop to be easily removed after every heat for inspection.</p>
<p>There is a fixed wing on the rear of the boat that can only be adjusted when in the pit area. This wing is only used for stabilizing and trimming the boat so that very little of the boat’s rear running surfaces touch the water. The second wing on the boat is located at the front of the “pickle fork” nose. Unlike the rear wing, this “canard” is actually controlled during racing by the driver via foot pedals. The canard allows the driver to more easily “fly” the boat, pushing the rear of the canard down to create lift and raise the nose of the boat, or raising it to lower the nose of the boat if it gets too high and is in danger of “blowing over”. The driver will also manipulate the canard in the turns or when rough water and windy conditions persist.</p>
<p>The large “cowling” behind the driver cockpit functions as an aerodynamic device and as a “scoop” to funnel intake air to the engine. The rear of the cowling is vented to allow for excess air to pass through so as not to trap air that would otherwise slow the boat down. During saltwater races, an additional extension to the cowling may be used to prevent saltwater from being ingested into the engine. Excessive saltwater ingestion will almost instantly reduce engine output due to the buildup of salt residue on the turbine blades. This buildup effectively changes the compression ratio of the engine, allowing for “pre-ignition” (like a backfire on an automotive engine) that will shoot large flames out of the back of the engine (see image at right), and can even damage an engine.</p>
<p>A single three blade, 16″ diameter propeller is allowed. Ideally, only one propeller blade should be touching the water when at racing speeds. Different pitch propellers are chosen for use based on course length, conditions and starting position. Race props can cost in excess of $15,000.The prop creates the distinctive “roostertail” behind the boat, raising literally tons of water into the air for up to 300 feet behind the boat.</p>
<p>The skidfin is a large metal fin that is attached to the area at the rear of the left sponson that allows the boat to “dig in” and make a turn without skipping across the water. The wall of water the skidfin throws up in the corner is one of the most spectacular sights in boat racing, reaching heights of nearly 50 feet and extending for 6-7 boat lengths behind the boat.</p>
<p>The rudder is a relatively small metal blade that is located in a bracket extending from the transom at the right rear of the boat that acts to steer the boat through the corners. The rudder only becomes truly effective at higher race speeds and makes maneuvering at low speeds somewhat challenging. A water pickup at the base of the rudder feeds onboard cooling and lubrication systems.</p>
<p>All Unlimiteds carry onboard digital recording devices that capture different streams of data, from engine speeds and fuel flow to wing angles and temperatures. All turbine engines are limited to 4.1 gallons per minute fuel flow and less than 115% “N2″ speed. N2 speed is a pre-determined upper RPM limit that the engine cannot exceed for more than five seconds. The data recorders log these two critical data streams and are reviewed by officials at the end of every qualifying attempt and heat. Fuel flow and N2 violations will void a qualifying speed and will disqualify a boat from the Heat in which violation occurs.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>RACE FORMAT</strong></p>
<p>Each Unlimited Hydroplane must qualify for the heat races at 130 mph or higher. The top qualifier receives 100 race points, runner-up receives 80 points, third highest qualifier 70 points, fourth 60, fifth 50, sixth 40, and the remaining boats get 30 points each. The qualified teams are admitted into the flights of Heats. Because there are too many boats to run at once they are split into groups represented by an alphabetical letter. Traditionally, there are Heats 1-A, 1-B, 1-C. Once the first Heats are finished and points have been assigned, another drawing is made and the boats run 2-A, 2-B, 2-C. Finally, the third set of Heats is run. All qualifying Heats are three laps and the winner-take-all final is five laps, but since the Madison Regatta is being run on a shorter course than normal this season, the Heats in Madison will be run for more laps to equal the race distance.</p>
<p>After each Heat, boats are awarded points based on how they finished: First place, 400 points; Second, 300 points; Third place, 225 points; Fourth place 169 points; Fifth place 127 points. The boats who have accumulated the most points make it to the winner-take-all final.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>THE START</strong></p>
<p>Prior to the start of each preliminary heat and winner-take all final, there is an official clock that will count backwards starting at “10 to the 5″ – this means that there fifteen minutes to the start of the heat. Most boats will be lowered by crane into the water at this point. At “5 to the 5″, all drivers will be strapped into the boats with their safety gear in place. Most drivers will enter the race course when there are about five minutes remaining on the official clock. At the one minute mark or one minute “gun” all boats racing in the Heat or Final must be up and running.</p>
<p>Since the shortest way around the course is on the inside, Lane 1 is the preferred lane to start in. All boats will be allowed to “fight for lanes” prior to the start, prioritizing pre-race strategy and boat setup. Once lanes are established at the entrance to the second turn prior to the start, boats will then position themselves so that they reach the start/finish line as the official clock strikes zero signifying the start of the race. Drivers do not want to “beat the clock” or they will be assessed a penalty, usually in the form of an addition lap or additional time added to their finishing time.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>THE RACE</strong></p>
<p>Speed is the key to winning, but speed alone may not get a boat to the checkered flag first. Strategy is the key to positioning the boat in the right lane to match the way the boat has been set up, and driving defensively can keep a faster boat behind a slower boat. At all times during a race, there are numerous things a driver must do: communicate via radio to their Crew Chief or “radio man”, manage their boat speed before the start and “fight” for the lane they feel will give them the best chance of success without jumping the gun, watch all the other boats to insure they maintain proper distance, watch out for the buoys on the inside of the course, and once the race is under way, “fly” their boats at the maximum speed they’re capable of without flipping!</p>
<p>Roostertails and skidfin water are the most spectacular parts of hydroplane racing but present the most danger to other drivers on the course. Both lift TONS of water high in the air and both will lift other hydroplanes out of the water as well. All boats are required to have “overlap” before a lane change can be made. This overlap is 7 boat lengths – one roostertail length – and it allows the roostertail to subside so as not to endanger the following driver. Jeff Bernard’s 2009 flip in Doha shows the power of the roostertail.</p>
<p>If a driver on the inside somehow drifts into a boat on the outside or is “pinched” by the boat on the outside, it is almost guaranteed the inside boat will be lifted out of the water and flipped by the wall of water coming off the skidfin. Dave Villwock’s near flip in Heat 1B in Doha at the 2010 UIM World Championship shows the amazing power of the skidfin water.</p>
<p>Since the “lanes” that comprise a race course are about thirty feet wide, a boat running in lane six will travel much farther than a boat in lane one. However, the boat in lane one must make a much tighter arc to make it around the corner and scrubs off lots of speed to do it. The boat in an outside lane can make a much gentler turn allowing him to carry much more speed through to the exit of the corner. This means that the optimum combination of gear ratio and propeller pitch varies dramatically depending on which lane the boat races in. The correct choice of ratios and prop means a boat can win from the outside if the inside boat can’t put enough power down to get out of the corners fast enough. Conversely, the leading boat is allowed to establish which portion of their 30 foot lane they choose to race in. By staying in the outside of their lane, a slower boat on the inside can force a faster boat on the outside to make a much wider arc. This will force the outside boat to run a longer course potentially slowing them down and allowing the slower boat on the inside to win.</p>
<p>Depending on the choices made during setup, almost every conceivable combination of faster and slower boats in different lanes can produce dramatic racing and very unexpected results. Every team on the water is capable of bringing home a race win – that’s what makes Unlimited Hydroplane racing one of the most amazing and spectacular forms of racing in the world!</p> THE UNLIMITEDS - 2012 IN REVIEWtag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-02:6315479:Page:863192015-02-02T04:48:20.835ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p><em>By Fred Farley – Unlimited Hydroplane Historian</em></p>
<p>The world’s only community-owned Unlimited hydroplane from Madison, Indiana, did its 13,000 owners proud in 2012. Driver Steve David guided the OH BOY! OBERTO/MISS MADISON to first-place in National High Points for the fourth time in the past five years. This was on the strength of victories in the Albert Lee Cup at Seattle and the Bill Muncey Cup at San Diego.</p>
<p>David and the OBERTO team also finished second at Madison,…</p>
<p><em>By Fred Farley – Unlimited Hydroplane Historian</em></p>
<p>The world’s only community-owned Unlimited hydroplane from Madison, Indiana, did its 13,000 owners proud in 2012. Driver Steve David guided the OH BOY! OBERTO/MISS MADISON to first-place in National High Points for the fourth time in the past five years. This was on the strength of victories in the Albert Lee Cup at Seattle and the Bill Muncey Cup at San Diego.</p>
<p>David and the OBERTO team also finished second at Madison, Detroit, and Doha, Qatar.</p>
<p>When the roostertails subsided after the last race of the 2012 season, OH BOY! OBERTO had 9377 National Points, compared to 8193 for runner-up GRAHAM TRUCKING, followed by SPIRIT OF QATAR 96 with 6845, JONES RACING with 6370, DEGREE MEN with 5130, MISS BEACON PLUMBING with 4954, MISS PETERS & MAY with 4533, LELAND UNLIMITED with 3970, MISS RED DOT with 3468, FORMULABOATS.COM/MISS DIJULIO with 3127, SNOQUALMIE CASINO with 1252, BUCKET LIST with 690, LELAND UNLIMITED II with 582, and MATRIX SYSTEM/BROADWAY TAVERN with 510. </p>
<p>As High Point winner, OH BOY! OBERTO is entitled to wear the coveted U-1 emblem throughout the 2013 H1 Unlimited tour. David has now won six Driver Championships in the Unlimited Class since 2005.</p>
<p>In 2012, OH BOY! OBERTO started and finished 26 heats of competition, was first 16 times and second seven times.</p>
<p>Ted Porter’s GRAHAM TRUCKING, the second-place finisher in National Points, claimed two victories on the 2012 tour–the Tri-Cities Columbia Cup and the Oryx Cup/UIM World Championship at Doha. GRAHAM TRUCKING driver Jimmy Shane was a stand-out in his first season as a full-time Unlimited pilot. Shane, who had previously served as a back-up driver for the Porter team, started the 2013 season with a repeat victory in the Doha World Championship event.</p>
<p>Also achieving the winner’s circle in 2012 was Erick Ellstrom’s SPIRIT OF QATAR 96, the defending High Point Champion from 2011. Driver Dave Villwock took first-place at the first two races of 2012 in Madison and Detroit. The Ellstrom team qualified fastest at all six H1 events but was plagued with mechanical difficulty during the second half of the season. This included an engine fire which did major damage to the hull during a preliminary heat at Doha, Qatar.</p>
<p>For the first time in the post-World War II era, an American Unlimited hydroplane–the MISS PETERS & MAY–plied its spectacular trade in Great Britain. Driver J.W. Myers opened British Speed Week in November 2012 by setting a UIM World Kilo record for Unlimited hydroplanes of 176.110 miles per hour on Coniston Water, England. The record is the average of two runs over the same course in opposite directions with the fastest being 180 miles per hour.</p>
<p>Throughout its history, the Unlimited Class has always been looked upon as a development category. The door is always open to new ideas. In 2012, owner/driver Kelly Stocklin introduced the BUCKET LIST, an avowed experiment in the area of Lycoming turbine power. Stocklin installed a T-53–as opposed to a T-55–engine in a lighter-than-usual hull, originally built for participation in the now defunct “G” Class automotive series. Stocklin campaigned the BUCKET LIST at the Tri-Cities, Seattle, and San Diego events and went on to be named Rookie Driver of the Year.</p>
<p>Another noteworthy experiment that attracted a lot of attention was the use of Biofuel in the OH BOY! OBERTO during an exhibition heat at the Tri-Cities. The Biofuel project is headed up by former Boeing President/CEO Scott Carson who has been working with engineers from the Tri-Cities campus of Washington State University.</p>
<p>Carson called the test a success, saying the plant-based fuel performed up to or exceeded expectation. “The temperatures and overall performance were as good as the regular fuel,” he said. “In fact, they may have been a little better.”</p>
<p>H1 Chairman Sam Cole added, “We really want to thank Scott and the WSU engineers for the time and effort they have put into the Biofuel project and for moving us closer to the day when our entire sport can go green.” </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Madison, IN</strong><br>
<strong>Lucas Oil Indiana Governor’s Cup</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>U-1 SPIRIT OF QATAR 96, Dave Villwock </li>
<li>U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO/MISS MADISON, Steve David </li>
<li>U-88 DEGREE MEN, Scott Liddycoat </li>
</ol>
<p>The kick-off race for the 2012 Unlimited tour featured the 62nd annual running of the Indiana Governor’s Cup at Madison, Indiana. A dozen teams gathered on the banks of the Ohio River to vie for five spots–four on the front line and one trailer–in the winner-take-all Final Heat.</p>
<p>After three sets of elimination heats, SPIRIT OF QATAR 96 crossed the starting line first in lane-two in the Final Heat with OH BOY! OBERTO in lane-one.</p>
<p>OH BOY! OBERTO stayed within SPIRIT OF QATAR’s roostertail length throughout lap-one. QATAR pulled away from OBERTO on lap-two and went on to win, 136.105 miles per hour to 132.132. DEGREE MEN (with Scott Liddycoat), MISS RED DOT (with Kip Brown) and MISS PETERS & MAY (with J.W. Myers) checked in third, fourth, and fifth respectively.</p>
<p>This marked Villwock’s ninth victory since 1997 in the Indiana Governor’s Cup series.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Detroit, MI</strong><br>
<strong>APBA Gold Cup</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>U-1 SPIRIT OF QATAR 96, Dave Villwock</li>
<li>U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO/MISS MADISON, Steve David</li>
<li>U-37 MISS BEACON PLUMBING, J. Michael Kelly</li>
</ol>
<p>The 103rd running of the APBA Gold Cup saw Dave Villwock score his tenth victory in that famous series on the Detroit River since 1996. Only the retired Chip Hanauer, with eleven, has more.</p>
<p>Villwock and SPIRIT OF QATAR 96 won all five Gold Cup heats. This was despite inclement wind and water conditions. Three other teams were involved in blow-over accidents: MATRIX SYSTEM with Mike Webster, MISS PETERS & MAY with J.W. Myers, and DEGREE MEN with Scott Liddycoat. The drivers suffered only minor injuries but the MATRIX SYSTEM boat was declared through for the season.</p>
<p>SPIRIT OF QATAR 96 and OH BOY! OBERTO crossed the starting line together in the Final Heat. QATAR and OBERTO seesawed for the lead for two laps before QATAR pulled to a substantial lead on lap-three. QATAR took the checkered flag at 151.089 miles per hour to OBERTO’s 147.040.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Tri-Cities, WA</strong><br>
<strong>Lamb-Weston Columbia Cup</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>U-5 GRAHAM TRUCKING, Jimmy Shane</li>
<li>U-37 MISS BEACON PLUMBING, J. Michael Kelly </li>
<li>U-1 SPIRIT OF QATAR 96, Dave Villwock</li>
</ol>
<p>Driver Jimmy Shane scored the first victory of his Unlimited hydroplane career at Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, in southeastern Washington, with Ted Porter’s GRAHAM TRUCKING. In so doing, Shane snapped the two-race winning streak of Dave Villwock and SPIRIT OF QATAR 96, which blew a gearbox in a preliminary heat and finished a distant third in the finale.</p>
<p>OH BOY! OBERTO and Steve David missed the score-up buoy (by less than a boat length) during the warm-up lap prior to the start of the Final Heat and had to run a penalty lap. OBERTO took the physical “lead” on lap-one and maintained it throughout.</p>
<p>GRAHAM TRUCKING with Shane (in lane-two) and MISS BEACON PLUMBING with J. Michael Kelly (in lane-one) battled side-by side for the legal lead during all five laps. Kelly gained the advantage in the turns, while Shane used superior boat speed in the straightaways.</p>
<p>Shane did not take the lead until the last few yards before the finish line and beat Kelly by less than a boat length–approximately eight feet!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Seattle, WA</strong><br>
<strong>Albert Lee Cup at Seafair</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO/MISS MADISON, Steve David</li>
<li>U-5 GRAHAM TRUCKING, Jimmy Shane</li>
<li>U-1 SPIRIT OF QATAR 96, Dave Villwock</li>
</ol>
<p>Steve David and OH BOY! OBERTO/MISS MADISON came into Seafair week trailing Dave Villwock and SPIRIT OF QATAR 96 in Season High Points by just 190. During the preliminary heats, David moved into the lead, but by just 22 points.</p>
<p>For the Final Heat, seven boats approached the starting line closely bunched with Jimmy Shane and GRAHAM TRUCKING first across. OH BOY! OBERTO led out of the first turn and throughout. David, Shane, and Villwock were two roostertail lengths apart after lap-one. David pulled away on lap-two and went on to win by one and a half roostertails over second-place Shane, 135.021 miles per hour to 133.495.</p>
<p>The race was especially satisfying for the OBERTO team inasmuch as the victory occurred in the hometown of their sponsor, the Oberto Meat Products Company.</p>
<p>The 2012 Albert Lee Cup marked the third straight Seafair Regatta win by OH BOY! OBERTO and the fourth since 2007.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>San Diego, CA</strong><br>
<strong>Bill Muncey Cup at Bayfair</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO/MISS MADISON, Steve David </li>
<li>U-5 GRAHAM TRUCKING, Jimmy Shane </li>
<li>U-1 SPIRIT OF QATAR 96, Dave Villwock</li>
</ol>
<p>The fifth stop on the 2012 H1 Unlimited series tour saw Steve David and OH BOY! OBERTO increase their lead in Season High Points and add the Bill Muncey Cup to their trophy collection on San Diego’s Mission Bay.</p>
<p>Fresh from their recent confrontation at Seattle, David and OBERTO once again crossed swords with Jimmy Shane and GRAHAM TRUCKING in the Bill Muncey Cup Final Heat. Coming up for the start, it was Shane in lane-one, David in lane-two, and Dave Villwock with SPIRIT OF QATAR 96 in lane-three. OBERTO led all the way with GRAHAM staying within OBERTO’s roostertail length for four of the five laps. David averaged 150.086, Shane 148.376, and Villwock 147.798.</p>
<p>A number of teams experienced mechanical difficulty over the course of the weekend. Owner Billy Schumacher withdrew MISS BEACON PLUMBING after the first set of preliminaries, citing a problem keeping salt water out of the boat. Then, SPIRIT OF QATAR 96 lost a hot section in the Lycoming turbine engine, while leading in Heat 2-B, and slowed to a halt.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Doha, Qatar</strong><br>
<strong>Oryx Cup/UIM World Championship</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>U-5 GRAHAM TRUCKING, Jimmy Shane</li>
<li>U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO/MISS MADISON, Steve David</li>
<li>U-9 JONES RACING, Jon Zimmerman</li>
</ol>
<p>For the fourth time in their history, the Unlimited hydroplanes made the trek half-way around the world to once again compete for the Oryx Cup/UIM World Championship at Doha, Qatar.</p>
<p>Only the top-10 teams in Season High Points are invited to participate in the Doha event, which is sanctioned by the Union of International Motorboating.</p>
<p>ace officials worked around a foreboding weather forecast that promised high winds on Doha Bay, but never really materialized. Preliminary heats were moved ahead a day to take advantage of a more favorable forecast.</p>
<p>Steve David and OH BOY! OBERTO clinched the High Point Championship during the preliminary heat action. But there was still the Oryx Cup to be contested.</p>
<p>Jimmy Shane and GRAHAM TRUCKING secured lane-one before the start of the Final Heat with David and OH BOY! OBERTO in lane-two. Shane led out of the first turn and throughout with David in second, ahead of third-place Jon Zimmerman and the JONES RACING entry. Shane averaged 136.703 to David’s 134.682 and Zimmerman’s 123.944.</p>
<p>This marked the third Oryx Cup win for owner Ted Porter, his first with driver Shane. Porter’s previous victories occurred in 2009 with J. Michael Kelly and in 2011 with Scott Liddycoat. In the past, Porter had fielded a two-boat–and sometimes a three-boat–team but in 2012 chose to concentrate on a single entry.</p>
<p>Looking ahead to the 2013 H1 Unlimited season, the fans can expect more of the same deck-to-deck action that characterized 2012.</p>
<p>The first race of 2013, conducted on February 8-12, witnessed a second straight triumph in the Oryx Cup/UIM World Championship at Doha, Qatar, by Ted Porter’s GRAHAM TRUCKING. Driver Jimmy Shane took the checkered flag ahead of runner-up Jon Zimmerman and the JONES RACING team, followed by third-place Steve David and the OH BOY! OBERTO/MISS MADISON.</p>
<p>In a ceremony on the awards stage at the 2013 Doha event, Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation, and H1 Unlimited Chairman Sam Cole signed a five-year agreement extending the annual event through 2018. According to the agreement, the race will be run in November of each year.</p>
<p>“The Oryx Cup has had a tremendously positive impact on our sport since we first came to Doha five years ago,” Cole affirmed. “Combined with the new events on our 2013 schedule in Sacramento, California, and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, we are looking forward to a very bright future for Unlimited hydroplane racing in the US and around the world.”</p> Jim Sedam Rememberedtag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-02:6315479:Page:863182015-02-02T04:26:41.081ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p><em>By Fred Farley – Unlimited Hydroplane Historian</em></p>
<p>Former Unlimited hydroplane sponsor and owner Jim Sedam passed away August 1, 2012, at King’s Daughters Hospital in Madison, Indiana. Jim and his wife Nancy were active in the sport between 1979 and 1987.</p>
<p>Jim’s first involvement was as sponsor of the Madison-based MISS KENTUCKIANA PAVING that was owned by Bill Cantrell and Graham Heath and driven by Jon Peddie.</p>
<p>Sedam made his debut as an owner in 1983 with the…</p>
<p><em>By Fred Farley – Unlimited Hydroplane Historian</em></p>
<p>Former Unlimited hydroplane sponsor and owner Jim Sedam passed away August 1, 2012, at King’s Daughters Hospital in Madison, Indiana. Jim and his wife Nancy were active in the sport between 1979 and 1987.</p>
<p>Jim’s first involvement was as sponsor of the Madison-based MISS KENTUCKIANA PAVING that was owned by Bill Cantrell and Graham Heath and driven by Jon Peddie.</p>
<p>Sedam made his debut as an owner in 1983 with the original MISS TOSTI ASTI that was driven by his friend and neighbor Todd Yarling of Hanover, Indiana. The boat was a 1956 vintage Les Staudacher hull that had campaigned in 1974 as Bob Schroeder’s CU-22.</p>
<p>In their first race together, Sedam, Yarling, and MISS TOSTI ASTI finished third in the 1983 Missouri Governor’s Cup at Lake-of-the-Ozarks.</p>
<p>Jim purchased a new Allison-powered cabover hull from builder Jon Staudacher in 1984. Sedam raced this hull every year between 1984 and 1987 before selling it in 1988 to Jim McCormick and Bob Fendler. This boat raced under various names, including CHET’S MUSIC SHOP, CELLULAR ONE, and EAGLE SNACKS.</p>
<p>Following his retirement from competition, Sedam served as a consultant to the MISS MADISON team.</p>
<p>The Unlimited hydroplane fraternity extends deep sympathy to the family of Jim Sedam.</p> Russ Schleeh Rememberedtag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-02:6315479:Page:862242015-02-02T04:24:22.918ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p><em>By Fred Farley – Unlimited Hydroplane Historian</em></p>
<p>Russ Schleeh, one of the most distinguished men ever to pilot an Unlimited hydroplane, passed away on May 6, 2012, at his home in Mission Viejo, California. He was 93.</p>
<p>“The Flying Colonel” raced boats between 1955 and 1963. He is the only Unlimited driver to appear on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (in 1957).</p>
<p>As a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Schleeh test-flew the Boeing XB-47 jet bomber and was involved in many…</p>
<p><em>By Fred Farley – Unlimited Hydroplane Historian</em></p>
<p>Russ Schleeh, one of the most distinguished men ever to pilot an Unlimited hydroplane, passed away on May 6, 2012, at his home in Mission Viejo, California. He was 93.</p>
<p>“The Flying Colonel” raced boats between 1955 and 1963. He is the only Unlimited driver to appear on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (in 1957).</p>
<p>As a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Schleeh test-flew the Boeing XB-47 jet bomber and was involved in many other important projects for the military establishment.</p>
<p>Through his ties with the Boeing Company, Schleeh became acquainted with members of the hydroplane racing community in the Pacific Northwest.</p>
<p>One of these–Ted Jones, the leading designer of Unlimiteds–was especially impressed with Russ and invited him to drive REBEL SUH (U-11), a new Allison-powered hydroplane that Jones co-owned with Kirn Armistead.</p>
<p>With no previous experience in racing, Schleeh qualified and made a start in the 1955 APBA Gold Cup on Seattle’s Lake Washington. REBEL SUH unfortunately sank after only running a few laps. But that was enough for Russ to be bitten by the hydro bug. His DNF (Did Not Finish) result in the Gold Cup not withstanding, he would be back. Ted Jones would see to that.</p>
<p>In 1956, Jones was putting together a new team for Texas oil millionaire W.T. (“Bill”) Waggoner. He recommended Colonel Schleeh as driver of SHANTY I (U-29), a state of the art marvel, which Jones had designed and Les Staudacher had built.</p>
<p>Waggoner was one of those larger-than-life characters with his trademark cowboy hat and those pearl-handled fake six-guns strapped around his considerable girth. Waggoner named SHANTY I after his wife Mary Beth whose nickname was Shanty.</p>
<p>Schleeh and SHANTY I went on to win the 1956 National High Point Championship and won their first three races in a row. These were the Lake Tahoe Mapes Trophy, the Seattle Seafair Regatta, and the Harmsworth International Trophy. Powered by a supercharged Allison engine, SHANTY I established a world record for a 3.75-mile competition lap at 115.979 miles per hour on Lake Washington.</p>
<p>SHANTY I’s victories at Lake Tahoe and in the Harmsworth at Detroit were admittedly won against mediocre opposition. But her Seattle Seafair triumph was one for the ages. Driver Schleeh raised the lap record by 9 miles per hour and the heat and race records by 6 miles per hour. SHANTY I also brought the long-dominant SLO-MO-SHUN IV down to earth at Seattle by decisively beating her in the Final Heat.</p>
<p>An amusing sidebar of the Seafair triumph was the good luck token with which Schleeh would be forever identified: a plumber’s friend. It all grew out of a misunderstanding. There was a group of rookie drivers participating in the Seafair Regatta with little or no experience at the Unlimited level. A Seattle newspaperman misquoted a veteran driver as saying to the effect that the rookies “drove like a bunch of plumbers.” The veteran had, in fact, said nothing of the sort. But the misstatement became a part of hydroplane lore.</p>
<p>Instead of taking offense, Russ laughed off the whole ridiculous thing. He began carrying a plumber’s friend with him in the SHANTY I cockpit and would triumphantly wave it when returning to the pits after a heat of racing.</p>
<p>Schleeh and SHANTY I had a clear lead in the Final Heat of the season-concluding Sahara Cup on Lake Mead and probably would have won that race as well if a supercharger hadn’t failed and caused the boat to go dead in the water.</p>
<p>Subsequent to the 1956 racing season, SHANTY I and the “Flying Colonel” made an attempt on Lake Washington’s East Channel to break the world mile straightaway record of 178.497, set by SLO-MO-SHUN IV in 1952, but came up short with a clocking of 173.910.</p>
<p>Schleeh credited SHANTY I’s success to the superior hull design by Ted Jones and also to the prowess of Allison engine builder Howard Gidovlenko.</p>
<p>Russ identified Gidovlenko as the man who successfully adapted the aux-stage Allison, which had been tried in airplanes, for use in race boats. Thanks to Howard’s pioneering concept, it was possible for an Allison to nearly equal the power output of a Rolls-Royce Merlin. When Gidovlenko passed away in 1998, Schleeh eulogized him as “a great friend, a talented engine builder, and a good man. I will miss him.”</p>
<p>SHANTY I had difficulty handling rough water in 1956–especially at the President’s Cup in Washington, D.C., where she failed to make the cut for the Final Heat. In order to correct this problem, she was extensively rebuilt for the 1957 season. Component parts were re-located. This proved to be SHANTY I’s undoing. The balance was wrong. From then on, the boat was a shell of its former self.</p>
<p>SHANTY I was no match for the likes of Jack Regas in HAWAII KAI III, Bill Muncey in MISS THRIFTWAY, or Mira Slovak in MISS WAHOO, which happened to be a hull duplicate of SHANTY I.</p>
<p>At the 1957 Seattle Gold Cup, Schleeh reported he had power that he couldn’t use because the boat was so erratic. SHANTY I nevertheless managed to take second-place to MISS THRIFTWAY in a 15-boat field.</p>
<p>A month later, SHANTY I crashed during a test run on the Potomac River at Washington, D.C., and Russ Schleeh almost drowned. (Earlier in the season, the Colonel had been pitched out of the boat at the Lake Chelan Apple Cup.)</p>
<p>Following the destruction of SHANTY I, Waggoner announced plans for a replacement SHANTY II. This time, however, he decided to experiment with a radical hull configuration–a boat without sponsons with a ski or “step” on the underside.</p>
<p>SHANTY II was never brought to a race. Waggoner reportedly invested a quarter of a million dollars in the project. The designer, Ernest Stout, an aeronautical engineer, had never even seen an Unlimited run.</p>
<p>According to Schleeh, SHANTY II rode very erratically in tests and could only do about 90 miles per hour on the straightaway with an Allison engine.</p>
<p>Following his crash in Washington, D.C., Russ didn’t drive in competition for three years. At the 1960 Seafair Regatta, he took the wheel of the cabover THRIFTWAY TOO. Designed to carry twin Allisons, THRIFTWAY TOO never used more than one. As such, it was under-powered and only sporadically competitive.</p>
<p>The day ended badly for Schleeh. He ended up going to the hospital to be treated for burns after THRIFTWAY TOO’s engine caught fire during the Final Heat.</p>
<p>Later in the season, Russ briefly handled Sam DuPont’s NITROGEN TOO at the wind-shortened Gold Cup on Lake Mead.</p>
<p>Over the next two years, Schleeh drove the former MAVERICK, which had been National Champion in 1959 with Bill Stead driving. While undeniably fast, the boat was always a handful to drive with an alarming tendency to “hook” in the turns.</p>
<p>Russ drove it in six races–two as MISS RENO in 1961 and four as TAHOE MISS in 1962.</p>
<p>He finished third in the 1961 World’s Championship Seafair Regatta but flipped the boat at the 1961 Reno Gold Cup. In 1962, he placed second in the Diamond Cup, didn’t finish the Seattle Gold Cup, was third in the Spirit of Detroit Regatta, and fourth in the Indiana Governor’s Cup.</p>
<p>For his final appearance as an Unlimited competitor, Schleeh filled in as interim driver of MISS EXIDE (the former MISS WAHOO) at the 1963 Seafair Regatta where he finished third overall.</p>
<p>Seafair Heat 1-A was a classic and one of the fastest in history up until that time. Muncey finished first with MISS THRIFTWAY at 112.500 miles per hour for the 15 miles. Then came Ron Musson in MISS BARDAHL and Schleeh in MISS EXIDE in a drag race to the finish line with Musson taking it, 110.474 to 110.429.</p>
<p>After retiring from the Air Force, Russ traded his life jacket and helmet for a seat behind the desk of industry. When asked to describe his most exciting moment in hydroplane racing, Schleeh replied, “Probably the greatest thrill of my Unlimited hydroplane experience was my first ride in one of these thundering, spectacular, and beautiful boats. I thoroughly enjoy speed in any form and can honestly say that the thrill of speed is herein realized in its rarest form.”</p> Al Thoreson Rememberedtag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-02:6315479:Page:862232015-02-02T04:18:11.082ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p><em>By Fred Farley – Unlimited Hydroplane Historian</em></p>
<p>Veteran Unlimited hydroplane crew chief Al Thoreson passed away this past weekend. He was 86. A generation of race fans knew him as “Uncle Al.”</p>
<p>During the sport’s piston era, Thoreson was regarded as something of a legend–especially among low-budget Allison-powered teams. From the 1950s to the 1990s, Al twisted wrenches for owners Bob Gilliam, Pete LaRock, Bob Fendler, Pat O’Day, Bill McFadden, and others. He was co-owner…</p>
<p><em>By Fred Farley – Unlimited Hydroplane Historian</em></p>
<p>Veteran Unlimited hydroplane crew chief Al Thoreson passed away this past weekend. He was 86. A generation of race fans knew him as “Uncle Al.”</p>
<p>During the sport’s piston era, Thoreson was regarded as something of a legend–especially among low-budget Allison-powered teams. From the 1950s to the 1990s, Al twisted wrenches for owners Bob Gilliam, Pete LaRock, Bob Fendler, Pat O’Day, Bill McFadden, and others. He was co-owner with Jerry Hopp of the Thor Racing Team, headquartered in Snohomish, Washington.</p>
<p>A U.S. Navy veteran, Thoreson was an eye witness to the Japanese surrender to General Douglas MacArthur, aboard the Battleship MISSOURI, at the end of World War II.</p>
<p>After the war, Al raced Stock Cars before drifting into boat racing. His first major involvement with Unlimited hydroplanes was with Bob Gilliam’s team, which usually carried the name FASCINATION when no sponsor was available. In 1959 and 1960, the team received financial backing from Seattle Radio Station KOL and raced as KOLroy.</p>
<p>At the 1959 Buffalo Launch Club Regatta on the Niagara River, Thoreson and Gilliam encountered a problem with KOLroy’s one and only two-blade propeller. A piece of one fluke had broken off in a test run. The nearest replacement prop was a continent away in Seattle. What did they do? Al and Bob took a hacksaw and cut an equivalent chunk out of the opposite fluke. They then filed down both flukes, put the “butchered” prop back on the boat, and went on to take second in the race behind first-place MAVERICK and driver Bill Stead.</p>
<p>According to Gilliam, KOLroy “had more bounce than it ever had that day and twice the acceleration.”</p>
<p>One of Thoreson’s most unusual assignments was as crew chief and driver coach for Brenda Jones, the rookie driver of Pat O’Day’s MISS KYYX in 1981. Brenda was the first woman to drive in post-World War II Unlimited competition. She had no previous racing experience aside from a couple of practice heats in a stock 145 Cubic Inch Class rig,.</p>
<p>While the media snickered at the whole idea, Al put Brenda through her paces, calmly and professionally. Brenda passed her Driver’s Qualification test with flying colors and did her team proud, both on and off the race course.</p>
<p>Thoreson’s best season as an Unlimited crew chief was undoubtedly the 1972 campaign. Sponsored by PIZZA PETE and driven by Gilliam, the team finished fourth in a 17-boat field in National High Points and qualified for six Final Heats out of seven. The best finishes were a third in the Champion Spark Plug Regatta at Miami and a fourth in the President’s Cup at Washington, D.C. This was with a boat that was in its 13th season with a hull design clearly obsolete in comparison to ATLAS VAN LINES, PAY ‘n PAK, and MISS BUDWEISER.</p>
<p>“Uncle Al” will long be remembered for his friendliness and for his many years of hard work and dedication to the sport that he loved.</p> New Trophy Honors Bill Munceytag:thunderboats.ning.com,2015-02-02:6315479:Page:862222015-02-02T04:14:51.590ZHydroplane Museumhttps://thunderboats.ning.com/profile/246tk6zdw9cbo
<p>One of the highlights of the Annual H1 Unlimited Awards Banquet Saturday evening at the Westin Hotel in Seattle was the first presentation of the Bill Muncey Trophy to the Season High Point Champion Driver, Dave Villwock</p>
<p>The trophy also has a plate honoring Villwock’s 2007 Championship and plates for Steve David’s wins in five of the last seven seasons.</p>
<p>Beginning with this year’s banquet, the trophy will be presented each year to the driver’s champion just as the Martini and…</p>
<p>One of the highlights of the Annual H1 Unlimited Awards Banquet Saturday evening at the Westin Hotel in Seattle was the first presentation of the Bill Muncey Trophy to the Season High Point Champion Driver, Dave Villwock</p>
<p>The trophy also has a plate honoring Villwock’s 2007 Championship and plates for Steve David’s wins in five of the last seven seasons.</p>
<p>Beginning with this year’s banquet, the trophy will be presented each year to the driver’s champion just as the Martini and Rossi trophy goes to the winning team. The new trophy was designed by Athletic Awards of Seattle.</p>
<p>In his book LEGENDS OF THUNDER – Unlimited Historian Fred Farley wrote:<br>
In the long history of Unlimited hydroplane racing, no individual defined the sport more convincingly than William Edward Muncey. From 1955 until his death at Acapulco in 1981, Bill was the unchallenged superstar.</p>
<p>Muncey was an obscure 225 Cubic Inch Class pilot in the Mid-West during the late 1940s.</p>
<p>In 1950, he had a chance to drive Albin Fallon’s MISS GREAT LAKES in the Harmsworth trials on the Detroit River. He was trying out for one of three spots on the U.S. Defense Team. The 21-year-old Muncey failed to make the final “cut” but he was still able to pull an incredible 97 miles per hour out of the obsolete MISS GREAT LAKES on a 5-nautical mile course. This was nothing short of amazing.</p>
<p>Bill reportedly had to be coached on the fine points of starting the huge Allison engine. But once out on the race course, there could be no doubt that a major new talent had arrived on the Unlimited scene.</p>
<p>Ted Jones was attending the same race with the SLO-MO-SHUN IV team. He happened to observe and was impressed by Muncey’s performance in the MISS GREAT LAKES. A few years later, when Jones was putting the MISS THRIFTWAY team together for Willard Rhodes, Ted remembered Bill and offered him the driver’s job.</p>
<p>Muncey had some great years between 1955 and 1963 with MISS THRIFTWAY (also known as MISS CENTURY 21), winning four APBA Gold Cups and three National Championships. But he experienced some lean years in the middle and late 1960s with Shirley Mendelson’s NOTRE DAME and George Simon’s MISS U.S. when race victories were few and far between.</p>
<p>It is a testament to the man’s character that he was able to rebound from those “off” years.</p>
<p>He became his own owner in 1976, after a quarter century of driving for others. In partnership with crew chief Jim Lucero, Bill went on to achieve another Muncey golden age. He won 24 out of 34 races entered between 1976 and 1979 under the aegis of ATLAS VAN LINES.</p>
<p>Bill’s first five seasons with MISS THRIFTWAY were characterized by sometimes brilliant–but often erratic–driving and by two major accidents: the first at Madison, Indiana, in 1957 and the other at Seattle, Washington, in 1958.</p>
<p>His boat disintegrated at Madison and struck a U.S. Coast Guard patrol craft at Seattle. When rescue personnel reached him after the Seattle crash, Bill was officially dead at the scene when no pulse could initially be found.</p>
<p>In the 1950s, Muncey always seemed to have his act together at the Gold Cup, which he won in 1956 and 1957 and finished second in 1955 and 1959. But his Gold Cups aside, Bill’s record was very mediocre. Arch-rival Jack Regas of HAWAII KAI III fame was the top driver of the decade and had a much higher winning percentage (45%) with nine victories in twenty races between 1954 and 1959.</p>
<p>In fact, Muncey won only two non-Gold Cup races during the entire decade of the fifties. And one of those, the 1958 Detroit Memorial Regatta, was a fluke on account of MISS U.S. I conking out and GALE VI jumping the gun.<br>
The 1959 campaign was especially frustrating for Bill, who accounted for no victories and a lot of heats where he failed to finish.</p>
<p>Starting in 1960, his consistency of performance improved considerably. He began winning a lot of races with the third--and most successful--MISS THRIFTWAY.</p>
<p>Bill was National High Point Champion in 1960, 1961, and 1962, and won the Gold Cup in 1961 and 1962. He also set a world mile straightaway record of 192.001 in 1960 that stood for two years.</p>
<p>Between 1959 and 1963, Muncey started in 85 heats with the third MISS THRIFTWAY and finished 77 of them. He was first 46 times, second 16 times, third seven times, fourth five times, fifth three times, averaged 54 heats at better than 100 miles per hour, and won 14 out of 32 races entered.</p>
<p>He won those races against one of the most competitive fields in Unlimited history, which included Ron Musson in MISS BARDAHL, Bill Cantrell in GALE V, Don Wilson in MISS U.S. I, Rex Manchester in MISS SPOKANE, Mira Slovak in WAHOO, and Chuck Thompson in TAHOE MISS.</p>
<p>Between 1960 and 1962, he finished a record 55 consecutive heats in a row.<br>
Following the retirement from competition of the MISS THRIFTWAY team in 1963, the following tribute appeared in PROPELLER, the official publication of the American Power Boat Association:</p>
<p>"The voluntary termination of an illustrious reign occurred quietly. Muncey and THRIFTWAY won the first heat [at Seattle] setting a record of 112.500 mph, then went dead in the second, requiring a tow to the pits.</p>
<p>“Those decrying this ‘humbled finish for a proud champion’ are not boat racers. Racers accept the good breaks with the bad. They recognize that winning may be the goal of racing but competing is its major function.</p>
<p>“Compete the THRIFTWAY camp did, unsparingly, constantly, totally. And in compiling their three-boat, two-major-accident competitive history, the THRIFTWAY camp not only endured but prevailed to set records of speed and mechanical excellence that would be hard to beat.”</p>
<p>To be sure, Bill Muncey would some day again rule the Unlimited world. But for the moment, he was an unemployed hydroplane driver with an uncertain future, although his credentials were second to none.</p>
<p>Since landing his first Unlimited ride in 1950, Muncey had achieved the status of a winner. He would remain so, throughout the rich years--as well as the lean years--that were to follow.</p>
<p>His tenure with the rough-riding NOTRE DAME ended midway through the 1964 season after a falling out with the crew chief Bud Meldrum. Bill nevertheless scored an upset victory over the National Champion MISS BARDAHL at Guntersville, Alabama, with NOTRE DAME.</p>
<p>The MISS U.S. experience from 1965 to 1969 likewise proved unsatisfactory with only three victories in five years. According to Muncey, "Simon wouldn't give me enough money for the boat. Then he would turn right around and spend untold thosands, flying in relatives to the races from all over the country."</p>
<p>No one was more affected by the events of June 19, 1966, "Black Sunday," than Bill Muncey. That's when three of racing's finest were lost in two separate accidents at the President's Cup Regatta on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. They were Ron Musson of MISS BARDAHL, Rex Manchester of NOTRE DAME, and Don Wilson of MISS BUDWEISER.</p>
<p>All three had been close friends of Bill Muncey. It was Bill who had recommended that Musson be hired to drive for Ole Bardahl in 1961. Wilson had been Muncey’s roommate in college.</p>
<p>In the dark days that followed “Black Sunday,” Bill pondered the possibility of retirement from racing.</p>
<p>His oldest son, Wil Muncey, Jr., who was 13 at the time, remembers those days vividly: “He realized that to quit now would be like cutting slack when he was needed most. Quitting would have meant debasing the sport that his friends had died enjoying, promoting, supporting, and participating in. He was compelled to make a contribution and to help keep things rolling.</p>
<p>“The sport had suffered a lethal wound and needed to fire back just as hard as before. It was necessary to grieve the loss but to still perform.”</p>
<p>Bill decided to stay with it. But for the rest of his life, not a week would go by that he wouldn’t recall the sad memory of his three friends lost on the Potomac.</p>
<p>Muncey finally got his career back on track in 1970 when he went to work for his old friend Lee Schoenith of Gale Enterprises.</p>
<p>Bill’s best season of racing was arguably the 1972 campaign when he won six out of seven races for Schoenith, sponsored by ATLAS VAN LINES. Muncey won his long-awaited fifth Gold Cup and only broke one Rolls-Royce Merlin engine all year–and even then, he managed to finish the heat in second-place!</p>
<p>The Gold Cup is the Crown Jewel of APBA racing. It's the one prize that every competitor wants to win at least once. Bill won the race eight times (1956-57-61-62-72-77-78-79). This eclipsed the previous record of five victories, set by Gar Wood between 1917 and 1921.</p>
<p>In all, Muncey won 62 races in the Unlimited Class. The first was at Detroit in 1956 with the original MISS THRIFTWAY; the last was at Evansville, Indiana, in 1981 with the "Blue Blaster" ATLAS VAN LINES.</p>
<p>In the post-World War II era, the only driver with more wins than Bill is Dave Villwock who has 65 victories between 1992 and 2011.</p>
<p>How many Unlimited drivers who won races in the 1950s were still winning races in the 1980s? Only Muncey.</p>
<p>Bill reached the end of the Thunderboat trail on October 18, 1981, on Laguna de Coyucca in Mexico. The victim of a "blow-over," Muncey lost his life while maintaining his familiar first-place.</p>
<p>The team that he founded in 1976 continued in racing for another seven years under the leadership of Fran Muncey, Bill’s widow.</p>
<p>Fran hired Bill's hand-picked successor--Chip Hanauer--to replace her late husband in the cockpit. Bill had always told Fran, "If anything ever happens to me, be sure to get the boat to the next race and put a driver in it."</p>
<p>Hanauer picked up right where Bill had left off. Between 1982 and 1988, he won 24 races for the Bill Muncey Industries team, including an incredible seven consecutive Gold Cups.</p>
<p>It is interesting to speculate as to what kind of a post-Acapulco career Bill might have had. He most certainly would have continued as a boat owner and as the sport’s most eloquent ambassador of good will.</p>
<p>It is questionable whether Bill would have continued as a driver. At the time of his death, he was just a few weeks shy of his 53rd birthday.</p>
<p>Bill Muncey’s legacy to the sport is a standard of excellence that will be difficult to surpass.</p>
<p>And it’s possible, in the mind’s eye, to visualize Bill standing up there on the clouds, wearing that cowboy hat and those white-with-blue-trim coveralls, looking down on “his” sport.</p>
<p>He’s saying, “Okay, guys. I served my time. Now, it’s your turn. The potential of boat racing is still unlimited. The future is in your hands. So, let’s shake a leg and get moving. The 5-minute gun has just fired.”</p>
<p><em>Reprinted from LEGENDS OF THUNDER.</em><br>
<em>Copyright (c) 2009 by Fred Farley & Ron Harsin.</em></p>