Reprinted from Pipe Yard Gazette, September/October 1975
It was a hectic season and as you’ll see by our point’s chart elsewhere in this issue. Pay ‘n Pak won by a mere 649 points when last year we won by a more comfortable 1,764 points.
George Henley, who came out of retirement after two races this year were lost, had to go down to the last race to win it all. However, George should be awarded the come-back of all times and broke a record by winning 12 races in less than 2 years and making it a record 16 races for one hull.
Pay ‘n Pak won the third straight title only by winning the last race, ironically the Weisfield’s Trophy Race, on Mission Bay in San Diego on Sunday, September 21, 1975.
May we quote from the San Diego Los Angeles and Seattle papers: From the Seattle Times, the lead line - “Billy Schumacher ran out of ‘Laughing Gas’ yesterday and George Henley and the Pay ‘n Pak crew ‘giggled’ all the way home.” The reference to laughing gas is the nitrous oxide that Schumacher had to use up all year just to run with the Pak.
Henley scored come-from-behind victories in all three heats on Mission Bay to win the Weisfield’s Cup Trophy and the National Championship.
Weisfield’s U-74 came into the race 249 points ahead. There were only two ways Pay ‘n Pak could win. (1) To draw Weisfield’s in every heat and finish first so the best Weisfield’s could do would be second. Then the Pak would pick up 1,200 points and Weisfield’s not more than 900. If that happened the Pak could have one with 51 points. (2) Weisfield’s would have go break in at least one heat while the Pak won at least 2 heats.
A little of both happened. George drew Weisfield’s for heat 1B and hung on Shumacher’s hip for the entire heat then passed the lead boat in the very final turn of the heat to take Weisfield’s in Heat 1B. “The nitrous tank just flat went dry”, Schumacher said about the lead change when the Pak shot forward as Weisfield’s ran out of power. The heat set a course record average speed of 116.099 miles per hour.
George Henley then did the same thing to Lincoln Thrift in Heat 2B and Miss Budweiser in the final heat.
Schumacher dropped out of Heat 2A, losing his spot in the final and losing the National Championship possibility when his boat lost its oil pressure. As he shut the engine down, it blew a rod.
The Pak now joins legendary Bardahl and Budweiser as the hydro racing world’s only three-time national Champion. Can we make it four-in-a-row?
Unlimited Hydroplane - National Points Standings - End of Season
| Position | Boat | 1975 | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Pay ‘n Pak | 8,864 | 1st - 11,527 |
| 2nd | Weisfield’s | 8,213 | 7th - 3,087 |
| 3rd | Lincoln Thrift | 8,103 | Not in Top 10 |
| 4th | Miss Budweiser | 6,677 | 2nd - 9,763 |
| 5th | Madison/Hamms | 5,203 | 4th - 3,865 |
| 6th | Miss U.S. | 4,795 | 9th - 1,694 |
| 7th | Atlas Van Lines | 4,017 | 3rd - 6,030 |
| 8th | Miss Vernon’s | 3,384 | Not in 1974 |
| 9th | Vans P-X | 972 | Not in 1974 |
| 10th | Miss Valvoline | 844 | Not in 1974 |