By Gary Schultz, Courier-Journal Staff Writer
July 1, 1980 — Pay 'n Pak is coming back — but not at Madison, Ind., on Sunday.
That was the word yesterday from the Seattle-based team that had hoped to run the revolutionary unlimited hydroplane in the Gold Cup race.
"There's no way we can make it," said Monte Leen, a spokesman for the chain of do-it-yourself stores that sponsor the boat. "The basic hull is ready to go, but there are some other things that aren't right yet."
Leen said the Pak crew didn't want to enter a race until the boat had been thoroughly tested.
"We didn't want to throw everything together just to make the Gold Cup," he said. "We want to be ready to be competitive. As it is, we're a week to 10 days from putting the boat in the water for the first time."
Pay 'n Pak dominated the sport from 1973-75 before owner Dave Heerensperger retired from racing in 1976.
During its heyday, the boat was powered by the conventional unlimited hydroplane setup — a vintage World War II aircraft engine. The new Pak will be powered by a turbine engine similar to those used in helicopters during the Vietnam War.
With Pay 'n Pak on the sidelines, probably until the Tri-Cities (Wash.) race on July 27, Madison Regatta officials are expecting eight to nine boats for the $65,000 Gold Cup competition.
The regatta received an unexpected boost yesterday when another new boat, the Aronow-Halter Special, joined the lineup of challengers to heavily favored Miss Budweiser.
Not since the mid-1960s, when Bill Sterrett of Owensboro, Ky., campaigned Miss Chrysler Crew, has an automotive-engine powered boat competed on he unlimited hydroplane circuit.
The Aronow-Halter Special will be propelled by twin 850-horsepower turbo-charged Cosworths, the engines that have become the leading force in Indianapolis 500 racing. Earl Bentz will drive the boat.
Miss Busweiser, driven by Dean Chenoweth, has won all three 1980 races and 11 consecutive heats. The boat has 4,400 points and comfortably leads Circus Circus (2,138), driven by Steve Reynolds, in the national championship standings. Atlas Van Lines (1,975), with Bill Muncey driving, is third.
Showing posts with label Madison. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madison. Show all posts
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Chasin’ the Pak
Pay 'n Pak Win Third Straight Governor's Cup Before Record 90,000
By J.D. Lewis, Staff Writer
Reprinted from The Republic, Columbus, Ind., July 7, 1975
Pay ‘n Pak out-dueled Weisfield's in one of the closest heat races in unlimited hydroplane history and went on to capture its third straight Indiana Governor's Cup Sunday during the 26th running of the Madison Regatta on the Ohio River.
A record crowd of 90,000 fans watched driver George Henley score about a 10-foot win over Bill Schumacher and Weisfield's in the fourth and next to last heat race. The victory worth 400 points meant Henley needed only a second place finish in the final heat to clinch the Governor's Cup. He did just that, playing it safe and settling for second behind Schumacher, whose finish maintained Weisfield's lead in the national point standings.
"The name of the game is winning the Cup,” said a smiling Henley later. "We could have gone all out at the end, but we could've broken something and not finished. You go on strategy, not pride."
The victory, Pay 'n Pak's first in five unlimited races this year, was worth $6,336 out of a total purse of $30,000 for Henley and owner Dave Heerensperger of Seattle, Wash. The winning combination scored a first and two seconds in three heat races for 1,000 points.
Weisfield’s had a first, second and third for 925. Lincoln Thrift driven by Milner Irvin placed third with 794, Miss U.S. driven by Tom D'Eath was fourth with 750 and Miss Vernor's driven by Fred Alter was fifth with 625.
The local favorite, Miss Madison, piloted by Jerry Bangs, was black flagged for failing to shut off its engine after conking out in turn two in the first heat and scored no points. However, it finished second in the third heat and wound up eighth overall with 300 points.
A total of 11 boats were entered, but only nine reached minimum qualifying speeds of 100 miles an hour on Friday and Saturday. Pay 'n Pak averaged 103.010 for the three heats. But it set new Madison records in the thrilling duel with, Weisfield's in heat 2B.
The Pak covered the fifth and final lap over the 2½-mile course at 116.883 miles an hour, the fastest speed ever at Madison. The previous lap records of 116.580 for qualifying and 114.796 during a race were set by the Pak last year. And the Pak's average for the heat was 115.148, which shattered the record of 110.892, also set by the same boat last year.
Told later what his heat average was, the 39-year-old Henley, an Eatonville, Wash., native, exclaimed, "Holy mackerel!"
"I didn't think I had it won until I looked over my shoulder and saw (Schumacher) wasn't there," he said. "I could hear him all the time."
"There was nothing left in my engine," said Schumacher. “I pushed it as hard as it would go. That's one of the best races I've ever been in. "
"Me, too," said Henley. "I don't think I've ever been in as close a race even when I was racing limiteds. It was a good, clean, fun race."
In the final heat, Schumacher took Weisfield's into a comfortable lead on the first lap and led all the way. Weisfield's only hope for a Cup championship was that Miss U.S. would beat the Pak for second, but Henley held on and finished ahead of D'Eath by a safe margin.
Prior to the Regatta, Pay 'n Pak had won only one out of 10 heat races, but Henley said he felt confident of his chances after taking the boat out for a test run on Friday. "It finally began to handle like it did last year," he said. "Now I think she's back where she was."
There was only one minor mishap during the 4-hour program. In the second heat race, Miss Budweiser sustained considerable sponson damage on the right side when she hit a "low" spot entering the second turn. Driven by Mickey Remund, she went on to win the heat, but was forced to withdraw from the competition. "The crew will have to work night and day for a week just to get her ready for the next race (the Dayton Hydroglobe on July 13)," said Remund.
Final Points Standing: 1.) Pay 'n Pak, George Henley, 1,000; 2.) Weisfield's, Bill Schumacher, 925; 3.) Lincoln Thrift, Milner Irvin, 794; 4.) Miss U.S., Tom D'Eath, 750; 5.) Miss Vernor's, Fred Alter, 625; 6.) Miss Budweiser, Mickey Remund, 400; 7.) Atlas Van Lines, Bill Muncey, 338; 8.) Miss Madison, Jerry Bangs, 300.
By J.D. Lewis, Staff Writer
Reprinted from The Republic, Columbus, Ind., July 7, 1975
Pay ‘n Pak out-dueled Weisfield's in one of the closest heat races in unlimited hydroplane history and went on to capture its third straight Indiana Governor's Cup Sunday during the 26th running of the Madison Regatta on the Ohio River.
A record crowd of 90,000 fans watched driver George Henley score about a 10-foot win over Bill Schumacher and Weisfield's in the fourth and next to last heat race. The victory worth 400 points meant Henley needed only a second place finish in the final heat to clinch the Governor's Cup. He did just that, playing it safe and settling for second behind Schumacher, whose finish maintained Weisfield's lead in the national point standings.
"The name of the game is winning the Cup,” said a smiling Henley later. "We could have gone all out at the end, but we could've broken something and not finished. You go on strategy, not pride."
The victory, Pay 'n Pak's first in five unlimited races this year, was worth $6,336 out of a total purse of $30,000 for Henley and owner Dave Heerensperger of Seattle, Wash. The winning combination scored a first and two seconds in three heat races for 1,000 points.
Weisfield’s had a first, second and third for 925. Lincoln Thrift driven by Milner Irvin placed third with 794, Miss U.S. driven by Tom D'Eath was fourth with 750 and Miss Vernor's driven by Fred Alter was fifth with 625.
The local favorite, Miss Madison, piloted by Jerry Bangs, was black flagged for failing to shut off its engine after conking out in turn two in the first heat and scored no points. However, it finished second in the third heat and wound up eighth overall with 300 points.
A total of 11 boats were entered, but only nine reached minimum qualifying speeds of 100 miles an hour on Friday and Saturday. Pay 'n Pak averaged 103.010 for the three heats. But it set new Madison records in the thrilling duel with, Weisfield's in heat 2B.
The Pak covered the fifth and final lap over the 2½-mile course at 116.883 miles an hour, the fastest speed ever at Madison. The previous lap records of 116.580 for qualifying and 114.796 during a race were set by the Pak last year. And the Pak's average for the heat was 115.148, which shattered the record of 110.892, also set by the same boat last year.
Told later what his heat average was, the 39-year-old Henley, an Eatonville, Wash., native, exclaimed, "Holy mackerel!"
"I didn't think I had it won until I looked over my shoulder and saw (Schumacher) wasn't there," he said. "I could hear him all the time."
"There was nothing left in my engine," said Schumacher. “I pushed it as hard as it would go. That's one of the best races I've ever been in. "
"Me, too," said Henley. "I don't think I've ever been in as close a race even when I was racing limiteds. It was a good, clean, fun race."
In the final heat, Schumacher took Weisfield's into a comfortable lead on the first lap and led all the way. Weisfield's only hope for a Cup championship was that Miss U.S. would beat the Pak for second, but Henley held on and finished ahead of D'Eath by a safe margin.
Prior to the Regatta, Pay 'n Pak had won only one out of 10 heat races, but Henley said he felt confident of his chances after taking the boat out for a test run on Friday. "It finally began to handle like it did last year," he said. "Now I think she's back where she was."
There was only one minor mishap during the 4-hour program. In the second heat race, Miss Budweiser sustained considerable sponson damage on the right side when she hit a "low" spot entering the second turn. Driven by Mickey Remund, she went on to win the heat, but was forced to withdraw from the competition. "The crew will have to work night and day for a week just to get her ready for the next race (the Dayton Hydroglobe on July 13)," said Remund.
Final Points Standing: 1.) Pay 'n Pak, George Henley, 1,000; 2.) Weisfield's, Bill Schumacher, 925; 3.) Lincoln Thrift, Milner Irvin, 794; 4.) Miss U.S., Tom D'Eath, 750; 5.) Miss Vernor's, Fred Alter, 625; 6.) Miss Budweiser, Mickey Remund, 400; 7.) Atlas Van Lines, Bill Muncey, 338; 8.) Miss Madison, Jerry Bangs, 300.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Winged Pay ‘n Pak Sets Record in Regatta Victory
July 9, 1973, MADISON, Ind. (UPI) - The winged Pay 'n Pak dominated the field Sunday to win the Indiana Governor's Cup for unlimited hydroplanes. The $25,000 cup race is the main prize at the two-day Madison Regatta on the Ohio River.
An estimated 100,000 spectators lined the Indiana and Kentucky shorelines to watch the event in sunny, 90-degree weather.
Pay 'n Pak, driven by Mickey Remund, Palm Desert, Calif., roared to a record 104.106 miles per hour to finish one-half lap ahead of Miss Budweiser in second place.
The two "thunderboats" were tied entering the 15-mile finale after each picked up a pair of heat victories. Miss Budweiser was driven by Dean Chenoweth, Xenia, Ohio. Third in the five-boat final was Lincoln Thrift, followed in fourth by Redman and in fifth by Mr. Fabricator.
Pay 'n Pak accumulated 1,200 points for the afternoon with Budweiser getting 1,100. Lincoln Thrift had 675, Redman 525 and Mr. Fabricator 469.
At the start of the last race, it appeared the final heat would be a head-to-head showdown between Pay 'n Pak and Budweiser. Chenoweth took the lead at the gun but Remund brought his boat alongside as the two battled the entire first lap.
But Miss Budweiser stalled on the second lap and Pay 'n Pak shot into the lead for good. The Budweiser driver said after the race that his boat was having carburetor problems and the engine was getting too much fuel.
Remund also had a difficult time. In the final heat when two of the three spokes on his steering wheel broke. The first broke prior to the race and the second on the backstretch of the first lap.
"When we ran that first lap almost side by side, the steering thing was all I could think about," he said. "If I'd lost control, I would have crashed into him since he was right beside me."
Despite performing well in qualifications, Miss Madison had her problems, finishing fifth in the first heat and third in the second and did not make the final race of the day. Sentimental favorite and community-owned Miss Madison was sixth with 352 points earned in heat races.
Gale's Roostertail was seventh with 300. Valu-Mart and Atlas Van Lines competed, but failed to score.
Atlas was the defending Regatta champ and the No. 1 boat in the American Power Boat Association races last season. But driver Bill Muncey, San Diego, Calif., experienced mechanical problems all week and his craft went dead in the water while leading a preliminary heat.
Pay 'n Pak passed Muncey and Atlas en route to a record 106.888 winning average in that heat.
Mechanical problems plagued many of the other boats in the nine craft event, but there were no accidents or sinkings.
Earlier in the week Pay 'n Pak, the first "thunderboat" to utilize the stabilizer wing, roared to a qualifying record on the 2½-mile Ohio River course. Remund posted a 115.908 clocking Thursday.
An estimated 100,000 spectators lined the Indiana and Kentucky shorelines to watch the event in sunny, 90-degree weather.
Pay 'n Pak, driven by Mickey Remund, Palm Desert, Calif., roared to a record 104.106 miles per hour to finish one-half lap ahead of Miss Budweiser in second place.
The two "thunderboats" were tied entering the 15-mile finale after each picked up a pair of heat victories. Miss Budweiser was driven by Dean Chenoweth, Xenia, Ohio. Third in the five-boat final was Lincoln Thrift, followed in fourth by Redman and in fifth by Mr. Fabricator.
Pay 'n Pak accumulated 1,200 points for the afternoon with Budweiser getting 1,100. Lincoln Thrift had 675, Redman 525 and Mr. Fabricator 469.
At the start of the last race, it appeared the final heat would be a head-to-head showdown between Pay 'n Pak and Budweiser. Chenoweth took the lead at the gun but Remund brought his boat alongside as the two battled the entire first lap.
But Miss Budweiser stalled on the second lap and Pay 'n Pak shot into the lead for good. The Budweiser driver said after the race that his boat was having carburetor problems and the engine was getting too much fuel.
Remund also had a difficult time. In the final heat when two of the three spokes on his steering wheel broke. The first broke prior to the race and the second on the backstretch of the first lap.
"When we ran that first lap almost side by side, the steering thing was all I could think about," he said. "If I'd lost control, I would have crashed into him since he was right beside me."
Despite performing well in qualifications, Miss Madison had her problems, finishing fifth in the first heat and third in the second and did not make the final race of the day. Sentimental favorite and community-owned Miss Madison was sixth with 352 points earned in heat races.
Gale's Roostertail was seventh with 300. Valu-Mart and Atlas Van Lines competed, but failed to score.
Atlas was the defending Regatta champ and the No. 1 boat in the American Power Boat Association races last season. But driver Bill Muncey, San Diego, Calif., experienced mechanical problems all week and his craft went dead in the water while leading a preliminary heat.
Pay 'n Pak passed Muncey and Atlas en route to a record 106.888 winning average in that heat.
Mechanical problems plagued many of the other boats in the nine craft event, but there were no accidents or sinkings.
Earlier in the week Pay 'n Pak, the first "thunderboat" to utilize the stabilizer wing, roared to a qualifying record on the 2½-mile Ohio River course. Remund posted a 115.908 clocking Thursday.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Pay ‘n Pak Victor
MADISON, Ind., July 8, 1973 (AP) —Mickey Remund, driving Pay ‘n Pak, won the 26th annual Madison Regatta for unlimited hydroplanes today.
The 34‐year‐old driver from Palm Desert, Calif., out-dueled Miss Budweiser, driven by Dean Chenoweth of Xenia, Ohio, in the final 15‐mile heat to win the 22d Indiana Governor's Cup.
More than 90,000 spectators lined the Indiana and Kentucky banks of the Ohio River in 90‐degree heat and watched as Pay ‘n Pak retained its lead in the American Power Boat Association standing.
Both Pay ‘n Pak and Miss Budweiser easily won a pair of preliminary races and went into the championship run tied with 800 points. The two thunderboats had run side by side for the 1½ laps of the six‐lap final before Miss Budweiser momentarily lost power in the downstream turn of the second lap and fell behind for good.
It was the second victory of the season for Pay ‘n Pak and snapped Miss Budweiser's string of victories at two.
Pay ‘n Pak's final margin was half a lap. Lincoln Thrift was third with a rookie, Danny Walls of Bellevue, Ky., at the controls. The other two boats in the final heat—Red Man, driven by Jim McCormick of Owensboro, Ky., and Mr. Fabricator, driven by a rookie, Tom Kaufman of Carrollton, Ohio, suffered engine problems and failed to finish.
 |
| Mickey Remund pilots the Pay 'n Pak to victory at Madison. |
The 34‐year‐old driver from Palm Desert, Calif., out-dueled Miss Budweiser, driven by Dean Chenoweth of Xenia, Ohio, in the final 15‐mile heat to win the 22d Indiana Governor's Cup.
More than 90,000 spectators lined the Indiana and Kentucky banks of the Ohio River in 90‐degree heat and watched as Pay ‘n Pak retained its lead in the American Power Boat Association standing.
Both Pay ‘n Pak and Miss Budweiser easily won a pair of preliminary races and went into the championship run tied with 800 points. The two thunderboats had run side by side for the 1½ laps of the six‐lap final before Miss Budweiser momentarily lost power in the downstream turn of the second lap and fell behind for good.
It was the second victory of the season for Pay ‘n Pak and snapped Miss Budweiser's string of victories at two.
Pay ‘n Pak's final margin was half a lap. Lincoln Thrift was third with a rookie, Danny Walls of Bellevue, Ky., at the controls. The other two boats in the final heat—Red Man, driven by Jim McCormick of Owensboro, Ky., and Mr. Fabricator, driven by a rookie, Tom Kaufman of Carrollton, Ohio, suffered engine problems and failed to finish.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Pay 'n Pak Wins Hydroplane Event
MADISON. Ind., July 6 (UPI) - Pay 'n Pak, chalking up two course records en route, won the $30,000 Indiana Governor's Cup race for unlimited hydroplanes today on the Ohio River.
George Henley of Eatonville, Wash., steered the Seattle‐based craft to a first and two seconds in its three heats to best Weisfield's, driven by Billy Schumacher of Seattle.
Pay 'n Pak cruised the 2½‐mile river course at an average speed of 115.148 miles an hour in the fourth of the day's five heats for one mark. Henley's fastest lap in the five‐lap, 12½‐mile event of 116.883 m.p.h., also was a record.
George Henley of Eatonville, Wash., steered the Seattle‐based craft to a first and two seconds in its three heats to best Weisfield's, driven by Billy Schumacher of Seattle.
Pay 'n Pak cruised the 2½‐mile river course at an average speed of 115.148 miles an hour in the fourth of the day's five heats for one mark. Henley's fastest lap in the five‐lap, 12½‐mile event of 116.883 m.p.h., also was a record.
Monday, May 16, 2016
Henley drives 'Pak' to 2 records, victory
July 7, 1975. Madison, Ind. - (AP) - The "Pak" is back. With George Henley setting lap and heat records in the closest unlimited hydroplane duel of the season, the Pay 'N Pak won its third straight Indiana Governor's Cup trophy race here yesterday.
"It was a lot of work, but it was fun," said Henley, a 39-year-old national champion from Eatonville, Wash., after he out-dueled Billy Schumacher's Weisfield's to give the Pak its first win of the 1975 season.
The Pay 'N Pak passed Weisfield's on the final lap of Heat 2A in what proved to be the decisive race of the day. Henley was clocked at 116.883 miles an hour around the 2 ½-mile Ohio River course.
That time surpassed Pay 'N Pak's mark of 115.657 m.p.h. Henley also bettered the course record for a five-lap heat with his average speed of 115.148 m.p.h. He set the previous head standard of 111.724 m.p.h. a year ago.
Weisfield's, less than two boat lengths back at the checkered flag, averaged 115.060 m.p.h.
"George was really tired when he got back in from that one, but he did a heck-uva job," said Dave Heerensperger, the Pay 'N Pak owner. "We haven't been in the ball game before this year, but we are now."
Henley was too tired to climb out of his boat after the second-heat duel with Schumacher. He drove into the pits, started to pull himself out of the cockpit, then slumped back down into his seat.
But the Pay 'N Pak driver had enough energy left to run an effective race in the final heat, finishing second behind Schumacher in a deliberate attempt to do no better than he had to.
Although the Weisfield's won the final go-around, Pay 'N Pak had accumulated enough points in the earlier heats to lock up the title with a second-place finish.
"The only thing that counts is winning the race," Henley said. "If you go fast and blow an engine, nobody remembers.
Henley and Schumacher both "blew" the start of Heat 1A, scooting across the starting line prematurely. Each boat as penalized a lap, giving Miss Vernors, a Detroit-based boat, its first heat win of the season.
Pay 'N Pak beat Weisfield's across the finish line for second place, making Schumacher's chances for his third win of the season hinge around the results of Heat 2B.
Henley took the lead in the first two laps of 2B, with speeds of 114.214 m.p.h. and 114.943 m.p.h. Then Schumacher shot in front for the next two at 115.385 each time around. Henley needed the record-setting run in the final lap to overtake his rival in a sponson-to-sponson duel reminiscent of the 1973 and '74 Pay 'N Pak - Budweiser duels in Seattle.
Miss Budweiser dropped out of the race after winning Heat 1B because of sponson damage. The boat's stern went up, and as the nose dug in, some of the decking was ripped lose. A hole was punched into the right sponson.
The damage occurred on the fourth lap, but Remund was able to finish the heat.
Pay 'N Pak, two-time defending national champion among the unlimiteds, moved up to fourth place in the overall standings for the year with its 1,000-point performance.
Weisfield's remains the season-long leader heading into the sixth race, which will be in Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday.
"It was a lot of work, but it was fun," said Henley, a 39-year-old national champion from Eatonville, Wash., after he out-dueled Billy Schumacher's Weisfield's to give the Pak its first win of the 1975 season.
 |
| With his wife, Mary, looking on, George Henley accepts the Governor's Cup after a victorious ride in the Pay 'N Pak at Madison, Ind., yesterday. It was the first win of the unlimited-hydroplane season for the Seattle boat. Henley came out of retirement to take over the Pak controls last month. |
The Pay 'N Pak passed Weisfield's on the final lap of Heat 2A in what proved to be the decisive race of the day. Henley was clocked at 116.883 miles an hour around the 2 ½-mile Ohio River course.
That time surpassed Pay 'N Pak's mark of 115.657 m.p.h. Henley also bettered the course record for a five-lap heat with his average speed of 115.148 m.p.h. He set the previous head standard of 111.724 m.p.h. a year ago.
Weisfield's, less than two boat lengths back at the checkered flag, averaged 115.060 m.p.h.
"George was really tired when he got back in from that one, but he did a heck-uva job," said Dave Heerensperger, the Pay 'N Pak owner. "We haven't been in the ball game before this year, but we are now."
Henley was too tired to climb out of his boat after the second-heat duel with Schumacher. He drove into the pits, started to pull himself out of the cockpit, then slumped back down into his seat.
But the Pay 'N Pak driver had enough energy left to run an effective race in the final heat, finishing second behind Schumacher in a deliberate attempt to do no better than he had to.
Although the Weisfield's won the final go-around, Pay 'N Pak had accumulated enough points in the earlier heats to lock up the title with a second-place finish.
"The only thing that counts is winning the race," Henley said. "If you go fast and blow an engine, nobody remembers.
Henley and Schumacher both "blew" the start of Heat 1A, scooting across the starting line prematurely. Each boat as penalized a lap, giving Miss Vernors, a Detroit-based boat, its first heat win of the season.
Pay 'N Pak beat Weisfield's across the finish line for second place, making Schumacher's chances for his third win of the season hinge around the results of Heat 2B.
Henley took the lead in the first two laps of 2B, with speeds of 114.214 m.p.h. and 114.943 m.p.h. Then Schumacher shot in front for the next two at 115.385 each time around. Henley needed the record-setting run in the final lap to overtake his rival in a sponson-to-sponson duel reminiscent of the 1973 and '74 Pay 'N Pak - Budweiser duels in Seattle.
Miss Budweiser dropped out of the race after winning Heat 1B because of sponson damage. The boat's stern went up, and as the nose dug in, some of the decking was ripped lose. A hole was punched into the right sponson.
The damage occurred on the fourth lap, but Remund was able to finish the heat.
Pay 'N Pak, two-time defending national champion among the unlimiteds, moved up to fourth place in the overall standings for the year with its 1,000-point performance.
Weisfield's remains the season-long leader heading into the sixth race, which will be in Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
The Race That Nobody Remembers
By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian
The 1971 Madison Regatta will never be forgotten for as long as men race boats. That, of course, was the year when Jim McCormick guided the community-owned MISS MADISON to victory in the race of races--the APBA Gold Cup--before the hometown crowd.
But as memorable as the 1971 regatta was, no one seems to want to remember the race that followed it in 1972.
In lieu of the Gold Cup, the city of Madison hosted a World's Championship Race, which was sanctioned by the Union of International Motorboating. But while the '71 Gold Cup had gone off like clockwork, the '72 World's Championship had more problems than an arithmetic book.
The Ohio River had experienced some major flooding. The pit area was under water. And there was enough drift floating down the river that one could almost have walked across the Ohio. The race was set for Sunday, July 2. It ended up being run on Tuesday, July 4. And even then, it was nearly canceled.
The flooding was a major concern. Plus, a third of the Unlimited fleet--which included the MISS MADISON--had suffered major equipment damage the previous week at Detroit and weren't available to race at Madison.
The Unlimited Racing Commission's Executive Secretary Phil Cole probably did more than anyone else to insure that the 1972 Madison race happened. He convinced Madison Regatta President Jack Ice that congressional help was needed to bring the river under control so the race could be run.
Cole, a former MADISON COURIER reporter, utilized his contacts in government to close the locks upriver at Markland, Kentucky, and open the locks down river at Louisville. When that was accomplished, the level of the river dropped rather quickly.
Even so, Cole gave the race "about a 30 percent chance" of happening.
That's because only part of the problem was solved. The Kentucky River, which is located between Markland and Madison, was still dumping fresh debris into the Ohio River. The race committee alleviated that difficulty somewhat by sweeping over the course before each heat and picking up the floating garbage.
A faction of the Madison committee wanted to cancel the race and re-schedule for September (shades of 1998!). The late Paul Steinhardt led the pro-September group. But the ruling faction--headed by Jack Ice and Wilbur Heitz--eventually won out.
That was the strangest week that I ever spent at a boat race in my life. My official excuse for being there was as a reporter for RACE BOAT & INDUSTRY NEWS. (I hadn't yet been appointed as Unlimited Historian.) There was the burning question of whether or not there would be a race. And on top of that, I had friends on both sides of the issue of whether or not to go ahead with the July 4 date or postpone until Labor Day. I had a difficult time being objective.
The race fan in me wanted to see the race run on the Fourth. But that river bothered me. I asked Bill Cantrell, who was team manager for the ATLAS VAN LINES that year, "Mr. Cantrell, have you ever driven in water like this?" He answered, "Well, yes I have. But whenever I did, somebody always went over."
Eight boats were in town for the 1972 race. And frankly no one wanted to run because of the hazardous conditions. But Fred Alter, owner and driver of the TOWNE CLUB, argued forcefully, "If we don't run this race this year, there might not ever be another race in Madison." Reluctantly, the teams agreed to give it a try.
But Billy Schumacher, driver of the PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK and a two-time winner of the Madison race, would have no part of it. "No way am I going to play leapfrog over logs," he declared. PAY 'N PAK owner Dave Heerensperger then prevailed upon retired MISS BUDWEISER pilot Bill Sterett, Sr., to step in as relief driver--even though Sterett hadn't driven in competition since 1969.
Unlimited qualifying and the entire Limited program were scrubbed at the 1972 Madison Regatta. In fact, the boats weren't able to move into the pit area until race day morning.
Madison's characteristically sunny summer weather was no where in evidence. The skies were overcast and the air was chilly on July 4.
Terry Sterett took the MISS BUDWEISER out for a shakedown cruise over the debris-laden course. He didn't like what he saw and described the conditions as marginal at best.
Referee Ken Wright told the drivers in Heat 1-A to go out and give him a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. "If even one of you gives me a thumbs-down, I'll flag all of you all back in and cancel the whole thing. It's up to you." Everyone gave a thumbs-up. So Wright allowed the race to be run.
Nevertheless, nobody wanted to be the first to commit to running in 1-A. The seconds ticked away, and no one made a move to go in the water. The 5-minute gun fired and all of the boats were still sitting on their trailers! Finally, the PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK crew gave the signal to the crane operator to lower away. Then everyone else followed suit. And the race was on.
Four heats of racing were run that day and no one "went over" as Bill Cantrell had feared. And two of the four heats were barn burners.
Bill Muncey easily won both of his heats (1-B and 2-B) with ATLAS VAN LINES and was declared the overall winner for the Joe Schoenith team.
Terry Sterett in MISS BUDWEISER out distanced Tom Sheehy in GO GALE by one tenth of a second in Heat 1-A.
Bill Sterett in PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK brought the crowd to its feet with a bravura come-from-behind performance in Heat 2-A. After a late start, Bill worked his way up through the field. He passed first one boat and then another to take the win at a solid 107 miles per hour--the fastest heat of the day.
Heat 2-A also represented a rare Unlimited Class instance where a father and a son raced against each other. When Bill ducked inside of Terry's roostertail and pulled even with his son on the backstretch, the crowd went wild. The PAK and the BUD dueled through the bridge turn together and were side-by-side at the exit buoy. Bill out accelerated his son and went on for the win, while Terry faded to third behind his Dad and Tom Sheehy.
With all of the bother about rescheduling the race from Sunday to Tuesday, no one remembered that the DELTA QUEEN river boat was to make a scheduled pass by Madison on its way from Louisville to Cincinnati on July 4. As the boats for Heat 2-B were being lowered into the water, around the bend came the DELTA QUEEN, crowded with passengers and with the calliope blasting away.
The unexpected appearance on the race course of the massive sternwheeler lent an air of unreality to the already mixed-up proceedings. The common reaction: "What else can go wrong?"
The DELTA QUEEN tore up one or two course buoys and stirred up the river even more than it already was. But Heat 2-B was still run to its conclusion without incident.
Then a thick fog cover set in over the race area. Visibility was so impaired that spectators on the Madison side of the river couldn't even see the Kentucky shore. At this point, referee Wright announced cancellation of the Final Heat and declared the race a contest on the basis of points scored in the preliminary heats.
ATLAS VAN LINES was first, MISS BUDWEISER second, GO GALE third, MISS TIMEX (with Jim McCormick) fourth, PIZZA PETE (with Bob Gilliam) fifth, PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK sixth, and TOWNE CLUB seventh, while COUNTRY BOY (with Salt Walther) failed to finish.
Billy Schumacher, together with his wife Cyndee, watched the 1972 Madison race from the shore. Many persons supported Billy's decision not to race that day, including veteran racer George N. Davis of IT'S A WONDER fame. But Schumacher was persona non grata with the PAY 'N PAK team and found himself replaced by Billy Sterett, Jr., at the remaining three races of the season.
As Unlimited Historian, I've been asked many times if I thought Schumacher was justified in walking away from his team at such a crucial moment. That's a tough one. In my view, it's inappropriate for someone such as myself who has never driven in an Unlimited race to point the finger of blame at someone who is one of the sport's most respected champions.
It does bother me that Billy was alone in his refusal to race. A lot of people wrestled with the problem of how to proceed on July 4, 1972, and came to a different conclusion. These included the other drivers, all the owners, the crews, the local committee, the APBA officials, and the Army Corps of Engineers. All decided to make the best of a bad situation and to give it a try. But Schumacher had a difference of opinion, which he had a right to express.
It is well known that Billy and PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK crew chief Jim Lucero were at odds on how to set up the boat in 1972. PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK had scored impressive victories at the last three races of 1971. But the '72 season had been an exercise in frustration with Schumacher being trounced in every race by Bill Muncey and ATLAS VAN LINES.
When Bill Sterett took over Schumacher's seat at Madison, he failed to start in Heat 1-A but then really "flew" the boat in Heat 2-A--much to the delight of Lucero.
Where Schumacher and Lucero were concerned, it was a case of an irresistible force against an unmovable object.
On a race team, there can be only one leader. Everyone must pull in the same direction. A team must be unified or there is chaos.
Detroit race official Jack Love lamented the outcome of the 1972 Madison Regatta. He told THE MADISON COURIER's Graham Taylor, "I've never seen so many things go wrong at a single boat race in my life."
When regatta president Jack Ice spoke at the awards banquet the night of the race, he told the assembled owners, drivers, crew members, and race officials, "I said all along that we'd have a boat race come hell or high water. And I've been catching hell ever since we got the high water."
The 1971 Madison Regatta will never be forgotten for as long as men race boats. That, of course, was the year when Jim McCormick guided the community-owned MISS MADISON to victory in the race of races--the APBA Gold Cup--before the hometown crowd.
But as memorable as the 1971 regatta was, no one seems to want to remember the race that followed it in 1972.
In lieu of the Gold Cup, the city of Madison hosted a World's Championship Race, which was sanctioned by the Union of International Motorboating. But while the '71 Gold Cup had gone off like clockwork, the '72 World's Championship had more problems than an arithmetic book.
The Ohio River had experienced some major flooding. The pit area was under water. And there was enough drift floating down the river that one could almost have walked across the Ohio. The race was set for Sunday, July 2. It ended up being run on Tuesday, July 4. And even then, it was nearly canceled.
The flooding was a major concern. Plus, a third of the Unlimited fleet--which included the MISS MADISON--had suffered major equipment damage the previous week at Detroit and weren't available to race at Madison.
The Unlimited Racing Commission's Executive Secretary Phil Cole probably did more than anyone else to insure that the 1972 Madison race happened. He convinced Madison Regatta President Jack Ice that congressional help was needed to bring the river under control so the race could be run.
Cole, a former MADISON COURIER reporter, utilized his contacts in government to close the locks upriver at Markland, Kentucky, and open the locks down river at Louisville. When that was accomplished, the level of the river dropped rather quickly.
Even so, Cole gave the race "about a 30 percent chance" of happening.
That's because only part of the problem was solved. The Kentucky River, which is located between Markland and Madison, was still dumping fresh debris into the Ohio River. The race committee alleviated that difficulty somewhat by sweeping over the course before each heat and picking up the floating garbage.
A faction of the Madison committee wanted to cancel the race and re-schedule for September (shades of 1998!). The late Paul Steinhardt led the pro-September group. But the ruling faction--headed by Jack Ice and Wilbur Heitz--eventually won out.
That was the strangest week that I ever spent at a boat race in my life. My official excuse for being there was as a reporter for RACE BOAT & INDUSTRY NEWS. (I hadn't yet been appointed as Unlimited Historian.) There was the burning question of whether or not there would be a race. And on top of that, I had friends on both sides of the issue of whether or not to go ahead with the July 4 date or postpone until Labor Day. I had a difficult time being objective.
The race fan in me wanted to see the race run on the Fourth. But that river bothered me. I asked Bill Cantrell, who was team manager for the ATLAS VAN LINES that year, "Mr. Cantrell, have you ever driven in water like this?" He answered, "Well, yes I have. But whenever I did, somebody always went over."
Eight boats were in town for the 1972 race. And frankly no one wanted to run because of the hazardous conditions. But Fred Alter, owner and driver of the TOWNE CLUB, argued forcefully, "If we don't run this race this year, there might not ever be another race in Madison." Reluctantly, the teams agreed to give it a try.
But Billy Schumacher, driver of the PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK and a two-time winner of the Madison race, would have no part of it. "No way am I going to play leapfrog over logs," he declared. PAY 'N PAK owner Dave Heerensperger then prevailed upon retired MISS BUDWEISER pilot Bill Sterett, Sr., to step in as relief driver--even though Sterett hadn't driven in competition since 1969.
Unlimited qualifying and the entire Limited program were scrubbed at the 1972 Madison Regatta. In fact, the boats weren't able to move into the pit area until race day morning.
Madison's characteristically sunny summer weather was no where in evidence. The skies were overcast and the air was chilly on July 4.
Terry Sterett took the MISS BUDWEISER out for a shakedown cruise over the debris-laden course. He didn't like what he saw and described the conditions as marginal at best.
Referee Ken Wright told the drivers in Heat 1-A to go out and give him a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. "If even one of you gives me a thumbs-down, I'll flag all of you all back in and cancel the whole thing. It's up to you." Everyone gave a thumbs-up. So Wright allowed the race to be run.
Nevertheless, nobody wanted to be the first to commit to running in 1-A. The seconds ticked away, and no one made a move to go in the water. The 5-minute gun fired and all of the boats were still sitting on their trailers! Finally, the PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK crew gave the signal to the crane operator to lower away. Then everyone else followed suit. And the race was on.
Four heats of racing were run that day and no one "went over" as Bill Cantrell had feared. And two of the four heats were barn burners.
Bill Muncey easily won both of his heats (1-B and 2-B) with ATLAS VAN LINES and was declared the overall winner for the Joe Schoenith team.
Terry Sterett in MISS BUDWEISER out distanced Tom Sheehy in GO GALE by one tenth of a second in Heat 1-A.
Bill Sterett in PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK brought the crowd to its feet with a bravura come-from-behind performance in Heat 2-A. After a late start, Bill worked his way up through the field. He passed first one boat and then another to take the win at a solid 107 miles per hour--the fastest heat of the day.
Heat 2-A also represented a rare Unlimited Class instance where a father and a son raced against each other. When Bill ducked inside of Terry's roostertail and pulled even with his son on the backstretch, the crowd went wild. The PAK and the BUD dueled through the bridge turn together and were side-by-side at the exit buoy. Bill out accelerated his son and went on for the win, while Terry faded to third behind his Dad and Tom Sheehy.
With all of the bother about rescheduling the race from Sunday to Tuesday, no one remembered that the DELTA QUEEN river boat was to make a scheduled pass by Madison on its way from Louisville to Cincinnati on July 4. As the boats for Heat 2-B were being lowered into the water, around the bend came the DELTA QUEEN, crowded with passengers and with the calliope blasting away.
The unexpected appearance on the race course of the massive sternwheeler lent an air of unreality to the already mixed-up proceedings. The common reaction: "What else can go wrong?"
The DELTA QUEEN tore up one or two course buoys and stirred up the river even more than it already was. But Heat 2-B was still run to its conclusion without incident.
Then a thick fog cover set in over the race area. Visibility was so impaired that spectators on the Madison side of the river couldn't even see the Kentucky shore. At this point, referee Wright announced cancellation of the Final Heat and declared the race a contest on the basis of points scored in the preliminary heats.
ATLAS VAN LINES was first, MISS BUDWEISER second, GO GALE third, MISS TIMEX (with Jim McCormick) fourth, PIZZA PETE (with Bob Gilliam) fifth, PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK sixth, and TOWNE CLUB seventh, while COUNTRY BOY (with Salt Walther) failed to finish.
Billy Schumacher, together with his wife Cyndee, watched the 1972 Madison race from the shore. Many persons supported Billy's decision not to race that day, including veteran racer George N. Davis of IT'S A WONDER fame. But Schumacher was persona non grata with the PAY 'N PAK team and found himself replaced by Billy Sterett, Jr., at the remaining three races of the season.
As Unlimited Historian, I've been asked many times if I thought Schumacher was justified in walking away from his team at such a crucial moment. That's a tough one. In my view, it's inappropriate for someone such as myself who has never driven in an Unlimited race to point the finger of blame at someone who is one of the sport's most respected champions.
It does bother me that Billy was alone in his refusal to race. A lot of people wrestled with the problem of how to proceed on July 4, 1972, and came to a different conclusion. These included the other drivers, all the owners, the crews, the local committee, the APBA officials, and the Army Corps of Engineers. All decided to make the best of a bad situation and to give it a try. But Schumacher had a difference of opinion, which he had a right to express.
It is well known that Billy and PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK crew chief Jim Lucero were at odds on how to set up the boat in 1972. PRIDE OF PAY 'N PAK had scored impressive victories at the last three races of 1971. But the '72 season had been an exercise in frustration with Schumacher being trounced in every race by Bill Muncey and ATLAS VAN LINES.
When Bill Sterett took over Schumacher's seat at Madison, he failed to start in Heat 1-A but then really "flew" the boat in Heat 2-A--much to the delight of Lucero.
Where Schumacher and Lucero were concerned, it was a case of an irresistible force against an unmovable object.
On a race team, there can be only one leader. Everyone must pull in the same direction. A team must be unified or there is chaos.
Detroit race official Jack Love lamented the outcome of the 1972 Madison Regatta. He told THE MADISON COURIER's Graham Taylor, "I've never seen so many things go wrong at a single boat race in my life."
When regatta president Jack Ice spoke at the awards banquet the night of the race, he told the assembled owners, drivers, crew members, and race officials, "I said all along that we'd have a boat race come hell or high water. And I've been catching hell ever since we got the high water."
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
New Records Expected At Madison Regatta
June 12, 1973. MADISON, Ind. - A new
Madison Regatta speed record
might be in the making when a
fleet of 11 unlimited hydroplanes
arrive here early next month for
the 26th annual Indiana
Governor’s Cup Race.
Prime contenders of shattering records now held by Bill Muncey in Atlas Van Lines, Billy Schumacher in Miss Bardahl and Jack Regas in Notre Dame are Gene Whipp, Dayton, Ohio, rookie pilot of Lincoln Thrift Special, and Mickey Remund, Palm Desert, Calif., driver of the revolutionary new Pay ‘N Pak.
Setting their sights on a new Madison record during the July 7-8 Ohio River race, Whipp and Remund have shared the glory in the first two unlimited races of the season. Remund won three straight heats to claim the Miami, Fla., championship May 20, and Whipp, making his very first start in an unlimited craft at Washington, D.C., June 3, won the President’s Cup title.
“We’re going to break the Madison record,” Pay N Pak owner Dave Heerensperger, Seattle, predicted. “I’m certain we can average 115 on the Madison course and we’ll reach 125 by the time we get to Pasco (Wash.) for the Gold Cup.”
Lincoln Thrift owner Bob Fendler, Phoenix, Ariz., thinks his turbo-charged boat can continue to set the pace after breaking into the win column for the first time in Washington.
“We didn’t back into the winner’s circle,” said Fendler. “We beat the best of them, and we can do it again.”
Joining Pay ‘N Pak and Lincoln Thrift in the run for a big hunk of a $25,000 purse will be defending national champ Atlas Van Lines, driven by veteran Bill Muncey; Red Man, piloted by former Madison Gold Cup winner Jim McCormick; Miss Madison with Charlie Dunn, last year’s Rookie of the Year, at the controls; Gales’ Roosetertail, Miss U.S., Notre Dame, Miss Budweiser, Shakey’s Special and Valu-Mart.
Two of the hydroplanes are being mended for the June 17 Kentucky Governor’s Cup Race at Owensboro after receiving damage in Washington accidents. The Notre Dame sank after a drive shaft broke and punched a hole in the bottom of the boat. Gales’ Roostertail flipped, throwing driver Fred Alter into the Potomac River. Both boats are being repaired in Detroit.
Prime contenders of shattering records now held by Bill Muncey in Atlas Van Lines, Billy Schumacher in Miss Bardahl and Jack Regas in Notre Dame are Gene Whipp, Dayton, Ohio, rookie pilot of Lincoln Thrift Special, and Mickey Remund, Palm Desert, Calif., driver of the revolutionary new Pay ‘N Pak.
Setting their sights on a new Madison record during the July 7-8 Ohio River race, Whipp and Remund have shared the glory in the first two unlimited races of the season. Remund won three straight heats to claim the Miami, Fla., championship May 20, and Whipp, making his very first start in an unlimited craft at Washington, D.C., June 3, won the President’s Cup title.
“We’re going to break the Madison record,” Pay N Pak owner Dave Heerensperger, Seattle, predicted. “I’m certain we can average 115 on the Madison course and we’ll reach 125 by the time we get to Pasco (Wash.) for the Gold Cup.”
Lincoln Thrift owner Bob Fendler, Phoenix, Ariz., thinks his turbo-charged boat can continue to set the pace after breaking into the win column for the first time in Washington.
“We didn’t back into the winner’s circle,” said Fendler. “We beat the best of them, and we can do it again.”
Joining Pay ‘N Pak and Lincoln Thrift in the run for a big hunk of a $25,000 purse will be defending national champ Atlas Van Lines, driven by veteran Bill Muncey; Red Man, piloted by former Madison Gold Cup winner Jim McCormick; Miss Madison with Charlie Dunn, last year’s Rookie of the Year, at the controls; Gales’ Roosetertail, Miss U.S., Notre Dame, Miss Budweiser, Shakey’s Special and Valu-Mart.
Two of the hydroplanes are being mended for the June 17 Kentucky Governor’s Cup Race at Owensboro after receiving damage in Washington accidents. The Notre Dame sank after a drive shaft broke and punched a hole in the bottom of the boat. Gales’ Roostertail flipped, throwing driver Fred Alter into the Potomac River. Both boats are being repaired in Detroit.
Mickey Remund Drives Pay 'n Pak To Regatta Title
Out Duels Miss Budweiser For 22nd Governor’s Cup
By Mike Harris
Associated Press Sports Writer
July 9, 1973
MADISON, Ind. AP - Mickey Remund in the Pride of Pay ’N Pak smashed a series of records Sunday to win the 26th annual Madison Regatta unlimited hydroplane race.
The 34-year-old driver from Palm Desert, Calif., out dueled Miss Budweiser, driven by Dean Chenoweth of Xenia, Ohio, in the final 15-mile heat to win the 22nd Indiana Governor’s Cup.
A throng of more than 90,000 spectators, stretched along the Indiana and Kentucky banks of the Ohio River, watched in sweltering 90-degree temperatures as Pay ‘N Pak retained its lead in the American Power Boat Association standings.
Both Pay ‘N Pak, and Miss Bud won a pair of preliminary races easily to go into the championship run tied with 800 points. The two thunderboats ran side by side for the first 1 1/2 laps of the six-lap final run before Miss Bud momentarily lost power in the downstream turn of the second lap and fell behind for good.
It was the second victory of the season for Pay ‘N Pak and snapped Miss Budweiser’s string of victories at two.
Pay ‘N Pak’s final margin was one-half lap. Lincoln Thrift was third with rookie Danny Walls of Bellevue, Ky., at the wheel. The other two boats in the final heat—Red Man, driven by Jim McCormick of Owensboro, Ky., and Mr. Fabricator, driven by rookie Tom Kaufman of Carrollton, Ohio, suffered engine problems and failed to finish.
Pay ‘N Pak broke Madison 2 1/2-mile course records for one lap, a 15-mile heat and 45 miles for three heats.
Remund drove his Rolls Royce-powered machine to victory in the day’s first heat at an average speed of 104.126 m.p.h, erasing the old mark of 104.026 by Jack Regas in Notre Dame in 1968.
The new record, however, fell in Remund’s next run. He toured the course at 106.888 m.p.h. and established a one lap standard of 112.080, shattering the 109.489 turned in by Bill Muncey and the Atlas Van Lines two years ago.
Pay ’N Pak won $4,275 of the $25,000 total purse to push its season earnings to $18,375. Miss Budweiser picked up $3,150 for second place and remained the top money winner on the power boat circuit this year with $18,600. Remund and his boat now have a total of 4,938 points this year to 4,738 for Miss Budweiser.
The thunderboats now head for Kennewick, Was., and the Gold Cup race on the Columbia River July 22.
By Mike Harris
Associated Press Sports Writer
July 9, 1973
MADISON, Ind. AP - Mickey Remund in the Pride of Pay ’N Pak smashed a series of records Sunday to win the 26th annual Madison Regatta unlimited hydroplane race.
The 34-year-old driver from Palm Desert, Calif., out dueled Miss Budweiser, driven by Dean Chenoweth of Xenia, Ohio, in the final 15-mile heat to win the 22nd Indiana Governor’s Cup.
A throng of more than 90,000 spectators, stretched along the Indiana and Kentucky banks of the Ohio River, watched in sweltering 90-degree temperatures as Pay ‘N Pak retained its lead in the American Power Boat Association standings.
Both Pay ‘N Pak, and Miss Bud won a pair of preliminary races easily to go into the championship run tied with 800 points. The two thunderboats ran side by side for the first 1 1/2 laps of the six-lap final run before Miss Bud momentarily lost power in the downstream turn of the second lap and fell behind for good.
It was the second victory of the season for Pay ‘N Pak and snapped Miss Budweiser’s string of victories at two.
Pay ‘N Pak’s final margin was one-half lap. Lincoln Thrift was third with rookie Danny Walls of Bellevue, Ky., at the wheel. The other two boats in the final heat—Red Man, driven by Jim McCormick of Owensboro, Ky., and Mr. Fabricator, driven by rookie Tom Kaufman of Carrollton, Ohio, suffered engine problems and failed to finish.
Pay ‘N Pak broke Madison 2 1/2-mile course records for one lap, a 15-mile heat and 45 miles for three heats.
Remund drove his Rolls Royce-powered machine to victory in the day’s first heat at an average speed of 104.126 m.p.h, erasing the old mark of 104.026 by Jack Regas in Notre Dame in 1968.
The new record, however, fell in Remund’s next run. He toured the course at 106.888 m.p.h. and established a one lap standard of 112.080, shattering the 109.489 turned in by Bill Muncey and the Atlas Van Lines two years ago.
Pay ’N Pak won $4,275 of the $25,000 total purse to push its season earnings to $18,375. Miss Budweiser picked up $3,150 for second place and remained the top money winner on the power boat circuit this year with $18,600. Remund and his boat now have a total of 4,938 points this year to 4,738 for Miss Budweiser.
The thunderboats now head for Kennewick, Was., and the Gold Cup race on the Columbia River July 22.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Remund powers Pay ‘n Pak to win
July 9, 1973. MADISON, Ind. (AP) - “Mr. Cold” has struck again, only now he’s also becoming known as “The Winged Wonder.”
Mickey Remund, the driver of the Pride of Pay ‘N Pak unlimited hydroplane, is the one collecting nicknames, but they don’t concern him. He just drives the boat and wins a lot.
Sunday, he won all three of his heats in the 26th Madison Regatta. The performance was good for a perfect 1,200 points, keeping him on top of the American Power Boat Association standings. He also set three course records and took home the 22nd Indiana Governor’s Cup.
The victory also won his team $4,725 of the total $25,000 purse.
The “Mr. Cold” moniker comes to the 34-year-old Palm Desert, Calif., driver from observations of this coolness on race day.
The thunderboat he drives is the cause of the second nickname, since the Rolls Royce-powered craft is the first of the hydroplane fleet to sport a horizontal stabilizer wing.
Remund, who also piled up 1,200 points in winning the season opener at Miami, Fla., broke the two-race victory string of Miss Budweiser and her driver, Dean Chenoweth of Xenia, Ohio.
A second-place finish Sunday kept Miss Bud in second place in point standings.
Both the powerful boats easily won a pair of preliminary heats and battled closely for two laps in the championship head. But Pay ‘N Pak, stabilized better in the narrow turns on the 2 ½-mile Ohio River course because if it’s wing, took over at that point and on the six-lap race going away.
“It is never easy to be Miss Budweiser or Dean,” Remund said. “We have had some good races and sometimes I win…sometimes he does.”
“That’s two wins for us, two for Bud and one for Lincoln Thrift, and we’re only 200 points ahead (in the standings). It’s going to be close all season,” Remund said.
Asked about his big surge in the championship heat, Remund said, “I stepped on the gas and nitrous oxide the first time and I found a good piece of water.”
Remund and the Pay ‘N Pak put on quite a show for the crowd of more than 50,000 that lined the Indiana and Kentucky banks of the Ohio in sweltering, mid-80 temperatures.
In this first heat, Remund drove his boat to an average speed of 104.126 miles per hour, breaking the old mark of 104.026 set by Jack Regas in Notre Dame in 1968.
In his second heat, that record climbed to 106.888 m.p.h as the Pay ‘N Pak hit a top lap of 112.080, breaking the old lap record of 109.489 set by Bill Muncey in the Atlas Van Lines in 1971.
Remund won the final heat by duplicating his first-heat average and wound up with an overall average for 45 miles of competition of 105.044 m.p.h., breaking the old record of 101.606 set in 1968 by Billy Schumacher in Miss Bardahl.
Muncey, the defending champion, was not among the final heat competitors. His Atlas boat finished second to Miss Bud in an earlier heat but blew an engine and failed to finish its second heat.
To make the whole thing even more interesting, Remund won the final heat with a bit of a handicap. While jockeying for starting position, the outside part of his aluminum steering wheel broke apart in his hands.
He drove the straights at more than 150 m.p.h., held the 35-foot boat steady through the rough turns and out-dueled Miss Bud using the spokes of the steering wheel.
Another triumph for "Mr. Cold."
Mickey Remund, the driver of the Pride of Pay ‘N Pak unlimited hydroplane, is the one collecting nicknames, but they don’t concern him. He just drives the boat and wins a lot.
Sunday, he won all three of his heats in the 26th Madison Regatta. The performance was good for a perfect 1,200 points, keeping him on top of the American Power Boat Association standings. He also set three course records and took home the 22nd Indiana Governor’s Cup.
The victory also won his team $4,725 of the total $25,000 purse.
The “Mr. Cold” moniker comes to the 34-year-old Palm Desert, Calif., driver from observations of this coolness on race day.
The thunderboat he drives is the cause of the second nickname, since the Rolls Royce-powered craft is the first of the hydroplane fleet to sport a horizontal stabilizer wing.
Remund, who also piled up 1,200 points in winning the season opener at Miami, Fla., broke the two-race victory string of Miss Budweiser and her driver, Dean Chenoweth of Xenia, Ohio.
A second-place finish Sunday kept Miss Bud in second place in point standings.
Both the powerful boats easily won a pair of preliminary heats and battled closely for two laps in the championship head. But Pay ‘N Pak, stabilized better in the narrow turns on the 2 ½-mile Ohio River course because if it’s wing, took over at that point and on the six-lap race going away.
“It is never easy to be Miss Budweiser or Dean,” Remund said. “We have had some good races and sometimes I win…sometimes he does.”
“That’s two wins for us, two for Bud and one for Lincoln Thrift, and we’re only 200 points ahead (in the standings). It’s going to be close all season,” Remund said.
Asked about his big surge in the championship heat, Remund said, “I stepped on the gas and nitrous oxide the first time and I found a good piece of water.”
Remund and the Pay ‘N Pak put on quite a show for the crowd of more than 50,000 that lined the Indiana and Kentucky banks of the Ohio in sweltering, mid-80 temperatures.
In this first heat, Remund drove his boat to an average speed of 104.126 miles per hour, breaking the old mark of 104.026 set by Jack Regas in Notre Dame in 1968.
In his second heat, that record climbed to 106.888 m.p.h as the Pay ‘N Pak hit a top lap of 112.080, breaking the old lap record of 109.489 set by Bill Muncey in the Atlas Van Lines in 1971.
Remund won the final heat by duplicating his first-heat average and wound up with an overall average for 45 miles of competition of 105.044 m.p.h., breaking the old record of 101.606 set in 1968 by Billy Schumacher in Miss Bardahl.
Muncey, the defending champion, was not among the final heat competitors. His Atlas boat finished second to Miss Bud in an earlier heat but blew an engine and failed to finish its second heat.
To make the whole thing even more interesting, Remund won the final heat with a bit of a handicap. While jockeying for starting position, the outside part of his aluminum steering wheel broke apart in his hands.
He drove the straights at more than 150 m.p.h., held the 35-foot boat steady through the rough turns and out-dueled Miss Bud using the spokes of the steering wheel.
Another triumph for "Mr. Cold."
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Madison Winner!
July 8, 1973. MADISON, Ind. (UPI) - Mickey Remund (bottom), shown piloting the unlimited Pay ‘N Pak hydroplane, passes the mark ahead of Dean Chenoweth (top) in Miss Budweiser in the final 15 mile heat of the Madison Regatta for unlimited Hydroplanes. Remund smashed a series of records in winning the 22nd annual Indiana Governor’s Cup race. Like their counterparts in auto racing, the wing shown on the winning boat apparently has added speed to these already fast boats. Remund, shown here skimming the water at over 150 miles per hour, won both heats and the final in record time.
Pay 'n Pak Sets New Madison Regatta Mark
July 9, 1973. MADISON, Ind. (UPI) - The winged Pay 'N Pak dominated the field Sunday to win the Indiana Governor’s Cup for unlimited Hydroplanes.
The $25,000 cup race is the main prize at the two-day Madison Regatta on the Ohio River. An estimated 100,000 spectators line the Indiana and Kentucky shorelines to watch the event in sunny, 90-degree weather.
Pay 'N Pak, driven by Mickey Remund, Palm Desert, Calif., roared to a record 104.106 miles per hour to finish one-half lap ahead of Miss Budweiser in second place. The two “thunderboats” were tied entering the 150 mile finale after each pickup a pair of heat victories.
Miss Budweiser was driven by Dean Chenoweth, Xenia, Ohio.
Third in the five-boat final was Lincoln Thrift, followed in fourth by Redman and in fifth by Mr. Fabricator.
Pay 'N Pak accumulated 1,200 points for the afternoon with Budweiser getting 1,100. Lincoln Thrift had 675, Redman 525 and Mr. Fabricator 469.
Sentimental favorite and community-owned Miss Madison was sixth with 352 points earned in heat races. Gale’s Roostertail was seventh with 300. Valu-Mart and Atlas Van Lines competed, but failed to score points.
Atlas was the defending Regatta champ and the No. 1 boat in the American Power Boat Association races last season. But driver Bill Muncey, San Diego, Calif., experienced mechanical problems all week and his craft went dead in the water while leading a preliminary heat.
Pay 'N Pak passed Muncey and Atlas en route to a record 106.888 winning average in that heat.
Mechanical problems plagued many of the other boats in the nine craft event, but there were no accidents or sinkings.
Earlier in the week Pay 'N Pak - the first “thunderboat” to utilize the stabilizer wing - roared to a qualifying record on the 2 ½ mile Ohio River course. Remund posted a 115.908 clocking Thursday.
The $25,000 cup race is the main prize at the two-day Madison Regatta on the Ohio River. An estimated 100,000 spectators line the Indiana and Kentucky shorelines to watch the event in sunny, 90-degree weather.
Pay 'N Pak, driven by Mickey Remund, Palm Desert, Calif., roared to a record 104.106 miles per hour to finish one-half lap ahead of Miss Budweiser in second place. The two “thunderboats” were tied entering the 150 mile finale after each pickup a pair of heat victories.
Miss Budweiser was driven by Dean Chenoweth, Xenia, Ohio.
Third in the five-boat final was Lincoln Thrift, followed in fourth by Redman and in fifth by Mr. Fabricator.
Pay 'N Pak accumulated 1,200 points for the afternoon with Budweiser getting 1,100. Lincoln Thrift had 675, Redman 525 and Mr. Fabricator 469.
Sentimental favorite and community-owned Miss Madison was sixth with 352 points earned in heat races. Gale’s Roostertail was seventh with 300. Valu-Mart and Atlas Van Lines competed, but failed to score points.
Atlas was the defending Regatta champ and the No. 1 boat in the American Power Boat Association races last season. But driver Bill Muncey, San Diego, Calif., experienced mechanical problems all week and his craft went dead in the water while leading a preliminary heat.
Pay 'N Pak passed Muncey and Atlas en route to a record 106.888 winning average in that heat.
Mechanical problems plagued many of the other boats in the nine craft event, but there were no accidents or sinkings.
Earlier in the week Pay 'N Pak - the first “thunderboat” to utilize the stabilizer wing - roared to a qualifying record on the 2 ½ mile Ohio River course. Remund posted a 115.908 clocking Thursday.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Henley in comeback
By Mike Harris, AP Sports Writer
Reprinted from The Day, July 6, 1975
MADISON, Ind. (AP) – Two months ago George Henley was sitting home “feeling pretty bad,” but Sunday he and his Pride of Pay ‘N Pak were back among the frontrunners in the unlimited hydroplane world.
Henley “retired” at the end of last season after driving the Pak to her second straight unlimited hydroplane national championship in his first year at her helm.
The 39-year-old Eatonville, Wash., drive made his quick comeback complete Sunday by coming up with his first victory of this season in the 24th Indiana Governor’s Cup race here.
“Quiet George,” a marine public relations and sales executive, took home about $6,300 and some salve for his ego after outdueling Billy Schumacher and current national standings leader Weisfield’s in two of three heats.
After winning seven of 11 thunderboat races in 1974 it took owner Dave Heerensperger’s crew five races this year to finally “get it together.” They did it well enough Sunday to give Heerensperger his third straight Governor’s Cup triumph and permanent possession of the sterling silver trophy, the third such cup in the series.
The key was a sensational second heat in which the Pak and Weisfield’s went head-to-head all five laps and each broke the old heat and one-lap records on the 2 ½ Ohio River course.
“All I knew was I had to go pretty fast to stay ahead of Billy. I didn’t have much left,” Henley said with a happy smile. “I haven’t had too many races like that even in limited racing where there’s more of that.
The two top boats dueled brilliantly in the opening preliminary heat but had to settle for second and third, with the Pak second, because both were penalized a lap for jumping the starter’s gun.
Then came the race that seemed as hot as the sun that baked more than 100,000 spectators. In that second battle, Henley averaged 115.148 miles per hour for the heat and had a top lap of 116.883. Weisfield’s was clocked at an average of 115.060.
The records, both set last year by Henley, were 110.892 and 114.796, respectively.
Reprinted from The Day, July 6, 1975
MADISON, Ind. (AP) – Two months ago George Henley was sitting home “feeling pretty bad,” but Sunday he and his Pride of Pay ‘N Pak were back among the frontrunners in the unlimited hydroplane world.
Henley “retired” at the end of last season after driving the Pak to her second straight unlimited hydroplane national championship in his first year at her helm.
The 39-year-old Eatonville, Wash., drive made his quick comeback complete Sunday by coming up with his first victory of this season in the 24th Indiana Governor’s Cup race here.
“Quiet George,” a marine public relations and sales executive, took home about $6,300 and some salve for his ego after outdueling Billy Schumacher and current national standings leader Weisfield’s in two of three heats.
After winning seven of 11 thunderboat races in 1974 it took owner Dave Heerensperger’s crew five races this year to finally “get it together.” They did it well enough Sunday to give Heerensperger his third straight Governor’s Cup triumph and permanent possession of the sterling silver trophy, the third such cup in the series.
The key was a sensational second heat in which the Pak and Weisfield’s went head-to-head all five laps and each broke the old heat and one-lap records on the 2 ½ Ohio River course.
“All I knew was I had to go pretty fast to stay ahead of Billy. I didn’t have much left,” Henley said with a happy smile. “I haven’t had too many races like that even in limited racing where there’s more of that.
The two top boats dueled brilliantly in the opening preliminary heat but had to settle for second and third, with the Pak second, because both were penalized a lap for jumping the starter’s gun.
Then came the race that seemed as hot as the sun that baked more than 100,000 spectators. In that second battle, Henley averaged 115.148 miles per hour for the heat and had a top lap of 116.883. Weisfield’s was clocked at an average of 115.060.
The records, both set last year by Henley, were 110.892 and 114.796, respectively.
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