16-Cylinder Revolution

The new twin-Chrysler-powered Unlimited Hydroplane is out to revolutionize Gold Cup racing.

Reprinted from Hot Rod magazine, September 1970

With those big World War II Allison engines becoming scarcer than hen's teeth, Dave Heerensperger, Chairman of Pay 'n Pack Stores, decided to use a pair of Keith Black "elephants" to power his new unlimited hydroplane, "The Pride of Pay 'n Pak." Hull design is by the father and son team of Ted and Ron Jones of Costa Mesa and follows their new and revolutionary pickle-fork tunnel-hull configuration. The relatively new driver-ahead-of-engine design, known as cab-over, attains the desired effect of moving the center of gravity farther aft than in the conventional three-point hydro. Most three-pointers will average 150 to 160 in the chutes but slow to about 80 mph in the turns. The new low profile, combined with tunnel-hull lift, will produce about 150 in the chutes, and the relocated C/G will result in not under 110 in the corners. "Pay 'n Pak" is shorter (28'6" as opposed to most unlimiteds' 30-31'). It's also wider - 13', about a foot more than usual. Water pickup and pitot tube are in leading edge of rudder.

The unique tunnel hull is constructed of white oak, northern ash, mahogany and birch plywood, with the underside completely sheathed in aluminum. There is over two grand invested in aircraft stainless steel braid covered lines and fittings. The custom-made V-drive gearbox was built by Casale and has a ratio of 1.67:1. This super-light box has an integral oil pump for lubrication, plus a water-cooled jacket. The usual unlimited gearbox weighs about 300 to 400 pounds. Weight saving is a big factor in this boat's performance. The bare hull weighs only 1900 pounds; in racing trim she will weigh about 5000 pounds. Most unlimiteds weigh from 6500 to 8000 pounds. Special linear electric drive motors are used to actuate the engine couplers. The couplers can be operated from the cockpit, allowing on-the-beach runups without a spinning prop; or in case of engine failure, the boat can finish on one engine. Tommy "Tucker" Fults was the first driver but relinquished the helm to Ron Larsen when it seemed that some time-consuming debugging was going to have to be done.

A pair of these 473 Chrysler hemis on alky are rated at 1100 hp each. The GM blower utilizes a Cragar drive and manifold on the Chrysler block equipped with Forged true pistons and rings on Carrillo rods turning on a Moldex crank. Keith designed the cam and uses the new Spalding solid-state CD ignition. The Black dry-sump unit has two scavengers and delivers 105 psi at 185° through special oil coolers. With couplers at each end, engines are interchangeable and can be switched in 15 minutes. Fin holds boat in turns.

Seasoned Pilots Are Pacing Hydroplane Circuit

Reprinted from The New York Times, July 19, 1970

WASHINGTON, July 18 (AP) —New drivers and new boats are all over the unlimited hydroplane racing circuit this season, but older pilots and craft still lead the field in this comeback year for the fastest sport on water.

The national point leader, Bill Muncey, pilot of Myr's Sheet Metal, and Dean Chenoweth, driver of 1969 national champion, Miss Budweiser, are leading the fleet after five of eighth regattas. Muncey at age 41 and Chenoweth at 36 are two of the old men of unlimited hydroplane racing.

Going into tomorrow's Atomic Cup Regatta on the Columbia River at Tri-Cities, Wash. Muncey has led his huge roostertail Detroit boat to victories in Washington, Owensboro, Ky., and Detroit, a second place in Tampa, Fla., and fourth at Madison, Ind. He leads in the standing with 5,194 points.

Chenoweth Is Runner-Up

In Muncey's shadow, with 4,775 points, is Chenoweth and the Tampa boat Miss Budweiser. The Bud is the only other winner so far this season with victories at home and in Madison.

Three other boats can't be counted out of the running for the national title. They are: the Notre Dame of Detroit, 3,915 points; Parco's 0 Ring Miss. Ontario, Calif., 3,746 and the Miss Owensboro, 3,565.

After Miss Owensboro it's considerable drop to the Pride of Pay 'n Pak, a new Seattle boat, with 1,688 points. Eight additional boats have competed so far this year.

This was to be the year of the transition—and transfusion—for the beleaguered sport and it might eventually prove to be just that. But the Pay 'n Pak and Atlas Van Lines, new boats with revolutionary pickle fork design hulls and twin Chrysler super modified engines located behind the driver, haven't been convincing so far.

The Pay 'n Pak is sixth in the season standing, but Atlas has had a miserable year and is scoreless.

George Byers Jr., the Columbus, Ohio chairman of the Unlimited Racing Commission, said he thought Atlas and Pay 'n Pak tried to incorporate too many changes at once.

“I expect more boats to use auto engines next year,” Byers said although he concedes there is still a good supply available of the World War II vintage Rolls-Royce and Allison 12-piston aircraft engines that have powered conventional hydroplanes for years.

“But,” he added, “trying to prove both a new hull and new engines is too much.” He said the standard design, in which the driver sits behind the engine, is more satisfactory.

“The front end is just too light in the new cabover design,” of Pay 'n Pak and Atlas. he said. “It didn't work with 7-litre limited hydroplanes and it does not work with unlimiteds.”

Byers hesitated to predict 1970 champion, but said the title could go to any of the top four boats—Myr's, Bud, Notre Dame and Parco's.

Boasts a Sleek Design

Of the top five boats, only Parco's is new. The star-spangled red, white and blue craft is one of the sleekest of the conventional-design boats, with a length of 30 feet and weight of 5,500 pounds. The leader, Myr's Sheet Metal, weighs 7,000 pounds and is 32 feet long.

Of the handful of new unlimited drivers this year, the 23-year-old Miss Owensboro pilot, Billy Sterett Jr. is the front-runner with a total of 1,846 points.

But despite the rookie drivers, like Sterett and Dave Walther, 24 of the Miss U.S. and interesting if not always exciting new boats, unlimited racing it in a tenuous position this year after a miserable 1969 season in which there were only seven race dates and a severe drop in spectator interest.

The sport has been a victim over the years of its own esoteric nature it is a rich man's sport—expensive to participate in and expensive to stage.

The Pride: Gold and Orange

By John Woodward
Reprinted from facebook.com

The 1970 Pay 'n Pak’s Lil Buzzard. Photo by Kirk Pagel.

As I look back at my experiences as a Seattle hydroplane fan in the early 70’s, the image of the Pay 'n Pak’s famous Gold and Orange paint scheme stands out as a favorite of mine. I remember the first time I saw the U-00 Pay 'n Pak’s Lil Buzzard (1969-25b) at the 1970 Seafair Trophy race, hoisted high on a crane as I entered the racecourse with my family. Even as the sun was hidden behind a blanket of clouds, her sparkly Gold and Orange paint caught my youthful eyes. She was the big “buzz” in the pits after her victory at the Atomic Cup two weeks previous. Pitted next to the Lil Buzzard was the other half of the sparkle machine, the twin auto powered cab-over 1970 U-25 Pride of Pay 'n Pak (3).

The 1970 Pride of Pay 'n Pak. Photo by Kirk Pagel.

After the first round of heats were done, the twin auto Pak driven by Ron Larsen had 300 pts from her 2nd place finish in 1A and the Lil Buzzard had 400 points from her victory in 1B with Tommy Fults at the helm. Well, that was enough to hook me and the other thousands of race fans. Whomever came up with that paint scheme was a genius. Unfortunately heat 2 was a complete bust and neither hull scored a single point, the auto Pak DNF’d and the Buzzard DNS’d. I would see both hulls one more time in the Consolation heat where Tommy Fults opened up the Lil Buzzard, running the fastest heat of the entire day at 108.433mph. Larsen’s auto Pak finished in third place at 100.037mph. “The paint job” was now burned into my memory banks forever.

The 1971 Pride of Pay 'n Pak. Photo by Kirk Pagel.

The Pride of Pay 'n Pak returned in 1971 completely transformed. She was now a conventional and had a knarly Rolls Merlin in her belly. But the paint job was still the same! She did not disappoint as the new look Pride with her new look pilot Billy Schumacher took home the coveted 1971 Seafair trophy, which was run twice due to an accident by the Notre Dame. Schumacher handily won both finals including the last two races of the 1971 season.

The 1972 Pride of Pay 'n Pak. Photo by Kirk Pagel.

The sky was the limit as the Dave Heerensperger owned Pride of Pay 'n Pak rolled into the ’72 season as a clear favorite but Joe Schoenith had other plans. His U-71 Atlas van Lines driven by the crafty champion Bill Muncey became the boat to beat. Before the Pak returned to Seattle, Schumacher had been replaced by Billy Sterett Jr. Sterett then picked up a convincing win in Washington DC at the 1972 Presidents Cup as he out-dueled Muncey in the final heat. When they came to Seattle, all the talk was on three boats, the U-1 Miss Budweiser (6) driven by Terry Sterett, the mighty Atlas driven by Bill Muncey who had already picked up 5 wins and of course the Pride of Pay 'n Pak with Billy Sterett Jr. At last, we would finally see who was mightier. Sadly, it would not be the Pak’s weekend. Three blown engines in two days put one of the favorites on the beach for most of the event without a single earned point. Much to my chagrin, the Atlas rolled over everyone to claim the ’72 Seafair trophy and the eventual national championship. The day after the Seafair race, the disappointed Heerensperger sold the hull and engine stock to Bernie Little who was looking to update his aging three-time champion Miss Budweiser.

And just like that, one the greatest paint schemes of all-time was gone, never to return. However, “never” is a very long time. After coming back home from her extended stay in Australia as the Miss Bud, this revolutionary hull quietly sits in storage waiting for an undetermined future restoration down the road. If it was up to me, this hull would be returned to her former glory as the Pride of Pay 'n Pak (3) with her trademark paint job that took Seattle by storm. I sure do miss those days but thanks to the late great Kirk Pagel, many of those fond memories were forever captured on film and are now presented here for your viewing pleasure. Until next time, see you at the races.

16 Cylinder Revolution

Reprinted from Pay 'n Pak Racing News, May 13, 1970

San Diego, California (Special) —A 16 cylinder revolution made its debut on Mission Bay here May 7. Despite nagging and frustrating last minute problems, the startlingly different hydroplane Pride of Pay 'n Pak wet her full for the first time and caused a cyclone of comments from unlimited hydroplane followers i this sunny community that will be home for the 1970 APBA Gold Cup.

The 1970 Pride of Pay 'n Pak. Photo by Roger Newton.

A scheduled May 6 christening was moved back one day due to a welter of problems which included a boat trailer that wouldn't accept the hull for which it was built, a maddening motor mount problem which consumed five hours and other frustrations, all unexpected but all commonplace when an intricate piece of machinery is involved.

Even after it arrived the Pride of Pay 'n Pak went through pre-christening trauma, with small fuel leaks found around main tanks and an electrical problem disrupting first testing efforts. But at 1:15 p.m. 1970 Gold Cup Queen Sharon Yettra smashed a flagon of champagne on the Pay 'n Pak bow and the first auto-engine, low-profile hydro was in business.

Pay 'n Pak Stores Chairman of the Board Dave Heerensperger, who is APBA owner of record for the boat, was almost as nervous as builder Ron Jones who, in turn, rivaled engine wizard Keith Black in goose pimples. Driver Tommy Fults and crew chief Dan Olsen shared in the butterflies.

Butterflies, however, have a way of disappearing in direct proportion to departure of bugs that complicate the successful debut of a racing machine into competition.

One thing was for sure in San Diego. The new Pride of Pay 'n Pak caused a lot of "gee whiz" type of admiration among onlookers. Throw out any preconceived notions about how a hydro looks. The Pay 'n Pak for all its 28 feet 6 inches in length, looks short and wide -- and formidable. Her two Chrysler Hemi engines squad behind driver Fults, who sits at the rear of a pickle-fork nose section.

The Pay 'n Pak tail fin is a classic jet design -- much like a 707 tail. And, though her profile is low, she looks thick and tough and strong.

Her maiden appearance at San Diego was in construction colors. Only the tail fin was painted in the luminescent gold that will be a principal color. The rest of the boat was in plain raiment. When completed, the Pay 'n Pak will be gold and orange and will be one of the most colorful of the thunderboat fleet.

"We think we've found most of our pre-launching bugs," said owner Heerensperger, continuing "just getting the boat on the trailer and in the water erases many problems. Now, we'll begin our test program, iron out our problems and get ready for the first race."

Prior to her appearance at Tampa, Florida, for the May 31 Tampa Suncoast Cup event, the new creation will be fitted out complete and all systems perfected, Heerensperger said.

He pointed out that in case any bugs develop in the planned program, the Pay 'n Pak Lil' Buzzard waits in the wings. "We don't plan to campaign the Lil' Buzzard until the Tri-Cities Atomic Cup in mid-July, but she is available in case we feel she's needed before that time," Heerensperger said.

Pride of Pay 'n Pak represents all the stores in a growing group of electrical, plumbing home and auto supplies retail outlets in Washington, California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.

Home office for the organization is in the Seattle suburb of Kent, Washington. The boats are also headquartered in the Seattle area.

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.

Automotive Engines Put Hydroplane Racing in New Era

By Parton Keese
Reprinted from The New York Times, March 8, 1970

With unlimited hydroplane racing undergoing such a thorough house-cleaning this season, you may not be able to tell a driver, owner, official or boat without the proverbial program.

Last year, three of the fastest boats were out of commission and performances suffered. In spite of a competitive season, speeds that had once reached 200 miles an hour fell woefully below that mark and the number of competitors dwindled drastically.

The radical new Pride of Pay 'n Pak was built by Ron Jones and is
powered by powered by a pair of Keith Black V-8 Chrysler hemis.

Owners, who know a trend when they see one, quickly took a serious look at the future and, as a result, started the project of lifting the sport up by its own bootstraps. This has included:

Lighter and Longer

• A new commissioner of unlimited hydroplane racing.
• New rules that have opened the door for automotive engines to be used.
• Allowance for the use of turbine power.
• The construction of three new boats, with several more on the way.
• At least 10 drivers who have changed affiliation.
• Two new drivers.
• The possible addition of Florida and New York to the racing schedule.

A happy combination of events was the election of George (Buddy) Byers, Jr. as commissioner at the same time the biggest rule change in the last 20 years was made. The latter measure lowered the required minimum weight of hydros from 5,000 pounds to 4,000 pounds, while raising the minimum length of 25 feet to 28 feet.

With this change, it was possible for automotive engines to be used in a sport that had almost entirely been dominated by airplane engines, such as Rolls-Royce and Allison, since World War II. But the supply of these fighter-plane power plants has rapidly diminished and no new ones have been manufactured for years.

Thus, two rear-engined boats are being built in California, the Pride of Pay 'n Pak and the Atlas Van Lines, both of which will boast twin Chrysler engines. At least one other owner has announced plans for a Chevrolet-powered thunderboat, though the current target is 1971.

Last year's revolutionary outrigger hydro, Pay 'n Pak, was scrapped by Dave Heerensperger, but a second Pay 'n Pak that won two out of three heats in the Gold Cup will campaign with her newest sister.

And Bob Fendler's new hull for his Atlas Van Lines will be the fourth one to assume that name in the last four years. Fendler said he planned to test the new automotive design alongside his present Atlas Van. Line conventional three-point hydro, which is powered by a Rolls.

Turbines Still Valid

At the same time that the unlimiteds welcomed auto power plants into their realm, they took no action to discourage the use of turbine power. This has turned out to be a blessing for several persons hoping to corral this system for, marine racing—Don Edwards and Rich Hallett, for example, a pair of Californians whose turbine-powered hydro, Miss Lapeer, will be tested and hope fully raced this year.

But traditionalists remain, too. At Kawkawlin, Mich., Les Staudacher is building a lightweight hull that will accept an Allison engine, while another new boat will be Laird Pierce's Parco 0-Ring Miss, constructed by Ed Karelsen of Seattle along the lines of Karelsen's other three successful hydros, Miss Budweiser (last year's champion), Miss Bardahl (a two-time champion) and Notre Dame.

Pierce, a former limited hydro titleholder, has signed formidable crew to race Parco. Billy Schumacher, who won the driver's title twice, will be at the helm, while Jack Cochrane will head a crew, all of whom are used to winning.

The present Parco was retired last December after sinking during test runs at Lake Elsinore, Calif. “We're going first class,” Pierce asserted after immediately ordering brand new Parco. “We're going for the top. The rest of the field had better watch for us.”

Seven races have been approved, with open dates being sought for Miami, Tampa, Dallas-Fort Worth and Alexandria Bay, N.Y. Already set are the following:

June 7, President's Cup, Washington; June 14, Kentucky Cup, Owensboro; June 28, Horace E. Dodge Memorial, Detroit; July 5, Indiana Cup, Madison; July 19, Atomic Cup, Tri-Cities, Wash; Aug. 2, Seattle Seafair; Sept. 20, Gold Cup, San Diego.

Fults' Dream Ends in Death

September 17, 1970. San Diego, Calif. - (AP) - Speedboat driver Tommy "Tucker" Fults said the Mission Bay course here was his favorite and had told crewman and opponents, "This is my year in the Gold Cup."

Tommy Fults and the 'Lil Buzzard at the 1970 Atomic Cup.

Fults' dream ended Wednesday when he was tossed out of his unlimited hydroplane and killed in a freak accident only moments after the course was opened for practice runs.

First on the water in his sleek, Pay 'N Pak 'Lil Buzzard, Fults, 29, of Seattle, Wash., was fatally injured when his boat buried its right sponson under a wake while in  a sweeping turn, pitched violently and threw him out.

His heart was still beating when he arrived at Scripps Memorial Hospital but doctors said he was clinically dead from the instant of the crash with a severed spinal cord.

"An accident like that wouldn't happen again in 20 years," Fults' teammate Ron Larsen said. "When the wake he hit he was, not moving fast enough to either clear or put his life support system into use. That couldn't happen again."

His death, however, resulting in a life-saving drama.

Late Wednesday, with the consent of the racer's wife, Susan, Fults' kidneys were transplanted to a man and a women at Scripps Hospital.

The Ron Larsen Story

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

Ron Larsen graduated to the Unlimited ranks in 1970 with Bob Fendler's ATLAS VAN LINES (U-29). The boat was powered by a pair of Keith Black V-8 Chrysler hemis. And since Larsen was Black's shop foreman, the assignment was a "natural."

Ron Larsen in 1970.

The U-29 assignment didn't last long--only a couple of races. The boat never finished a heat. Fendler abandoned the Chryslers and went with a single V-12 Allison. Ron was then hired to take over the wheel of another hemi-powered craft in mid-season 1970. This was Dave Heerensperger's PRIDE OF PAY 'n PAK (U-25).

The U-25 showed some bursts of speed but couldn't quite keep up with the Allisons and the Rolls-Royce Merlins that dominated the Unlimited Class in those days. Ron's best finish was a fifth-place in the 1970 Horace E. Dodge Cup at Detroit

Over the next few years, Larsen drove for several teams: MISS TIMEX (U-8) in 1971, NOTRE DAME (U-7) in 1973 and MISS TECHNICOLOR (U-76) in 1974. He finished fifth in the 1971 Tri-Cities Atomic Cup with U- 8, fifth in the 1973 APBA Gold Cup at the Tri-Cities with U-7, and third in the 1974 Desert Thunderboat Classic at Phoenix with U-76.

In all fairness, the MISS TIMEX was a bad-riding boat from Day-One (as PARCO'S O-RING MISS) and had defied the efforts of her previous driver (Billy Schumacher). The NOTRE DAME/MISS TECHNICOLOR hull was likewise plagued with poor handling characteristics and had a disappointing career--no matter who was driving her.

Ron Larsen drove Limited inboards before, during, and after his Unlimited experience. An injury suffered in a Limited race prevented him from accepting an Unlimited assignment in 1972.

Twin-Automotive Pay 'n Pak

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

The 1970 Pride of Pay 'N Pak

The twin-automotive-powered PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK of 1970 was inspired by the success of the 1969 7-Litre Class hydroplane RECORD-7, which was the first Limited hydro to run a heat at over 100 miles per hour.

The PAK and the RECORD-7 were both Chrysler-powered and featured the classic Ron Jones cabover design, which had been in disfavor since the accident to the cabover MISS BARDAHL at Washington, D.C., in 1966.

PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK proved to be too heavy to be competitive with automotive power. Perhaps it might have run better if the propeller technology of today had been available then. The best it could do was a fifth at the 1970 Spirit Of Detroit Regatta with Ron Larsen driving.

Repowered with a Rolls-Royce Merlin and converted to a rear-cockpit configuration, PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK "came alive" in 1971 and won three races with Billy Schumacher driving. The PAK also became the first boat to do a lap of 121 MPH on a 3-mile course (at Seattle). In 1972, it won the President's Cup with Billy Sterett, Jr., driving.

Sold to Bernie Little, the PAK raced for three years as MISS BUDWEISER and won ten races with Dean Chenoweth, Howie Benns, and Mickey Remund as drivers.

Sold to an Australian sportsman after 1975, the boat was renamed simply MISS BUD and won the Australian Griffith Cup in 1976 with Bob Saniga driving.

It is currently back in the United States and is scheduled for restoration by the Hydroplane And Raceboat Museum.

As for Ron Larsen, he achieved more success in the Limited ranks than he did at the Unlimited level. He raced U-boats from 1970 to 1974. His mounts included ATLAS VAN LINES (U-29) and PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK in 1970, MISS TIMEX in 1971, NOTRE DAME in 1973, and MISS TECHNICOLOR in 1974. His highest finish was a third-place at Phoenix, AZ, in 1974 with MISS TECHNICOLOR.

He was plant manager for Keith Black Racing Engines and helped to develop the 426 cubic inch supercharged Chrysler hemi for use in race boats.

Ron passed away in 2005.

Lil Buzzard surprises Atomic Cup field

By Tom Burnside
Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald, July 20, 1970

There weren't many of the big boys left around when it came time for the championship heat in the fifth running of the Atomic Cup race for unlimited hydroplanes yesterday afternoon.

With the two co-favorites on the sidelines, it opened the door for the underdogs on the tour to shine and Tommy Fults took the opportunity right in stride.

Miss Tri-Cities Julie Cole presents the Atomic Cup hydroplane trophy to Tommy Fults, 
driver of Lil Buzzard on July 19, 1970. The trophy, hand-chiseled from laminated redwood, 
was designed and created by Lewis McCord, chairman of the division of 
performing arts at Columbia Basin College. 

"Fults, driving the second string" Lil Buzzard for the Pay 'n Pak camp, stormed to first-place finishes in his first two outings and cruised home second in the final heat for an easy Atomic Cup victory.

Lil Buzzard ended up with 1,100 points and the $5,875 first prize. Notre Dame, with Leif Borgersen behind the wheel, won the final heat in addition to taking an earlier heat to finish second overall.

Favored Miss Budweiser and driver Dean Chenoweth met with some ill fortune during the first section of the race when the boat hooked coming out of the east turn. Chenoweth was pitched into the water, but fortunately suffered only a slightly sprained arm and was released from the hospital after an examination.

The Budweiser, winner of two races on the tour this year, sank in 15 feet of water. It was pulled up from the bottom of the river last night, revealing a badly-damaged front end, ripped open by the crash.

National point - leader Myr's Sheet Metal, driven by Bill Muncey, also was on the beach during the finals after going dead in the water in the second heat.

The afternoon belonged to Fults, who won the rerun of Heat 1-C in a breeze over Miss Owensboro in a two-boat field, then came back for an easy triumph over Fascination in another two-boat session in Heat 2-A.

Lil Buzzard grabbed the lead out of the first turn in the final heat, but was overtaken on the west turn by Notre Dame. When Fults took his boat wide on the turn, Borgersen moved into the inside to take the lead, which he never relinquished.

Fults, realizing that he needed only to finish the race to win the Atomic Cup, pushed Notre Dame for three laps, but then slacked off and was content with second place to insure the overall championship.

Notre Dame captured the opening heat after a battle with Myr's in the only other heat of the afternoon that amounted to much.

Muncey, who lead-footed the Myr's to the top lap time of day at 107.399 mph in Heat 1-A, held the lead for one lap before Borgersen cut inside on the east turn and went in front on the backstretch of lap No. 2.

The Shamrock Lady led the rest of the way, fighting off a series of challenges from Myr's, to win the heat with the top average speed of the afternoon at 104.651 mph, while Muncey was second with an average time of 103.806.

Pride of Pay 'n Pak, the radical rear-engine job powered by Chrysler automotive motors, walked away with Heat 1-B after Parco's O'Ring Miss, driven by Billy Schumacher, went dead coming out of the west turn after leading for four laps.

With Ron Larsen in the saddle, Pay 'n Pak also streaked out in front on the back chute of the second heat, only to conk out on the next turn and end its racing for the day.

After Myr's and Pay 'n Pak both went dead in Heat 2-B, Terry Sterett drove his Miss Owensboro into first place and pulled away from two others to win going away.

The accident by Chenoweth in the Budweiser was the first in the five-year history of the Atomic Cup and marked the first time that a race here ever had to be stopped.

The unlimiteds now will have two weeks off before the Seafair Race Aug. 2 at Seattle. Only remaining race after Seafair is the Gold Cup on Sept. 20 at San Diego.

1970-72 Pride of Pay 'n Pak

The 1970 Pride of Pay 'n Pak was the second Unlimited Hydroplane designed & built by Ron Jones (the first was the ill-fated 1966 cabover Bardahl). This successful boat provided an early indication of the great competition record to come for future Jones boats. In 1970 she was configured as a cabover and powered by twin-hemi's, and had an unremarkable (winless) season.

Prior to the 1971 season, she was reconfigured in the conventional (driver behind engine) configuration with Merlin power. This "new" Pride of Pay 'n Pak finished the 1971 season with three consecutive wins. The boat achieved a total of 14 wins from1971-1975, changing owners in 1973 when purchased by Bernie Little's Budweiser team. Victories included Gold Cup in 1973, and three consecutive runner-up finishes in the National Points championship (1972-1974).

Dave Heerensperger was arguably the most innovative Unlimited Hydroplane owner. Perhaps a few owners (like Jim and Pamela Clapp) may have made single accomplishments which were greater, but collectively no one owner has more consistently taken risks and reaped rewards from pioneering innovations than Heerensperger. Some of the areas explored included a reverse three-point boat, automotive power, rear wing, cabover design, turbine power, moving canard, honeycomb aluminum construction.

A few of the benchmark boats include the outrigger Pay 'n Pak (unsuccessful), the automotive powered cabover 1970 Pride of Pay 'n Pak (unsuccessful until converted to conventional configuration with Merlin power, 1 Gold Cup, 3 times runner up in National points), the 1973 "Winged Wonder" which introduced aluminum honeycomb construction and the rear wing (3 National Championships and 2 Gold Cups for Heerensperger, 1 National Championship for Owner Bill Muncey in 1976), the hull which became the famous cabover Atlas Van Lines "Blue Blaster", and the first competitive turbine boat (first to win a race in 1982).

During the 1970 season, the new Pride of Pay 'n Pak campaigned with Hemi engines. The boat finished a disappointing 7th place finish in national points, with the best race finish a 5th overall. Despite poor reliability, the boat was classified a finisher in every event it entered (the boat did not enter the Kentucky Governor's Cup). The lack of competitiveness lead to a reconfiguration to Merlin power and a conventional cockpit location (behind the engine) which proved a much more competitive package.

The reconfigured Pay 'n Pak suffered its only DNF of the 1971 season at the first race in Miami. She finished second at her next race in Washington, DC, but it would be the three consecutive wins at the end of the season (Seattle, Eugene, Dallas) that would distinguish this season. Despite the remarkable string of wins, the lack of good results earlier in the season would only support a third place finish in National Points.

1972 was the year of Bill Muncey and the Atlas Van Lines -- Bill and the Atlas would win 6/7 races that season. The Pride of Pay 'n Pak was the only other winner that season, winning the President's Cup at Washington D.C. The Pride gave the Atlas plenty of competition, again showing excellent dependability with only 1 DNF for the season. Muncey/Atlas won a well deserved National Championship, but the Pride of Pay 'n Pak earned a strong second place despite the lack of wins this season.

Pay 'n Pak team owner Dave Heerensperger decided he needed a more competitive boat be competitive, so he commissioned Ron Jones to build a new Pay 'n Pak -- a boat which would be called the "Winged Wonder" and would win the National Championship for the next four consecutive years.

Bernie Little learned the Pride of Pay 'n Pak was available, and quickly arranged to purchase it from Heerensperger. Renamed the Miss Budweiser, the boat was very competitive in 1973. With Dean Chenoweth driving, the boat won the Kentucky Governors Cup, the Gar Wood Memorial Cup, the National Championship Regatta, and the prestigious Gold Cup. The demonstrated a remarkable reliability record, finishing every race that season. The season was filled with tremendous duels between the new Pay 'n Pak and the Miss Budweiser -- fans remember several heats of deck-to-deck racing during both 1973 and 1974 as the two boats contended for both race victories and National Championship points. Ultimately it was the Pay 'n Pak narrowly defeating the Budweiser for the National Championship title, the Budweiser again the runner-up.

For the 1974 season, Howie Benns was driving the Miss Budweiser, otherwise the 1974 season was much like 1973 for the Budweiser. Again she won 4 races, this time at Miami, Detroit, Phoenix, and Jacksonville, and again she had no DNF's! Again there were several deck-to-deck battles with the Pay 'n Pak, and again the Pay 'n Pak collected just enough points to win the National Championship with the Budweiser again finishing second.

In 1975, Mickey Remund was driving the boat. The boat was beginning to show its age and the strain of competition, with the team suffering an unusual 3 DNFs out of 7 events. After two years of excellent reliability for the Budweiser Team, the need to push the boat harder began to affect reliability. In one instance, the starboard sponson blew out during a heat race and driver Remund managed to return the boat to shore before it sunk -- the crew worked around the clock to get the boat repaired for the next race.

Little could see the hull was becoming less competitive and decided to replace it at the end of the '75 season with a new boat. He sold the boat to Ron Burton of Ron Burton of Australia. The boat was campaigned under various owners in Australia until 1998.

In 1976 Bob Saniga drove the boat to victory in the Australian Griffith Cup at Lake Eppalock, which is the Australian equivalent of the Gold Cup. Thus this boat became the first (and so far only) to win both the American Gold Cup and Australian Griffith Cup. She also won the Eppalock Gold Cup, the Morwell Hazelwood Cup, the Yarrawonga Cup, and the Glenmaggie 500 for various owners including Burton, Joe and Steve Cooper, Vern White, and Ken Warby. The boat returned briefly to the United States in 1978, competing in the Tri-Cities and Seattle with Bob Saniga driving. Her duel with the Miss Madison (the former "Winged Wonder" Pay 'n Pak) brought back memories of the epic Pay 'n Pak/Budweiser duels of 1973-1975.

The boat was purchased from World Water Speed Record Holder Ken Warby by Eric Mann in 2001, and returned to the United States in the Summer of that year. It will be run at various historic Unlimited Hydroplane events organized by the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum under APBA sanction.