Hydroplane Museum's News – May 2012 Archive (8)

In case you were unable to attend Dixon Smith's Racing Development of the Merlin from the 1950's thru the 1990's lecture held at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum last Saturday evening, you watch a video recording of the event by visiting our Ustream channel (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/thunderboats), or by just clicking the "UStream" button on the far left side of our web site.

Innovative hydro owner, boat builder and driver was linked to Miss Rock and PICO American Dream.

H1 Mourns the Loss of Fred Leland

Unlimited hydro…

Note, 1956 Seafair Trophy winner and National Champion Russ Schleeh passed away on May 6, 2012. Russ died at home in Mission Viejo, California. He was 93.

By David Tremayne

Whatever it was, the photograph on the wall in Dan Gurney's office showed it to be a smoking heap of tangled metal on the bed of a desert. "Is that a Flying Wing?" I ventured, and Dan, America's finest…

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

One of the all-time favorite Unlimited hydroplanes, the Canadian MISS SUPERTEST III was undefeated in the four races that she entered during her abbreviated career.

She won the 1959 Detroit Memorial Regatta and the 1959-60-61 Harmsworth Trophy races. With Bob Hayward driving, the "III" started in ten heats, finished first in eight of them and placed second twice.…

A brief overview of the Rolls-Royce Merlin in Unlimited racing.

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

The first boat to show up at a race with a Merlin was the MISS WINDSOR, a home-built (by Lorne Armstrong) step hydroplane that attended the 1946 Gold Cup at Detroit but failed to start. MISS WINDSOR only started in one heat of competition. This was at the 1948 Maple Leaf Trophy in Windsor, Ontario, where it failed to finish.…

The Tri-Cities testing date is now confirmed for this coming Friday, May 18th.

Two H1 Unlimited Air National Guard Series Hydroplanes will be conducting extensive test runs on the Columbia River.

The 88 Degree Men® and the U-11 Peters & May boats are due to start testing sessions at 10 AM on May 18, off the shores of Columbia Park. Drivers Scott Liddycoat and JW Myers will be in the Tri Cities on May 17 doing personal appearances while the boat…

A record ninth Gold Cup victory moves a quiet man closer still to mentor Bill Muncey in the reckoning for Unlimited hydroplaning's all-time greatest exponent.

By David Tremayne, 1993

Stan Hanauer tells it best, but since he is Chip's father it's not surprising that he should know the inside story of his son's 1982 Gold Cup victory. It was the first of that record nine, and…

In a wild windup, Chip Hanauer won the hydro title.

By Shelley Smith

Reprinted from
 Sports Illustrated, October 1, 1990  

Chip Hanauer was rounding the first turn in the third heat of the Budweiser Las Vegas Silver Cup on wind-chopped Lake Mead at 120-plus mph when he felt his 6,000-pound, jet turbine-powered Miss Circus Circus boat flip sideways and into the air. A four-time national hydroplane driving champion, the 36-year-old Hanauer…