By Hec Hancock
Reprinted from the Tri-City Herald, February 6, 1976.
Some things are very predictable.
You know, stuff like the sun coming up every morning, higher taxes, prices increasing and George Henley, the smiling unlimited hydroplane driver from Eatonville, nodding a cheery assent to a question and saying, “That’s great.”
It shouldn’t, therefore, come as any great surprise that Henley was in hearty agreement with Dave Heerensperger’s decision to sell the three-time national champion unlimited hydroplane Pay ‘N Pak to Bill Muncey.
“It’s sure alright with me,” Henley told Heerensperger when informed of the sale to Muncey, “I think it’s a great time to step out.”
His only reservation, he said later when he learned of the large amount of money involved - reportedly in high six figures - was that he hadn’t held out for a portion of it.
“I probably could have if I had thought about it. I was under contract to drive this year,” he explained.
Even so, Henley sounded relieved.
The thought of starting preparations in about another month for the upcoming season, he admitted, had been causing him a few butterflies in his stomach.
For one thing, Heerensperger was having a new boat built. “It’s going to be a real beauty. They’re using honeycombed aluminum and it’s going to be very light,” he added.
However, he didn’t relish the prospect of breaking in a new boat saying, “I don’t like being a test pilot.”
Behind the placid outward demeanor Henley revealed there were inward tensions.
“You’re going too fast,” he says of the speeds attained by the thunderboats, “and I’m concerned about thing breaking. Like our stabilizer last here here in the Gold Cup race.”
Henley explained that you haven’t much time to think of such matters during a race but said he dwelt on them considerably afterwards.
After coming out of retirement following the first three races of last season he had an even more enjoyable year than in 1974 when he drove the Pak to its second national title and on the driver’s championship in the process.
“I thought I had experienced everything but that wasn’t the case,” he said.
For one thing he silenced critics who wrote off his success in 1974 to luck.
And he enjoyed the head-to-head duels he had with Billy Schumacher in the Weisfield’s.
“We really went at it for three heats at Madison. We were doing things we shouldn’t have been. I’d look out and Bill would be there, just a few feet away. I just kept wishing that he’d let up,” he said.
It never entered his mind that he could have broken off himself.
That was the turning point in the Pak’s uphill climb to win its third championship.
The Pak jumped from third place in the national point standings to first place following the Gold Cup race in the Tri-Cities.
Henley lost the lead when he beached the Pak on an island in the small lake used for a course at Phoenix and had to win the final race of the year at San Diego to earn the championship.
Now with Muncey, with the backing of Atlas Van Lines, having purchased the Pay ‘N Pak boats, engines, and machine shop, Henley appears to have retired for keeps.
There have been published reports that Muncey would like Henley to drive the old Pak, the one that has won three championships.
Henley says he hasn’t heard from Muncey but makes it clear he’s not interested in driving would would be the No. 2 boat.
“Besides,” he adds, “Muncey will probably sell it. Tom Kaufman who has Mr. Fabricator is looking for a boat and would probably jump at the chance to by the Pak.”
But if he isn’t going to be racing he’s still enthusiastic about the change in the racing format adopted by the American Power Boat Association.
Since he suggested it, he should be.
Under the new plan there will be no changes to the heat system, but the winner of the final heat takes home all the marbles.
It will eliminate situations such as occurred at the Gold Cup where Henley and the Pak, needed only a second place finish to clinch the victory, took it easy to be sure of finishing.
“I told people when they complained that I would have preferred going all out in the final heat but under the rules couldn’t afford to. Besides I had a bonus riding on the Gold Cup,” he said.
The advantage of the new plan over the unlamented fan plan, according to Henley, is the fact it brings together the three fastest boats.
“Under the fan plan some of your fastest boats can be eliminated. It’s possible that the biggest point winner might not be the actual winner but that is just more incentive for going all out all the way through,” he explained.
But if Henley isn’t racing, it doesn’t mean he won’t be around boats or on the water.
As a representative of Jetcraft Inc., a distributor of jet propelled boats, he’s been in the Tri-Cities all week for the boat show at Columbia Center.
“This is where my future is,” he said with his familiar grin. “I’m on the water a great deal of the time and I really enjoy what I’m doing. If Dave wanted to sell, that’s sure alright with me.”
At least he doesn’t have to dwell upon what could happen if the wrong thing breaks when you’re roaring along at 170 miles per hour.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
Mickey's Water Wing
A couple of great Champion Spark Plug magazine advertisements that feature Mickey Remund and the the "Winged Wonder" Pay 'N Pak.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Pay 'n Pak Sweeps to World Championship Victory
Reprinted from Pay 'N Pak Racing News, August 1974
Over 80,000 hydro maniacs were treated to the greatest thunderboat racing in history on the sun-streaked, breeze-dappled course on the Columbia River at Tri-Cities, Washington, on Sunday, July 21, 1974.
After three days of total frustration the big boats ran like a script on Sunday with the Pay 'N Pak (mentioned as a 3rd place boat by Charles Lyford of the U-95 camp) winning it wire to wire as though anyone could catch the George Henley piloted rocket the way she was running.
Seven boats were in the flying start (reminiscent of the old six boat starts) when Bill Muncey, the alternate, joined the start as Valu-Mart had gone dead in the water. Little did Bill know that rookie Ron Armstrong had restarted the Valu-Mart before the one minute gun.
In the screaming first turn there were at least four boats and it was hairy. Pak, U-95 on her hip, Valu-Mart, Budweiser, and Atlas in there somewhere. In a 320 ton spray of roostertail something happened, the Pak came out leading by two boat lengths, the U-95 seemed to settle in the water and then the Valu-Mart, Bud and Atlas screamed after the Pak.
The action in that turn evoked a protest from Pamela Clapp, owner of the U-95, but race officials contended nothing illegal happened. However, from there on the second fastest qualifier (118 to the Pak's 119+) and the boat that set the fastest head time of the day (113.469 mph) was never really in it.
U-95 finally restarted and apparently running on one turbine managed a bad fourth. (The same place the U-95 crew had predicted for the Pak.)
The U-95 and the Pak went into the final championship flight in a dead heat with 700 points apiece. The Pay 'N Pak widened her National Points lead over (still second) Budweiser from 6 points to 837 points and the U-95 moved up within 813 points below the Bud.
The seven boat start was (as one reporter put it) fouled up. About six minutes before the final starting gun, flames spewed from the engine of the Valu-Mart and she headed into the infield - obviously out of the action. This spurred Bill Muncey in the Atlas Van Lines into life.
Apparently Ron Armstrong revived the Valu-Mart shortly before the one minute gun, but by now Bill was pass him and naturally couldn't see behind him. Bill must have been surprised when Ron zipped past him at the start. Muncey as fined $250.00 for not pulling off the course. What would you have done?
Over 80,000 hydro maniacs were treated to the greatest thunderboat racing in history on the sun-streaked, breeze-dappled course on the Columbia River at Tri-Cities, Washington, on Sunday, July 21, 1974.
After three days of total frustration the big boats ran like a script on Sunday with the Pay 'N Pak (mentioned as a 3rd place boat by Charles Lyford of the U-95 camp) winning it wire to wire as though anyone could catch the George Henley piloted rocket the way she was running.
Seven boats were in the flying start (reminiscent of the old six boat starts) when Bill Muncey, the alternate, joined the start as Valu-Mart had gone dead in the water. Little did Bill know that rookie Ron Armstrong had restarted the Valu-Mart before the one minute gun.
In the screaming first turn there were at least four boats and it was hairy. Pak, U-95 on her hip, Valu-Mart, Budweiser, and Atlas in there somewhere. In a 320 ton spray of roostertail something happened, the Pak came out leading by two boat lengths, the U-95 seemed to settle in the water and then the Valu-Mart, Bud and Atlas screamed after the Pak.
The action in that turn evoked a protest from Pamela Clapp, owner of the U-95, but race officials contended nothing illegal happened. However, from there on the second fastest qualifier (118 to the Pak's 119+) and the boat that set the fastest head time of the day (113.469 mph) was never really in it.
U-95 finally restarted and apparently running on one turbine managed a bad fourth. (The same place the U-95 crew had predicted for the Pak.)
The U-95 and the Pak went into the final championship flight in a dead heat with 700 points apiece. The Pay 'N Pak widened her National Points lead over (still second) Budweiser from 6 points to 837 points and the U-95 moved up within 813 points below the Bud.
The seven boat start was (as one reporter put it) fouled up. About six minutes before the final starting gun, flames spewed from the engine of the Valu-Mart and she headed into the infield - obviously out of the action. This spurred Bill Muncey in the Atlas Van Lines into life.
Apparently Ron Armstrong revived the Valu-Mart shortly before the one minute gun, but by now Bill was pass him and naturally couldn't see behind him. Bill must have been surprised when Ron zipped past him at the start. Muncey as fined $250.00 for not pulling off the course. What would you have done?
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Turbines May Alter Hydroplane Racing
By Joanne A. Fishman
Reprinted from The New York Times, January 29, 1984
Unlimited hydroplane racing took a strong new tack last week with the announcement of plans for two turbine- powered craft for the 1984 national circuit. The use of turbine engines in the boats, both being built by major teams, is a departure from the traditional means of propulsion, the Rolls- Royce aircraft engines.
Some believe turbine engines, which had met with only marginal success in unlimited competition since first being used a couple of years ago, will now become the primary power source.
With these two new craft, one from Atlas Van Lines and the other from the Miller Brewing Company, which is making its debut as an unlimited sponsor, there are expected to be eight highly competitive teams on hand when the 10-race circuit opens June 10 in Miami. A race in Seneca, N.Y., is scheduled for June 17.
In recent years, the Atlas Van Lines and Miss Budweiser teams have dominated the sport, which usually has 12 to 15 teams. But this dominance is expected to be challenged with an influx of new, better designed and faster craft. Almost Airborne
The unlimiteds, 28 feet long, are the fastest boats afloat, capable of reaching speeds of more than 200 miles an hour. They become almost airborne, riding on the tips of two sponsons, and the propeller. Delicate and innovative, these craft combine principles of aerodynamics and hydrogen dynamics. And, having no neutral gear, they idle at about 40 or 50 m.p.h.
Three of the four new boats on this year's circuit, including the new Atlas Van Lines and Miller's Lite Beer, have been designed and built by Jim Lucero of Seattle. The fourth boat is the new Miss Budweiser being built by Ron Jones.
Lucero was the first to use turbines in Pay 'N Pak a couple of years ago. From that experience, he said, he learned that ''the engines never let us down. Whenever he had motor problems, it was through our own mistakes.''
The advantage of the turbine engine is that it provides greater horsepower for its weight than does a piston engine. And for unlimited racing, one doesn't need "a stable full of engines, hopefully," Lucero said. Normally each unlimited team has 10 engines that it constantly rebuilds, using them at the rate of one a race. But often they only last for one heat. Atlas Van Lines, on the other hand, will have four turbine engines on hand this year. More Efficient Motion
The turbine engine is the more efficient engine because it has a rotating type of motion, whereas the piston engine must first convert linear motion into rotating motion, Lucero explained. The turbine also has constant combustion, but in a typical four- stroke engine, such as that in a car or a more conventional boat, only one stroke produces power and the other three are users of power. With the turbine, all motion produces power.
The Miller Lite boat will be driven by Tom D'Eath and campaigned by the R. B. Taylor racing team. The craft has a General Electric T-64 turbine engine capable of producing more than 4,000 horsepower.
Atlas Van Lines, driven by Chip Hanauer, the defending national champion, is powered by an Avco- Lycoming turbine that generates more than 3,000 horsepower.
Last year, using the small block, 1,650-cubic-inch Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, Atlas Van Lines set the fastest lap recorded on a two mile oval - 133.7 m.p.h. At 5,000 pounds race- ready, the new boat weighs 10 percent less than last year's boat. Lucero estimates this should add 5 m.p.h. on the race course.
With the trend toward lighter and faster boats, builders are also trying to make them safer. Lucero, for instance, took a cue from the aerospace industry and incorporated an aerodynamic trim device on the new Atlas Van Lines to help prevent it from becoming airborne and flipping over. The device is similar to the spoilers on an airplane wing, which affect the plane's lift.
Reprinted from The New York Times, January 29, 1984
Unlimited hydroplane racing took a strong new tack last week with the announcement of plans for two turbine- powered craft for the 1984 national circuit. The use of turbine engines in the boats, both being built by major teams, is a departure from the traditional means of propulsion, the Rolls- Royce aircraft engines.
Some believe turbine engines, which had met with only marginal success in unlimited competition since first being used a couple of years ago, will now become the primary power source.
 |
| Lycoming T-55 L-7 turbine engine. |
With these two new craft, one from Atlas Van Lines and the other from the Miller Brewing Company, which is making its debut as an unlimited sponsor, there are expected to be eight highly competitive teams on hand when the 10-race circuit opens June 10 in Miami. A race in Seneca, N.Y., is scheduled for June 17.
In recent years, the Atlas Van Lines and Miss Budweiser teams have dominated the sport, which usually has 12 to 15 teams. But this dominance is expected to be challenged with an influx of new, better designed and faster craft. Almost Airborne
The unlimiteds, 28 feet long, are the fastest boats afloat, capable of reaching speeds of more than 200 miles an hour. They become almost airborne, riding on the tips of two sponsons, and the propeller. Delicate and innovative, these craft combine principles of aerodynamics and hydrogen dynamics. And, having no neutral gear, they idle at about 40 or 50 m.p.h.
Three of the four new boats on this year's circuit, including the new Atlas Van Lines and Miller's Lite Beer, have been designed and built by Jim Lucero of Seattle. The fourth boat is the new Miss Budweiser being built by Ron Jones.
Lucero was the first to use turbines in Pay 'N Pak a couple of years ago. From that experience, he said, he learned that ''the engines never let us down. Whenever he had motor problems, it was through our own mistakes.''
The advantage of the turbine engine is that it provides greater horsepower for its weight than does a piston engine. And for unlimited racing, one doesn't need "a stable full of engines, hopefully," Lucero said. Normally each unlimited team has 10 engines that it constantly rebuilds, using them at the rate of one a race. But often they only last for one heat. Atlas Van Lines, on the other hand, will have four turbine engines on hand this year. More Efficient Motion
The turbine engine is the more efficient engine because it has a rotating type of motion, whereas the piston engine must first convert linear motion into rotating motion, Lucero explained. The turbine also has constant combustion, but in a typical four- stroke engine, such as that in a car or a more conventional boat, only one stroke produces power and the other three are users of power. With the turbine, all motion produces power.
The Miller Lite boat will be driven by Tom D'Eath and campaigned by the R. B. Taylor racing team. The craft has a General Electric T-64 turbine engine capable of producing more than 4,000 horsepower.
Atlas Van Lines, driven by Chip Hanauer, the defending national champion, is powered by an Avco- Lycoming turbine that generates more than 3,000 horsepower.
Last year, using the small block, 1,650-cubic-inch Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, Atlas Van Lines set the fastest lap recorded on a two mile oval - 133.7 m.p.h. At 5,000 pounds race- ready, the new boat weighs 10 percent less than last year's boat. Lucero estimates this should add 5 m.p.h. on the race course.
With the trend toward lighter and faster boats, builders are also trying to make them safer. Lucero, for instance, took a cue from the aerospace industry and incorporated an aerodynamic trim device on the new Atlas Van Lines to help prevent it from becoming airborne and flipping over. The device is similar to the spoilers on an airplane wing, which affect the plane's lift.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Turbine Hulls and Configurations
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| 1980 Pay 'N Pak |
This is the original Pay 'N Pak turbine unlimited hydroplane. It blew over during qualifying in Tri-Cities, Washington and was done for the year.
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| 1981 Pay 'N Pak |
During the winter, Jim Lucero redesign the front of the boat to have adjustable canards to help hold the boat down. The team ran the front wings at some times, but mostly the boat ran without them.
To add a bit more to the story, the canard arrangement was found to be more of a problem than running without it. What was discovered was that due to the short distance between the rear of the canard and the bull nose, it actually increased the generated lift at the front of the boat.
As explained by driver John Walter, "We tried this in an effort to give a little more control of the boat ride. As you can see, they are very close to the leading edge of the hull. So close in fact they acted more like a fence or air dam. They disturbed the air flow to the point it was more difficult to control and in some cases had the opposite effect. We removed them and found that just removing that much surface area made the boat better than using the wings."
The following year, Jim Lucero built the new Atlas Van Lines using a larger spacing between the rear of the fixed canard and bull nose. It was not only found to work, it set the pattern used on almost all new boats until the mid 90's.
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| 1982 Pay 'N Pak |
After running on saltwater race courses they found that the front intakes caused problems with water ingestion. So during the winter they redesigned the front cowling intakes and added a top intake with head rest.
The same hull ran all three years. A second hull was built in the 1982 and was planned to be run in 1983. However, in 1982 at Seattle, the original hull suffered a devastating accident. The accident severely injured driver John Walters and owner Dave Heerensperger suffered a heart attack due to the accident. After that, the team went up for sale and was bought mid season 1983 by Steve Woomer. In 1984 the new hull was run as the Tosti Asti.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
The Legend of "Billy the Kid"
By Brad Haskin
Unlimited Hydroplane racing is an old man's game. Bill Muncey earned the first of his seven National High Point titles at the age of 32. Jim Kropfeld was 43 for his. Even young Chip Hanauer was a finely aged 28 when he took his first honors in 1982. But there was a time when a youngster grabbed the boat racing world by the collar, and came to be one of the most legendary all-around Champions in the history of powerboat racing.
Born and raised in Seattle, William (Billy) Schumacher III was exposed to water sports at a very early age. Billy's father, Bill Schumacher Jr., in addition to running the family bakery in Seattle, was a champion water skier. His dad was also a founding partner in Roostertails, Inc. during Seattle's early hydroplane years. Billy learned to water ski at the age of six, and his love affair with the water began.
Fueled by his father's competitive spirit and demand for perfection, Billy began racing Outboard hydroplanes at the age of 8. He won the first race he entered in a Junior Runabout named "Lil' Bill". For the next several years, Billy and the entire Schumacher family traveled the country, racing on the different Outboard class circuits. The family dedication paid off to the tune of five National Championships, two Canadian Championships, and countless Competition and Straight-a-way records.
In the late 1950's, Billy's father bought him a 280 Class Inboard named "Dough Baby" from Bill Muncey. In the following years, Billy again tore up the Inboard circuit, setting several more records. He earned another National Championship, and engaged in several memorable races with Mira Slovak and the "Wee Wahoo". At the tender age of 18, Billy was already turning the heads of the boat racing world.
In the summer of 1961, young Billy stepped up to the Unlimited Class for the first time. Bob Miller was looking for a top driver to handle the driving duties of his U-1230-910 "Cutie Radio". Billy signed on to drive the boat at the Diamond Cup on Lake Coeur d'Alene. Though he managed to steer the former Gale IV hull to a third place finish in the race, he resigned his ride after the race, stating, "all I do is cruise around the course at 70 miles an hour". Undaunted, two weeks later Billy returned in the seat of a different Unlimited, Dave Johnson's U-5 "Miss Tool Crib" in Seattle. There he took the U-5 to a runner-up finish behind Bob Gilliam in the Seafair Queen's Trophy race.
Billy had no ride for the 1962 season, but in late 1963 he was offered the seat of Bill Schuyler's new U-21 "$ Bill". Though the first effort ended in a DNF, the ride was extended through the 1964 season, where Billy turned in several consistent finishes. It was not enough. Billy was not content with just driving an Unlimited, he wanted a competitive ride, and was willing to sit and wait for one.
Billy Schumacher's talents had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the racing world. In the spring of 1966, Ole Bardahl and Ron Musson enlisted Billy's help in designing and testing the radical new cabover "Miss Bardahl". Billy even test drove the boat when Ron Musson was out of town on a business trip, becoming the only person other than Musson to ever drive the ill-fated hull. Several weeks later Musson was killed on the infamous "Black Sunday" at the President's Cup in Washington, D.C.
Though Ole Bardahl seriously considered walking away from the sport, he regrouped for 1967 and returned with a vengeance! Billy, just 24 years-old, was offered the seat of a brand new Ed Karelson designed hull. After the accident in 1966, most of the "Bardahl" crew had retired from the sport. For 1967, Bardahl hired young Jerry Zuvich to lead a crew of young, relative newcomers on the team. Quickly dubbed the "Teeny Boppers" (all being in their early twenties), the "Miss Bardahl" team dominated the 1967 season, virtually rewriting every record in the book. The shy, unassuming Schumacher (now popularly known as "Billy the Kid" by fans and friends alike) steered the "Blonde Bombshell" to victories in 6 of 8 races, including the Gold Cup on Billy's home course in Seattle, and the 1967 National Championship.
Having won everything in sight and accomplishing everything he had ever dreamed during the 1967 season, Schumacher stunned the hydroplane world by quitting the sport. He found it difficult to motivate himself to his original level of enthusiasm. The retirement was short lived, however, as his competitive spirit ate away at him enough to sign with the Bardahl team again for the '68 campaign.
Again, "Billy the Kid" and the "Miss Bardahl" dominated the season. Dubbed the "Checkerboard Comet" to reflect it's new yellow and black paint scheme, the "Bardahl" engaged in a season long battle with Col. Warner Gardner in the "Miss Eagle Electric". The effort culminated in another Gold Cup victory and National Championship for Schumacher and the team. Ole Bardahl disbanded the team after the successful '68 season. Billy sat out the 1969 season, concentrating instead on his Limited racing, and helping his father run the family bakery. But it didn't take long to get him back in the seat of an Unlimited.
For 1970, Billy was hired to drive Laird Pierce's new "Parco's O Ring Miss", which was a virtual copy of the '67 "Miss Bardahl". Pierce purchased Ole Bardahl's inventory of Rolls Merlin engines, and hired Jerry Zuvich and most of the old "Teeny Boppers" to campaign the new hull. The entire season, however, proved to be an exercise in futility. The star-spangled "Parco" was a rough riding hull which thoroughly disenchanted Schumacher, and no amount of tweaking by the crew could help. Despite setting the fastest overall speed at the President's Cup in D.C., the best Billy could muster for the '70 season was a pair of 2nd place finishes.
In the spring of 1971, Billy signed on with Dave Heerensperger's "Pay 'N Pak" team. Having been reconfigured from cabover to conventional hull, as well as reengined with a Rolls Merlin over the winter by Crew Chief Jim Lucero, the "Pak" struggled through the early part of the season. A violent hook pitched Billy out of the boat in Miami, and several mechanical failures resulted in DNF's. Starting at the Seattle race, though, everything fell into place. Billy and the "Pak" became the first combination to qualify at over 121 mph on a 3-mile course, and swept the last three races of the season.
1972 looked to be more of the same, but tension was developing amongst the team. The hull set-up was not right. Billy wanted the hull to be "glued down" like a Karelson-style hull, while Lucero felt the boat would perform best "flying". The tension came to a head at the World Championship race in Madison, Indiana. Due to bad weather and debris, the race had to be postponed until Monday. The delay helped, but the water conditions were still atrocious. In Billy's own words, " the debris-ridden water and stormy currents were too dangerous for boat racing. Those conditions motivated me to decline to drive in the race. This was a common sense decision, not a question of courage. Unfortunately, not everyone understood my decision primarily, the "Pay 'N Pak" team. Billy and the "Pak" team parted ways.
Shortly after leaving the U-boats in the summer of 1972, Billy was asked to drive Rick Keller's Outboard Tunnel Hull. The combination proved fast right off the bat, and the team won several races. This performance led to an invitation to race an OMC Tunnel Hull in the Paris 6-Hour Grand Prix. The OMC team flew to Europe, and proved to be one of Billy's most memorable racing experiences. Racing on the Seine River, right in front of the Eiffel Tower, Billy and co-driver Johnny Sanders outduelled 106 other boats to bring home the Paris Grand Prix Championship.
Billy continued to race Outboard Tunnel hulls through '72 and '73, including the "Seafair 225" in Seattle in 1973. Held the weekend before the Unlimited races, on the same 3-mile Lake Washington course, the race consisted of 75 laps around the circuit. Additionally in 1973, Schumacher was approached by Jim Clapp to drive Clapp's radical new U-95 turbine Unlimited hydroplane. Billy spent many months researching the project and helped Clapp convince the Unlimited Racing Commission to grant a two-year experimental period to test the turbine concept. In the end, however, personality conflicts between Schumacher and members of the crew led Billy to leave the team, never having driven the boat.
Again, Billy dedicated the "off time" to running the family bakery. It was not long until another opportunity came along that was too good to pass up. For the 1974 season, Seattle businessman Les Rosenberg had debuted a state-of-the-art Ron Jones hull named "Valu-Mart". The U-74 had struggled during the entire season at the hands of rookie Ron Armstrong. When the boats came to Seattle for the Gold Cup, Rosenberg persuaded Schumacher to come out of retirement (at the "old" age of 31!). Rosenberg also hired Billy's old friend Jerry Zuvich to turn the wrenches on the hull. Though the boat withdrew from the event with hull damage, the rest of 1974 proved that the combination had what it took to be a front runner.
Renamed "Weisfield's" for 1975, Billy and the U-74 won two out of the first three races of the season, and jumped out to a huge lead in National points.
As the season wore on, the mighty "Pay' n Pak" team gathered steam and started eating away at Schumacher's point lead. In one particularly close duel at Madison, the "Weisfield's" and "Pak" hooked up in a match that saw both boats literally run deck to deck for the entire 5 laps. After losing by inches to George Henley and the "Pak", Billy commented to historian Fred Farley that he had "never worked so hard for second place" in his life! Unfortunately, as the season ran on, the "Weisfield's" team ran out of strong equipment. Despite holding a slim lead going into the final race in San Diego, the "Pak" team was able to overtake them to win the National Championship. "The Kid" managed to hang on to win his third National Driver's Championship.
For the 1976 campaign, Billy and the team, now running as "Olympia Beer" again looked strong. They won the second race of the year in Washington D.C., and were leading National High Points going into the Gold Cup at Detroit when tragedy struck. Charging for the start of a heat race, the "Olympia Beer" stuffed a sponson into a swell on the notorious Detroit river. The impact tore off the right sponson, and the boat sank. Billy and the team raced a replacement hull at several Mid-West races while the primary hull was being rebuilt. Though the team was able to quickly repair the hull, it was never able to perform to it's pre-accident potential. Crew Chief Zuvich tried everything to get the boat back to form, but the boat was consistently 10-15 mph slower. Schumacher managed to win the final race of 1976 in San Diego when Bill Muncey and the Atlas Van Lines jumped the gun. After the season, Les Rosenberg disbanded the team, and sold the hull.
Once again having truly accomplished everything he set out to do, Billy decided to hang it up for good, and as such, went out a true champion, winning his final race. With the exception of a brief test session at the wheel of Pete LaRock's U-96 "KYYX" in 1977, Billy has never set foot in an Unlimited again. After retiring, he dedicated his time to operating the family bakery in Seattle. Today, Billy Schumacher is Vice President of 2nd Home Hotel Company, in Dallas, TX.
When reflecting back over his long career, Billy cites such names as Lynn Ivey, Al Benson, Hugh Entrop, Bill Muncey, Ron Musson, Jack Regas, and numerous others as his influences. In his own words, "All of my heroes inspired me in many ways. I learned a great deal from their exceptional talents. Some of my heroes spent time with me and advised me on the best methods of driving. Others I studied closely while they were racing." Asked who he sees as the best driver's of recent times, Billy said, "I always enjoyed watching Chip Hanauer race, because he was the best, in my opinion. Tom D'Eath was also exceptional. Chip's professionalism and competitiveness were unmatched, as was Tom's."
Chip Hanauer was equal in his own praise for Schumacher: "Billy was my hero in powerboat racing when I was growing up. We have always had a wonderful relationship, and I will always value the fact that I had the opportunity to race against a childhood idol."
Though out of the sport for over twenty years now, Billy still likes to follow the Unlimiteds. "As I travel around the country, I often see waterways which make me think 'what a great place for a hydroplane race'." He also gets the urge every now and then to try his hand at racing one of the modern, encapsulated, turbine Unlimiteds of the 1990's. "The cabover "Bardahl" and the Tunnel Hulls I raced were driven from in front. I liked the control from that position", he commented. Asked his opinion on the current state of the sport, he responded, "My prognosis for the future of Unlimited hydroplane racing is very good. I believe the UHRA needs some new blood, new national sponsors, and more race sites, the expanded media exposure will follow."
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| Billy Schumacher |
Unlimited Hydroplane racing is an old man's game. Bill Muncey earned the first of his seven National High Point titles at the age of 32. Jim Kropfeld was 43 for his. Even young Chip Hanauer was a finely aged 28 when he took his first honors in 1982. But there was a time when a youngster grabbed the boat racing world by the collar, and came to be one of the most legendary all-around Champions in the history of powerboat racing.
Born and raised in Seattle, William (Billy) Schumacher III was exposed to water sports at a very early age. Billy's father, Bill Schumacher Jr., in addition to running the family bakery in Seattle, was a champion water skier. His dad was also a founding partner in Roostertails, Inc. during Seattle's early hydroplane years. Billy learned to water ski at the age of six, and his love affair with the water began.
Fueled by his father's competitive spirit and demand for perfection, Billy began racing Outboard hydroplanes at the age of 8. He won the first race he entered in a Junior Runabout named "Lil' Bill". For the next several years, Billy and the entire Schumacher family traveled the country, racing on the different Outboard class circuits. The family dedication paid off to the tune of five National Championships, two Canadian Championships, and countless Competition and Straight-a-way records.
In the late 1950's, Billy's father bought him a 280 Class Inboard named "Dough Baby" from Bill Muncey. In the following years, Billy again tore up the Inboard circuit, setting several more records. He earned another National Championship, and engaged in several memorable races with Mira Slovak and the "Wee Wahoo". At the tender age of 18, Billy was already turning the heads of the boat racing world.
In the summer of 1961, young Billy stepped up to the Unlimited Class for the first time. Bob Miller was looking for a top driver to handle the driving duties of his U-1230-910 "Cutie Radio". Billy signed on to drive the boat at the Diamond Cup on Lake Coeur d'Alene. Though he managed to steer the former Gale IV hull to a third place finish in the race, he resigned his ride after the race, stating, "all I do is cruise around the course at 70 miles an hour". Undaunted, two weeks later Billy returned in the seat of a different Unlimited, Dave Johnson's U-5 "Miss Tool Crib" in Seattle. There he took the U-5 to a runner-up finish behind Bob Gilliam in the Seafair Queen's Trophy race.
Billy had no ride for the 1962 season, but in late 1963 he was offered the seat of Bill Schuyler's new U-21 "$ Bill". Though the first effort ended in a DNF, the ride was extended through the 1964 season, where Billy turned in several consistent finishes. It was not enough. Billy was not content with just driving an Unlimited, he wanted a competitive ride, and was willing to sit and wait for one.
Billy Schumacher's talents had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the racing world. In the spring of 1966, Ole Bardahl and Ron Musson enlisted Billy's help in designing and testing the radical new cabover "Miss Bardahl". Billy even test drove the boat when Ron Musson was out of town on a business trip, becoming the only person other than Musson to ever drive the ill-fated hull. Several weeks later Musson was killed on the infamous "Black Sunday" at the President's Cup in Washington, D.C.
Though Ole Bardahl seriously considered walking away from the sport, he regrouped for 1967 and returned with a vengeance! Billy, just 24 years-old, was offered the seat of a brand new Ed Karelson designed hull. After the accident in 1966, most of the "Bardahl" crew had retired from the sport. For 1967, Bardahl hired young Jerry Zuvich to lead a crew of young, relative newcomers on the team. Quickly dubbed the "Teeny Boppers" (all being in their early twenties), the "Miss Bardahl" team dominated the 1967 season, virtually rewriting every record in the book. The shy, unassuming Schumacher (now popularly known as "Billy the Kid" by fans and friends alike) steered the "Blonde Bombshell" to victories in 6 of 8 races, including the Gold Cup on Billy's home course in Seattle, and the 1967 National Championship.
Having won everything in sight and accomplishing everything he had ever dreamed during the 1967 season, Schumacher stunned the hydroplane world by quitting the sport. He found it difficult to motivate himself to his original level of enthusiasm. The retirement was short lived, however, as his competitive spirit ate away at him enough to sign with the Bardahl team again for the '68 campaign.
Again, "Billy the Kid" and the "Miss Bardahl" dominated the season. Dubbed the "Checkerboard Comet" to reflect it's new yellow and black paint scheme, the "Bardahl" engaged in a season long battle with Col. Warner Gardner in the "Miss Eagle Electric". The effort culminated in another Gold Cup victory and National Championship for Schumacher and the team. Ole Bardahl disbanded the team after the successful '68 season. Billy sat out the 1969 season, concentrating instead on his Limited racing, and helping his father run the family bakery. But it didn't take long to get him back in the seat of an Unlimited.
For 1970, Billy was hired to drive Laird Pierce's new "Parco's O Ring Miss", which was a virtual copy of the '67 "Miss Bardahl". Pierce purchased Ole Bardahl's inventory of Rolls Merlin engines, and hired Jerry Zuvich and most of the old "Teeny Boppers" to campaign the new hull. The entire season, however, proved to be an exercise in futility. The star-spangled "Parco" was a rough riding hull which thoroughly disenchanted Schumacher, and no amount of tweaking by the crew could help. Despite setting the fastest overall speed at the President's Cup in D.C., the best Billy could muster for the '70 season was a pair of 2nd place finishes.
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| The Pride of Pay 'N Pak |
In the spring of 1971, Billy signed on with Dave Heerensperger's "Pay 'N Pak" team. Having been reconfigured from cabover to conventional hull, as well as reengined with a Rolls Merlin over the winter by Crew Chief Jim Lucero, the "Pak" struggled through the early part of the season. A violent hook pitched Billy out of the boat in Miami, and several mechanical failures resulted in DNF's. Starting at the Seattle race, though, everything fell into place. Billy and the "Pak" became the first combination to qualify at over 121 mph on a 3-mile course, and swept the last three races of the season.
1972 looked to be more of the same, but tension was developing amongst the team. The hull set-up was not right. Billy wanted the hull to be "glued down" like a Karelson-style hull, while Lucero felt the boat would perform best "flying". The tension came to a head at the World Championship race in Madison, Indiana. Due to bad weather and debris, the race had to be postponed until Monday. The delay helped, but the water conditions were still atrocious. In Billy's own words, " the debris-ridden water and stormy currents were too dangerous for boat racing. Those conditions motivated me to decline to drive in the race. This was a common sense decision, not a question of courage. Unfortunately, not everyone understood my decision primarily, the "Pay 'N Pak" team. Billy and the "Pak" team parted ways.
Shortly after leaving the U-boats in the summer of 1972, Billy was asked to drive Rick Keller's Outboard Tunnel Hull. The combination proved fast right off the bat, and the team won several races. This performance led to an invitation to race an OMC Tunnel Hull in the Paris 6-Hour Grand Prix. The OMC team flew to Europe, and proved to be one of Billy's most memorable racing experiences. Racing on the Seine River, right in front of the Eiffel Tower, Billy and co-driver Johnny Sanders outduelled 106 other boats to bring home the Paris Grand Prix Championship.
Billy continued to race Outboard Tunnel hulls through '72 and '73, including the "Seafair 225" in Seattle in 1973. Held the weekend before the Unlimited races, on the same 3-mile Lake Washington course, the race consisted of 75 laps around the circuit. Additionally in 1973, Schumacher was approached by Jim Clapp to drive Clapp's radical new U-95 turbine Unlimited hydroplane. Billy spent many months researching the project and helped Clapp convince the Unlimited Racing Commission to grant a two-year experimental period to test the turbine concept. In the end, however, personality conflicts between Schumacher and members of the crew led Billy to leave the team, never having driven the boat.
Again, Billy dedicated the "off time" to running the family bakery. It was not long until another opportunity came along that was too good to pass up. For the 1974 season, Seattle businessman Les Rosenberg had debuted a state-of-the-art Ron Jones hull named "Valu-Mart". The U-74 had struggled during the entire season at the hands of rookie Ron Armstrong. When the boats came to Seattle for the Gold Cup, Rosenberg persuaded Schumacher to come out of retirement (at the "old" age of 31!). Rosenberg also hired Billy's old friend Jerry Zuvich to turn the wrenches on the hull. Though the boat withdrew from the event with hull damage, the rest of 1974 proved that the combination had what it took to be a front runner.
Renamed "Weisfield's" for 1975, Billy and the U-74 won two out of the first three races of the season, and jumped out to a huge lead in National points.
As the season wore on, the mighty "Pay' n Pak" team gathered steam and started eating away at Schumacher's point lead. In one particularly close duel at Madison, the "Weisfield's" and "Pak" hooked up in a match that saw both boats literally run deck to deck for the entire 5 laps. After losing by inches to George Henley and the "Pak", Billy commented to historian Fred Farley that he had "never worked so hard for second place" in his life! Unfortunately, as the season ran on, the "Weisfield's" team ran out of strong equipment. Despite holding a slim lead going into the final race in San Diego, the "Pak" team was able to overtake them to win the National Championship. "The Kid" managed to hang on to win his third National Driver's Championship.
For the 1976 campaign, Billy and the team, now running as "Olympia Beer" again looked strong. They won the second race of the year in Washington D.C., and were leading National High Points going into the Gold Cup at Detroit when tragedy struck. Charging for the start of a heat race, the "Olympia Beer" stuffed a sponson into a swell on the notorious Detroit river. The impact tore off the right sponson, and the boat sank. Billy and the team raced a replacement hull at several Mid-West races while the primary hull was being rebuilt. Though the team was able to quickly repair the hull, it was never able to perform to it's pre-accident potential. Crew Chief Zuvich tried everything to get the boat back to form, but the boat was consistently 10-15 mph slower. Schumacher managed to win the final race of 1976 in San Diego when Bill Muncey and the Atlas Van Lines jumped the gun. After the season, Les Rosenberg disbanded the team, and sold the hull.
Once again having truly accomplished everything he set out to do, Billy decided to hang it up for good, and as such, went out a true champion, winning his final race. With the exception of a brief test session at the wheel of Pete LaRock's U-96 "KYYX" in 1977, Billy has never set foot in an Unlimited again. After retiring, he dedicated his time to operating the family bakery in Seattle. Today, Billy Schumacher is Vice President of 2nd Home Hotel Company, in Dallas, TX.
When reflecting back over his long career, Billy cites such names as Lynn Ivey, Al Benson, Hugh Entrop, Bill Muncey, Ron Musson, Jack Regas, and numerous others as his influences. In his own words, "All of my heroes inspired me in many ways. I learned a great deal from their exceptional talents. Some of my heroes spent time with me and advised me on the best methods of driving. Others I studied closely while they were racing." Asked who he sees as the best driver's of recent times, Billy said, "I always enjoyed watching Chip Hanauer race, because he was the best, in my opinion. Tom D'Eath was also exceptional. Chip's professionalism and competitiveness were unmatched, as was Tom's."
Chip Hanauer was equal in his own praise for Schumacher: "Billy was my hero in powerboat racing when I was growing up. We have always had a wonderful relationship, and I will always value the fact that I had the opportunity to race against a childhood idol."
Though out of the sport for over twenty years now, Billy still likes to follow the Unlimiteds. "As I travel around the country, I often see waterways which make me think 'what a great place for a hydroplane race'." He also gets the urge every now and then to try his hand at racing one of the modern, encapsulated, turbine Unlimiteds of the 1990's. "The cabover "Bardahl" and the Tunnel Hulls I raced were driven from in front. I liked the control from that position", he commented. Asked his opinion on the current state of the sport, he responded, "My prognosis for the future of Unlimited hydroplane racing is very good. I believe the UHRA needs some new blood, new national sponsors, and more race sites, the expanded media exposure will follow."
Sunday, June 1, 2014
1982 Unlimited Hydroplane Season Review
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