Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 4, 1975
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| 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.