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.
