Out Duels Miss Budweiser For 22nd Governor’s Cup
By Mike Harris
Associated Press Sports Writer
July 9, 1973
MADISON, Ind. AP - Mickey Remund in the Pride of Pay ’N Pak smashed a series of records Sunday to win the 26th annual Madison Regatta unlimited hydroplane race.
The 34-year-old driver from Palm Desert, Calif., out dueled Miss Budweiser, driven by Dean Chenoweth of Xenia, Ohio, in the final 15-mile heat to win the 22nd Indiana Governor’s Cup.
A throng of more than 90,000 spectators, stretched along the Indiana and Kentucky banks of the Ohio River, watched in sweltering 90-degree temperatures as Pay ‘N Pak retained its lead in the American Power Boat Association standings.
Both Pay ‘N Pak, and Miss Bud won a pair of preliminary races easily to go into the championship run tied with 800 points. The two thunderboats ran side by side for the first 1 1/2 laps of the six-lap final run before Miss Bud momentarily lost power in the downstream turn of the second lap and fell behind for good.
It was the second victory of the season for Pay ‘N Pak and snapped Miss Budweiser’s string of victories at two.
Pay ‘N Pak’s final margin was one-half lap. Lincoln Thrift was third with rookie Danny Walls of Bellevue, Ky., at the wheel. The other two boats in the final heat—Red Man, driven by Jim McCormick of Owensboro, Ky., and Mr. Fabricator, driven by rookie Tom Kaufman of Carrollton, Ohio, suffered engine problems and failed to finish.
Pay ‘N Pak broke Madison 2 1/2-mile course records for one lap, a 15-mile heat and 45 miles for three heats.
Remund drove his Rolls Royce-powered machine to victory in the day’s first heat at an average speed of 104.126 m.p.h, erasing the old mark of 104.026 by Jack Regas in Notre Dame in 1968.
The new record, however, fell in Remund’s next run. He toured the course at 106.888 m.p.h. and established a one lap standard of 112.080, shattering the 109.489 turned in by Bill Muncey and the Atlas Van Lines two years ago.
Pay ’N Pak won $4,275 of the $25,000 total purse to push its season earnings to $18,375. Miss Budweiser picked up $3,150 for second place and remained the top money winner on the power boat circuit this year with $18,600. Remund and his boat now have a total of 4,938 points this year to 4,738 for Miss Budweiser.
The thunderboats now head for Kennewick, Was., and the Gold Cup race on the Columbia River July 22.
