By Steve Ellis
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 4, 1975
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 4, 1975
Imagine waves lapping on a sandy shore rather than asphalt, a palm grove spreading cool shadows rather than a tractor-trailer rig.
In that pleasant setting, George Henley, sitting in a lawn chair on the edge of Lake Washington, appeared more like a Wall Street businessman vacationing in Tahiti than a boat driver who only a short time before had outlasted eight other entries to win his fourth straight unlimited-hydroplane race in the Pay ‘n Pak.
"Every time I push the starter button, the boat runs," Henley said, emphasizing the key to his success.
As other boats fell apart, the Pak cruised to two preliminary-heat victories. It then finished a necessary second to the Weisfield’s and Billy Schumacher in the final heat of the Seafair Trophy Race yesterday on Lake Washington.
"Consistency is what these guys do," said Henley, referring to his crew.
Despite the apparent ease of the victory, Henley and the Pak overcame several obstacles.
Just before Heat 1A began, Henley and the Hamm’s Bear, driven by Jerry Bangs, bumped.
"It went crunch, crunch," Henley said. "I knew we were hit pretty hard. It was just one of those things in no-man’s land.
"I went way outside and quit fighting for position."
The Pak’s left sponson and left rear side of the hull were damaged.
"I couldn’t believe they got it fixed." Henley said of the crew. "It wasn’t a patch job."
Jim Lucero, the crew chief, said drawing Heat 2B gave his men helpful time.
"If we’d not gotten the draws that we did, it would have been a patch job," Lucero said.
Henley said he had an oil leak during the final heat.
"Billy got his boat going pretty good," Henley said of the Weisfield’s. "If I’d have had to do it (win the heat), I probably would have gone kaput."
Schumacher said he was satisfied with his boat’s final heat.
"We looked good, anyway," said Schumacher. He trails Henley by 131 points, in the national standings with the Phoenix and San Diego races tentatively remaining.
"It surprised me that we didn’t burn another piston," Schumacher said. A burned piston in the second heat resulted in a third-place finish, giving the Pak the necessary edge in the finale.