Thursday, October 16, 2008

The 1975 Gold Cup Remembered

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Unlimited Historian

George Henley and PAY 'N PAK made it two in a row for owner Dave Heerensperger at the 1975 Tri-Cities Gold Cup on the Columbia River. The "Winged Wonder" won her three preliminary heats and then cruised to an easy third in the finale behind Tom D'Eath in MISS U.S. and Milner Irvin in LINCOLN THRIFT.

In the space of three years, the low-profile/wide-afterplane Ron Jones-style hull had become the dominant design in Gold Cup racing. (Ted Jones, Ron's father, had likewise revolutionized the sport in the 1950s, starting with SLO-MO-SHUN IV.)

The 1975 Gold Cup featured a pair of truly classic duels in the preliminary heats.

In Heat 2-A, PAY 'N PAK and MISS U.S. battled all six laps around the 2.5-mile course with PAY 'N PAK maintaining the inside lane. Henley averaged 113.350 to D'Eath's 112.970. PAY 'N PAK hooked twice during the competitive action but managed to recover and retain first-place.

In Heat 3-B, MISS U.S. and LINCOLN THRIFT fought it out for first-place with LINCOLN taking it, 113.684 to 112.687.

Also in Heat 3-B, Jerry Bangs in HAMM'S BEAR (alias MISS MADISON) dueled with Bob Miller in MISS VERNORS (the former Karelsen MISS BUDWEISER) for third-place with Bangs taking it, 98.792 to 96.670.

It was a heartbreaking day for Irvin and the LINCOLN THRIFT team. The turbo-Allison Jones cabover hull finished first in both Heats 1-A and 3-B and took second in the finale. In Heat 2-B, Irvin was leading by a wide margin when he conked out three-quarters of a lap from the checkered flag. LINCOLN THRIFT nevertheless finished third in total points with 1100, compared to PAY 'N PAK with 1500 and MISS U.S. with 1225.

Two boats that were expected to be a factor in the 1975 Gold Cup--MISS BUDWEISER with Mickey Remund and WEISFIELD'S (former VALU-MART) with Billy Schumacher--disappointed on race day. Both experienced mechanical difficulties as did the new ATLAS VAN LINES with Bill Muncey.

The ATLAS had finished second in its debut race at Miami in 1975, but had gone down hill from there. This was only the second Unlimited hull to be designed by Jon Staudacher. And like its predecessor (the 1968 NOTRE DAME), the ATLAS was a wild-rider and was repeatedly spinning out.

The 1975 Gold Cup marked the first appearance of an OH BOY! OBERTO-sponsored hydroplane. The Seattle-based meat products firm would be a fixture in Unlimited racing for decades to come. This time, they sponsored Bob Murphy's veteran U-4 (the former 1962 NOTRE DAME), driven by veteran Chuck Hickling.

Out of fifteen boats, OH BOY! OBERTO finished seventh overall and challenged Ron Armstrong in SUPER CINDERS II for several laps for third-place in Heat 3-A before conking out.

The PAY 'N PAK's road to victory in 1975 was not an easy one. After a stellar 1974 campaign, George Henley retired as driver and crew chief Jim Lucero rebuilt the boat. In spring testing, PAY 'N PAK was definitely faster on the straightaways but was skittish in the turns.

New driver Jim McCormick (on the rebound from a serious injury accident in 1974 with RED MAN) had great difficulty in cornering the 'PAK and was the subject of considerable criticism. McCormick retired from racing after a third-place finish in the 1975 President's Cup.

Henley was coaxed out of retirement and returned to the PAY 'N PAK cockpit at the third race of the season in Owensboro, Kentucky. Lo and behold, George had the same problem with the PAK that Jim had experienced. On the first lap of the first heat at Owensboro, PAY 'N PAK swapped ends, caved in a sponson, and had to be withdrawn. All of a sudden, the Jim McCormick detractors became the George Henley apologists.

PAY 'N PAK continued to perform badly at the next race in Detroit. Finally, Lucero restored the boat to its 1974 configuration. Only then was the 'PAK its old competitive self again.

Henley and PAY 'N PAK picked up where they had left off the year before with victories at Madison, Indiana, and Dayton, Ohio. After winning at the Tri-Cities, the team went on to take first-place in Seattle and San Diego en route to a third consecutive National High Point Championship for owner Heerensperger.

Earlier in the season, the Billy Schumacher-chauffeured WEISFIELD'S had seemed a shoo-in for the national title. They had scored convincing victories at Miami and Owensboro and finished second at Washington, D.C. But once PAY 'N PAK was back on track, the chances for a WEISFIELD'S championship promptly vanished.

The MISS BUDWEISER team had an uneven 1975 campaign. They won two races (at Washington, D.C., and Phoenix, Arizona) with Mickey Remund driving, but in general lacked the consistency that marked their 1973 and 1974 seasons.

After the last race of 1975, this particular MISS BUDWEISER was sold to an Australian sportsman, who renamed it simply MISS BUD. In 1976 with Bob Saniga driving, MISS BUD won the Griffith Cup on Lake Eppalock near Melbourne. The Griffith Cup is the equivalent of the Gold Cup in that part of the world. MISS BUD is therefore the only Gold Cup winner (in 1973) to double in glory as a Griffith Cup champion.

The Gold Cup "comeback of the year" distinction for 1975 had to go to the MISS U.S. team. Their boat had been nearly destroyed by fire at the ill-fated Sand Point Gold Cup the year before. The rebuilt U-2 finished second in the 1975 Gold Cup and first in the Gar Wood Trophy on the Detroit River with Tom D'Eath driving.

The 1975 season was the last year in which Unlimited races were determined on the basis of total points. From 1976 onward, the races were decided on a "winner-take-all" Final Heat format. This was done with an eye toward television. At the 1975 Gold Cup, producers of the CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR show had complained that the winner of the Final Heat was not the winner of the race.