By Bill Purcell
Reprinted from Tri-City Herald, March 8, 1972
If one of Andy Granatelli's Indy 500 cars spun around a track somewhere at record speed, the news would leak out soon enough. He might even incorporate it in one of his STP TV ads.
But in the clandestine sport of unlimited hydroplane racing, where the fleet of competitors is one-fifth as large, record speeds are preferably only hinted at.
Thunderboat owner Dave Heerensperger, the cautious owner of such a record on the 2½-mile watery oval of the Columbia River, explained why.
"If we let everybody know how fast we really went out there," avowed the 35-year-old hydroplane magnate, "we would lose our competitive edge.
"Suffice it to say, that we went considerably faster than we ever have on the Columbia. But that's all."
"Considerably faster," in this case was something between 116 and 118 m.p.h, according to the bits and pieces of veiled information coming from the pit crew, driver Billy Schumacher and his wife Cindy in the wake of an unofficial record run around the Atomic Cup course Monday by the Pride of Pay 'n Pak.
Although the Columbia has proven the most hospitable watering hole on the hydroplane circuit for Heerensperger - he won the race with Miss Eagle Electric on 1968 and with Lil Buzzard in 1970 - the president of the Pay 'n Pak store chain has good cause for caution.
Not only did racing accidents claim the lives of Eagle driver Warner Gardner and Buzzard pilot Tommy Fults, but Heerensperger was denied a third Atomic Cup when his crew gambled and lost with a new engine in the championship heat of last year's race.
After winning its first two heats by a dozen roostertails in 1971, the Pride was fitted out with a new engine before the final heat.
Recalling the abortive decision, Mrs. Schumacher, a dark-haired beauty more lovely to look at than any hydroplane, said the crew was afraid their usually trusted old Rolls would blow before the heat was over.
"How ironic," said Cindy, "that the new engine blew up instead and that Billy set a new qualification time with the old engine on Lake Washington (in Seattle) two weekends later."
Heerensperger brought his boat to the Tri-Cities, hoping such last-minute decisions could be avoided at this year's Atomic Cup, set for July 29.
"The more tinkering that can be done during the offseason," said Heerensperger, "the better prepared we can be for what might happen when the boat hits the water for real."
The red-and-gold sister ship to Lil Buzzard is not exactly the same unlimited which finished fifth behind Jim McCormick's Miss Madison in 1971's Atomic Cup.
The radically-designed sponsons have been cut back six inches, the boat has been lightened 400 pounds and a new prop has been installed.
Driver Schumacher, who has been competing on the water for 21 of his 29 years and has set 10 world record times, declared Tuesday, "This boat has never run better. We're going to win a lot with it this year."
Crew chief Jim Lucero, honored as the best in the business by the Unlimited Commission last year, was busy testing a new prop to replace the one that sank to the bottom of Lake Washington on a recent test run. Both crew chief and owner were surprised the new prop so closely approximated the performance standards of the old one.
Heerensperger admitted that the almost ideal conditions on the Columbia didn't hurt either.
"This is better water to test on than in Seattle," he said. "We always know what to expect here, and besides the Tri-Cities have usually been lucky for us."
As luck would have it, Schumacher almost had his racing career interrupted during a regatta in Parker, Ariz., on the Colorado River last month. His boat flipped, but a co-driver was in the cockpit.
The same thing didn't happen to veteran driver Bill Muncey on the same course, when his boat also flipped but a co-driver was likewise handling the controls.
Schumacher had another close call at Miami in 1971. The bugs hadn't yet been worked out of the Pride of Pay 'n Pak and the boat overturned in the water. Schumacher got a dunk, but not much more.
Asked if those experiences and the deaths of two Heerensperger pilots is enough to scare the Schumachers away from unlimited racing, Cindy replied, "My trepidation magnified 100-fold after the Miami incident, but since then I'm getting used to it.
"There is always danger in any high-speed sport, but Billy has the reputation of being one of the safest drivers in the business."
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Chasin’ the Pak
Pay 'n Pak Win Third Straight Governor's Cup Before Record 90,000
By J.D. Lewis, Staff Writer
Reprinted from The Republic, Columbus, Ind., July 7, 1975
Pay ‘n Pak out-dueled Weisfield's in one of the closest heat races in unlimited hydroplane history and went on to capture its third straight Indiana Governor's Cup Sunday during the 26th running of the Madison Regatta on the Ohio River.
A record crowd of 90,000 fans watched driver George Henley score about a 10-foot win over Bill Schumacher and Weisfield's in the fourth and next to last heat race. The victory worth 400 points meant Henley needed only a second place finish in the final heat to clinch the Governor's Cup. He did just that, playing it safe and settling for second behind Schumacher, whose finish maintained Weisfield's lead in the national point standings.
"The name of the game is winning the Cup,” said a smiling Henley later. "We could have gone all out at the end, but we could've broken something and not finished. You go on strategy, not pride."
The victory, Pay 'n Pak's first in five unlimited races this year, was worth $6,336 out of a total purse of $30,000 for Henley and owner Dave Heerensperger of Seattle, Wash. The winning combination scored a first and two seconds in three heat races for 1,000 points.
Weisfield’s had a first, second and third for 925. Lincoln Thrift driven by Milner Irvin placed third with 794, Miss U.S. driven by Tom D'Eath was fourth with 750 and Miss Vernor's driven by Fred Alter was fifth with 625.
The local favorite, Miss Madison, piloted by Jerry Bangs, was black flagged for failing to shut off its engine after conking out in turn two in the first heat and scored no points. However, it finished second in the third heat and wound up eighth overall with 300 points.
A total of 11 boats were entered, but only nine reached minimum qualifying speeds of 100 miles an hour on Friday and Saturday. Pay 'n Pak averaged 103.010 for the three heats. But it set new Madison records in the thrilling duel with, Weisfield's in heat 2B.
The Pak covered the fifth and final lap over the 2½-mile course at 116.883 miles an hour, the fastest speed ever at Madison. The previous lap records of 116.580 for qualifying and 114.796 during a race were set by the Pak last year. And the Pak's average for the heat was 115.148, which shattered the record of 110.892, also set by the same boat last year.
Told later what his heat average was, the 39-year-old Henley, an Eatonville, Wash., native, exclaimed, "Holy mackerel!"
"I didn't think I had it won until I looked over my shoulder and saw (Schumacher) wasn't there," he said. "I could hear him all the time."
"There was nothing left in my engine," said Schumacher. “I pushed it as hard as it would go. That's one of the best races I've ever been in. "
"Me, too," said Henley. "I don't think I've ever been in as close a race even when I was racing limiteds. It was a good, clean, fun race."
In the final heat, Schumacher took Weisfield's into a comfortable lead on the first lap and led all the way. Weisfield's only hope for a Cup championship was that Miss U.S. would beat the Pak for second, but Henley held on and finished ahead of D'Eath by a safe margin.
Prior to the Regatta, Pay 'n Pak had won only one out of 10 heat races, but Henley said he felt confident of his chances after taking the boat out for a test run on Friday. "It finally began to handle like it did last year," he said. "Now I think she's back where she was."
There was only one minor mishap during the 4-hour program. In the second heat race, Miss Budweiser sustained considerable sponson damage on the right side when she hit a "low" spot entering the second turn. Driven by Mickey Remund, she went on to win the heat, but was forced to withdraw from the competition. "The crew will have to work night and day for a week just to get her ready for the next race (the Dayton Hydroglobe on July 13)," said Remund.
Final Points Standing: 1.) Pay 'n Pak, George Henley, 1,000; 2.) Weisfield's, Bill Schumacher, 925; 3.) Lincoln Thrift, Milner Irvin, 794; 4.) Miss U.S., Tom D'Eath, 750; 5.) Miss Vernor's, Fred Alter, 625; 6.) Miss Budweiser, Mickey Remund, 400; 7.) Atlas Van Lines, Bill Muncey, 338; 8.) Miss Madison, Jerry Bangs, 300.
By J.D. Lewis, Staff Writer
Reprinted from The Republic, Columbus, Ind., July 7, 1975
Pay ‘n Pak out-dueled Weisfield's in one of the closest heat races in unlimited hydroplane history and went on to capture its third straight Indiana Governor's Cup Sunday during the 26th running of the Madison Regatta on the Ohio River.
A record crowd of 90,000 fans watched driver George Henley score about a 10-foot win over Bill Schumacher and Weisfield's in the fourth and next to last heat race. The victory worth 400 points meant Henley needed only a second place finish in the final heat to clinch the Governor's Cup. He did just that, playing it safe and settling for second behind Schumacher, whose finish maintained Weisfield's lead in the national point standings.
"The name of the game is winning the Cup,” said a smiling Henley later. "We could have gone all out at the end, but we could've broken something and not finished. You go on strategy, not pride."
The victory, Pay 'n Pak's first in five unlimited races this year, was worth $6,336 out of a total purse of $30,000 for Henley and owner Dave Heerensperger of Seattle, Wash. The winning combination scored a first and two seconds in three heat races for 1,000 points.
Weisfield’s had a first, second and third for 925. Lincoln Thrift driven by Milner Irvin placed third with 794, Miss U.S. driven by Tom D'Eath was fourth with 750 and Miss Vernor's driven by Fred Alter was fifth with 625.
The local favorite, Miss Madison, piloted by Jerry Bangs, was black flagged for failing to shut off its engine after conking out in turn two in the first heat and scored no points. However, it finished second in the third heat and wound up eighth overall with 300 points.
A total of 11 boats were entered, but only nine reached minimum qualifying speeds of 100 miles an hour on Friday and Saturday. Pay 'n Pak averaged 103.010 for the three heats. But it set new Madison records in the thrilling duel with, Weisfield's in heat 2B.
The Pak covered the fifth and final lap over the 2½-mile course at 116.883 miles an hour, the fastest speed ever at Madison. The previous lap records of 116.580 for qualifying and 114.796 during a race were set by the Pak last year. And the Pak's average for the heat was 115.148, which shattered the record of 110.892, also set by the same boat last year.
Told later what his heat average was, the 39-year-old Henley, an Eatonville, Wash., native, exclaimed, "Holy mackerel!"
"I didn't think I had it won until I looked over my shoulder and saw (Schumacher) wasn't there," he said. "I could hear him all the time."
"There was nothing left in my engine," said Schumacher. “I pushed it as hard as it would go. That's one of the best races I've ever been in. "
"Me, too," said Henley. "I don't think I've ever been in as close a race even when I was racing limiteds. It was a good, clean, fun race."
In the final heat, Schumacher took Weisfield's into a comfortable lead on the first lap and led all the way. Weisfield's only hope for a Cup championship was that Miss U.S. would beat the Pak for second, but Henley held on and finished ahead of D'Eath by a safe margin.
Prior to the Regatta, Pay 'n Pak had won only one out of 10 heat races, but Henley said he felt confident of his chances after taking the boat out for a test run on Friday. "It finally began to handle like it did last year," he said. "Now I think she's back where she was."
There was only one minor mishap during the 4-hour program. In the second heat race, Miss Budweiser sustained considerable sponson damage on the right side when she hit a "low" spot entering the second turn. Driven by Mickey Remund, she went on to win the heat, but was forced to withdraw from the competition. "The crew will have to work night and day for a week just to get her ready for the next race (the Dayton Hydroglobe on July 13)," said Remund.
Final Points Standing: 1.) Pay 'n Pak, George Henley, 1,000; 2.) Weisfield's, Bill Schumacher, 925; 3.) Lincoln Thrift, Milner Irvin, 794; 4.) Miss U.S., Tom D'Eath, 750; 5.) Miss Vernor's, Fred Alter, 625; 6.) Miss Budweiser, Mickey Remund, 400; 7.) Atlas Van Lines, Bill Muncey, 338; 8.) Miss Madison, Jerry Bangs, 300.
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Rest of Fleet Chases Miss Bud, ‘Pride’ Again
By Curt Sylvester
Reprinted from Detroit Free Press, June 30, 1974
Look out George Henley and Howie Benns. They're after you again. It will be Henley in Pride of Pay 'n Pak and Benns in Miss Budweiser against the world again Sunday in the Gar Wood Trophy Race on the Detroit River.
The rest of the 10-hydroplane field will be out to overtake the pace-setters when Detroit's only unlimited hydroplane race of the season gets under way at noon. The final heat is scheduled for approximately 3:40 p.m. The race will be broadcast by WBRB AM (1430) and FM (103). And if this race runs according to form for the first three races of the season, either Henley or Benns will be stepping up to collect the trophy by 4 o'clock.
Pay 'n Pak, with wins in the last two races, holds the point edge for the season with 2,925, just 256 better than Budweiser, which won the season's only other event.
Both boats were among the top speedsters during qualifying last week, but both will be up against factors they have not encountered earlier this season For one thing, the new Miss U.S. finally seems to be in racing form for driver Tom D'Eath, who would enjoy nothing more than winning in front of a hometown crowd on the Detroit River.
For another, veteran Bill Muncey, who is presently fourth in season points, will be back in the top Atlas Van Lines boat (U-71) which needed extensive rebuilding following a mishap earlier in the season.
Then there is the matter of handling the often-difficult Detroit River course and in this race, under the infrequently-used Fan Plan, there is no easy way to victory ... no backing into a title by accumulating points in preliminary heats against weak competition.
Under the Fan Plan, the five fastest qualifiers Pay 'n Pak, Miss U.S., Atlas U-71, Miss Budweiser and Miss Madison will battle it out in two preliminary heats. The top three will advance to the championship final. The five slowest qualifiers Savair's Probe, Atlas U-44, Sunny Jim, Miss Cott and Mr. Fabricator will compete in the other two preliminaries and send their top two into the final event.
The whole race then goes down to that championship heat, with the winner taking home the Gar Wood Trophy … regardless of point totals accumulated in previous heats.
"That's racing," said Henley. "It's good for the fans and it's good for racing. You have to win that last heat. It's not like the other races where you get enough points in the first two heats, then play it safe in the final and still win."
With speed going against speed all afternoon, and with the course shortened and redesigned to eliminate the sharp, Roostertail turn, the race could be a fast one.
Grandstand tickets are still available at the gates for $5. They will be sold at the foot of Parkview, Memorial Park and Waterworks Park, where bleachers have been.
Reprinted from Detroit Free Press, June 30, 1974
Look out George Henley and Howie Benns. They're after you again. It will be Henley in Pride of Pay 'n Pak and Benns in Miss Budweiser against the world again Sunday in the Gar Wood Trophy Race on the Detroit River.
The rest of the 10-hydroplane field will be out to overtake the pace-setters when Detroit's only unlimited hydroplane race of the season gets under way at noon. The final heat is scheduled for approximately 3:40 p.m. The race will be broadcast by WBRB AM (1430) and FM (103). And if this race runs according to form for the first three races of the season, either Henley or Benns will be stepping up to collect the trophy by 4 o'clock.
Pay 'n Pak, with wins in the last two races, holds the point edge for the season with 2,925, just 256 better than Budweiser, which won the season's only other event.
Both boats were among the top speedsters during qualifying last week, but both will be up against factors they have not encountered earlier this season For one thing, the new Miss U.S. finally seems to be in racing form for driver Tom D'Eath, who would enjoy nothing more than winning in front of a hometown crowd on the Detroit River.
For another, veteran Bill Muncey, who is presently fourth in season points, will be back in the top Atlas Van Lines boat (U-71) which needed extensive rebuilding following a mishap earlier in the season.
Then there is the matter of handling the often-difficult Detroit River course and in this race, under the infrequently-used Fan Plan, there is no easy way to victory ... no backing into a title by accumulating points in preliminary heats against weak competition.
Under the Fan Plan, the five fastest qualifiers Pay 'n Pak, Miss U.S., Atlas U-71, Miss Budweiser and Miss Madison will battle it out in two preliminary heats. The top three will advance to the championship final. The five slowest qualifiers Savair's Probe, Atlas U-44, Sunny Jim, Miss Cott and Mr. Fabricator will compete in the other two preliminaries and send their top two into the final event.
The whole race then goes down to that championship heat, with the winner taking home the Gar Wood Trophy … regardless of point totals accumulated in previous heats.
"That's racing," said Henley. "It's good for the fans and it's good for racing. You have to win that last heat. It's not like the other races where you get enough points in the first two heats, then play it safe in the final and still win."
With speed going against speed all afternoon, and with the course shortened and redesigned to eliminate the sharp, Roostertail turn, the race could be a fast one.
Grandstand tickets are still available at the gates for $5. They will be sold at the foot of Parkview, Memorial Park and Waterworks Park, where bleachers have been.
Today on the River
11:30 a.m. Flag-raising ceremonies.
Noon. Flight 1A.
12:30 p.m. Flight IB.
1:00 p.m. Miss America IX vs. Miss Canada IV.
1:30 p.m. Flight 2A.
2:00 p.m. Flight 2B.
2:45 p.m. Schoenherr Memorial Consolation Race.
3:40 p.m. Gar Wood Trophy Race.
The Qualifiers
U-l Pay 'n Pak, George Henley, 133.044
U-2 Miss U.S., Tom D'Eath, 132.352
U-71 Atlas Van Lines, Bill Muncey, 132.352
U-l2 Miss Budweiser, Howie Benns, 129.963
U-8 Miss Madison, Milner Irvin, 118.811
U-50 Savair's Probe, Bob Miller, 116.883
U-44 Atlas Van Lines, Fred Alter, 111.111
U-22 Sunny Jim, Tom Martin, 109.311
U-76 Miss Cott, Roger D'Eath, 109.090
U-3 Mr. Fabricator, Tom Kaufman, 105.571
CU-22, Bob Schroeder, 102.661
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Schumacher Likely to Give Muncey Run for Gold Cup on the Detroit Today
DETROIT, June 24, 1972 — “This course is the roughest and toughest challenge in hydroplane racing,” asserted Bill Schumacher on the eve of tomorrow's $44,000 Gold Cup race.
“It also has the weirdest turns and the crookedest chutes [straightaways], is filled with driftwood and debris, has groundswells coming in from the lake, plus all of our wakes splash waves back at us from the bulkheads along the shore.
“Besides all this, the river current runs into the wind, which creates all kinds of ripples and waves, any one of which can flip your boat and snuff out your life before you know it.”
Despite his protestations of the Detroit River, where nine of the fastest propeller driven boats in the world will vie for the American Power Boat Association's coveted Gold Cup, Schumacher has won the big race twice, in Seattle in 1967 and in Detroit in 1968.
Switching Boats
His vehicle then was Miss Bardahl, the checkered thunderboat now retired. After a year with Parco O-Ring Miss, Schumacher moved to Seattle, got married and signed a contract to drive Dave Heerensperger's Pride of Pay 'n Pak, a revolutionary-designed unlimited named for a chain of West Coast department stores.
Totally unsuccessful at first with the radical pickle fork boat designed by Ron Jones, Schumacher worked with Heerensperger and his crew chief, Jim Lucero, and brought Pay 'n Pak to a point last year where it swept the last three races of the season and finished a close second to Miss Budweiser for the national championship.
This year, only the fabulously successful Bill Muncey, at the helm of two-year-old Atlas Van Lines, has managed to top Schumacher and Pay 'n Pak. And Muncey has won the Gold Cup four times, so he must remain the favorite.
Moves Backfire
Two other Gold Cup winners are competing: Jim McCormick, last year's victor in Miss Madison, and Dean Chenoweth, Miss Budweiser's driver last year. Both drivers have changed boats, however, and both have experienced little luck as a result.
McCormick is driving his own Miss Timex, preferring the dual role of owner-driver, but he has not come close to winning. Chenoweth took on the job of driving Notre Dame, a new Jones-designed boat which has also failed to win.
Why did Chenoweth, a Gold Cup winner, a two-time national champion and a victor in almost every race on the circuit in Miss Budweiser, quit a winning combination?
“I wanted a challenge, I guess,” said the Xenia, Ohio, automobile dealer. “Shirley [Mendelson McDonald, the owner] has been trying to put together a winner for 10 years, and now she's starting in all over again.”
Terry Sterett, one of the two driver sons of former champion Bill Sterett, is now the pilot of Budweiser, whose owners, Bernie Little and Tom Friedkin, seemed to have ignored the maxim, “Don't fool with a winning combination.”
After three years of domination, Budweiser's crew revised the sponsors and hull, but instead of improving her performance, it seemed to make it worse.
“The trouble was we never had proper conditions on the Coast to test those new ideas,” said Bill Sterett, “Now we've got her back to the way she was when I was driving and I think you'll see the difference Sunday.”
Muncey also has the advantage of a second Atlas Van Lines acting as a teammate in the fleet. Muncey drives U‐71 and Tom Sheehy drives U-70, which is the former Myr's Special and Miss Smirnoff and two years older.
“We've instructed Tom to push those other guys as hard as he can even though he doesn't win,” Muncey said.
Other boats and drivers in contention include Pizza Pete, with Bob Gilliam; Lincoln Thrift, a turbocharged boat, with George Henley, and Towne Club, with Fred Alter.
The next Miss Madison turned over and sank yesterday on a test run, thus denying the Gold Cup race a defending champion Her driver, Charlie Dunn, was not hurt seriously.
“It also has the weirdest turns and the crookedest chutes [straightaways], is filled with driftwood and debris, has groundswells coming in from the lake, plus all of our wakes splash waves back at us from the bulkheads along the shore.
“Besides all this, the river current runs into the wind, which creates all kinds of ripples and waves, any one of which can flip your boat and snuff out your life before you know it.”
Despite his protestations of the Detroit River, where nine of the fastest propeller driven boats in the world will vie for the American Power Boat Association's coveted Gold Cup, Schumacher has won the big race twice, in Seattle in 1967 and in Detroit in 1968.
Switching Boats
His vehicle then was Miss Bardahl, the checkered thunderboat now retired. After a year with Parco O-Ring Miss, Schumacher moved to Seattle, got married and signed a contract to drive Dave Heerensperger's Pride of Pay 'n Pak, a revolutionary-designed unlimited named for a chain of West Coast department stores.
Totally unsuccessful at first with the radical pickle fork boat designed by Ron Jones, Schumacher worked with Heerensperger and his crew chief, Jim Lucero, and brought Pay 'n Pak to a point last year where it swept the last three races of the season and finished a close second to Miss Budweiser for the national championship.
This year, only the fabulously successful Bill Muncey, at the helm of two-year-old Atlas Van Lines, has managed to top Schumacher and Pay 'n Pak. And Muncey has won the Gold Cup four times, so he must remain the favorite.
Moves Backfire
Two other Gold Cup winners are competing: Jim McCormick, last year's victor in Miss Madison, and Dean Chenoweth, Miss Budweiser's driver last year. Both drivers have changed boats, however, and both have experienced little luck as a result.
McCormick is driving his own Miss Timex, preferring the dual role of owner-driver, but he has not come close to winning. Chenoweth took on the job of driving Notre Dame, a new Jones-designed boat which has also failed to win.
Why did Chenoweth, a Gold Cup winner, a two-time national champion and a victor in almost every race on the circuit in Miss Budweiser, quit a winning combination?
“I wanted a challenge, I guess,” said the Xenia, Ohio, automobile dealer. “Shirley [Mendelson McDonald, the owner] has been trying to put together a winner for 10 years, and now she's starting in all over again.”
Terry Sterett, one of the two driver sons of former champion Bill Sterett, is now the pilot of Budweiser, whose owners, Bernie Little and Tom Friedkin, seemed to have ignored the maxim, “Don't fool with a winning combination.”
After three years of domination, Budweiser's crew revised the sponsors and hull, but instead of improving her performance, it seemed to make it worse.
“The trouble was we never had proper conditions on the Coast to test those new ideas,” said Bill Sterett, “Now we've got her back to the way she was when I was driving and I think you'll see the difference Sunday.”
Muncey also has the advantage of a second Atlas Van Lines acting as a teammate in the fleet. Muncey drives U‐71 and Tom Sheehy drives U-70, which is the former Myr's Special and Miss Smirnoff and two years older.
“We've instructed Tom to push those other guys as hard as he can even though he doesn't win,” Muncey said.
Other boats and drivers in contention include Pizza Pete, with Bob Gilliam; Lincoln Thrift, a turbocharged boat, with George Henley, and Towne Club, with Fred Alter.
The next Miss Madison turned over and sank yesterday on a test run, thus denying the Gold Cup race a defending champion Her driver, Charlie Dunn, was not hurt seriously.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Schumacher's Hydro Wins In Seafair Trophy Race
SEATTLE, Aug. 8, 1971 (AP) — Bill Schumacher in Pride of Pay 'N Pak, forced by an accident to twice win a championship heat, raced to a quarter‐lap victory in $30,000 Seafair Trophy unlimited hydroplane race today.
Schumacher had crossed the finish line in the original championship heat seconds after Notre Dame disintegrated in the final lap of the three‐mile Lake Washington course.
Notre Dame driver, Billy Sterett, Jr., was listed in satisfactory condition with facial cuts after a Coast Guard helicopter plucked him, from the water.
Unlimited hydroplane rules specify that the final heat must be rerun if marred by an accident.
 |
| Seafair Trophy winner Billy Schumacher in the Pride of Pay 'N Pak |
Schumacher had crossed the finish line in the original championship heat seconds after Notre Dame disintegrated in the final lap of the three‐mile Lake Washington course.
Notre Dame driver, Billy Sterett, Jr., was listed in satisfactory condition with facial cuts after a Coast Guard helicopter plucked him, from the water.
Unlimited hydroplane rules specify that the final heat must be rerun if marred by an accident.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Back In Boat After Crash
June 3, 1971 — Billy Schumacher (below) was separated from his hydroplane two week ago in Miami at 150 miles per hour. He's alive and well and today will be back in the boat which nearly cost him his life.
At the season's opener, Schumacher had a close call at the wheel of the Pride of Pay ’n Pak. During the Champion Spark Plug Regatta, on Biscayne Bay at Miami Marine Stadium, the Pak's rudder linkage failed while he was traveling 150 mph, putting the boat into a 360-degree spin directly in front of the stadium. The two-time national driving champion was pitched out of his boat.
"The boat spun all the way around and clipped me on the back of my helmet. I was hospitalized for two weeks and couldn't lift my head," reported Schumacher.
Dean Chenoweth drove the Miss Budweiser to victory.
At the season's opener, Schumacher had a close call at the wheel of the Pride of Pay ’n Pak. During the Champion Spark Plug Regatta, on Biscayne Bay at Miami Marine Stadium, the Pak's rudder linkage failed while he was traveling 150 mph, putting the boat into a 360-degree spin directly in front of the stadium. The two-time national driving champion was pitched out of his boat.
"The boat spun all the way around and clipped me on the back of my helmet. I was hospitalized for two weeks and couldn't lift my head," reported Schumacher.
Dean Chenoweth drove the Miss Budweiser to victory.
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