The sun streaked, wind dappled Gold Cup course at the Tri-Cities on the Columbia was the elation of victory and the frustration of defeat for the Pride of Pay 'n Pak.
In front of over 80,000 sun burned spectators Mickey Remund, who had qualified the Pride of Pay 'n Pak at 124.310 mph on Thursday, drove her to three straight heat victories Sunday and to a great 7 second lead in lap 2 of the final Gold Cup heat, but then it happened.
As the Pak, apparently hitting something or breaking a prop, tore a hole in the bottom of the boat.
Dean Chenoweth in the Budweiser (last year's Pride of Pay 'n Pak) drove on by and to final victory. But not until he had held off 2 screaming challenges by veteran Bill Muncey in last year's champion boat, Atlas Van Lines.
After setting the qualifying record (earlier in the week) the Pak and Mickey Remund set a new Gold Cup lap and heat record in easily winning heat 1A. Budweiser can back to beat that record in heat 3A in a head-to-head duel with Atlas Van Lines. Budweiser bested the record by only 24/1000th of a mph (110.929 over 110.909).
In a torrid final heat Pay 'n Pak broke the one lap record on a 2½ mile Gold Cup course with a streaking 119.691 and the "white machine" was on its way to a new heat record when she faltered in a shower of spray went dead in the water.
At the start of the final Gold Cup heat (with a perfect 3 for 3 record and 1200 points) the Pak had a slim lead in lane 2 as the thunderboats hit the line with Budweiser just to the outside and Pizza Pete in the No. 1 inside lane.
Remund came out of the first turn in front and by the second turn had built up a six or seven second lead. In the process he smashed the Gold Cup single lap record (119.691 mph).
By then Budweiser was second, Atlas Van Lines third and Pizza Pete and Notre Dame battling for 4th.
Dean Chenoweth in the Bud leaped in front as Remund and the Pak went dead in the water and never lost the lead. Muncey and the Atlas made a real challenge midway in the heat and closed within three seconds on the third lap but finally pulled off.
The eventual victory boosted Budweiser into the national points leading by a very slim 100 points. The see-saw battle for points lead saw Pak over Bud by 200 points coming into the Gold Cup.
The outcome recalled the Pasco Atomic Cup race of 1972 when the Pride of Pay 'n Pak had apparently had it all won and just as she crossed the finish line Bob Gilliam was tossed out of Pizza Pete and the final heat had to be rerun. In the rerun... (well in the lead) the Pak blew an engine and had to be towed back to the pits.
Mickey Remund - Good Sportsman!
When the Pride of Pay 'n Pak went dead in the water in the second lap of the final heat of the Gold Cup Sunday and Mickey Remund realized his boat was sinking he had the perfect right to jump in the water, stop the race and force a rerun.
But, accessing the damage properly, he stayed aboard and frantically waved off the rescue boats allowing the race to finish.
As the final checkered flag was flashed for Budweiser the Pak's "wing" was already under water. It was close!
Was it worth the risk? Mickey thought so, as he put it on KORD radio, "I believe we'd stay up long enough to finish the race, I would hate to be the one to stop the race 'cause something even worse could have happened in the rerun."
The fact that Mickey had a hole in his boat that couldn't have been fixed for a restart and the fact that he didn't sink entirely before the course closed and help got to him doesn't take too much away from Mick. When you're responsible for such a valuable piece of property any such decision has to be hard to make. As Mickey put it, "If it looked like we'd lose the boat I'd have been wet in a second and I knew the referee and judges were watching closely and had the flair guns in their hands."
"After all we want to get 'em at Seafair."