U-95 sets heat record
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, June 17, 1974
The Pay 'n Pak of Seattle, driven by George Henley, today won the delayed Kentucky Governor's Cup unlimited hydroplane race for its second successive triumph on the thunderboat trail.
Pay 'n Pak, which also won the President's Cup in Washington, D.C., a week ago, won the final heat with an average speed of 104.384 miles an hour. The Pak accumulated 1,100 points in winning one heat and placing second to Budweiser in another.
Another Seattle-based boat, U-95, placed second with a time of 101.328 in the final heat. Atlas Van Lines was third at 89.794 m.p.h., followed by Budweiser and Sunny Jim.
The U-95, driven by Leif Borgersen, clocked off an Ohio River course record in winning Heat 1A at 112.952 m.p.h.
Pay 'n Pak won Heat 1B, Budweiser turned back the Pak in a rousing race to win 2A and Atlas Van Lines placed first in 2B.
Racing was postponed yesterday when unseasonable northwest winds whipped the course into a frothy ferment.
The race did get started, but an accident in the second lap of Heat 1A sent Charlie Dunn to the hospital and race officials into a quick huddle to mull over the weather situation.
Dunn, driver of the Just-A-Pest, spun out in the first corner of the second lap and the Pest was run over by Tom Kaufman in his Mister Fabricator. Dunn was pinned between the boats. He suffered an cracked rib, pelvic bruises and took some water into his lungs. He was listed in stable condition late last night at Owensboro-Davies County Hospital.
The Just-A-Pest sank to the bottom of the Ohio.
Race officials delayed the race, hoping the wind would calm down. But at 5:30 p.m. the decision was made to put the race over to today.
"The wind is out of the northwest," reported Dick Toth, a race official. "That's really rare here. The wind is blowing just opposite of the current, so it's pretty choppy out there. Lots of whitecaps."
Several drivers reportedly refused to go on the course when the wind came up.
