Pak owner, driver reach $ impasse; Remund out

Reprinted from The Seattle Times, September 26, 1973

Associated Press — An impasse in contract negotiations probably will keep Mickey Remund, national unlimited-hydroplane championship driver, away from the controls of the Pay 'n Pak next summer, Dave Heerensperger, the boat's owner, said yesterday.

Heerensperger, who said he's "in the market for a new driver," said Remund had demanded a 400 percent salary hike and call the demand a case of "the tail wagging the dog."

"I'm a hard-nosed guy. If I make an offer and my driver doesn't accept it, well that's it," he said in Seattle. "I'm still running the show."

He said he and his crew chief have not gone beyond the initial look at five prospective drives but added, "I don't think we'll have any trouble finding the right driver, with a national-championship boat and a great crew."

Remund, 36, had an established record as a limited-hydro pilot before joining the Pay 'n Pak team. The machinist from Palm Desert, Calif., was chosen to replace Billy Sterett, who retired from racing last year.

Pak driver progressing in recovery from crash

Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 31, 1982

John Walters is "showing significant progress" in recovering from injuries suffered Aug. 8 when the unlimited hydroplane he was driving crashed on Lake Washington, a Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman said yesterday.

Walters, 28, of Renton, was injured during the Emerald Cup race when his boat, the Pay 'n Pak, and two other hydros, the Executone and the Squire Shop. collided during an early heat. No other driver was seriously injured.

Walters is in satisfactory condition, following the expected course of recovery "for someone who suffered severe frontal lobe contusions (head injuries)," said Lita Edwards, the spokeswoman.

The injuries initially caused "confusion, an inability to communicate effectively and for which recovery is usually slow but expected," she said.

"Most of the time now, Walters is alert and converses with his family and hospital staff," she said.

He is in a body cast for his broken back, but not paralysis has been detected, she said. he also suffered a broken arm and leg.

Walters will probably stay at Harborview for sever more weeks, she said.

Two days after the accident, David J. Heerensperger, Pay 'n Pak board chairman, announced the retail firm was dropping its unlimited hydroplane sponsorship immediately. In 1980, Walters was hospitalized for two weeks after an accident in a race at Pasco.

Heerensperger said, "Although it is a very exciting sport, after two accidents involving Pay 'n Pak in the last three years, I do not want to continue."

Pak's 122.616 is '74 top qualifying speed

Reprinted from The Seattle Times, September 21, 1974

SAN DIEGO — George Henley yesterday pushed the Pride of Pay 'n Pak to the fastest qualifying time of the current unlimited hydroplane season in qualifying for tomorrow's San Diego Cup regatta.

Henley qualified the Pak at 122.616 miles per hour, bettering his mark set on the Gold Cup course at Seattle by one-tenth of a mile per hour.

Yesterday saw Dean Chenoweth back in the cockpit of the Miss Budweiser, the boat he piloted to national honors in past seasons before retiring. Chenoweth returned to active duty as a hydro jockey when Howie Benns, Budweiser driver, was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident earlier this month.

Chenoweth was on the course four times, but the best he could do in a qualifying run was 110.089 mph. He tried different propellers each time and still isn't satisfied he's found the proper one for the course here, which is considered to be the fastest on the circuit.

Qualifying speeds: Pay 'n Pak, 122.616; Valu-Mart, 120.321; Atlas Van Lines, 119.363; Red Man, 112.219; Miss Budweiser, 110.089; Sunny Jim, 101.810; Miss Technicolor, 100.223; and Kirby Classic, 98.908. Lincoln Thrift and Super Cinder have not qualified yet.

Accident mars Pay 'n Pak's chances in hydroplane race

Reprinted from The Seattle Times, July 12, 1981

Pay 'n Pak, driven by John Walters, for the first time this season topped Miss Budweiser in qualifying, but whether the Pacific Northwest boat can regain that form in time for today's Thunder on the Ohio III race remains in doubt.

As the Pay 'n Pak completed her record-breaking run of 131.627 miles an hour over the 2-mile course near Evansville, Ind., she struck a submerged log, which damaged a skid fin and sponson.

"We repaired it as best we could, but we're not sure how it's going to affect the boat in competition," said Jim Lucero, Pay 'n Pak crew chief.

Miss Budweiser, with Dean Chenoweth driving, earlier in the day averaged 131.148. Other qualifiers yesterday included Squire Shop (Chip Hanauer) at 127.208, Atlas Van Lines (Bill Muncey) at 124.352, Miss Madison (Milner Ervin) at 110.940, Miss Great Scot (Scott Pierce) at 109.589, and Miss Kentuckiana Paving (Ron Snyder) at 98.495.

Minimum qualifying speed is 95 m.ph.

Nine boats have qualified for the race. The draw for Heat 1A (10 a.m. Seattle time): Captran Resorts (Bobbie Howard), 100.279; Pay 'n Pak; Gilmore Chevy Special (Terry Turner), 104.803; Squire Shop; Miss Kentuckiana Paving. Heat 1B (10:30 a.m.): Miss Budweiser, Miss Madison, Miss Great Scot, Atlas Van Lines.

Remund named Pak driver

By Del Danielson
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, April 9, 1973

Mickey Remund, who gained his boat-racing fame in the cockpit of a 5-liter limited hydroplane, will pilot the unlimited Pride of Pay 'n Pak during the 1973 season.

The announcement that Remund will drive the Pride came at a press conference at noon today, but Remund has been employed by the Pay 'n Pak camp for several months. The Pride is fresh out of the shop, and Remund has been working with Ron Jones, the build, during construction.

Remund left for southern California after testing the Pride on Lake Washington this afternoon. He will attend his mother's funeral tomorrow, then return the Pacific Northwest. The Pride is scheduled for more testing — on the Columbia River at Pasco — later this week.

Three drivers saw duty in the Pride of Pay 'n Pak last summer. Bill Sterett, Sr., took over one race with Billy Schumacher quit at midseason. Billy Sterett was the pilot for the final three races of the year and wan the Washington D.C. President's Cup.

The Sterett family — including Billy's brother, Terry — has retired from unlimited racing.

This is not the first unlimited ride for Remund. He way limited duty in the Van's P-X in 1970 and '71.

Remund, of Garden Grove, Calif., holds the world straightaway record in the 5-liter class. In November, 1971, Remund pushed the Jones-designed Going Thing to 152.130 miles an hour through the kilo traps at Parker, Ariz.

On several occasions, Remund and the Going Thing were "over" the world competition record, only to stall because of mechanical failure. Two near misses were on Green Lake the past two summers.

"This is something I've wanted for quite a while," Remund said yesterday. "I really liked driving the Going Thing, but a guy can't make a living in a 5-liter."

"I think the Pride of Pay 'n Pak will be competitive in its first year. Jones builds a great boat, and the crew is top-notch. If we get enough testing time in, I think we can have the bugs worked out by Miami."

The unlimited season will begin May 20 in Miami's Marine Stadium.

"During testing, it really helps to have a regulation course set up. They've got that in Pasco, so we'll do a lot of work over there."

Remund's appointment fills the unlimited fleet's last vacancy for the coming season.

Ron Larsen, once the driver of the Pride of Pay 'n Pak, will pilot the Notre Dame. Dean Chenoweth, last year's Notre Dame driver, has returned to the Budweiser camp.

Bill Muncey, 1972 national champion, will return with the Atlas Van Lines. The backup Atlas of last season, still looking for a 1973 sponsor, will  make a the full circuit with Fred Alter at the wheel.

Charlie Dunn will again be the Miss Madison chauffeur. Jim McCormick hopes to compete at all '73 regattas, but is looking for a sponsor. Timex bailed out as McCormick's sponsor after last season.

Bill Wurster, a rookie last year will return in Bob Gilliam's Valu-Mart.

Henley says he's through as a driver

By Chuck Ashmun
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, March 12, 1976

George Henley's hydroplane-racing career has ended — again.

The popular pilot of the Pay 'n Pak unlimited today said he does not plan to return to boat racing now that the craft he steered to two consecutive national championships has been sold.

"We had our fun, but I don't have any plans to drive any more," Henley said.

"Don't say I've retired. That sounds like a fella who's sitting back and got it made. Let's just say I'm gonna play it cool for a while. I'm not out looking."

Henley was wooed out of a brief retirement by the Pay 'n Pak owner, Dave Heerensperger, after the second race of the 1975 season and steered the Pak to the national point title by winning five of the last six races on the circuit, including the prestigious Gold Cup regatta.

"I kind of felt responsible to the Pay 'n Pak people last year," Henley said of this sudden return to the sport. He also was enticed by a lucrative contract."

"But now that he (Heerensperger) is out of the sport, it's really easy for me to get out too."

Heerensperger recently sold his racing equipment — a package that included a new hull under construction, last year's championship hull, one other hull and some 30 engines — to Bill Muncey and Atlas Van Lines. The deal reportedly amounted to a high six-figure sum.

Henley, of Eatonville, said he has not been contacted by Muncey, also a driver, about piloting either the new, aluminum-hulled craft or the boat which won the title last season.

Asked if he might again change his mind and return to racing if made the right offer, he said:

"I don't think so. It would be hard to beat what we did last year. That was a real challenge, bringing the boat up from the bottom of the ladder to the top after the season had started. I don't know if I could ever get that enthused again."

Henley said he met with Heerensperger after the final race of the 1975 campaign and agreed to drive for him again this year.

"But I've lost that do-do-it drive since then," he said. "It's sort of a relief to be out of it."

From outboards to the Gold Cup

By Ranny Green,
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, Pictorial Magazine, July 28, 1974

Since childhood, boating has intrigued Eatonville’s George Henley.

Eatonville's George Henley

He has raced powerboats from outboards to unlimited hydroplanes. His boating also has included operating a jet boat on river excursions and salmon fishing at Westport.

This summer the 36-year-old family man has raced about the country as an unlimited-hydroplane jockey and jet-boat salesman.

Next Sunday on Lake Washington the amiable Henley, who has been racing since 1954, will be at the helm of the Pay ‘n Pak, the defending national champion in the Gold Cup regatta.

“I have two big obligations this summer — driving the Pak and boosting sales for my employer, Turbo Pac, Inc., (a Tacoma firm which sells jet-powered boats),” Henley said. “But sometimes there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day.

“Fortunately, Pay ‘n Pak has a great racing team,” he continued. “My only obligation is to drive. Jim Lucero, the crew chief, is a genius at repairing the boat. If there’s the slightest thing wrong, I tell him and he attempts to correct.

“The team did its home work during the winter months and the boat was marvelously prepared. We had some rudder trouble in preseason testing but it was corrected. Preparation was the key in the early races because I had very few laps in the boat before the first race.”

Dave Heerensperger, the boat owner, and Henley agreed last spring that Henley would be allotted sufficient time to continue “my main obligation as sales and public-relations manager for Turbo-Pac.

“This is a different arrangement than Mickey (Remund, 1973 Pay ‘n Pak driver) had. He was employed by Pay ‘n Pak and available at virtually any time for testing the boat and for public appearances.

Prior to this season, Henley was winless in unlimited competition. That drought ended on the Potomac River when he captured the coveted President’s Cup in early June.

“That still ranks as my biggest thrill,” he said. “The first win is always the one you remember, and once you get the taste of victory, you don’t want to give it up.”

The glamour of that initial win will be increased, since he and his Pak mates will go to Washington D.C., in the fall to receive the cup from President Nixon at the White Houses.

Despite racing virtually at sea level, Henley senses plenty of pressure in the cockpit of the Pak. but it’s not air pressure, rather psychological.

“There’s a certain amount of pressure to keep the title that Mickey earned,” Henley explained. “But what business in the world doesn’t have pressure? I enjoy it.

“I hadn’t planned to go racing this season, but this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. David and I have a one-year agreement that I’ll drive the boat. If something happens and he wants to change drivers, that’s his opinion. But I hope to prove myself as a winner so he won’t have to exercise that option.”

Henley, a longtime limited-hydro driver, became somewhat disenchanted with the unlimited’s lifestyle and personnel shortly after making the jump to the big boats in the early 1970s.

“I’ve changed a lot of my opinions since then,” he confessed. “But unlimited racing has changed, too. There’s the Fan Plan (where the winner of the final heat is declared the race victor), there are more limited drivers moving into unlimiteds, there are more boats and the competition is much improved.”

He concedes his change of heard may in part be due to his association with one of the sport’s top racing camps.

“When you’re not winning or contending, a season can become pretty long,” he said.

Because the spring and summer are prime sales periods for Turbo Pac, Henley spends virtually every available minute concentrating on selling the Hamilton jet boats.

“All of my family enjoys boating,” Henley said. “When I am not out selling or racing, we’re on the Nisqually River or some other body of water.”

His summer timetable is well organized and tightly scheduled. Commuting 27 miles to the Tacoma boat shop when he isn’t racing, Henley spends a typical work day on the phone and at marinas informing potential clients about this product.

“It’s amazing how racing and jet-boat sales complement each other,” he added. “Everywhere I go in business, people ask about the unlimited. I’m convinced that any recognition I gain in racing is helpful to business.”

Born in Ketchikan, Alaska, Henley comes from a family of five children. His parents operate Silver Lake resort near Eatonville, where he has resided most of his life. His wife, Mary, has seven sisters, one of whom is married to Ron Jones, Southern California unlimited-hydroplane builder.

Discussing his interest in boats, Henley quipped: “I guess I was born with webbed feet. Ever since I was a small boy, I’ve been around boats. I think racing really began to attract me when I was a first-grader and my family was living at Spanaway Lake, south of Tacoma.

“The reason I recall it so well is that one day I walked down to a dock, about a block from my home, to watch a race. My parents called and called for me, but I didn’t hear them. When they finally found me, they gave me a good paddling for wandering away from home without permission.”

His racing ventures began in a B stock hydro in 1954. Then he graduated to the 136-, 155- and 280-cubic-inch limited-hydro categories. In the late 1950s he was a crew member of the Tacoma-based unlimited Miss B & I. and the Coral Reef. In 1969 he captured the national 225 crown in Miss Tide Air. Later, henley drove the famed seven-liter Record 7 after the late George Babcock retired.

His previous unlimited rides, from 1970 to ‘73 were the Burien Miss, Lincoln Thrift and Red Man.

Although the sport has been tragedy marked in recent years, Henley said: “It’s no more dangerous than driving down the highway at midnight some Friday or Saturday night. In fact, these drivers are a heck of a lot better than any you’ll see on the freeway.”

He has been involved in two narrow scrapes with death, one a flip in his 225 on Lake Sammamish in 1970 and a nose dive in the Link Thrift at the 1972 Gold Cup on the Detroit River.

“George is a great starter,” Heerensperger said. “Even when he wasn’t in a top hull he’d always be in a good position at the start. He’s got a bunch of desire and he’s chomping at the bit in our boat.”

Henley added: “There’s considerable strategy in racing. We videotape most of our test and trial runs to determine how the boat is riding and how I can improve my position on the course.

“Much of my preparation for each event is aimed at timing the start. I spend a couple of days working on positioning myself in relation to the starting clock.

“Like Howie Benns (Miss Budweiser driver) and Ron Armstrong (Valu-Mart pilot), I want the inside lane. That means that all jockeying for position begins well before the one-minute gun, for whoever has that lane by the turn buoy heading into the straightway, owns the position.

“Unquestionably the start and the first turn are crucial phases of every race. If you can get past those in the lead and have comparable power to the rest of the boats, you’re usually in pretty good shape.

“But racing these big hydros is more than simply putting your foot down and letting the boat go. It’s as much psychological as it is physical.

“From a physical standpoint, I attempt to stay in good condition the year around by jogging and driving the jet boats.”

This week Henley will begin a quest for the prestigious Gold Cup, a title that has eluded the Pay ‘n Pak team in its six years of racing.

“My chief ambition this season is to take the unlimited points championship,” Henley said, “but there is no race I’d rather win than the Gold Cup right here on our home course.”

Heerensperger noted, “I’m confident George can win it. He has all the tools to become a great driver, and we have a sound boat capable of helping him get to the winner’s circle.”