A Boat is Built!

A step by step procedure to try to create a champion in the first year.

Reprinted from Pay 'N Pak Racing News, Volume V, Issue 2

The building of a championship hydroplane is a long, pain staking process that requires the skills of a mastered boatsman. Designing, fabricating, and infinite structural detail upon which a hydro's delicate three-point water and air balance depends, all takes place within a big inland boat shop months before the craft gets near the water.

There is only a handful of American craftsmen who can build a boat that big and get it to "dance" on the water at a "graceful" 200 miles per hour. While Pay 'N Pak has campaigned hulls built by several of them, their greatest racing successes have been achieved in hydros built by the Jones family - Ron and father Ted.

The Jones hydroplane trademark is one of unconventional styling and daring experimentation. Trendsetters, they could be called. This is the type of hydro craft which attracts Dave Heerensperger and Pay 'N Pak Stores as a sponsor, and which had marked Dave as a hydroplane pioneer who tries the unusual in search of victory.

In 1973, the culmination of all new styling design and engineering has given birth to a radically new Jones' hydro for Pay 'N Pak, sporting several key features. This new U-25, Heerensperger's seventh in the last ten years, resembles no other boat on the circuit at this time. Besides its "pickle-fork" front, a recent change now gaining popularity with these boats, its skeletal frame is made of Hexcel honeycomb aluminum.

According to Ron Jones, this is actually two thin sheets of aluminum bonded to and separated by a honeycombed aluminum core. This cellular core structure forms lightweight supporting beams of great strength, without the extra weight of solid beams. The boat's only wood is in the deck and sponsons. With a racing weight of about 6500 pounds, the Pay 'N Pak has a tremendous weight and speed advantage over other boats, making it one of the lightest on the tour.

Another unique feature of the bold new Pak has been adapted from the world of formula sports car racing. It's the stabilizer concept, and it apparently helps the aerodynamics of these boats. At the rear, the Pak sports a dual tail fin topped by a horizontal stabilizer bar, which can be adjusted to racing conditions right up to race time.

Together, the efforts of Jones, Heerensperger and Jim Lucero, Crew Chief, appear to have brought forth the all-time winning formula in hydro construction since the beginning of this sports spectacle. Breaking new records with every race, the U-25 has the nation talking and hydro fans buzzing. By far the Pay 'N Pak is the most successful new hydro to hit the water in its maiden year. Its stiffest competition has come from Pay 'N Pak's old hull of the last two seasons, now carrying the Miss Budweiser banner after being sold to that camp last winter. If the new reoccurring mechanical problems, which have beset the Pak this year, can be eliminated, you can probably bank your money that Heerensperger, Remund, Lucero and the Pay 'N Pak will win the APBA National Championship in 1973 enabling it to wear the champion's special U-1 numerals next season.

Muncey buys Pay 'n Pak

January 29, 1976, Seattle (AP) - Hydroplane racer Bill Muncey says he has purchased the champion unlimited Pride of Pay 'N Pak from Dave Heerensperger, who is reportedly leaving the sport.

Heerensperger, of suburban Mercer Island, was in Denver and unavailable for comment Wednesday night, but Muncey confirmed from San Diego he had purchased the craft "lock, stock and barrel for a high six figure price...just under seven figures."

The exact price was not disclosed.

Jim Lucero, who has been Heerensperger's crew chief for six years, said, "Yes, Dave is getting out, but we'll keep the same mechanical crew together for Muncey."

Bill Muncey

The Pak won the unlimited hydro high-point championship for the last three years, the Gold Cup for two straight years and the Seattle Seafair hydroplane race for three years.

Muncey said the total purchase from Heerensperger included three boats - last year's Pak, a new hydro Lucero is building and the Li'l Buzzard - 30 engines, eight gear boxes, two trucks, a trailer and a complete machine shop.

Lucero said business considerations may have prompted Heerensperger to sell.

"If he wanted to run his boats effectively next season he would have gone all summer," Lucero said. "Dave just doesn't have that kind of time."

Heerensperger added more business responsibilities in November when he was elevated from chairman of the board to president of Pay 'N Pak Corp.

Heerensperger first started in hydro racing in 1963-64 when he purchased the Miss Spokane and renamed it the Eagle Electric, for the Eagle Electric plumbing supply business he then had in Spokane. He was figured in hydro racing circles on and off ever since.

Pak hits 121 m.p.h; Bangs 1st to qualify

By Chuck Ashmun
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 1, 1975

George Henley and the Pay 'N Pak, an unbeatable combination in recent weeks, jumped into the lead quickly today as qualifying began for Sunday's Seafair Trophy race.

Henley qualified the Pak at 121.130 miles an hour in what he described as "an experimental trip" around the 2 1⁄2-mile Lake Washington course.

"I'm still trying to find my slot," said Henley. "We'll have to change some things on the boat and try again."

Henley has won the past three races on the unlimited hydroplane circuit this season.

The Hamm's Bear driven by Jerry Bangs, was the first qualifier of the day. Bangs, Seattle attorney, was clocked at 109.090 m.p.h., easily exceeding the qualifying requirement of one lap at 100 m.p.h.

The only other qualifier this morning was Vernors, driven by Bob Miller of Everett, at 104.927.

George Simon, Detroit owner of Miss U.S, said he likes the new hydro course here.

"This course is going to help the turbos, there's no question about it," Simon said. "You're going to see some 130-mile-an hour laps out there, because with the wide turns they won't have to decelerate."

 The "turbos" are those boats powered by turbo-charged Allison engines.

The Miss U.S. and its near-twin, Lincoln Thrift, gradually have been changing the unlimited-racing routine from what once was often a two or three boat race into a checkered-flag chase which now may feature as many as a half dozen hydros.

The Miss U.S. driver, Tome D'Eath, likes to run wide. On the new 2 1⁄2-mile Lake Washington layout, he should be able to keep up his momentum in the long, broad corners.

D'Eath and Milner Irvin, Lincoln Thrift throttle-pusher, gave Tri-Cities race fans a side-by-side roostertail show last weekend in the Gold Cup regatta which need edit.

The 2,000-foot turns here should be even more advantageous for the turbos than the 1,200-foot "corner" they negotiated on the Columbia River.

Regardless of which boats have an advantage, few if any will qualify faster than the Weisfield's.

"We've been the fastest qualifier at every race so far this year," said Billy Schumacher, Weisfield's driver. "I don't see any reason to change things now.

"Regardless of how fast you qualify, it will be a new course record with the new course."

And Schumacher wants that record. After setting 10 course records earlier in the season, he missed setting a mark in the Tri-Cities qualifying and now seems to regret that decision.

"Jerry Zuvich is a kind of guy who doesn't like to sit still," added Schumacher. "He's been building two new engines this week." Zuvich is boat manager for the Weisfield's.

Pitter Patter: Ignore those stories you might have heard about feverish activity in the pits last night. Half of the fleet had checked in, but most of the activity was confined to the Budweiser boat shop, where Bernie Little's crew worked on restoring the aging beer wagon. It took on water through a damaged sponson and sank in Pasco . . . Poetry aficionados would not shudder of the felt-pen note scribbled near a small spit on the Lincoln Thrift's hull: "Do not worry, do not fret . . . this is as big as the crack will ever get" . . .

The myth about hydro drivers' glamor and wealth can best be dispelled by describing what Bill Schumacher and Tom Martin did yesterday morning . . . Schumacher was scheduled to start making doughnuts at his father's bakery at 4 a.m. Martin, Shakey's Special driver who owns several pizza outlets said: "That about the same time I got to bet after working on my books." . . . Ron Jones, California boat designer, reportedly has received four firm offers already for new boats next season . . . If you guessed Little, Heerensperger, and Les Rosenberg you've come close enough. Go directly to your Environmental Protection Agency office and pick your tape recording of the Vernors roaring around the course . . . Second prize is two tapes . . .

Speaking of the pollution-control people, Simon, when asked if his driver got lost in the smoke which covered the Columbia after the Miss Shenandoah got hot last weekend, asked" "Do you work for the E.P.A.? . . .

Henley drives 'Pak' to 2 records, victory

July 7, 1975. Madison, Ind. - (AP) - The "Pak" is back. With George Henley setting lap and heat records in the closest unlimited hydroplane duel of the season, the Pay 'N Pak won its third straight Indiana Governor's Cup trophy race here yesterday.

"It was a lot of work, but it was fun," said Henley, a 39-year-old national champion from Eatonville, Wash., after he out-dueled Billy Schumacher's Weisfield's to give the Pak its first win of the 1975 season.

With his wife, Mary, looking on, George Henley accepts the Governor's Cup after a victorious ride in the Pay 'N Pak at Madison, Ind., yesterday. It was the first win of the unlimited-hydroplane season for the Seattle boat. Henley came out of retirement to take over the Pak controls last month.

The Pay 'N Pak passed Weisfield's on the final lap of Heat 2A in what proved to be the decisive race of the day. Henley was clocked at 116.883 miles an hour around the 2 ½-mile Ohio River course.

That time surpassed Pay 'N Pak's mark of 115.657 m.p.h. Henley also bettered the course record for a five-lap heat with his average speed of 115.148 m.p.h. He set the previous head standard of 111.724 m.p.h. a year ago.

Weisfield's, less than two boat lengths back at the checkered flag, averaged 115.060 m.p.h.

"George was really tired when he got back in from that one, but he did a heck-uva job," said Dave Heerensperger, the Pay 'N Pak owner. "We haven't been in the ball game before this year, but we are now."

Henley was too tired to climb out of his boat after the second-heat duel with Schumacher. He drove into the pits, started to pull himself out of the cockpit, then slumped back down into his seat.

But the Pay 'N Pak driver had enough energy left to run an effective race in the final heat, finishing second behind Schumacher in a deliberate attempt to do no better than he had to.

Although the Weisfield's won the final go-around, Pay 'N Pak had accumulated enough points in the earlier heats to lock up the title with a second-place finish.

"The only thing that counts is winning the race," Henley said. "If you go fast and blow an engine, nobody remembers.

Henley and Schumacher both "blew" the start of Heat 1A, scooting across the starting line prematurely. Each boat as penalized a lap, giving Miss Vernors, a Detroit-based boat, its first heat win of the season.

Pay 'N Pak beat Weisfield's across the finish line for second place, making Schumacher's chances for his third win of the season hinge around the results of Heat 2B.

Henley took the lead in the first two laps of 2B, with speeds of 114.214 m.p.h. and 114.943 m.p.h. Then Schumacher shot in front for the next two at 115.385 each time around. Henley needed the record-setting run in the final lap to overtake his rival in a sponson-to-sponson duel reminiscent of the 1973 and '74 Pay 'N Pak - Budweiser duels in Seattle.

Miss Budweiser dropped out of the race after winning Heat 1B because of sponson damage. The boat's stern went up, and as the nose dug in, some of the decking was ripped lose. A hole was punched into the right sponson.

The damage occurred on the fourth lap, but Remund was able to finish the heat.

Pay 'N Pak, two-time defending national champion among the unlimiteds, moved up to fourth place in the overall standings for the year with its 1,000-point performance.

Weisfield's remains the season-long leader heading into the sixth race, which will be in Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday.

1973 ABPA National Champion

The APBA 1973 National Champion, Unlimited Hydroplane Pay 'N Pak set new records at all courses in 1973, in its first year of competition. Records set included a new world's record for one lap and two laps. Pay 'N Pak became the first boat in the world to average 126 mph on a closed course circuit. Pay 'N Pak set 26 qualifying race records for both 2 1/2 and 3 mile courses. In addition, Pay 'N Pak won four of the major races which included: heads started 28 - First, 20 - Second, 3 - Third, 2; all of  which was a fantastic start to a brand new boat with such revolutionary design.

1973 National Champion Unlimited Hydroplane

The Pay 'N Pak construction uses futuristic materials such as an aluminum honeycombed laminated skin, which is light, buoyant, and extremely strong. The wing stabilizer provides over 400 pounds of lift on all turns of the race course, which is were races are won or lost. The Pay 'N Pak literally flies around the outside of the other boats on the turns, in a wide power-drive sweep, which is just the opposite of the way the conventional boats dig-in tight on the corners. The design is a real break-through in power boat racing.

The boat was built by Ron Jones of Costa Mesa, California for the Pay 'N Pak stores of Seattle, Washington, a growing group of the western United States - do-it-yourself-stores. The boat campaigned by Dave Heerensperger. The power plant is a Rolls Royce Merlin 2000 HP engine. It uses STP Oil Treatment in the crankcase.

The STP Corporation congratulates Dave Heerensperger and Ron Jones for their exciting contribution to Unlimited Hydroplane Racing. The Pay 'N Pak is truly the finest and the fastest closed circuit race boat in the world.

Crash Memories Vivid To Walters 10 Years Later

By Paul Delaney
Reprinted from the Spokane Chronicle, July 26, 1990

As a youngster growing up on Spokane's South Hill, John Walters dreamed of becoming an unlimited hydroplane driver like legends of the sport such as Bill Muncey, Rex Manchester, Billy Schumacher, and Mira Slovak.

Unlike many of his Lincoln Heights Elementary classmates Walters was perhaps one of the few that was eventually able to realize his true childhood dream.

Rocketed - almost literally - on to the unlimited racing scene 10 years ago this weekend, Walters took one of the most talked about, famous, and harrowing rides in unlimited hydroplane racing history - and lived to tell about it.

John Walters in 1980.

Walters was at the helm of the turbine-powered Pay 'N Pak during a race day test run on the Columbia River course. Moments after passing the start-finish line, the boat unexpectedly launched itself into the warm spring morning sky. Then, after almost three full flips, and what seemed like an eternity, the white and orange boat slammed into the cold dark water.

And that's how John Walters first made a name for himself in hydroplane racing. He'd later gain the type of notoriety he long for, plus a spot in the sport's history books, by being the first driver to win a race in a turbine-powered boat at Syracuse in 1982. But a few weeks later in Seattle, Walters' driving career - and nearly his life - would come to an end in a three-boat accident that should have never happened.

With all that behind him, Walters returns once again to Tri-Cities for this weekend's Columbia Cup. This time his feet are firmly planted on the ground as a crew member of the Mr. Pringles Hydro. "They call me the hull specialist," Walters says of his job. "It's basically (being) in charge of the maintenance that goes on with the boat."

Walters has been long removed from the cockpit - by doctor's orders - but is still a vital player in the sport of his dreams. And memories of 10 years ago are a clear as the day they happened.

"I remember everything about that one," Walters said. "I still occasionally wake up in the middle of the night, upside down and backwards at 170 mph wondering where that blue bridge went."

His boat "was really working well," in fact, maybe too well, Walters recalls of that July 26th morning. "The boat would accelerate so quickly that you could get going real fast, even quicker than you realize."

Since Walters had had little time in the boat, he was trying to see how quick it took to from the exit buoy to the starting line. Unlimited hydros race both themselves and a clock at the start of a race, so refining starting line strategy is very important.

A few minutes before the test run, the rescue boats cut across the course to take up their posts and left behind a small wake. Walters said, "I felt the boat rattle over the wake a little bit and it picked up the nose and kind of hung there for a long time." There wasn't any feeling of panic, however, and it actually felt like the boat was settling back down.

A second or so later "it felt like someone kicked a jackstand out from under the rear of the boat and dropped the back end of the boat real hard, "Walters said.

What was unknown at the time, but later revealed in videotape, was the fact that the horizontal stabilizer has begun to fail, kinking in the center as the boat sped down the back straightaway. Instead of keeping the boat's read end riding at the right angle, it allowed the stern to suddenly drop.

"The back end did indeed drop, which let the front end get a little higher." Walters said. "It just continued to rotate and took off like an airplane."

"You know I was awake, conscious, alert and knowing what was going on and knew the thing had gone over backwards," Walters recalls. "Then I saw the water and the bridge come back around and realized, shoot, I'm a long ways in the air."

The boat, which measured just under 30 feet, did nearly three revolutions so it reached an estimated 75 feed in the air. "The last thing I remember (before impact) was that the boat was upside down. It seemed like it was going to take forever for the thing to actually hit the water."

He started to think "Geez, maybe this is the end."

Walters rode with the boat until the tip of the right sponson hit the water and threw him clear. "I couldn't have gotten out if I wanted to," Walters said. "Because of the direction of rotation there's a positive G-force that wants to crush you into the seat.

"Boom, and it hit and the next thing I remember was feeling like I was frozen," Walters said. Coming from the cockpit at 130 degrees to the cold Columbia at 70 degrees would tend to do that.

After hitting the water, Walters called on his experience as a limited hydro driver and began to "check around and make sure I had all the parts and everything was still functional and moving."

The tally of Walters' body damage came to a broken hip, broken ribs and a shoulder separation, and "a severely bruised ego."

"Frankly, because of my accident, because of Steve Reynolds' accident and Jimmy Kropfeld's accident, the boats are as good as they are today," Walters said. Radical changes to hydroplane design, like the mandatory enclosed cockpit, have saved perhaps a half dozen or more lives in the last few years.

"The way boats are designed today I would have come back a little wet, frustrated and fine other than that," Walters said.