Selling the Pride of Pay ’n Pak

By A.J. Muntz
Reprinted from At the Ragged Edge

Everything clicked for Bill Muncey in 1972. He won both preliminary heats at the season’s first race in Miami and was about to head onto the course for the final when he received sage advice that he would follow to the letter for the rest of the year. With a serious look on his face, his crew chief, Bill Cantrell, leaned over the cockpit and, in his deep, Kentucky drawl, told Muncey to “get out in front and then improve your position.

The 1972 Pride of Pay 'n Pak. Photo by Bill Osborne.

He not only followed Cantrell’s instructions in Miami, but also continued running ahead of the field at each race, winning in Owensboro, Detroit, Madison, the Tri-Cities, and in Seattle. The Detroit victory had been the most satisfying, giving him his fifth Gold Cup, a mark that tied him with the great Gar Wood.

It seemed Muncey and Atlas Van Lines could do nothing wrong that year. The team won 18 of the 21 heats started, placed second in the other three, set a number of lap, heat, race, and qualifying records, and earned Muncey his fourth national driver’s championship. “We didn’t expect to have this kind of a season,” Muncey said. “Who’d ever believe 10 years ago that I’d bring Lee Schoenith a national championship?”

As Muncey dominated everything in Atlas Van Lines, Bill Schumacher and Billy Sterett, Jr. combined to take runner-up honors aboard the Pride of Pay ’n Pak. In the process, the team also won  the only race Muncey didn’t, the President’s Cup, and set a world record qualifying time of 125.874 miles per hour.

Meanwhile, Bernie Little’s Karelsen-designed Budweiser began to show its age. With Terry Sterett at the wheel, the three-time national champion managed only two second-place finishes and ended the 1972 season a distant third in the national standings.

Bernie Little didn’t like being third in anything, so he again turned to the same strategy he used in 1966 when he bought Miss Exide and again in 1969 when he enticed Dean Chenoweth to join his team: He acquired the very thing he couldn’t beat.

The day after the season’s final race, Little announced that he had purchased the Pride of Pay ’n Pak from Dave Heerensperger for $30,000.

Heerensperger was willing to part with the boat because he already had plans for a new hydroplane. Months earlier, he had asked Ron Jones to design and build a new Pay ‘n Pak that would be even better than the “Pride.” Jones did just that, producing a boat that would stun the hydro-racing world and become one of the most successful race boats in history.”

Remund 1st; Muncey 5th

MIAMI — (Special) — Mickey Remund wasn't satisfied with going Bill Muncey one better. He had to rub it in a little.

Remund, getting his first assignment in a "real" unlimited hydroplane, yesterday outgunned Muncey for the Champion Regatta trophy and twice broke a course record set by the defending national champion.

Remund, Garden Grove, Calif., piloted the Seattle-based Pride of Pay 'n Pak to three easy heat wins and a 1,200-point sweep against seven competitors in Marine Stadium.

Remund won Heat 1A with a record 106.867 miles-an-hour average. In Head 2B, Remund zipped around the 2½-mile course even faster, setting the standard at 111.150 m.p.h. Muncey, who won six of last season's seven races, provided Remund a target with a 05.448 heat last year.

In the final, Remund slowed to 102.389 m.p.h., but was not pushed after Muncey's Atlas Van Lines stalled on the third lap.

Remund, who had a "cup of coffee" in the underpowered Van's P-X a few years back, established himself as the 1973 favorite with his immediate success in the new Pay 'n Pak.

Yesterday's regatta was the first for the new Ron Jones-designed hull, owned by Dave Heerensperger of Mercer Island. The last time a boat won it's first race was in 1959 when Chuck Hickling captured the Apple Cup with the Miss Pay 'n Save.

Heerensperger, a fierce competitor, was more than pleased with the win, which earned his camp $5,445.

"We've got one that Muncey's gonna chase all year, I hope," Heerensperger said after his boat crossed the finish line.

The Pay 'n Pak utilizes a horizontal stabilizer bar — a "bat wing" — on the tail fin to smooth out cornering.

"I think we will see a lot of those wings being built in the next 30 days," Buddy Byers, unlimited commissioner, said while congratulating Heerensperger.

George Henley of Eatonville, driving the Lincoln Thrift, placed second with 900 points on three second place finishes. Henley earned $4,095 for Bob Fendler, owner of the Lincoln.

Jim McCormick of Owensboro, Ky., was third with his Red Man (former Hallmark Homes).

Dean Chenoweth of Xenia, Ohio, was a disappointed fourth in the Budweiser.

Muncey's 300 points for a second in Heat 1A stood up for fifth overall.

Bill Wurster, in Bob Gilliam's Valu-Mart, and Charlie Dunn, in the Miss Madison, tied for sixth with 225 points each.

The unlimited fleet now heads for Washington, D.C., and the President's Cup on the Potomic River, June 2-3.

Pak won't be back—Heerensperger says 'I quit'

By Glenn Nelson
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 11, 1982

Unlimited-hydroplane racing received another jolt yesterday when Pay 'n Pak owner Dave Heerensperger announced he was pulling out of racing.

Driver John Walters sits dejectedly on the hull of the Pay 'n Pak after the boat went dead in the water during testing before crashing in Sunday's Emerald Cup on Lake Washington. Yesterday, Pak owner Dave Heerensperger decided to retire from unlimited racing.

Heerensperger's decision came two days after his driver, John Walters, was injured in a three-boat crash during an early heat in the Sea Galley Emerald Cup on Lake Washington.

Walters was seriously injured when the Pak ran over Executone, which had gone out of control and struck The Squire Shop.

The 28-year-old Pak driver's condition is serious but has steadily improved, doctors at Harborview Medical Center said yesterday. Walters will remain on a ventilator until doctors can determine the extents of injuries to a lung.

Walters suffered a fractured right elbow, broken left knee, three broken bones in the cheek, all of which were set in surgery at Harborview Sunday night. He also had compression fractures of three vertebrae, but no paralysis.

"It was just the accident," said Heerensperger, explaining his decision. "It was an uncontrollable thing but the bad publicity and with John hurt and the boat wrecked ... and we'd lost Dean Chenoweth one weekend and one week later, I almost lost my own driver. When Muhammad Ali hits you in the face one or two times, you don't need the third. I'd had enough.

"If I hadn't won any national titles or any Gold Cups, that would be one thing. but I've done everything in this sport. I don't need anymore. Whenever you leave a sport that's been so good to you, sure you might have some regrets.

But I left in 1975, I left because we had just on three national championships. After winning the '75 title, (Pak driver) George Henley said, 'We've done everything. I think I want to get out.' I agreed. I sat on the beach for five years and it didn't bother me. I came back with the turbine to help the sport.

"The upside of racing is winning races. The downside is that I almost lost a driver and a friend. When I see the accident and get a queasy feeling in my stomach, it's time to get out."

With 25 victories spanning the period from 1968 to 1975 and 1980 to the present season, Heerensperger is the fifth winningest owner in the sport's history.

He captured national championships in 1973, '74, an '75 and Gold Cups in '74 and '75. Heerensperger won four races in Seattle and four in Pasco. The Pay 'n Pak Corp. sponsorship is fourth in career wins.

Heerensperger is chairman of the board of Pay 'n Pak, a Kent-based chain of plumbing and electrical stores. He had been one of the top innovators in the sport, credited with introducing stabilizer tail-fins, rear-mounted engines, trimaran hulls and the turbine power plant.

Heerensperger said he was also disturbed by the current trend of blowover-type accidents that claimed the lives of Chenoweth and Bill Muncey, two close friends.

"After what happened to Dean, I thought we should all meet in the winter and do something about safety," said Heerensperger. "Maybe shorten the courses, limit manifolds and maybe the sport would be called 'semi-limited." Something has to be done to make it safer. The sport has got to do some serious governing. It can't go on like it has. I think the sport itself will die if it does.

"I hope the sport can keep going. I'm sure it will, but without us. But this is a resilient bunch. Someone will step in and the sport will be back where it was."

According to Pak crew chief Jim Lucero, Heerensperger had hinted at the decision Sunday night.

"At the time, it was maybe yes, maybe no," Lucero said. "He probably didn't make the decision just because of the accident — though it was the biggest factor. Boat racing is an expensive thing to do. I don't think expenses was the major issue, however.

"I can understand the decision. We had two major accidents in the past two years. And there was nothing we could do about Sunday's. I felt we had reached the point where we were running better and safer than we had ever run.

"The Pay 'n Pak people feel real responsibility to Arlene (Walter's wife) and his two kids (Katrina and Marciva). I think they don't want to go through that again."

"We put together the best and safest equipment we could," Heerensperger said. "The accident wasn't related to going too fast or flying. It was an unfortunate accident — who knows what happened? If you noticed, John was behind everybody — exactly where we told him to be. We felt we could stay behind and that it would be no problem to pick off the rest one at a time, finished second because the Budweiser couldn't outrun us, and give a good show. If water conditions improved, which I understand they did, then give it a shot in the final."

Lucero, the all-time winningest crew chief in unlimited history with 45 victories, said he would continue in his advisory position with the Atlas Van Lines, which he designed and built.

"I have a commitment with them and I'll stick to it," he said. "But as for what I'll do on a full-time basis, I think I'll sit back and see what develops. Meanwhile, I'll do whatever I can to help the other teams — especially from the aspect of safety,

Heerensperger had left unlimited racing before. After campaigning Miss Eagle Electric, Pride of Pay 'n Pak and Pay 'n Pak 'Lil Buzzard for eight years, he sold his three boats and equipment in 1975 to Muncey. Racing under the Atlas sponsorship, Muncey won the national title in 1976.

The 45-year-old Pak owner returned to the sport in 1980 with the turbine-powered hydro that crashed at Seattle on Sunday.

In the boat's first race at Pasco that year, Walters flipped in spectacular fashion during a pre-race test lap. He was hospitalized for two weeks with a fractured hip socket and sprains to his left shoulder, elbow and knee.

Lucero and the Pak crew last year completed a new Pay 'n Pak hull that was the prototype for this year's version of the successful Atlas Van Lines. Heerensperger said he will sell all his equipment but has not yet talked to anyone about the sale.

It has been speculated that Squire Shop owner bob Steil is interested in the boat, but Steil could not be reached for comment.

Two drivers have died under Heerensperger's employ. Col. Warner Gardner died in the Miss Eagle Electric at the 1968 Gold Cup in Detroit. Tommy Fults was killed during testing in Pay 'n Pak's 'Lil Buzzard four days before a 1970 race in San Diego.

"I had a real low feeling then," said Heerensperger. "But those were different type accidents. I didn't feel they had to do with anything safety wise with the sport. With the colonel, it was driver error."

Pay 'n Pak Corp. was founded in Longview in 1953 by Stan Thurman. Heerensperger got into the business under Thurman when he established a chain of stores known as Eagle Electric in Spokane. Heerensperger and Thurman merged their operations with John M. Headley's Seattle-based Buzzard Electric in 1969 under the Pay 'n Pak name.

Bill Sterett Jr. Wins on Potomac

Pay 'n Pak Substitute Does 109 M.P.H. -- Muncey Next in President's Cup Race

By Parton Keese
Reprinted from The New York Times, July 10, 1972

WASHINGTON, July 9—Little-known Bill Sterett Jr. put an end to Bill Muncey's reign in unlimited hydroplanes today when he drove Pride of Pay' N Pak to a record-breaking 200-yard victory in the President's Cup.

Driving at an average speed of 109.090 miles an hour for the six-lap, 15-mile race, Sterett set a record for a 2½-Mile course. He had to—Muncey's second-place finish at 108.324 also broke the mark he himself had set here yesterday.

The 24-year-old Sterett surprised Muncey as well as 80,000 spectators lined along the Potomac shore. He was given the helm after the two-time national champion, Billy Schumacher, quit last week, apparently tired of catching Muncey's roostertail spray during race after race.

The Muncey-Sterett duel gave a shot in the arm to the President's Cup race, which had been lacking luster throughout the weekend because of a curtailed fleet that was battered and torn by the Gold Cup race two weeks ago. Four damaged boats were missing, leaving seven to race here, only three of which had any zip.

A Family Affair

Sterett is one of two driver sons of Bill Sterett of Owensboro, Ky., who twice won national titles in Budweiser. Terry Sterett, 25, has been driving Budweiser this season and finished third today, a half-mile behind the leader.

“They made an agreement with me last year,” the senior Sterett said, “that they would race unlimited only two years and then retire. Billy was sit ting this year out to race next season, so I guess we won't count this as a full season.”

Asked if the new driver had made the difference in Pay ‘n Pak's becoming a winner rather than an also-ran, Dave Heerensperger the owner, said. “Well, we didn't change anything else. Does that answer your question?”

Muncey, who had won 13 of 14 races and had set three speed records while winning all four this season in Atlas Van Lines, got a good start, but could not pass Billy Sterett, who stayed a length in front for 2½ laps.

When Muncey shot by Sterett on the far turn and took a 100-yard lead, it looked like the excitement was over. But in a marvelous stretch battle, Sterett proved Pay ‘n Pak slightly faster on the straightaway and won going away.

David Heerensperger Passes Away

David Heerensperger, hydroplane owner, tough businessman and ‘the kindest man you could ever hope to meet’

By Asia Fields
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, December 7, 2018

The entrepreneur, known for his ownership of the Pay 'n Pak hardware stores and hydroplanes, was also an early investor in Emerald Downs.

Businessman David Heerensperger was known for being tough, but the sight of his hydroplane driver being severely injured in a crash made him feel like he was having a heart attack.

It was the 1982 Emerald Cup on Lake Washington and John Walters was racing Mr. Heerensperger’s Pay ‘n Pak against its fiercest competitor, the Miss Budweiser. Another hydroplane unexpectedly veered off course and crashed into the Pay ‘n Pak, going over top of it. Walters was ejected and floated facedown in the lake for nine minutes until responders got to him, he said.

David Heerensperger was instrumental in growing Pay ‘n Pak’s annual sales
to nearly $400 million. (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times, 1993)

The hydroplane’s owner, then 46, had already lost two drivers to fatal accidents. But the sight of the crash sent him to the hospital and off the sport for good. When Mr. Heerensperger was released, he went straight to Walters’ side. Doctors were able to restart Walters’ heart, but he had a broken back, head injuries, internal bleeding and broken ribs that had punctured his organs, he said.

Mr. Heerensperger kept him on the payroll for the four years it took him to recover.

Mr. Heerensperger was best known for his competitive spirit, which fueled his hardware-business empires and investments in Thoroughbred and hydroplane racing. Friends remember him most for his quiet generosity.

Mr. Heerensperger died Sunday from medical complications at the age of 82, surrounded by family at his home in Bellevue.

“I’d like for people to know that he was more than just a suit and tie in the corporate world,” Walters said. “He had to wear this armor to be the tough guy and the leader of a multimillion dollar business. But I was fortunate to see the other side of David Heerensperger. Under that armor was the heart and soul of the kindest man you could ever hope to meet.”

A self-made businessman

Mr. Heerensperger was born in 1936 in Longview. His first jobs included pumping gas and doing inventory for hardware-store owner Stanley Thurman, according to his biographer and former Seattle Times reporter Gary Dougherty. Thurman gave him a loan to open Eagle Electric and Plumbing Supply in Spokane in 1959.

As Mr. Heerensperger worked his way up, he began sponsoring Spokane sports, including hydroplane racing, softball, drag racing, football, basketball, baseball, hockey and bowling teams.

In 1969, a merger brought Eagle Electric under Thurman’s Kent-based hardware store Pay ‘n Pak, and Mr. Heerensperger soon after became chairman and CEO. He moved to the Seattle area and began funding the city’s fast-pitch softball team, which won three national and two international championships under his leadership.

Mr. Heerensperger oversaw Pay ‘n Pak’s expansion and grew its annual sales to nearly $400 million before he was forced out in 1989 after an attempted hostile takeover. He went on to create a competitor store, Eagle Hardware and Garden, and Pay ‘n Pak shuttered three years later.

David Heerensperger, left, gives his driver, Mickey Remund, a big hug after his hydroplane won the
World Championship Seafair regatta on Aug. 6, 1973. (Vic Condiotty / The Seattle Times)

Eagle Hardware, which competed with chains like Home Depot, was “the Nordstrom of home improvement,” former employee Eric Goranson said. Mr. Heerensperger would walk through the stores to ensure the white-tile floors were polished, items were perfectly straight on the shelves and employees were experts on inventory.

The company had grown to 32 stores and 6,000 employees by the time Mr. Heerensperger sold it to Lowe’s for $1 billion in 1998.

After selling Eagle, Mr. Heerensperger tried to retire, sailing to the Mediterranean on a 162-foot yacht with an 11-person crew and personal chef, according to a 2000 Seattle Times article. But he returned a year later to launch yet another business, founding World Lighting and Design at the age of 64. Mr. Heerensperger’s friend and Emerald Downs founder Ron Crockett said this was one of the few unsuccessful projects the late entrepreneur had, as the stores didn’t meet sales expectations and closed after two years.

“He was a risk-taker of a high degree, always willing to take a chance,” Crockett said.

Hydroplane and horse racing

Mr. Heerensperger bought his own hydroplane in 1967 and immediately began racking up victories.

Hydroplane racing was extremely dangerous during this time, recalled Stephen Shepperd, who wrote a book on the Diamond Cup hydroplane races. It wasn’t until the 1980s that closed canopies were used, which largely eliminated the deaths of drivers, he said.

It was during a 1968 race with the Miss Budweiser that Mr. Heerensperger’s boat somersaulted, killing the driver. It was the sixth fatality in unlimited hydroplane racing in two years, Shepperd said. Another one of Mr. Heerensperger’s drivers died in 1970.

Mr. Heerensperger hired designers to make his boats safer and faster, which led to the 1973 Winged Wonder Pay ‘n Pak. The boat was more stable and did better on corners, Shepperd said.

“Back when he started, the boats were all made of wood. He brought the aluminum construction into the sport,” Shepperd said. He was an innovator and he did it by hiring the best.”

David Heerensperger, owner of Millennium Wind, talks about his horse’s chances in the Kentucky Derby during a
press conference at Emerald Downs in April 2001. (Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times)

The piston-powered ’73 Pay ‘n Pak, white with a distinct orange stripe, set a world lap speed record of almost 127 mph on a 3-mile Lake Washington course. It’s now in the Hydroplane & Race Boat Museum in Kent.

Mr. Heerensperger’s team won 25 races from 1968 to 1982, including two prestigious American Power Boat Association Gold Cups and four Seafair races. President Richard Nixon personally gave Mr. Heerensperger a trophy in 1973, and the boat owner was inducted into the Unlimited Hydroplane Hall of Fame in 1980.

After leaving hydroplane racing, Mr. Heerensperger focused his attention on Thoroughbreds. He was an early investor in Emerald Downs, which Crockett opened in 1996. He won 25 graded stakes races from 1995 to 2014, Dougherty said, and his horse Millennium Wind ran in the 2001 Kentucky Derby.

“He was a guy who could do most anything, to tell you the truth,” Crockett said.

Mr. Heerensperger is survived by his children Joe, Julie, Karen and Corey, and fiancée Nikki Johnson.

David Heerensperger

David Heerensperger, former H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Series owner & successful businessman passes away.

December 2, 2018 —  (SEATTLE) The world of hydroplane racing has lost one of its legendary former boat owners with the passing of David Heerensperger at the age of 82.

Dave Heerensperger in 1971

Heerensperger died of complications from a medical procedure. Members of his family were at his bedside.

Born in Longview, Washington on June 5, 1936, Heerensperger's foray into the business world began in Longview, Washington in 1959 when businessmen Stan Thurman and Bob Grover of T&T Electric set him up in a store in Spokane, Washington called Eagle Electric and Plumbing.

In 1969, Eagle Electric and Plumbing, was acquired by Pay 'n Pak, which was founded by Thurman. A year later, a rift developed between Thurman, Heerensperger and another longtime T&T employee, John Headley. Thurman left the group.

Dave Heerensperger, with Mickey Remund, in 1973

In 1969 Heerensperger became chairman and CEO of Pay 'n Pak. He grew it to more than 30 stores throughout the western United States. After a hostile takeover attempt, Heerensperger retired from Pay 'n Pak in November 1989.

After his retirement from the Pay 'n Pak stores, Heerensperger developed Eagle Hardware and Garden, a west coast big box hardware store. He was chairman from 1989 to 1997 and it was sold 1997 to Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse for an estimated $1 billion.

Never one to slow down, Heerensperger then founded and was chairman of World Lighting & Design based in Bellevue, Washington.

Dave Heerensperger, with George Henley and Jim Lucero, in 1974

During his life he invested in seven different unlimited hydroplanes including the 1968 "Miss Eagle Electric," the iconic 1973 "Pay 'n Pak," and in the 1980s campaigned the first turbine-powered hydroplane to win a H1 Unlimited Hydroplane race.

Between 1968 and 1982, Heerensperger’s team won 25 races, including two prestigious American Power Boat Association Gold Cups, and three National High Point Championships. In 1973, the "Pay 'n Pak" set a world lap speed record of 126.760 m.p.h. on a 3-mile course on Seattle’s Lake Washington with Mickey Remund driving.

Dave Heerensperger, with John Walters, in 1981

The Heerensperger dynasty also had its dark side. Two drivers were fatally injured in hydroplane accidents–Warner Gardner in 1968 with the second "Miss Eagle Electric" and Tommy Fults in 1970 with "Pay 'n Pak."

In his early years, Heerensperger was an avid fast pitch softball player and hockey player, and sponsored highly successful semi-pro softball teams in the Spokane and Seattle. In addition to H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes, Heerensperger and his Pay 'n Pak stores sponsored NHRA dragsters.

Dave Heerensperger, with Jim Lucero, in 2004

In his later years, he became involved in the world of thoroughbred racing and became a successful owner and breeder. Heerensperger and then-wife Jill first became involved in racing after purchasing a trip to the 1980 Kentucky Derby at a charity auction. They reached the Derby as owners in 2001 with GI Toyota Blue Grass S. winner Millennium Wind (Cryptoclearance). Trained by David Hofmans, the $1.2-million Keeneland September purchase was 11th in the Run for the Roses that year.

He was also reported to be a significant investor in Emerald Downs race track near Auburn, Washington.

Fastest Lap Time

MIAMI, FLA., May 17, 1973 (AP WIREPHOTO)

FASTEST LAP TIME

Pay 'n Pak, an unlimited hydroplane of radical design, from Seattle, Washington, and driven by Mickey Remund, of Palm Desert, California, as it set an unofficial lap record of 119.1 m.p.h. in Miami's Marine Stadium. The boats are testing in preparation for Sunday's $25,000 Champion Spark Plug Unlimited Regatta with ten Super Speed hydros competing over a 2½ course.

Walters, D'Eath top Green Lake drivers

By Craig Smith
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, May 26, 1980

John Walters says he is the driver of the new turbine-powered Pay 'n Pak unlimited hydroplane.

And yesterday, in a limited hydroplane, he showed that he knows his way around a race course.

Walters, 27, won both heats of the 280-cubic-inch competition in the 33rd annual Green Lake Regatta.

Walters, who is helping build the new Pay 'n Pak, replied "yes" when asked if Dave Heerensperger, Pak owner, has told him he will be behind the wheel of the new pak when it debuts lat next month.

Heerensperger has declined o make an official announcement.

Yesterday's Green Lake Regatta was unusual in two respects: no records and no flips.

Several races were run in a mist and some in light rain, factors that reduced the crowds and speeds.

"This is not a day for records," said one driver.

There was some good driving, though. Tom D'Eath of Detroit, who won the 1976 Gold Cup in Miss U.S., easily won both 7-liter heats in Don Ryan's Lauterbach Special, the Bellingham boat he drove to a national high-points Grand Prix title last year. His fastest on the 1⅔-mile course was 102.041 miles an hour, best time of the day.

D'Eath, 36, also has been driving mini-Indianapolis cars and has aspirations of racing in the Indy 500 next year. He also would like to be back in an unlimited.

"I'd like to keep driving unlimiteds, but there aren't may boats around," he said. "All of the boats are on the West Coast and the West Coast guys gobble up the seats."

One of the best duals of the afternoon was in the speedy SK class, where Dr. David Bosacco of Wallingford, Pa., nipped George Nordling of Portland in both heats. The surgeon's fastest heat was 98.664 m.p.h.

Dr. Bosacco began racing two years ago, but could not provide any explanation for his decision.

"You ask all these people why they do it and you don't get an explanation that makes any sense," he said, surveying the pits.

Hydro folk to draught beer-firm sponsor?

By Glenn Nelson
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, October 13, 1982

It may be Miller Time for the unlimited-hydroplane circuit.

Budweiser and Miller Brewing Co., at lager-heads over the beer market for some time, have embodied their competition in the spirit(s) of athletic endeavor.

Last night, the St. Louis Cardinals, owned by Bud chairman Auggie Busch, and the Brewers, who play in Milwaukee, home of the Miller corporation offices, opened baseball's World Series.

Next year, the two may take their stout rivalry to the waters.

Pay 'n Pak crew chief Jim Lucero made two trips to Milwaukee last summer to propose an unlimited-hydroplane sponsorship the the Miller people.

According to sources in both the boating and beer caps, Miller would not have allowed Lucero to travel all the way to Milwaukee if there was no interest in what he had to say.

Lucero has been actively recruiting new ownership for Pak president Dave Heerensperger's two hulls (one which has not tested competitive waters), his arsenal of turbine engines, assorted equipment and out-of-work crew.

Heerensperger retired from hydro racing shortly after an accident involving his driver, John Walters, in the Aug. 8 Seattle regatta.

Heerensperger said he has not been approached by Miller, but has received feelers from others not associated with Miller.

"Jim Lucero" has been talking to some people, but it's not his equipment to sell," he said. "They have to talk to me. It's my equipment."

The sponsorship would take a big gulp of of Miller's corporate coffers. The value of the Pak equipment has been estimated to be in the $500,000 to $1 million range.

What appears to be holding up the venture is the lack of an outside owner who would buy the boat with Miller's backing.

The development at least had Bernie Little, owner of the Miss Budweiser, foaming over the possibilities.

"If another beer company got into the sport, it would be a great challenge," he said. "I'm all for it. Let's go!"

Miller's entry into unlimited racing would shake up an already brewing rivalry with Budweiser. Miller High Lift sponsored an offshore race this year and Lowenbrau, a Miller subsidiary, has sponsored an offshore boat. Budweiser has been involved in offshore boat racing for some years, though its boats have not gone head-to-head with Lowenbrau's.

Henley, Pak 'boys' do it again

By Chuck Ashmun
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 4, 1975

George Henley wrapped up the Seafair Trophy by driving the patched-up Pay 'n Pak to a
second-place finish in the final heat of unlimited-hydroplane racing yesterday on Lake Washington.
Weisfield's, piloted by Billy Schumacher, took the final heat, but the Pak increased its national point
lead by picking up 1,100 points during the afternoon.

Ho hum . . . just another race.

The Seafair Trophy Race had two fires, two accidents, a rhubarb, many mechanical casualties, a near drowning, and . . .

George Henley and Pay 'n Pak won.

If all of that seems familiar, it's because there have been controversies, collisions, infernos and conk-out hydroplanes before.

And Henley, Mr. Nice Guy on the roostertail roster, also was the winner of last year's hydro happening here.

"The boys did their work," Henley said. "That's why we won today. That's why we've been winning."

Yesterday, however, it took more than an oil change by Henley's "boys," the Pay 'n Pak crew put the bandaged Pak on top of the pack in a accident filled regatta.

"It'll take two weeks of work to repair the back end," said Dave Heerensperger, Pak owner, as he surveyed the damaged boat.

"We just patched it up, as well as the sponson, before heats."

Heerensperger, whose hydros have won three straight Seattle races and four of the past five here, was asked: "Do you own this water?"

"I can't walk on it," he replied.

Henley won with handicaps. The Eatonville driver crossed the starting line early, with his boat already damaged, in the first heat race of the day.

And he finished the final heat with the engine leaking oil.

In addition to collecting his fourth consecutive triumph, Henley put the Pak farther ahead of the Weisfield's in their season-long struggle for the national championship.

Pay 'n Pak picked up 1,100 points yesterday, while Weisfield's, which finished second, collected 1,025. The Pak's point total, with two races remaining, is 6,964. Weisfield's has 6,813.

The attrition rate much have been embarrassing to race sponsors. Nine boat — the smallest field since 1954 — started. Five finished.

After two heats of racing, only three boats had scored a point. And nine crews found the whole day point-less because of mechanical malfunctions.

Drivers were so eager to get going they took to the water about 2½ hours early — that is, five unqualified  throttle pushers attempted to qualify before the scheduled noon start, violating Seafair's contract with the city by doing so.

All that resulted from that impropriety was that Tom Kaufman, owner-driver of Mr. Fabricator, suffered shoulder and arm burns when his craft caught fire near the start-finish line.

The qualifiers also were too eager to get started. As they swarmed into the north turn, vying for position in the opening heat, Pay 'n Pak and Hamm's Beer collided, causing the damage which kept Henley's crew busy.

Still eager, four drivers crossed the starting line prematurely, leaving Bill Muncey, in Atlas Van Lines, as the only legal starter.

But Muncey's thirsty engine couldn't tolerate such a gift. He ran out of fuel nearing the finish line of the final lap, even though his crew had pumped 100 gallons into the boat which usually carries 80.

Muncey got the black flag, since his boat was creating a wake. Henley, penalized a lap for jumping the gun, scooted around the course a sixth time to take the checkered flag.

The next fire broke out on the Miss U.S. — the second time in as many years George Simon's boat had burned here.

This time, the firefighters got there quicker, but not before the cockpit was destroyed. The driver, Tom D'Eath, blown out of the cockpit by the explosion, was rescued from the water, unhurt.

That blaze delayed the start of Heat 2B, the only heat in which fans got excited about a two-boat duel.

Mickey Remund, Miss Budweiser's pilot, caught up with the Pak in the second lap and engaged in a brief battle before pulling up lame with a broken propeller

Except for that skirmish, and a brief Lincoln Thrift-Weisfield's exchange in Heat 2A, the racing was confined to fans dashing towards their cars after the regatta.

How many were there? Probably no more than one-fourth of the pre-race prediction of 200,000.

The other accident, which led to the controversy, came in the last heat.

Lincoln Thrift, which could have won the regatta by winning the final dash, got washed down as Milner Irvin fought for survival in a south-turn lane-changing incident.

The water blew off Irvin's windshield and face guard, injuring the driver and knocking the Thrift out of contention. But no foul was called.

Weisfield's won the final heat. Pay 'n Pak was second, but Henley had enough points accumulated to take the trophy.

Few fans seemed upset with the outcome — even though the winner of the last heat did not win the race.

It has happened before — at three other regattas this season.

And this was just one more race.

The Pak is Back in Seattle

August 5, 2018 — The 1973 Pay 'n Pak, beautifully restored by the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum, returned to the shores of Lake Washington as part of the Vintage Hydroplane Exhibition during the Seafair Weekend featuring the Albert Lee Appliance Cup.

The Pak, along with the 1957 Miss Wahoo, 1958 Miss Bardahl, and 1977 Atlas Van Lines, make several appearances during the three day event.

Designed and built by master hydroplane build Ron Jones, the Pay 'n Pak ranks among the all-time great thunderboats with 22 race victories. It stands as the first hydroplane of any shape or size to be built of aluminum honeycomb, rather than marine plywood. It was also first hull to sport a horizontal stabilizer wing.

Between 1973 and 1975, Pay 'n Pak won three consecutive races in Seattle. In 1973, Micky Remund out-dueled Dean Chenoweth and Miss Budweiser to capture the UIM World Championship. In 1974, it was George Henley guiding the Pak to a victory in the APBA Gold Cup. Henley returned in 1975 to pilot the Pay 'n Pak to a win in the Seafair Trophy race.

Pay 'n Pak wins 3rd straight hydro title

Reprinted from The Seattle Times, September 22, 1975

SAN DIEGO — (Special) — Billy Schumacher ran out of "laughing gas" yesterday, and George Henley and the Pay 'n Pak giggled all the way home.

Henley scored come-from-behind victories in all three heats on Mission Bay to win the Weisfield's Cup trophy and the 1975 national championship.

The win was Henley's 12th in less than two seasons as the Pay 'n Pak pilot and a record 16th for Dave Heerensperger's boat, the national champion the past three seasons.

Heerensperger has announced plans to campaign a new hull in 1976.

Henley, lured out of retirement after two races this season, passed the lead boat in the final turn of each five-mile heat to overtake the Weisfield's in national point standings in the season's final race.

Pay 'n Pak wound up with 1,200 points here and a season total of 8,864. Weisfield's, unable to qualify for the final heat after blowing an engine in a preliminary face, finished the season with 8,213 points.

Henley and Schumacher waged a side-by-side duel for 4½ laps in Heat 1B before the Pak shot in front as Weisfield's lost acceleration coming out of the final turn.

"The nitrous tank just fat ran dry," Schumacher said later. The drivers used nitrous oxide, an exotic fuel also known as laughing gas, to boost acceleration.

Henley, of Eatonville, Wash., made similar last-lap charges to edge Lincoln Thrift in Heat 2B and Miss Budweiser in the final heat.

In the final, the Pay 'n Pak darted past Mickey Remund in the Miss Budweiser when Remund had to slow temporarily as his craft overtook another, slower-moving boat in the inside lane of the course.

Henley said he planned no come-from-behind strategy in his battle with Schumacher, which he won in a course-record average speed of 116.099 miles an hour around the 2½ mile circuit.

In other heats, "we wanted to make sure we would finish," Henley said, indicating he did not push the Pak quite as much.

Schumacher dropped out of Heat 2A, losing a shot in the final heat, when his boat lost oil pressure. He shut it down just as the engine threw a rod.

"I'm getting pretty tired of being passed in the last turn," said the Seattle driver, who finished on top in points standings for drives for the third time in his unlimited career.

Henley's win here successfully defended his title in the Mission Bay regatta. He earlier scored victories at Madison, Ind., Dayton, Ohio, Tri-cities, Wash., and Seattle — repeating 1974 wins at each of those sites.

Pay 'n Pak Wins Gold Cup Race

SEATTLE, Aug. 5 (UPI) — Patience and perfection paid off yesterday for George Henley, who drove Pay 'n Pak victory in a much-delayed Gold Cup race for unlimited hydroplanes on Lake Washington.

The victory gave the Pak a big lead in point standing for this year's national hydroplane championship.

The Miss Budweiser, which stayed close on the Pak's trail all day with Howie Benns at the wheel, came second. Freddie Alter, driving Pizza Pete, was third. As for Bid Muncey, a five-time Gold Cup champion, the best he could driving the Atlas Van Lines was fourth.

The Pak won all four of its heats, and its only serious challenge was the first time out when the Budweiser was leading but spewed oil briefly and was overtaken by the Pak.

Two attempts to run a heat for the five fastest qualifiers in the 14-boat field were stopped when two boats were badly damaged or destroyed. In the first try, the U-95 sank early in the race after its engine exploded, putting hole in the hull. During the second attempt, the Miss U.S. caught fire and burned badly before the blaze was extinguished. Both drivers, Tom D'Eath and Leif Borgersen of the U-95 escaped injury.

Milk Carton Boat Race

Reprinted from The Seattle Times, July 12, 1974

Photo by Johny Closs

Constructed of 104 milk cartons, this craft will compete in the design category, where entries must float but don't race. There are about 200 hours of work in the Lake Forest Park neighborhood project. Kneeling beside Bryce James (14), the driver was Mike Gowey (19) crew chief and designer. The others were Chet James (17) left and Brent James. The hydroplane has a skin of cardboard and paint.

Walter's Pain Has Been Hydro's Gain

Terrifying Accident In '82 Paved Way For Safer Boats

Reprinted from The Seattle Times, July 31, 1986

Sometimes the pain gets so bad, he can barely move by the afternoon. If it's his elbow that's troubling him, he'll wrap it in two ice bags and wear a brace the next day. If it's his back, his hip or his leg, or all of them, he often must resort to medication and then wake up at midnight to soak himself in a hot bathtub.

Four years ago, he was in and out of a hospital for seven months. At first, he clung faintly to life. Later, doctors told his family he might be a vegetable for the rest of his life, then that he would probably lose the sight in his left eye, have his right arm amputated and might not walk again.

Today, his back still is misaligned. He has artificial parts in his left hip and right elbow. His right leg is longer than his left. He is as medically recovered as he'll ever be, but every new day is certain to bring the same old pain.

But for John Walters, crew chief of the Miller American unlimited-hydroplane racing team, pain is not always measured in physical terms. It also is an aching of the heart. When the former unlimited pilot looks out onto a race course, he often sees in his colleagues the dreams he only partly fulfilled.

"There's no question I miss driving a lot," he said. "I don't necessarily lay awake at night and think about it, or have hard feelings toward the sport. But it does bother me sometimes to look at what's going on, and thinking I should be, or could be, part of it right now."

Part of the reason Walters is not driving today is indelibly etched into our psyches. Clips of his 1980 double flip on the Columbia River in the turbine-powered Pay 'n Pak are part of lead-ins to NBC's SportsWorld, ESPN race coverage promos and news broadcasts virtually every night in Eastern Washington. Walters suffered a fractured left hip socket and sprains to his left shoulder, elbow and knee. That accident, however, is not what pulled the plug on Walters' driving career.

Two years later, during Seattle's Emerald Cup regatta, Walters was injured critically in a three-boat accident that involved George Johnson in the Executone and Tom D'Eath in The Squire Shop.

For six years, Walters had moved his family from outpost to outpost, driving limiteds and working on unlimited crews, before getting his shot in an unlimited cockpit. In one brief moment of terror, it was all gone.

"When I got the opportunity to drive the Pay 'n Pak, I had many goals," Walters said. "I wanted to win races, the Gold Cup, the national championship -- all things possible, I wanted to do. In a short period, I did achieve some of the goals and had a reasonably successful driving career.

"But I feel a little like I've had a rug pulled from under me.

Just when we got to the point where the boat was doing what it was supposed to do, when winning Gold Cups and national championships finally were reasonable goals, it was over."

What is not over is Walters' career in unlimited racing. Two weeks before the start of this season, the sport's all-time winningest crew chief, Jim Lucero, left the Miller American team over a dispute.

Walters, already a member of the crew, took over.

It might have been less painful for Walters just to walk away from the sport. Pak owner Dave Heerensperger offered him a spot in the Pay 'n Pak stores' management-training program, and Walters accepted.

However, back in Harborview for follow-up surgery, he listened on the radio to the 1984 Gold Cup race in Tri-Cities, and knew he had made the wrong decision.

"Knowing what the Atlas Van Lines had to go through to win that race literally brought tears to my eyes," said Walters. "I knew then that it was not fair to myself or Pay 'n Pak if I was emotionally not pointed in that direction. I knew then that I wanted to get back into the sport."

Though Walters has had previous experience in almost every facet of the team he now oversees, his practical contributions to Miller American's success this year still are overshadowed by his emotional endowment. Earlier this year, driver Chip Hanauer joined Gar Wood as the only unlimited pilots to have won five straight Gold Cups.

He dedicated his historic fifth to Walters.

"I have a whole lot of admiration for John," Hanauer says.

"I'm proud I'm the driver for his first Gold Cup as a crew chief. He's really paid a higher price than I have. He inspires all of us."

In a bigger way, Walters has inspired the entire sport to reach the level it now enjoys.

In 1974, Jim Clapp's U-95 was the first, albeit brief and unsuccessful, attempt at harnessing the power of turbine engines in unlimiteds. The Pay 'n Pak hydro Walters drove was the real catalyst of the sport's turbine revolution. In 1982, on New York's Lake Onondaga, Walters became the first driver to win an unlimited race in a turbine-powered hydro.

"There's no question we were doing things no one ever attempted before," Walters remembered. "The boat ride in the Pay 'n Pak, compared to those of most boats today, was atrocious. The boat was totally unpredictable; it would never do the same thing twice.

"If I wasn't scared, I should've been. I was nervous an awful lot of time. I was concerned an awful lot of times, again, because of the unpredictability of the boat. The boat had real problems, but the bottom line is, it was a bad design from the very beginning.

"We had a new boat being built, but we continued to try to sort things out on the old one. We didn't want to quit on it before learning everything we could."

The second-generation Pay 'n Pak turbine hydro was scheduled for unveiling in 1983, but after Walters' accident, Heerensperger withdrew from the sport for good. The Lucero-designed hull now is one of the circuit's hottest -- the Steve Reynolds-piloted Miss 7-Eleven.

Walters' pain has been the sport's gain. In addition to 7-Eleven, the top turbine boats -- defending national-champion Miller American and the present high-points leader, Miss Budweiser -- and the top two piston entries -- Mr. Pringles and The Squire Shop -- all have direct lineage to the ill-fated Pay 'n Pak.

"All the mistakes we made with the Pay 'n Pak were modified, improved or corrected altogether in the boats today," Walters said.

"Unfortunately, we tend to learn more from our failures than our successes. I'd like to be able to say I wished there was another way to learn what we needed to know, and that I didn't have to get abused so badly.

"On the other hand, what happened to me helped us learn things faster and might be keeping a bunch of guys from paying the same price I did. So, yes, from that standpoint, it was worth it."

Ride along with Tommy Fults

Reprinted from The Seattle Times, July 3, 1970

Greg Heberlein of The Seattle Times sport staff got his first "up-close" look at hydroplane racing yesterday and he went all the way — hitching a ride with Tommy Fults in Lil' Buzzard.

Photo by Bruce McKim

Greg's concern started early, as evident by his white-knuckles grip on the edge of the cockpit even before Fults started the engine.

Turbos could steal the show in Pasco — Heerensperger

By Del Danielson
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, July 3, 1974

The first four races on the 1974 unlimited-hydroplane calendar have been strictly Pay 'n Pak — Budweiser duels, but the owners of the front-running Pak think the next outing could be won by an of one of a half dozen boats.

"I think there are six boats that could win in Pasco," Dave Heerensperger said earlier this week after returning from Detroit, where his boat ran second to the Bud.

Despite the dominance of the Budweiser and his Pak, Heerensperger feels "this is the best field I've ever seen." The affable owner thinks the turbine-powered U-95, Miss U.S., Atlas Van Lines, or Lincoln Thrift could steal the show from the two boats which, together, have triumphed in 11 straight hydro starts over the past two years.

Next stop is the World Championship Regatta on the Columbia River at Pasco, July 21.

"The water will be better in Pasco," Heerensperger said. "That's always a great course and we had the usual junk water back east."

The U.S., Atlas and Lincoln Thrift are powered by turbocharged Allison engines. That's why Heerensperger feels they have a chance at victory.

"They've got to have more power than we've got - if everything is running right," said Heerensperger, who hinted that he might be thinking about the turbo setup as a future power plant for his boat.

So far, the turbos have been plagued by minor engine problems. "If they get everything worked out, they're plenty tough," the Pak owner added.

For now, Heerensperger will stick with the Rolls engines which have pushed his boat 56 points ahead of the Bud in the race for the national points championship. The Pak has 3,750 and the Bud 3,694.

George Henley, driver of the Pak, and Jim Lucero, crew chief, get the lion's share of the credit for the success of the Pak.

"George is some kind of driver," Heerensperger said. "He does everything we ask, tells us exactly what we need to know about the handling of the boat out there. He really knows what he's doing.

"I tried to hire Dean Chenoweth who I think is the best driver in boat racing. But dean was tied to business commitments and can't drive for anybody.

"George has been a very pleasant surprise. he's going to be as good as Chenoweth. he's not very far from that right now, really."

The Pak owner beams when asked about Lucero. "He's an unbelievable guy as far as devotion and wanting to win and what he knows about hulls and engines. Jim and Dax Smith are the main engine guys for u and we haven't busted an engine yet."

Heerensperger has mixed emotions about the move of the Gold Cup from the Stan Sayres Park area to Sand Point.

"I think the idea is right to charge admission," he said. It's the only way to keep big-time boat racing here and build big purses.

"But the Sayres course is better. I don't know why they don't just invest $50,000 in a big snow fence and put it up every year down there and keep the people off the streets like they do in Madison, Ind.

"The pits are great and the course is ideal!"

The boss of the Pak team hedged on the number of "true" contenders for the Gold Cup. "I said six boats could win in Pasco. Well, I think it will be limited to few real contenders here because of the rough water at Sand Point. But I don't want to be too negative on the Sand Point thing because charging is the only way we can build big purses."

Heerensperger would like to see another Northwest race on the unlimited slate. "We need another race out here real bad. We've added races in San Diego and Phoenix and Jacksonville and Dayton, all over the place. Everybody wants us to come and race. But if we had another race in the Northwest I think we could get another four or five boats. The sponsors would go for it.

"Portland, Eugene, Coeur d'Alene or Spokane . . . I'd really like to get one going in Spokane. They tell me there might be room for a course on Long Lake."

Heerensperger is not so interested in adding a big-market site in California as he is in his home area, the Pacific Northwest. "This is where all the enthusiastic people are," he said.

"The interest in unlimited racing is here in the Northwest. It's like Class C baseball and the major leagues when you compare this area with the Eastern race cities.

"This is where it's at."

Heerensperger plans to be married on August 3, the eve of the Gold Cup race here.

"It's going to be one helluva weekend, I'll tell you that."

Pay 'n Pak in a pool!

By David Williams, March 21, 2018

The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum worked with a Hollywood production company to film a commercial for T-Mobile using Ken Muscatel's beautifully restored 1973 Pay 'n Pak hydroplane.

The boat along with four museum volunteers traveled to Los Angeles on March 5th and 6th. The theme of the Commercial is that "Speed shouldn't be contained" so they put the Pak into the pool, and with the magic of Hollywood, made it look like the boat was running!

To get the boat into the pool it took a 200 ton crane to be lift the 7,000 boat over the hotel, and some palm trees, the crane operator estimates that the boat was over 100 feet in the air.

To make the roostertail, they hooked up 4 100 PSI hoses each pumping 3,000 gallons per minute.

View the finished commercial - Pay 'n Pak stars in T-Mobile commercial.

A rarity: Owners, drivers agree - Pak is favored

By Chuck Ashmun
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 3, 1975

Jim Lucero, left, Pay 'n Pak crew chief, and Dave Heerensperger, owner, watch as the 1975
national-points leader was lowered into Lake Washington for a test run. The Pak, driven by George Henley
of Eatonville, will be bidding for it's forth consecutive victory in today's Seafair Trophy race.
Staff photo by Pete Liddell.

The Pak is the pick.

Unlimited-hydroplane owners and drivers, seldom unanimous about anything, have given the favorite's role to the Pay 'n Pak for today's Seafair Trophy Race on Lake Washington.

A spot check with several camps in the Stan Sayres pits resulted in a near-unanimous agreement that it will be a four-boat race and a less-solid vote for the Pak to finish first.

Weisfields, Miss Budweiser and Miss U.S. are the three other boats given a good chance, but the general feeling is that George Henley will wind up as leader of the pack.

Henley has won 10 unlimited races in less than two full seasons and is aiming for his fourth straight victory of 1975 and second straight in Seattle.

Nine boats qualified before time trials ended, but the field probably will grow by the time the first race starts at noon today.

Closed-mouth race officials last night would not say definitely, but it seemed certain more qualifying tries would be made this morning.

"I'll take the Pay 'n Pak," said Tom D'Eath, Miss U.S. driver, when asked for his assessment of today's outcome. D'Eath was an exception in the he did not choose his own boat to finish first.

"I don't think it's fair for me to pick my boat, but I really do think our chances of winning are very good." D'Eath said.

"We've had all kinds of problems with our engines this week, but maybe that's not so bad. We had trouble all week in Detroit, too."

D'Eath drove to the first unlimited triumph of this career on June 29, winning with a Detroit-based boat rebuilt after it was gutted in last year's Gold Cup race here.

"I'm not superstitious, but after what happened in Detroit, this might be a good omen," D'Eath said.

"Budweiser, Pay 'n Pak and Weisfield's," said Bernie Little, owner of the Miss Bud, giving his choices, in order, without hesitation.

"I'm really serious. I think this is our race course. Mickey went out and hit 160 (m.p.h.) and came back and said he could really turn one on."

The Budweiser jockey, Mickey Remund, charged around the 2½-mile course at an average speed of 121.786 miles an hour soon after the boat was lowered into the water for the first time on Friday.

Remund's last previous ride on the Bud ended with him standing on the upright pickle-forked bow, grasping a tow line from a rescue craft, as his boat sank in the Columbia River.

Another driver, Billy Schumacher, went with a top three of Weisfield's, Pay 'n Pak and Budweiser for today's race, while his former boss, Dave Heerensperger, said:

"Pay 'n Pak, Budweiser, Miss U.S."

"I still think we can beat him when we have it all together," Schumacher said following the Pak's Gold Cup win in the Tri-Cities last weekend.

The Weisfield's driver did not seriously challenge the Pak in what was expected to be a duel of Seattle boats as mechanical difficulties cost Schumacher points as well as money.

"I think this is going to be a Rolls Royce race, although I may have a surprise coming in Heat 1B," he added.

Schumacher's competition in the second heat race will include the Miss U.S. and Lincoln Thrift, both powered by turbocharged-Allison engines.

"The Budweiser might have an advantage if the water's rough," said Heerensperger, who owns the Pay 'n Pak. "He's been doing better than anybody in the corners."

But Heerensperger believes Henley will finish first.

And the consensus is: Stick with the Pak.

Pay 'n Pak meets Hollywood in T-Mobile commercial

March 14, 2018

Speed shouldn't be contained...

... and fast should be fast...

Walters' hydro-racing future no longer unlimited

By Kathy McCarthy
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, March 23, 1983

In the end, it was the battered body of hydroplane driver John Walters that dictated the decision his wife, his elder daughter and the doctor who "saved his life" hoped he would make — he quit racing.

"My back injuries make me so much more vulnerable that on a minor accident, or a good hard bump and I could very possibly never walk again," Walters said.

"I've been luck twice now . . . but I'm able to look back and see just how close I was to not making it at all."

So Walters, 30, is turning from a lifelong dream of unlimited hydroplane racing to build a new future with employer, Pay 'n Pak  this time as a management trainee.

Pay 'n Pak boss Dave Heerensperger left the sport before his driver, announcing within days of Walters' near-fatal crash last August, that Pay 'n Pak no longer would field an unlimited boat.

A Lake Washington collision between the Pay 'n Pak and the Executone put Walters in a hospital for two months and in a body cast for six.

Walters' back was broken in three places, is right elbow "scrambled" and his left leg had to be reassembled with metal pins and wire. He had a respirator for a week and suffered brain damage.

Fearful that he would not survive the succession of operations he needed immediately, a team of doctors at Harborview Medical Center undertook a surgical marathon to fix everything at once.

"They put me under on time and did all of the surgeries," Walters recalled. "It was like putting the straw man back together in the Wizard of Oz."

Walters still faces three more operations on his leg and elbow. He probably will never regain more than 50 percent mobility in the elbow, because of calcium deposits.

And the man who made a living piloting boats at high speeds now is working to regain his car driver's license. His license was voided because of the brain damage. He must pass psychological tests and a physical driving demonstration to regain it.

Walters' tortuous recovery — he was freed from his body cast only a month ago — gave him an in-depth medical education he finds fascinating, but would't want to repeat."

"I've gained a vast amount of knowledge about medicine . . . and how the body can repair itself even after you abuse it so badly."

It also helps with the homework for daughters Katrina, 11, and Maciva, 9. "I know the names of almost every bone in the skeletal system," Walters said.

Katrina and Walters' wife, Arlene, were among those who let Walters know even before his last accident that they would like him to stop driving.

Walters, 1981 rookie of the year on the unlimited circuit, survived two spectacular crashes in his 2½-year career, the first an eye-popping "blowover" in 1980 at Pasco.

Katrina told her father after Dean Chenoweth's death earlier last August that she hoped "'We can finish out the season without nobody else getting hurt and then I'd like you to stop,'" he recalled.

Arlene says she wanted her husband to stop driving ever since Bill Muncey's death in 1981. "I couldn't ever say, 'You're going to quit.' But he knew how I felt."

Dr. Michael Oreskovich, who headed the Harborview medical team that "reassembled" Walters after the crash, put it even more bluntly in a letter to his patient.

"You and Arlene thanked me and my team for 'saving your life,'" Oreskovich wrote. "The ultimate gratitude could come in the form of a statement that you will never drive a hydroplane again."

Walters' traumas did not stop when his hospital stay ended. While he was still hobbled by crutches and a body cast, Walters' garage door fell on him as he left his car after an evening dinner with his parents. Back to Harborview for the evening.

Nor have the family traumas been limited to Walters. His wife required a gall bladder operation and shoulder surgery during his convalescence.

"John got to take care of me," she said.

Walters is disappointed he never will win a national championship, but there is no bitterness about the crash.

When his health permits, Walters will begin management training to become a store manager with Pay 'n Pak.

"There isn't really any solid or stable future in hydroplanes," Walters said. "With Pay 'n Pak, the sky's the limit. I can go as far as I have the ability and desire to go."

But Walters, who has been fascinated by hydroplanes since he was his first race at age 9 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, does not plan to turn his back on the sport.

Walters, a hull specialist, said the boats are "exceeding their design limitations by going so fast." The ultimate solution is better design, the best interim solution is limiting the course size — to a maximum of two miles, he said.

Walters said his fellow drivers share his safety concerns but often cannot voice those opinions because of pressure from owners and/or sponsors.

Walters says he hopes he can act as a representative for active drivers and lobby the cause of safety to the Unlimited Racing Commission.

"There is no question the drivers want to be as safe as possible," he said. "We all realized going in there were a fair amount of risks involved, but anything we can do to decrease those ricks is what the drivers want."