By Bill Curry
Reprinted from the 1979 Spirit of Detroit program
When today's Spirit of Detroit Regatta is history the unlimited hydroplane sitting in the winner's circle may well be a product of Norm Berg's Tacoma, Washington boat shop. You see, the 37-year-old Berg is the builder of Bill Muncey's 1978 national champion Atlas Van Lines, winner of the last two Detroit River go-arounds. Norm Berg is also the builder of two other top-flight contenders - Circus Circus and The Squire Shop. Both came out of Berg's shop this spring.
Boats have always been a part of Berg's life. "My family was involved in commercial fishing when I was growing up. I remember as a youngster watching the hydros race on Seattle's Lake Washington and thinking how much I would enjoy being a part of it all."
After working at a commercial boat works for several years, Berg decided in 1972 to go into the construction of race boats. "The first boats I built were outboard performance craft. The first hydro I put together was the 280-class limited Spirit of '76. That was back in 1974" said Berg. His second hydro is his best known limited to date, the ultra-successful 225-class White Lightning, which has won many national titles and set speed records the past four seasons.
In 1975, Berg was asked by Pay 'N Pak crew chief Jim Lucero to construct a new hull for that race team. "I had done repair work on the Pay 'N Pak and Miss Budweiser unlimiteds, so a lot of people in the unlimited ranks knew of my work," Berg continued. "Much of the hull was constructed of hexcel." "Hexcel", an aluminum honeycomb "sandwich," was developed in the aerospace industry to save weight but to still afford strength and rigidity. In the same equivalent cubic space Hexcel weighs less than plywood and has the strength of steel.
While Berg was building the new Pak, Bill Muncey bought out the entire Pay 'N Pak racing team. After more than 2000 hours' work, Berg's hull debuted in 1977 as Atlas Van Lines. Muncey went on to win six of nine races on the circuit, including the Gold Cup.
Many feel that 1978 was Muncey's premier season after 28 years of racing a variety of hydros. Last year Muncey piloted the Berg hull to victory in six of seven races on the circuit, smashing speed records on every course in the country.
After watching Muncey dominate the unlimited ranks for two years, the sports most flamboyant owner, Bernie Little, approached the down-to-earth Berg about building a new Miss Budweiser. "Last summer, Little asked me about building him a new boat like that Atlas. Little has several business deals going at the time, one of which was selling the then Miss Budweiser boat. I had materials to build Little a new boat in my shop when his plan to sell the Bud didn't come off.
By then the Squire Shop people had given me the down payment to build them a boat for 1979. When Little got back to order a boat from me, I told him I was building a new hull for the Squire Shops, but I still could construct a hydro for him, too. Little cancelled out. Shortly after that, the Nevada casino owners of Circus Circus ordered a hull from me," said Berg. When two firms put down $73,000 each (the going price for a new Berg unlimited hull) that tells you the kind of confidence knowledgeable boat racers have in Norm Berg.
"I never dreamed I would be building two unlimited at the same time this past winter. The Squire hull is made of wood and aluminum, while the Circus Circus people wanted to try a few different ideas in their hull.
The Circus Circus is also made of wood and aluminum plus a lot of Hexcel, which makes it lighter than the Squire boat. They somewhat resemble my White Lighting limited boat," stated Berg. Berg's latest creations are cabovers with rear wings and Rolls-Royce Merlin power. With the help of his three-man shop crew, Berg finished both boats in April.
Berg feels that after several years of struggling to bring more competitive boats into the sport, things are looking up. Besides Berg's two new hulls, Ron Jones constructed a new Miss Budweiser that is Rolls-Royce Griffon powered. And before the 1980 season begins Jim Lucero will build a new turbine-powered Pay 'N Pak and a new Rolls-engined Atlas Van Lines for Bill Muncey.
"Boat racing has been growing very slowly toward professionalism. The Circus Circus people are a good example of a new, very professional race team, the type the sport needs. I think that permanent race sites would go a long way to bring in more spectators," Berg added. "I think boats will become even faster with lighter, stronger materials."
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Monday, July 4, 2016
1975 Hydroplane Slate Is Worth Record $350,000 for 10 Events
Special to The New York Times, December 29, 1974
Powerboat racing's most glamorous class, the unlimited hydroplanes, will compete for record purses of $350,000 next year in a 10‐event schedule. The 1975 season for the 180‐mile‐an‐hour “thunderboats” opens May 18 on Biscayne Bay in Miami and closes Sept. 14 on Lake Pleasant in Phoenix, Ariz.
Major races between those dates include the President's Cup on June 1, the Gold Cup on July 27 and the Seattle Seafair on Aug 3. The Gold Cup, considered the sport's top event, has been scheduled for the Columbia River at Tri‐Cities, Wash.
In announcing the schedule, the Unlimited Racing Commission of the American Power Boat Association also indicated that at least 20 unlimiteds would be ready for 1975 competition. The fleet is expected to include Pay 'N Pak, Miss Budweiser, Valu Mart, Miss Madison, U‐95, Lincoln Thrift and Loan, Red Man, Sunny Jim, Kirby Classic, Pizza Pete, Mr. Fabricator, Savair's Probe and CU‐22.
Pay 'N Pak, owned by Dave Heerensperger and driven by George Henley, dominated the 1974 season with seven victories. Bernie Little's boat, Miss Budweiser, took three firsts before Howie Benns, the rookie driver, was injured in a motorcycle accident.
The 1975 schedule:
May 18—Champion Spark Plug Regatta, Marine Stadium, Miami, Fla.
June 1—President's Cup, Potomac River, Washington D.C.
June 15—Kentucky Governor's Cup, Ohio River, Owensboro, Ky.
June 29—Gar Wood Trophy Race, Detroit River, Detroit, Mich.
July 6—Indiana Governor's Cup, Ohio River, Madison, Ind.
July 13—Hydroglobe, Eastwood Park Lake, Dayton, Ohio
July 27—A.P.B.A. Gold Cup, Columbia River, Tri‐Cities, Wash.
Aug. 3—Seattle Seafair, Lake Washington, Seattle, Wash.
Sept. 7—San Diego Unlimited, Mission Bay, San Diego, Calif.
Sept.14—Desert Thunderboat Regatta, Lake Pleasant, Phoenix, Ariz.
Powerboat racing's most glamorous class, the unlimited hydroplanes, will compete for record purses of $350,000 next year in a 10‐event schedule. The 1975 season for the 180‐mile‐an‐hour “thunderboats” opens May 18 on Biscayne Bay in Miami and closes Sept. 14 on Lake Pleasant in Phoenix, Ariz.
Major races between those dates include the President's Cup on June 1, the Gold Cup on July 27 and the Seattle Seafair on Aug 3. The Gold Cup, considered the sport's top event, has been scheduled for the Columbia River at Tri‐Cities, Wash.
In announcing the schedule, the Unlimited Racing Commission of the American Power Boat Association also indicated that at least 20 unlimiteds would be ready for 1975 competition. The fleet is expected to include Pay 'N Pak, Miss Budweiser, Valu Mart, Miss Madison, U‐95, Lincoln Thrift and Loan, Red Man, Sunny Jim, Kirby Classic, Pizza Pete, Mr. Fabricator, Savair's Probe and CU‐22.
Pay 'N Pak, owned by Dave Heerensperger and driven by George Henley, dominated the 1974 season with seven victories. Bernie Little's boat, Miss Budweiser, took three firsts before Howie Benns, the rookie driver, was injured in a motorcycle accident.
The 1975 schedule:
May 18—Champion Spark Plug Regatta, Marine Stadium, Miami, Fla.
June 1—President's Cup, Potomac River, Washington D.C.
June 15—Kentucky Governor's Cup, Ohio River, Owensboro, Ky.
June 29—Gar Wood Trophy Race, Detroit River, Detroit, Mich.
July 6—Indiana Governor's Cup, Ohio River, Madison, Ind.
July 13—Hydroglobe, Eastwood Park Lake, Dayton, Ohio
July 27—A.P.B.A. Gold Cup, Columbia River, Tri‐Cities, Wash.
Aug. 3—Seattle Seafair, Lake Washington, Seattle, Wash.
Sept. 7—San Diego Unlimited, Mission Bay, San Diego, Calif.
Sept.14—Desert Thunderboat Regatta, Lake Pleasant, Phoenix, Ariz.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Top Hydros Ready for Final Duel
Special to The New York Times, Oct. 20, 1974
Pride of Pay 'N Pak and Miss Budweiser, the boats that have monopolized the winnings on the unlimited hydroplane circuit for the last two years, meet today in the final regatta of the season in Jacksonville, Fla.
George Henley has piloted Pay 'N Pak to a national high‐point total that Miss Budweiser cannot make up in this last race. Pay 'N Pak was the winner of the Gold Cup in Seattle two months ago. At the last meeting of the thunderboats, in Madison, Ind., last Sunday, they dueled to what has become their accustomed finish — Pay 'N Pak first, Miss Budweiser second.
Howie Benns, the 35‐year‐old rookie who piloted Miss Budweiser through most of this year, returned command of the boat to Dean Chenoweth after breaking both his legs in a motorbike accident in Phoenix last month. Chenoweth won the Gold Cup with Miss Budweiser last year.
Howie Benns, the 35‐year‐old rookie who piloted Miss Budweiser through most of this year, returned command of the boat to Dean Chenoweth after breaking both his legs in a motorbike accident in Phoenix last month. Chenoweth won the Gold Cup with Miss Budweiser last year.
Monday, May 30, 2016
A Boat is Built!
A step by step procedure to try to create a champion in the first year.
Reprinted from Pay 'N Pak Racing News, Volume V, Issue 2
The building of a championship hydroplane is a long, pain staking process that requires the skills of a mastered boatsman. Designing, fabricating, and infinite structural detail upon which a hydro's delicate three-point water and air balance depends, all takes place within a big inland boat shop months before the craft gets near the water.
Reprinted from Pay 'N Pak Racing News, Volume V, Issue 2
The building of a championship hydroplane is a long, pain staking process that requires the skills of a mastered boatsman. Designing, fabricating, and infinite structural detail upon which a hydro's delicate three-point water and air balance depends, all takes place within a big inland boat shop months before the craft gets near the water.
There is only a handful of American craftsmen who can build a boat that big and get it to "dance" on the water at a "graceful" 200 miles per hour. While Pay 'N Pak has campaigned hulls built by several of them, their greatest racing successes have been achieved in hydros built by the Jones family - Ron and father Ted.
The Jones hydroplane trademark is one of unconventional styling and daring experimentation. Trendsetters, they could be called. This is the type of hydro craft which attracts Dave Heerensperger and Pay 'N Pak Stores as a sponsor, and which had marked Dave as a hydroplane pioneer who tries the unusual in search of victory.
In 1973, the culmination of all new styling design and engineering has given birth to a radically new Jones' hydro for Pay 'N Pak, sporting several key features. This new U-25, Heerensperger's seventh in the last ten years, resembles no other boat on the circuit at this time. Besides its "pickle-fork" front, a recent change now gaining popularity with these boats, its skeletal frame is made of Hexcel honeycomb aluminum.
According to Ron Jones, this is actually two thin sheets of aluminum bonded to and separated by a honeycombed aluminum core. This cellular core structure forms lightweight supporting beams of great strength, without the extra weight of solid beams. The boat's only wood is in the deck and sponsons. With a racing weight of about 6500 pounds, the Pay 'N Pak has a tremendous weight and speed advantage over other boats, making it one of the lightest on the tour.
Another unique feature of the bold new Pak has been adapted from the world of formula sports car racing. It's the stabilizer concept, and it apparently helps the aerodynamics of these boats. At the rear, the Pak sports a dual tail fin topped by a horizontal stabilizer bar, which can be adjusted to racing conditions right up to race time.
Together, the efforts of Jones, Heerensperger and Jim Lucero, Crew Chief, appear to have brought forth the all-time winning formula in hydro construction since the beginning of this sports spectacle. Breaking new records with every race, the U-25 has the nation talking and hydro fans buzzing. By far the Pay 'N Pak is the most successful new hydro to hit the water in its maiden year. Its stiffest competition has come from Pay 'N Pak's old hull of the last two seasons, now carrying the Miss Budweiser banner after being sold to that camp last winter. If the new reoccurring mechanical problems, which have beset the Pak this year, can be eliminated, you can probably bank your money that Heerensperger, Remund, Lucero and the Pay 'N Pak will win the APBA National Championship in 1973 enabling it to wear the champion's special U-1 numerals next season.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Muncey buys Pay 'n Pak
January 29, 1976, Seattle (AP) - Hydroplane racer Bill Muncey says he has purchased the champion unlimited Pride of Pay 'N Pak from Dave Heerensperger, who is reportedly leaving the sport.
Heerensperger, of suburban Mercer Island, was in Denver and unavailable for comment Wednesday night, but Muncey confirmed from San Diego he had purchased the craft "lock, stock and barrel for a high six figure price...just under seven figures."
The exact price was not disclosed.
Jim Lucero, who has been Heerensperger's crew chief for six years, said, "Yes, Dave is getting out, but we'll keep the same mechanical crew together for Muncey."
The Pak won the unlimited hydro high-point championship for the last three years, the Gold Cup for two straight years and the Seattle Seafair hydroplane race for three years.
Muncey said the total purchase from Heerensperger included three boats - last year's Pak, a new hydro Lucero is building and the Li'l Buzzard - 30 engines, eight gear boxes, two trucks, a trailer and a complete machine shop.
Lucero said business considerations may have prompted Heerensperger to sell.
"If he wanted to run his boats effectively next season he would have gone all summer," Lucero said. "Dave just doesn't have that kind of time."
Heerensperger added more business responsibilities in November when he was elevated from chairman of the board to president of Pay 'N Pak Corp.
Heerensperger first started in hydro racing in 1963-64 when he purchased the Miss Spokane and renamed it the Eagle Electric, for the Eagle Electric plumbing supply business he then had in Spokane. He was figured in hydro racing circles on and off ever since.
Heerensperger, of suburban Mercer Island, was in Denver and unavailable for comment Wednesday night, but Muncey confirmed from San Diego he had purchased the craft "lock, stock and barrel for a high six figure price...just under seven figures."
The exact price was not disclosed.
Jim Lucero, who has been Heerensperger's crew chief for six years, said, "Yes, Dave is getting out, but we'll keep the same mechanical crew together for Muncey."
 |
| Bill Muncey |
The Pak won the unlimited hydro high-point championship for the last three years, the Gold Cup for two straight years and the Seattle Seafair hydroplane race for three years.
Muncey said the total purchase from Heerensperger included three boats - last year's Pak, a new hydro Lucero is building and the Li'l Buzzard - 30 engines, eight gear boxes, two trucks, a trailer and a complete machine shop.
Lucero said business considerations may have prompted Heerensperger to sell.
"If he wanted to run his boats effectively next season he would have gone all summer," Lucero said. "Dave just doesn't have that kind of time."
Heerensperger added more business responsibilities in November when he was elevated from chairman of the board to president of Pay 'N Pak Corp.
Heerensperger first started in hydro racing in 1963-64 when he purchased the Miss Spokane and renamed it the Eagle Electric, for the Eagle Electric plumbing supply business he then had in Spokane. He was figured in hydro racing circles on and off ever since.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Pak hits 121 m.p.h; Bangs 1st to qualify
By Chuck Ashmun
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 1, 1975
George Henley and the Pay 'N Pak, an unbeatable combination in recent weeks, jumped into the lead quickly today as qualifying began for Sunday's Seafair Trophy race.
Henley qualified the Pak at 121.130 miles an hour in what he described as "an experimental trip" around the 2 1⁄2-mile Lake Washington course.
"I'm still trying to find my slot," said Henley. "We'll have to change some things on the boat and try again."
Henley has won the past three races on the unlimited hydroplane circuit this season.
The Hamm's Bear driven by Jerry Bangs, was the first qualifier of the day. Bangs, Seattle attorney, was clocked at 109.090 m.p.h., easily exceeding the qualifying requirement of one lap at 100 m.p.h.
The only other qualifier this morning was Vernors, driven by Bob Miller of Everett, at 104.927.
George Simon, Detroit owner of Miss U.S, said he likes the new hydro course here.
"This course is going to help the turbos, there's no question about it," Simon said. "You're going to see some 130-mile-an hour laps out there, because with the wide turns they won't have to decelerate."
The "turbos" are those boats powered by turbo-charged Allison engines.
The Miss U.S. and its near-twin, Lincoln Thrift, gradually have been changing the unlimited-racing routine from what once was often a two or three boat race into a checkered-flag chase which now may feature as many as a half dozen hydros.
The Miss U.S. driver, Tome D'Eath, likes to run wide. On the new 2 1⁄2-mile Lake Washington layout, he should be able to keep up his momentum in the long, broad corners.
D'Eath and Milner Irvin, Lincoln Thrift throttle-pusher, gave Tri-Cities race fans a side-by-side roostertail show last weekend in the Gold Cup regatta which need edit.
The 2,000-foot turns here should be even more advantageous for the turbos than the 1,200-foot "corner" they negotiated on the Columbia River.
Regardless of which boats have an advantage, few if any will qualify faster than the Weisfield's.
"We've been the fastest qualifier at every race so far this year," said Billy Schumacher, Weisfield's driver. "I don't see any reason to change things now.
"Regardless of how fast you qualify, it will be a new course record with the new course."
And Schumacher wants that record. After setting 10 course records earlier in the season, he missed setting a mark in the Tri-Cities qualifying and now seems to regret that decision.
"Jerry Zuvich is a kind of guy who doesn't like to sit still," added Schumacher. "He's been building two new engines this week." Zuvich is boat manager for the Weisfield's.
Pitter Patter: Ignore those stories you might have heard about feverish activity in the pits last night. Half of the fleet had checked in, but most of the activity was confined to the Budweiser boat shop, where Bernie Little's crew worked on restoring the aging beer wagon. It took on water through a damaged sponson and sank in Pasco . . . Poetry aficionados would not shudder of the felt-pen note scribbled near a small spit on the Lincoln Thrift's hull: "Do not worry, do not fret . . . this is as big as the crack will ever get" . . .
The myth about hydro drivers' glamor and wealth can best be dispelled by describing what Bill Schumacher and Tom Martin did yesterday morning . . . Schumacher was scheduled to start making doughnuts at his father's bakery at 4 a.m. Martin, Shakey's Special driver who owns several pizza outlets said: "That about the same time I got to bet after working on my books." . . . Ron Jones, California boat designer, reportedly has received four firm offers already for new boats next season . . . If you guessed Little, Heerensperger, and Les Rosenberg you've come close enough. Go directly to your Environmental Protection Agency office and pick your tape recording of the Vernors roaring around the course . . . Second prize is two tapes . . .
Speaking of the pollution-control people, Simon, when asked if his driver got lost in the smoke which covered the Columbia after the Miss Shenandoah got hot last weekend, asked" "Do you work for the E.P.A.? . . .
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 1, 1975
George Henley and the Pay 'N Pak, an unbeatable combination in recent weeks, jumped into the lead quickly today as qualifying began for Sunday's Seafair Trophy race.
Henley qualified the Pak at 121.130 miles an hour in what he described as "an experimental trip" around the 2 1⁄2-mile Lake Washington course.
"I'm still trying to find my slot," said Henley. "We'll have to change some things on the boat and try again."
Henley has won the past three races on the unlimited hydroplane circuit this season.
The Hamm's Bear driven by Jerry Bangs, was the first qualifier of the day. Bangs, Seattle attorney, was clocked at 109.090 m.p.h., easily exceeding the qualifying requirement of one lap at 100 m.p.h.
The only other qualifier this morning was Vernors, driven by Bob Miller of Everett, at 104.927.
George Simon, Detroit owner of Miss U.S, said he likes the new hydro course here.
"This course is going to help the turbos, there's no question about it," Simon said. "You're going to see some 130-mile-an hour laps out there, because with the wide turns they won't have to decelerate."
The "turbos" are those boats powered by turbo-charged Allison engines.
The Miss U.S. and its near-twin, Lincoln Thrift, gradually have been changing the unlimited-racing routine from what once was often a two or three boat race into a checkered-flag chase which now may feature as many as a half dozen hydros.
The Miss U.S. driver, Tome D'Eath, likes to run wide. On the new 2 1⁄2-mile Lake Washington layout, he should be able to keep up his momentum in the long, broad corners.
D'Eath and Milner Irvin, Lincoln Thrift throttle-pusher, gave Tri-Cities race fans a side-by-side roostertail show last weekend in the Gold Cup regatta which need edit.
The 2,000-foot turns here should be even more advantageous for the turbos than the 1,200-foot "corner" they negotiated on the Columbia River.
Regardless of which boats have an advantage, few if any will qualify faster than the Weisfield's.
"We've been the fastest qualifier at every race so far this year," said Billy Schumacher, Weisfield's driver. "I don't see any reason to change things now.
"Regardless of how fast you qualify, it will be a new course record with the new course."
And Schumacher wants that record. After setting 10 course records earlier in the season, he missed setting a mark in the Tri-Cities qualifying and now seems to regret that decision.
"Jerry Zuvich is a kind of guy who doesn't like to sit still," added Schumacher. "He's been building two new engines this week." Zuvich is boat manager for the Weisfield's.
Pitter Patter: Ignore those stories you might have heard about feverish activity in the pits last night. Half of the fleet had checked in, but most of the activity was confined to the Budweiser boat shop, where Bernie Little's crew worked on restoring the aging beer wagon. It took on water through a damaged sponson and sank in Pasco . . . Poetry aficionados would not shudder of the felt-pen note scribbled near a small spit on the Lincoln Thrift's hull: "Do not worry, do not fret . . . this is as big as the crack will ever get" . . .
The myth about hydro drivers' glamor and wealth can best be dispelled by describing what Bill Schumacher and Tom Martin did yesterday morning . . . Schumacher was scheduled to start making doughnuts at his father's bakery at 4 a.m. Martin, Shakey's Special driver who owns several pizza outlets said: "That about the same time I got to bet after working on my books." . . . Ron Jones, California boat designer, reportedly has received four firm offers already for new boats next season . . . If you guessed Little, Heerensperger, and Les Rosenberg you've come close enough. Go directly to your Environmental Protection Agency office and pick your tape recording of the Vernors roaring around the course . . . Second prize is two tapes . . .
Speaking of the pollution-control people, Simon, when asked if his driver got lost in the smoke which covered the Columbia after the Miss Shenandoah got hot last weekend, asked" "Do you work for the E.P.A.? . . .
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.
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