Chenoweth Wins Hydroplane Cup

Reprinted from The New York Times, August 10, 1981

SEATTLE, Wash. (AP) —  Chenoweth, driving Miss Budweiser, set lap and heat records as he won his second consecutive Gold Cup regatta for unlimited hydroplanes today. It was the fourth Gold Cup victory for Chenoweth.

Dean Chenoweth in Miss Budweiser (left) leads John Walters in Pay 'n Pak (right)
out of turn four during the final head of the Gold Cup on Seattle, Wash.

Pay 'n Pak finished second after challenging for four laps in the six-lap championship heat. Chenoweth finished with a record average speed of 123.814 miles per hour for the 15-mile heat. John Walters, in Pay 'n Pak, finished with an average speed of 122.223 m.p.h. The old record was set by Chenoweth last year at 117.391 m.p.h.

Chenoweth also set a lap record of 127.728 m.p.h. in the final heat, breaking Bill Muncey's record of 124.309 m.p.h. in 1977. The race was run in near-100-degree temperature on Lake Washington.

Hydroplane Racers Seek Greater Safety

By Joanne A. Fishman
Reprinted from The New York Times, May 22, 1983

Unlimited hydroplane racing is without question a high-risk sport. The light boats are the fastest afloat, propelled by massive airplane engines to speeds approaching 200 miles an hour. Yet, after the death of Bill Muncey and Dean Chenoweth, the sport's foremost drivers, within a year of each other, some wondered whether the risk justified the rewards.

After replacing Muncey as the driver for the Atlas Van Lines team last season in a new boat, Chip Hanauer succeeded beyond expectations, winning the national title. But he, too, had his doubts at the end of the season.

Hanauer decided he would continue driving, but he would seek to reduce the risks. During the offseason, Hanauer, who has been racing power boats since the age of 9, and Jim Lucero, the boat's designer and builder, redesigned Atlas Van Lines, making it aerodynamically cleaner and incorporating unusual safety features.

As a result, a safer and faster Atlas Van Lines will compete today in the opening of the 10-race unlimited circuit, the $100,000 Missouri Governor's Cup Race in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri.

The cockpit was lowered below deck level to give the driver a better chance of surviving a serious accident. Also, a five-point seat belt system was added, similar to the one used by Indianapolis Raceway car drivers.

Hanauer said that he and Lucero had studied the last few fatalities in the sport. In Muncey's case, he said, the boat flipped, landing on top of him, with his body absorbing the impact. The force of the water then pushed him through the dashboard and cockpit cowling.

Chenoweth was thrown from the boat and then ''got tangled up with his boat as it tumbled across the water,'' said Hanauer, a 28-year old former school teacher.

Two other drivers, Tom Fults and Jerry Bangs, were killed in recent years when they were thrown from their boats. Last season, John Walters, driver of the Pay 'n Pak turbine-powered hydroplane critically injured when he was thrown out of his cockpit in Seattle. In every case, with the exception of Muncey's, the cockpit remained intact.

''That leads us to believe if the driver stays in the cockpit, he stands a good chance of surviving the accident,'' Hanauer said in a telephone interview before a preliminary heat Friday.

The redesigned cockpit affords greater protection. Formerly, Hanauer was sitting above deck level, surrounded by an eighth-inch layer of non-protective fiberglass designed merely for effective airflow. With the cockpit below deck level, the engine and the deck, rather than the driver, absorb the impact. And the fiberglass cowling has been replaced by a strong honeycomb aluminum shell.

Changes to the front end to improve straightaway speed combined with the lower center of gravity caused by lowering the cockpit have given the craft far greater stability and less drag. Atlas Van Lines, 28 feet long, is powered by a supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin engine generating 2,800 horsepower.

Last year, Hanauer said that he couldn't run more than 135 miles per hour without using ''fences.'' These are plastic pieces directing air flow downward to prevent a blow-over. They also cause drag. In his first preliminary run Thursday, Hanauer said he went more than 170 m.p.h. without needing fences.

Hanauer should face strong competition from Miss Budweiser, driven by Jim Kropfield. Renault, the French automaker, is making its debut in unlimited competition this season with Miss Renault, driven by Milner Irvin and built by Jon Staudacher, whose boats hold most of the current limited-class hydroplane records. The only unlimited race in the northeast is the Atlas Van Lines Cup scheduled for June 12 on Lake Seneca at Sampson State Park in Seneca Falls, N.Y.

As Hanauer seeks to defend his title, he says he has accepted the dangers of the sport. What makes it worthwhile, he says, is ''the concentration, the intensity, the competition. If it wasn't difficult, it wouldn't be worth it. But it's a tremendous challenge: myself against the other drivers and the challenge to reach my own potential, to drive the perfect race.''

Pay 'n Pak Wins Hydroplane Regatta

WASHINGTON, June 9, 1974 (AP) — The defending national champion, Pride of Pay 'n Pak, driven by George S. Henley of Eatonville, Washington, won the 43rd Presidents Cup Regatta for Unlimited hydroplanes today, although finishing third behind Miss Budweiser in the final heat.

Pay 'n Pak scored 1,025 points in winning heats yesterday and earlier today. Second place went to Atlas Van Lines driven by Bill Muncey of San Diego, which scored 900 points for finishing second in the heats, including the final one.

Miss Budweiser, with a rookie, Howie Benns of Grand Island, N.Y. at the wheel, broke a supercharger yesterday but won the final heat today to move into fourth place behind U-95 in the final standing.

Memories of the 1975 Season

By John Woodward
Reprinted from Facebook, April 10, 2019

Today, our throwback goes back to a pivotal time during the 1975 season, the first two races on the western circuit, Tri-Cities and Seattle. Not having instant news or the Internet like we do now, I had no idea what was at stake when the boats were en route to the 1975 Gold Cup in the Tri-Cities.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer, Monday August 4th, 1975. 

I was a nerdy 16-year old who occasionally watched the Sunday evening news on TV or saw a clip in the newspaper here and there but nothing I heard or saw indicated the battle that was forthcoming.

I was not aware that the U-74 Weisfield’s driven by Billy Schumacher held a sizable lead of 2,335 points over the Pay 'n Pak after the first three races and was pretty much picked to win the national championship. I also had no clue that Jim McCormick was hired to drive the Pay 'n Pak and was then replaced after just two races.

But when I heard that George Henley was back in the seat, I knew that it was not good for the rest of the field. After Schumacher won in Owensboro, the advantage started to shift. Heading into the Tri-Cities, the points race between the Weisfield’s and the Pak had been cut in half thanks to Henley and the surging Pay 'n Pak team.

I remember being riveted to my transistor radio as I listened to Jim Hendricks call the race live from the Tri-Cities.

Surprisingly, the other player in the middle of that points race was one of my personal favorites, the turbo-charged, Allison powered U-55 Lincoln Thrift driven by Milner Irvin. If it had not been for a loose distributor wire in heat 2B, the Lincoln Thrift could have easily swept all three heats and quite possibly the Gold Cup.

The other surprise was the Bud's quick exit when the hull suffered structural damage and sank in heat 1B. By virtue of the Weisfield’s misfortunes and the Pak's good fortune, by days end the Pak had taken the lead in the points race over the Weisfield’s and the Gold Cup belonged to George Henley for the second straight year.

The next day, the newspaper made reference to several infractions called on Billy Schumacher by head referee Bill Newton. Even though it appeared that the war of words had been cleared up, it was apparent that tension still existed as the fleet headed west.

The 1975 Seafair trophy race in Seattle a week later would be billed as a “destruction derby.” Before heat 1A had even started, the U-6 Hamm’s Bear bumped the Pak causing significant damage to the hull’s left side.

In a bizarre set of circumstances, every boat except for the Atlas jumped the gun. It was pretty much hand Bill Muncey the win. Ironically, it was not meant to be. All the other boats DNF’d except for the busted up Pay 'n Pak. Muncey’s huge lead quickly evaporated as the U-71 Atlas Van Lines (7) ran out of gas nearing the end.

The damaged Pak passed the Atlas and limped across the line for the unbelievable win and 400 points. And that was only the first heat! In 1B, the Miss U.S. nailed the start and was way out in front when the boat suddenly slowed to a stop with a lost prop as the culprit. Schumacher claimed the victory along with the much needed 400 points.

Heat 2A would be the game changer for the Weisfield’s as the crafty Milner Irvin in the U-55 Lincoln Thrift grabbed the inside lane and held off Schumacher for several thrilling deck to deck laps until the Thrift pulled away as the Weisfield’s engine soured with a burnt piston. Billy only got 225 points as the Atlas snuck by to grab the extremely critical 300 second place points.

In 2B, the Miss U.S. caught fire for the second year in a row. Not as bad as Sand Point the year before but bad enough to end their day.

Those points lost earlier by the Weisfield’s now weighed heavy in the Pak’s favor. Thanks to the “fan plan”, Henley could place 2nd in the final and still win the Seafair Trophy.

The start of the final heat only added to the carnage and controversy surrounding Muncey and his driving style as the slower Atlas Van Lines chopped the Lincoln Thrift off going through the first turn causing injury to Irvin and damage to the hull. Karma came quickly calling when Muncey’s bold and brazen move would not be enough to overtake the dynamic duo as Schumacher and Henley would leave the Atlas far behind in their roostertail mist.

The race was exciting for several laps, but Henley, knowing what was at stake eventually yielded the race to Schumacher and settled for second place which was enough to claim the trophy making it Pay 'n Pak’s fourth straight win.

These two action packed events proved to be a major factor in deciding the 1975 National Champion.

The final race in San Diego was the exclamation point for the Weisfield’s up and down season, finishing in a distant 7th place as smiling George Henley and the mighty Winged Wonder took home the 1975 “Weisfield’s Trophy race” (Bill Muncey Cup) along with the Pay 'n Pak’s third straight National Championship.

Billy Schumacher did end up with something as he won the drivers title based on points. It would be many years before I realized how important these two crazy races were, both of which were soaked in driver/referee controversy.

It sure was a great time to be a kid in Seattle, or in Madison or Detroit or wherever the pied piper caravan of fire breathing thunderboats lead you!

Until next time, see you at the races.

If you haven't seen her, you should...

Hydroplane driver hurt in spectacular flip

Reprinted from The Daily Colonist, July 29, 1980

KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) — "You can't win if  you don’t play,” said Pay 'n Pak hydroplane driver  John Walters after a first-run test of his new machine on the Columbia River one day before the  Columbia Cup race.

He may have played too hard. The boat that had electrified a large crowd on Saturday horrified those gathered for the race Sunday.

Walters took the Pay 'n Pak for a test spin around the course prior to the day’s first scheduled heat.

Accelerating hard down the straightaway in front of the south bank of the river, the boat was caught by the wind, turned on its heel and went hurtling 30 feet into the air. The boat flipped backward 2½ times, hit the water on its nose and flipped backward again, coming to rest upside down in the water.

Walters was ejected on the first flip. The rescue barge was at his side 55 seconds after the start of
the crash. Divers were in the water helping the injured driver 10 seconds later.

Walters, an experienced young limited hydroplane driver making his debut on the unlimited circuit, was rushed to hospital where he was treated for a broken hip socket and a rash of cuts, bruises and sprains.

Damage to the boat was concentrated on its right side, where the front portion of the sponson was sheared off. The top was smashed. Crew and designer Jim Lucero estimated damage at $30,000 but  said the boat was not a total loss.

Owner Dave Heerensperger said Walters was running the course to get his timing down against the start clock and evidently got moving too fast for the tail wing and sponsons to handle.

Dazzling Look Alikes

Reprinted from Overdrive, January 1982

Pay 'n Pak's Kenworth K100 Aerodyne hauler.

Trucks come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They can carry almost anything. It is simply a matter of matching a truck to a particular load.

Needless to say, truck transportation is not as uncomplicated as it sounds. Problems do arise.

As a case in point, what type of truck would you use to shuttle a renowned hydroplane racer? The answer, according to Pay 'n Pak, a Pacific Northwest consumer goods chain, is to take a top of the line truck and refashion it especially for the function.

Pay 'n Pak owns a turbine-powered hydroplane which competes on the unlimited hydroplane racing circuit. The "thunderboat," another name for hydroplane, recently won three straight national championships.

Pay 'n Pak chose a K100 Aerodyne VIT to haul its hydroplane. The truck, a custom rig, is color coordinated to match the dramatic appearance of the company's racer.

The Kenworth sports a 197-inch wheelbase with modifications in the rear of the chassis to accommodate an 18-foot dromedary box. The box, a complete on-the-road workshop has been designed to carry extra engines, tools, compressor, generator and assorted electrical equipment needed to keep the hydroplane performing.

There are other special features that make the truck a true standout. For example, the Kenworth has two extra fuel tanks, with a combined 300-gallon capacity, used to carry fuel for the racer. The air cleaner, a 65-tube stack panel, is mounted out of sight behind the cab, along with the horizontal exhaust stack, thus enhancing the truck's aerodynamic appearance.

Pay 'n Pak's truck, which has a combined gross vehicle weight of 83,000 pounds, is powered by a Detroit Diesel Allison 6V92TA that delivers 335 horsepower at 2100 rpm. It is coupled with a Fuller RTO-9509A transmission and single Ross power steering.

The front axle is a Rockwell with a 10,000-pound capacity. The rear axle, also a Rockwell, is rated at 23,000 pounds. The truck has a Kenworth Airglide 100 suspension.

The interior of the Kenworth is just outstanding, with such appointments as upholstered walls and headliner, Air Rider seats, AM/FM stereo, 40-channel CB, climate control and refrigerator