Sunday, July 26, 2015

Madison Winner!


July 8, 1973. MADISON, Ind. (UPI) - Mickey Remund (bottom), shown piloting the unlimited Pay ‘N Pak hydroplane, passes the mark ahead of Dean Chenoweth (top) in Miss Budweiser in the final 15 mile heat of the Madison Regatta for unlimited Hydroplanes. Remund smashed a series of records in winning the 22nd annual Indiana Governor’s Cup race. Like their counterparts in auto racing, the wing shown on the winning boat apparently has added speed to these already fast boats. Remund, shown here skimming the water at over 150 miles per hour, won both heats and the final in record time.

Pay 'n Pak Sets New Madison Regatta Mark

July 9, 1973. MADISON, Ind. (UPI) - The winged Pay 'N Pak dominated the field Sunday to win the Indiana Governor’s Cup for unlimited Hydroplanes.

The $25,000 cup race is the main prize at the two-day Madison Regatta on the Ohio River. An estimated 100,000 spectators line the Indiana and Kentucky shorelines to watch the event in sunny, 90-degree weather.

Pay 'N Pak, driven by Mickey Remund, Palm Desert, Calif., roared to a record 104.106 miles per hour to finish one-half lap ahead of Miss Budweiser in second place. The two “thunderboats” were tied entering the 150 mile finale after each pickup a pair of heat victories.

Miss Budweiser was driven by Dean Chenoweth, Xenia, Ohio.

Third in the five-boat final was Lincoln Thrift, followed in fourth by Redman and in fifth by Mr. Fabricator.

Pay 'N Pak accumulated 1,200 points for the afternoon with Budweiser getting 1,100. Lincoln Thrift had 675, Redman 525 and Mr. Fabricator 469.

Sentimental favorite and community-owned Miss Madison was sixth with 352 points earned in heat races. Gale’s Roostertail was seventh with 300. Valu-Mart and Atlas Van Lines competed, but failed to score points.

Atlas was the defending Regatta champ and the No. 1 boat in the American Power Boat Association races last season. But driver Bill Muncey, San Diego, Calif., experienced mechanical problems all week and his craft went dead in the water while leading a preliminary heat.

Pay 'N Pak passed Muncey and Atlas en route to a record 106.888 winning average in that heat.

Mechanical problems plagued many of the other boats in the nine craft event, but there were no accidents or sinkings.

Earlier in the week Pay 'N Pak - the first “thunderboat” to utilize the stabilizer wing - roared to a qualifying record on the 2 ½ mile Ohio River course. Remund posted a 115.908 clocking Thursday.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Dave Heerensperger's Unlimited Results

DateRaceFinishDriverBoat
1982
6/6/1982Champion Spark Plug Regatta5thJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
6/13/1982Thunder-In-The-Park1stJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
6/27/1982APBA Gold Cup6thJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
8/1/1982Columbia Cup5thJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
8/8/1982Emerald CupDNFJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
1981
6/7/1981Champion Spark Plug Regatta2ndJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
6/28/1981Stroh's Silver Cup7thJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
7/5/1981Indiana Governor's Cup5thJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
7/12/1981Thunder On The Ohio8thJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
7/26/1981Columbia Cup8thJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
8/9/1981APBA Gold Cup2ndJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
10/18/1981World Championship3rdJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
1980
7/27/1980Columbia CupW/DJohn WaltersU-25 Pay 'N Pak (2)
1975
5/18/1975Champion Spark Plug Regatta6thJim McCormickU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
6/1/1975President's Cup3rdJim McCormickU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
6/15/1975Kentucky Governor's CupDNFGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
6/29/1975Gar Wood Trophy3rdGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
7/6/1975Indiana Governor's Cup1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
7/13/1975Hydroglobe1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
7/27/1975APBA Gold Cup1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
8/3/1975Seafair Trophy1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
9/14/1975Desert Thunderboat Regatta5thGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
9/21/1975Weisfield's Trophy1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
1974
6/2/1974Champion Spark Plug Regatta4thGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
6/9/1974President's Cup1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
6/16/1974Kentucky Governor's Cup1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
6/30/1974Gar Wood Memorial2ndGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
7/21/1974World Championship1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
8/4/1974APBA Gold Cup1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
9/1/1974Hydroglobe1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
9/15/1974Desert Thunderboat Classic5thGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
9/22/1974San Diego Cup1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
10/13/1974Indiana Governor's Cup1stGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
10/20/1974Admiral's Cup2ndGeorge HenleyU-1 Pay 'N Pak (1)
1973
5/20/1973Champion Spark Plug Regatta1stMickey RemundU-25 Pay 'N Pak (1)
6/3/1973President's Cup3rdMickey RemundU-25 Pay 'N Pak (1)
6/17/1973Kentucky Governor's Cup5thMickey RemundU-25 Pay 'N Pak (1)
7/1/1973Gar Wood Memorial2ndMickey RemundU-25 Pay 'N Pak (1)
7/8/1973Indiana Governor's Cup1stMickey RemundU-25 Pay 'N Pak (1)
7/22/1973APBA Gold Cup4thMickey RemundU-25 Pay 'N Pak (1)
8/5/1973World Championship1stMickey RemundU-25 Pay 'N Pak (1)
9/2/1973Clearwater Cup1stMickey RemundU-25 Pay 'N Pak (1)
9/9/1973National Champions Regatta2ndMickey RemundU-25 Pay 'N Pak (1)
1972
6/4/1972Champion Spark Plug Regatta2ndBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
6/11/1972Kentucky Governor's Cup2ndBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
6/25/1972APBA Gold Cup2ndBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
7/4/1972World Championship6thBill SterettU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
7/9/1972President's Cup1stBilly Sterett Jr.U-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
7/23/1972Atomic Cup3rdBilly Sterett Jr.U-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
8/6/1972Seafair TrophyDNFBilly Sterett Jr.U-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
1971
5/23/1971Champion Spark Plug RegattaDNFBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
6/6/1971President's Cup5thBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
6/13/1971Kentucky Governor's Cup2ndBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
6/27/1971Horace Dodge Memorial8thBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
7/4/1971APBA Gold Cup3rdBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
7/25/1971Atomic Cup4thBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
8/8/1971Seafair Trophy1stBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
8/15/1971Emerald Cup1stBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
9/26/1971Atlas Van Lines Trophy1stBilly SchumacherU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
1970
5/31/1970Suncoast Cup6thTommy FultsU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
6/7/1970President's Cup7thTommy FultsU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
6/28/1970Horace Dodge Memorial4thTommy FultsU-00 Pay 'N Pak’s Lil Buzzard
5thRon LarsenU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
7/5/1970Indiana Governor's Cup7thRon LarsenU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
9thTommy FultsU-00 Pay 'N Pak’s Lil Buzzard
7/19/1970Atomic Cup1stTommy FultsU-00 Pay 'N Pak’s Lil Buzzard
6thRon LarsenU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
8/2/1970Seafair Trophy7thTommy FultsU-00 Pay 'N Pak’s Lil Buzzard
9thRon LarsenU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
9/20/1970APBA Gold Cup6thRon LarsenU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (3)
W/DTommy FultsU-00 Pay 'N Pak’s Lil Buzzard
1969
6/8/1969Dixie Cup8thTommy FultsU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (1)
6/15/1969Kentucky Governor's Cup7thTommy FultsU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (1)
6/29/1969World ChampionshipDNFTommy FultsU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (1)
7/20/1969Atomic Cup3rdTommy FultsU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (1)
8/3/1969Seafair Trophy6thTommy FultsU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (1)
9/28/1969APBA Gold Cup4thTommy FultsU-25 Pride Of Pay 'N Pak (2)
1968
6/2/1968Dixie Cup1stWarner GardnerU-25 Miss Eagle Electric (2)
6/16/1968Wisconsin CupDNFWarner GardnerU-25 Miss Eagle Electric (2)
7/7/1968Indiana Governor's Cup2ndWarner GardnerU-25 Miss Eagle Electric (2)
7/21/1968Atomic Cup1stWarner GardnerU-25 Miss Eagle Electric (2)
8/4/1968World Championship3rdWarner GardnerU-25 Miss Eagle Electric (2)
8/11/1968Diamond Cup4thWarner GardnerU-25 Miss Eagle Electric (2)
8/25/1968President's Cup1stWarner GardnerU-25 Miss Eagle Electric (2)
9/8/1968APBA Gold Cup5thWarner GardnerU-25 Miss Eagle Electric (2)
1967
8/19/1967British Columbia Cup6thNorm EvansU-21 Miss Eagle Electric (2)
9/17/1967Sacramento CupDNFNorm EvansU-21 Miss Eagle Electric (2)
9/24/1967San Diego CupDNFNorm EvansU-21 Miss Eagle Electric (2)

Henley forgotten man in hubbub following victory

By Jini Dolan
Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald, July 22, 1974

“Hey Daddy - I cut my arm on a propeller.”

That was the victory greeting George Henley received from daughter Lori, 8, after winning the World Championship of unlimited hydroplanes Sunday.

And the reception in the pits for the Eatonville driver of Pay ‘N Pak continued in that vein.

The winner was the forgotten man in the brouhaha that followed the seven-boat final heat and the collision of the U-95 that no one can agree was a collision.

Owner Dave Heerensperger, however, jubilant in his third victory on the Columbia River course, had a magnum of champagne cooling for Henley.

He’d confidently placed it in the refrigerator that morning.

For Heerensperger, the win was a sweet one after watching his picklefork lose a propeller as it headed for the checkered flag in last year’s Gold Cup with Mickey Remund at the wheel.

He was sure he had it Sunday after the first heat in which Pak lead the pack, including the U-95.

Heerensperger gold Henley to cool it in the second heat, “go for a second or third” but when the epic five-lap duel with the U-95 started, the boat owner was noisily rooting for a U-1 victory.

Of Henley, Heerensperger said, “He drove a good race - and he stayed out of the trouble (in the final heat).”

Henley described his tight turns in Heat 2-C as he strove to compensate for the speed the U-95 was picking up on the straightaways.

“I felt like I could reach right out and touch the green buoy,” he said.

Disappointed U-95 driver Leif Borgersen described his impressions of starting a race amongst seven thunderboats:

“It was like being in one of those desert road races where 15,000 motorcycles take off at the same time - and all of a sudden they go into a funnel.”

Borgersen has been a driver for six years and has never won.

Chuck Lyford, U-95 crew chief reminded Heerensperger of his debt to the turbine team:

“Hey, remember that’s our prop, David,” he said after the race.

The Pak had borrowed the propeller on several other occasions.

Bad luck plagued several other camps.

On Saturday the Miss Madison caught fire.

On Sunday, electrical problems, after effects of the fire, kept the community-owned hydro from starting the first heat and contributed to a blown engine in the consolation race.

The crew of the Lincoln Thrift, damaged by an explosion late Saturday, worked in shifts until 6 a.m. Sunday to get the Phoenix-based boat running.

Owner Bob Fendler got permission to put it in the water for testing just before the race - but after that, it completed only one lap.

“It’s really tough.” said the dejected attorney. “We still have some kind of fuel problem but we honestly can’t figure out what’s wrong.”

The crew of the Solo from Australia watched from the official barge.

This is a spectacular sight,” said Colin Winton, the boat’s designer.

“Every once in a while I have to pinch myself to prove I’m really here. I’ve been reading about this for years,” he said.

Before the race, Henley said, “This is my favorite place to race.”

And afterward, finding himself 800 points ahead of the Budweiser in the national standings following his first win here. “Now I like it better than ever.”

“This is home.”

Henley - a household word

By Jini Dalen
Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald, July 18, 1974

George Henley’s name isn’t even mentioned in the American Power Boat Association listing of major hydroplane race victories through 1973.

Bill Muncey’s wins take up the better part of two pages.

But, said Henley today, “We’re having our fun this year.”

The 37-year-old Eatonville, Wash., driver of the U-1 Pay ‘N Pak after four races is the points leader in the 1974 national standings.

Howie Benns of the Miss Budweiser is just six points behind with 3,894 and the veteran Muncey, Atlas Van Lines, 1750 points behind with 2,144.

This is Henley’s first season in a top-ranked hydro and he’s loving it.

“I feel good in this boat. The crew gives me a lot of confidence - the way they inspect the hull, keep the equipment in shape.”

At first, he said, he had some difficulty getting used to the Pak itself, sitting far back behind the engine, almost under the wing-like stabilizer on the tail.

“But every race I learn a little more so now I’m comfortable,” said Henley, who took the checkered flag at Washington, D.C. and Owensboro, second place at Detroit.

Naturally enough, Henley considers the Budweiser his Championship race Sunday.

“They’ve been giving us a good go-round all year,” he said.

And with the “fan plan,” which pits fast boats against fast boats in preliminary head, “We’ve got to beat the Bud in the qualifying heats to stay on top in the points race,” he said.

But Henley doesn’t foresee a two-boat context.

“I know the Valu-Mart and the Miss U.S. can move. The Lincoln Thrift is capable of taking it. So’s the U-05.

“And it’s gonna be fast.”

Henley, who heads sales, service and promotion for Hamilton Jets, Tacoma, manufacturers of marine propulsion systems, has been racing since 1954, starting with outboards and moving to inboards in the early 60’s.

He was the 225 class National High Points Champion in 1969, then piloting the unlimited Burien Lady in 1970 and switched to the Lincoln Thrift Special one year later.

The soft-spoken father of two got into racing “because I’ve always loved boats - speed boats, fishing boats, charter boats - all kinds of boats.”

And he’s pleased to see a revival in unlimited racing, a sport thought to be dying only a few years ago.

“All the sudden we have good competition,” he said. “This season we have 11 races - that’s good even for limiteds.”

“And there’s lots of new drivers coming up. It makes me feel good to race with them and to be competitive.”

This year, said Henley, the boats are running fast like they’re supposed to. “They’re not breaking up.”

Friday, July 24, 2015

Pak wins 3rd straight title, Henley says he'll go for 4th

September 22, 1975, SAN DIEGO - After driving Pay ‘N Pak to its third straight unlimited national championship George Henley promised owner Dave Heerensperger he would be back to drive the boat next year.

Henley made the announcement Sunday night at the awards banquet following the Pay ‘N Pak’s come-from-behind victories in all three heat to win the Weisfield’s Cup unlimited hydroplane race on Mission Bay.

Going into the dramatic finale of the 1975 season the Pak trailed Weisfield’s by 249 points. The 1200 points from Sunday’s victory gave the Pay ‘N Pak a finale score of 8,864 points. Weisfield’s was second with 8,213 and Lincoln Thrift third with 8,103.

Weisfield’s, driven by Billy Schumacher, lost a narrow decision to the Pak in the first heat. A faulty oil line put the Weisfield’s out of the race in the second heat and with only 300 points out of the championship final.

Not only did Henley nail down the national title for the Pak but he set five course and national records in the process. The Pak’s 113.621 mph average was a national record for a 37 ½ mile race on a 2 ½ mile course. The Pak now holds all eight national records for the fast San Diego course.

Despite the face the Pay ‘N Pak won the national championship, Schumacher, driver of the Weisfield’s, won his third national driving title. Henley, who retired following the 1974 season, missed the first three faces of the year before Heerensperger lured him back into the cockpit.

In each of the races, Henley trailed until the field turned for home. Then the Pay ‘N Pak pulled ahead for narrow triumphs. The third conquest earned Pay ‘N Pak a third unlimited national championship in a row. And the three firsts give the boat 16 consecutive wins, a record for a single hull.

Second in the final standings of the Weisfield’s Cup was Miss Budweiser, driven by Mickey Remund of Palm Desert, Calif. Third overall was Lincoln Thrift driven by Milner Irvin of Phoenix, Ariz.

Going into the championship heat, Pay ‘N Pak and Miss Budweiser both had perfect records with two firsts and Budweiser led until the final turn. However, heavy traffic cost Remund time and Pay ‘N Pak, racing outside, pulled ahead.

Pay ‘N Pak recorded the fastest time, 116.099 miles per hour run in the first heat. Weisfield’s, which lead through all but the final straightaway, was second with a 115.920 Pay ‘N Pak averaged 111.414 for the final. Miss Budweiser averaged 111.139.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Heerensperger, Pay 'n Pak, Out of Racing

By Tom Green, UPI Sports Writer, August 10, 1982

SEATTLE -- Dave Heerensperger, owner of the Pay 'N Pak unlimited hydroplane and one of the key figures in the sport, announced he was pulling out of racing Tuesday just two days after his driver was critically injured.

Heerensperger's decision casts further doubt on the future of the hydroplane racing, which has been plagued by the deaths of its two best-known drivers in less than a year.

Pay 'N Pak driver John Walters nearly became the third hydro-racing fatality in 10 months when his boat was involved in a three-boat, high-speed collision in the Emerald Cup race on Lake Washington Sunday.

He suffered a fractured elbow, broken leg, compression fracture of three vertebrae, concussion, collapsed and bruised lung and facial injuries around his left eye.

"The feeling I had in my stomach when I saw the accident, I felt that I had enough," said Heerensperger. "I hope the fans of the Pay 'N Pak and the public understand."

Three boats -- the Pay 'N Pak, Squire Shop and Executone -- were too severely damaged to continue racing, with the Executone sinking to the bottom of the lake.

Heerensperger, who was one of the best-heeled and most enthusiastic owners in hydroplane racing, cited the danger inherent in the sport for his decision to withdraw. The powerful boats, which barely touch the water when running full tilt, travel at speeds approaching 200 mph.

The Pay 'N Pak also was involved in a spectacular flip during a qualifying run on the Columbia River in 1980.

"Although it is a very exciting sport, after two accidents involving Pay 'N Pak in the last three years I just do not want to continue," said Heerensperger. "I am sure that my feelings will be understood by the public and by those connected with boat racing."

Walters' accident occurred only eight days after the death of veteran driver Dean Chenoweth in the Miss Budweiser on the Columbia River. Chenoweth was killed July 31 while attempting to qualify his boat for the Columbia Cup race near Pasco, Wash.

Last October, the most successful and charismatic driver in the history of the sport, Bill Muncey, was killed during a race in Acapulco, Mexico.

Hydroplane driving has always been dangerous, but the recent series of accidents constitutes the worst period the sport has faced since 1966 when three drivers were killed in one race and a fourth died later in the season.

Heerensperger, 45, is chairman of the board of Pay 'N Pak, a Kent, Wash.-based chain of plumbing and electrical discount stores. He had been one of the top innovators in the sport, being credited with introducing stabilizer tailfins, rear mounted engines, trimaran hulls and, most recently, a turbine-powered engine.

For more than 30 years, an unlimited hydroplane race on Lake Washington has been a fixture of Seattle's annual Seafair summer festival. Many of the owners and drivers, like Heerensperger, are based in the Seattle area. Seattle and Detroit have been the historic centers of the sport.

But in the aftermath of the accident in Sunday's Emerald Cup, one Seattle newspaper questioned the city's continued involvement in the dangerous sport.

In an editorial, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said the hydroplane race is not only a life-threatening endeavor, but one that costs the city a lot financially -- up to $80,000 to stage this year.

"There is something unseemly about the expenditure of public funds on what is essentially a commercial event -- involving boats garishly decorated with the names of corporate sponsors -- that carries a risk to the lives and limbs of its participants," the newspaper said.

APBA Gold Cup to Henley For Second Year in Row

Reprinted from Boating, Jul-Aug 1975

The APBA Gold Cup for unlimited hydroplane racing was won by George Henley for a second consecutive year. Out of a fleet of 12 boats, Henley drive Dave Heerensperger's Rolls Royce-powered Pay 'N Pak to victory in the 60-mile race over a 2 1/2-mile Columbia River course at Tri-Cities, Wash.

Second place finisher was George Simon's Miss U.S. piloted by Tom D'Eath, she set a new 60-mile race record of 108.974 mph for the course, APBA Gold Cup, and U.S. records.

Miss U.S.'s sister ship, Bob Fendler's Lincoln Thrift piloted by Milner Irvin, finished third and set 15-mile heat records of 113.684 mph for the Columbia River course and APBA Gold Cup statistics.

The twin Ron Jones-designed hulls were powered by turbo-charged Allison engines.

Monday, July 13, 2015

Pay 'n Pak Wins Gold Cup Race

SEATTLE, Aug. 5, 1974 (UPI) -- Patience and perfection paid off yesterday for George Henley, who drove Pay 'N Pak to victory in a much-delayed Gold Cup race for unlimited hydroplanes on Lake Washington.

The victory gave Pak a big lead in point standing for this year's national hydroplane championship.

The Miss Budweiser, which stayed close on the Pak's trail all day with Howie Benns at the wheel, came in second. Freddie Alter, driving Pizza Pete, was third. As for Bill Muncey, a five-time Gold Cup champion, the best he could do driving the Atlas Van Lines was fourth.

The Pak won all four of its heats, and Its only serious challenge was the first time out when the Budweiser was leading but spewed oil briefly and was overtaken by the Pak.

Two attempts to run a heat for the five fastest qualifiers in the 14-boat field were stopped when two boats were badly damaged or destroyed. In the first try, the U-95 sank early in the race after its engine exploded, putting a hole in the hull. During the second attempt, the Miss U.S. caught fire and burned badly before the blaze was extinguished. Both drivers, Tom D'Eath and Leif Borgersen of the U-95 escaped injury.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Walters flips, Muncey’s final Tri-City win

July 27, 1980: John Walters flips out/Muncey gets final TC win in Atlas.
Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald

Barely anyone remembers who won the 1980 Columbia Cup.

That’s because of what happened to John Walters in the Pay ‘N Pak on a test run early Sunday morning before racing even began.

Walters had a packed house watching. And that’s maybe why everyone remembers Walters flipping the boat in one of the most spectacular blowovers ever.

On the test run, Walters had the shiny new turbine boat up to 170 mph along the frontstretch next to Columbia Park.

Suddenly, the front of the boat lifted up, doing 2 1/2 somersaults before landing right-side up, shattering the boat across the river.

“I remember thinking, ‘I can save this,’ ” Walters told the Herald back in 2004. “But then the boat kept climbing and climbing. It was like someone kicked out a jack from underneath me. Then I saw the blue bridge disappear, then I saw the horizon and then the boat’s shadow on the river. Just like my famous quote — sky water, sky water. It seemed like it took forever.

“I don’t remember hitting the water or coming out of the boat,” Walters continued. “But I do remember the water was cold, and I knew that I was supposed to raise my hands above my head if I was OK. When I did that, I remember a huge roar from the fans. I was hurting, but that made me feel great.”

Walters suffered a fractured left hip socket and a sprain of the left knee, elbow and shoulder.

Pak owner Dave Heerensperger, whose team had returned after a four-year hiatus, said the team was done for the year. But it would be back the following season, he said.

As for the actual race, Dean Chenoweth had won 20 straight heats in the Miss Budweiser in the team’s second Griffon Rolls engine boat, dominating the circuit by winning the first five races of the season and holding an insurmountable lead of 7,200 points in the national high-points standings, to the 3,875 of No. 2 in the standings, Bill Muncey and his Atlas Van Lines.

Between Chenoweth and Muncey, the two drivers broke the world speed record on the water over the three qualifying days (yes, back then, they qualified Thursday through Saturday). Chenoweth’s speed of 138.248 mph on Friday held up.

The race also introduced the first woman crew chief, Carol Lee, for the U-15 Miss Burien Hobby Center. It was also the first time race officials were up in a helicopter to keep an eye on the action.

On race day, Muncey had perhaps his best performance on the Columbia River — and scariest. At one point in the final, his boat became airborne. But he was able to get it back onto the water.

He held off Chenoweth, who suffered mechanical problems and a minor leak in the oil system, to win the final heat and snap Bud’s 20-heat win streak.

But in that final heat, Muncey’s average speed of 128.571 mph was a world record.

“I remember (Muncey) was really flying high,” said historian Fred Farley. “He even admitted afterward ‘I took too many chances out there.’”

It was Muncey’s final victory on the river.

In 1981, he died in a racing accident in Acapulco, Mexico.

Heerensperger’s Eagle Electric earns third Atomic Cup win

July 21, 1968: Eagle Electric/Dave Heerensperger win.
Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald

Dave Heerensperger brought unlimited hydroplane fans the Pay ‘N Pak during its glory years of the 1970s.

But before Pay ‘N Pak, there was Eagle Electric. And during the third running of the Atomic Cup, Heerensperger’s driver, Col. Warner Gardner, drove the Miss Eagle Electric to victory, knocking off Miss Bardahl.

Eagle Electric owner Heerensperger — who someday would lead the wave of turbine expansion — picked up his first victory on the Columbia River.

There were some interesting notes that week.

Water Follies officials warned people to stay out of Columbia Park between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. on race day Sunday. Any unauthorized cars would be towed at the owner’s expense. And for God’s sake, don’t throwing anything into the water when the boats are racing.

The Atlas Van Lines was the first boat out on the water ... on Tuesday. Back then, the boats could hit the water early in the week, and qualifying ran Thursday through Saturday.

Gardner was out on the course at midweek when he noticed two dead cows were floating down the river. Another one was found the next day.

Race officials named the consolation race — the second-fastest five — the Mira Slovak Trophy race for Sunday in honor of the driver of Harrah’s Club, who missed the race because he was recovering at home from a plane crash. ... It was the third one he had been involved in to that point.

And Bill Muncey, who was driving the Miss U.S., didn’t make the race because he hit a houseboat on the Ohio River during the Indiana Governor’s Cup in Madison, Ind.

Gardner had driven the Eagle Electric, based out of Spokane, to a win in the Dixie Cup in Guntersville, Ala., earlier in the season.

And on this day in the Tri-Cities, he outran the 12-boat field and swept all of his races toward the victory, marking the third straight time in the three years of the race that the winner had done so.

Gardner overtook Miss Budweiser driver Bill Sterett at the end of the first lap and was never threatened again. Race favorite Billy Schumacher in the Miss Bardahl, the defending Atomic Cup champion, broke down in the final and was never a factor.

“I was with them at the start,” Schumacher said. “but Warner and Bill had too much speed for me. I froze a cylinder in a new engine and just couldn’t run with them.”

Race officials estimated 60,000 people watched the race. The formula? They counted 13,569 cars going through the admission gates and estimated an average of 4 people in each vehicle.

Henley, Pak coast to 1975 Gold Cup win

Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald, July 27, 1975

George Henley came out of retirement three races into the season to drive the Pay ‘N Pak again.

He caught a great deal from Pak owner Dave Heerensperger, which including a portion of the winning purse.

It was working so far, as Henley had won the last two races leading into the Tri-Cities.

Meanwhile, besides Henley and the Pak — which was the defending Gold Cup champ — the other favorite had to be Weisfield’s and driver Billy Schumacher.

They had also won two races headed into the Tri-Cities.

This was the Tri-Cities’ second Gold Cup race.

It was determined by the race committee that the minimum qualifying speed would by 95 mph.

Schumacher was the fastest qualifier at 122.630 mph.

He also came in as the national high-points leader, with a 1,062-point lead over second-place Lincoln Thrift.

Henley and Pay ‘N Pak were third at 4,439.

It was an interesting race day.

The Budweiser almost sank to the bottom of the river.

Henley himself lost his racing suits when someone stole them.

Someone found one of them under a truck the next day.

In the final, Tom D’Eath in the Miss U.S. won.

However, the Gold Cup winner that year was determined by the team with the most points over the whole weekend.

That belonged to Henley with 1,425 points.

In fact, he had the Gold Cup so well in hand that he coasted to a third-place finish in the final, knowing the Gold Cup was his.

By the time the weekend was over, Pay ’N Pak was in the national high-points lead.

While Schumacher ended up being the national champion driver, thanks to Henley missing those first three races, Pay ’N Pak was the national champion boat.