The Pay 'n Pak is coming back

Apr 19, 2017, TRI-CITIES, WA - On June 2nd, boat racing fans in the Tri-Cities will get a chance to see some of their favorite boats...whether it's the Miss Madison Homestreet Bank boat cruising on the water, or the Graham Trucking U-5.

The Pay 'n Pak hydroplane returns to the Tri-Cities in June.

But they'll also get a chance to see what was once a legendary boat, a boat that was certainly a fan favorite. Taking the boat racing community by storm in the 70s, this boat went on to win a world title in 1974 and a gold cup in '75, both coming in the Tri-Cities. But it wasn't just the wins that made this boat special.

''Coming out in 1973, it was unlike anything had ever seen before," said David Williams, Hydroplane & Boat Race Museum Director. "It was the first boat to be built out of honeycomb aluminum. It was the first boat to have a wing, and it was the first boat at that point to have a wild paint scheme as an all-white boat with the orange and black letters on it. So it's a pretty iconic boat.''

And now, 42 years later, the Pay 'n Pak is coming back. After years of rebuilding, the boat will make its first appearance at the testing session in the Tri-Cities.

''This boat has a significant history," Williams said. "Even though the team was based in Seattle, Pay 'n Pak was owned by Dave Heerensperger. Dave started out in eastern Washington with the Pay 'n Pak stores. He always sort of felt that the Tri-Cities was his home race course. So we're thrilled to bring the boat back here to run on what we all thought was its home race course.''

And for fans, it should be a thrill to see what was once a beloved boat back in the water.

''The super loud V-12, the Allison engines, it will be so fun," said Kathy Powell, Water Follies Director. "That will just bring back everybody's nostalgia and memories from the good old days when the boats were loud. It will be tons of fun.''

Miss Budweiser Wins Final Race

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 20, 1974 (AP)—Dean Chenoweth brought the unlimited hydroplane season to a close today by piloting Miss Budweiser to a narrow victory over the Pride of Pay 'n Pak in the Admiral's Cup race.

Chenoweth, of Tallahassee, Fla., took two of the three heats at average speeds above 100 miles per hour. George Henley of Seattle, who had previously clinched the national title with Pay 'n Pak, took the final heat.

Classic Pak Shot

By Bill Osborne
Reprinted from Facebook.com

Mickey Remund and the Pay 'n Pak. Photo by Bill Osborne

It never occurred to me that the new Pay 'n Pak would turn out to be one of the all-time great race boats. By 1973, I had been in multiple helicopters. Setting up a shot from a helicopter wasn't as easy as it sounds. With the door removed, a Jet Ranger or a Hughes 500 C maxed out at about 115 mph, so the challenge was to position the helicopter so the Pak would run underneath at just the right time.

One thing I learned quickly was how the water would turn almost black when looking down on a running boat. What no one knew was that I was suffered from motion sickness most of the time I flew, so I had to learn how to keep my eyes focused on the boat and not allow myself to let the movement affect my work.

'Hot' hydros matched in first heat

By Del Danielson
Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 15, 1971

EUGENE — Billy Schumacher, fastest qualifier for the third unlimited-hydroplane race in a row, will have his hands full in Heat 1A of the Emerald Cup at noon today.

Schumacher, winner of Seattle's Seafair Race last Sunday, drew into 1A with Dean Chenoweth and Jim McCormick, a pair of double winners running one-two for the national-points championship.

Schumacher pedaled the Pride of Pay 'n Pak to a qualifying average of 112.502 miles an hour late yesterday, upping his Friday mark by 6 m.p.h. Schumacher was the top qualifier for the Tri Cities' Atomic Cup three weeks ago and set a world qualifying record of 120.405 m.ph. prior to the Seafair event.

Four boats were unqualified at the time of the draw yesterday and were given extra time on Dexter Reservoir's 2½-mile layout. Another draw will be held at 11 this morning, putting the late-comers in heat selections.

The lineup, as it stands now:

Heat 1A — Van's P-X (Mickey Remund), Pride of Pay 'n Pak (Schumacher), Budweiser (Chenoweth) and Madison (McCormick).

Heat 1B — Hallmark Homes (Leif Borgersen), Valu-Mart (Bob Gilliam) and Atlas Van Lines (Bill Muncey).

Ron Larsen, George Henley and Dave (Salt) Walther reached the 95-m.p.h. (two-lap) minimum after the drivers' meeting. Larsen got Timex up to 95.541, Henley turned 95.188 in the Lincoln Thrift, and Walther clocked 99.554 m.p.h. in the Country Boy.

Terry Sterett and his Smyth Smoother Mover will be given a chance this morning.

Dexter, a picturesque pond 20 miles south of Eugene, was rippled by 10 m.p.h. breezes when Schumacher turned the Pride loose late yesterday. Schumacher posted three laps at better than 110 m.p.h. His best was 113.065, highly respectable for this short, pear shaped course.

The pit turn, with a 1,500-foot diameter, has been dubbed "Schumacher corner." The Seattle driver sweeps wide through the turn, where he gets maximum performance from the pickle-forked Pride.

The east corner, with a 900-foot turn, is "Chenoweth corner." There, the Bud driver hugs the buoys — his favorite tactic — in setting up for the straightaways.

The few spectators on hand were pleased with the draw putting the Pride against the Bud right off the bat.

"Schumacher is the guy to beat," Chenoweth said. "At the first of the season, I felt there were four or five boats I'd have to outrun, but now it's Billy. The Pay 'n Pak crews has that boat singing. Billy's the guy to beat if I want to win. And I do."

Schumacher, who ended a three-year victory drought when he won in Seattle last week, was smiling after the draw. Schumacher has a mathematical — although a long shot — chance of winning the national championship. He is 1,329 points behind Chenoweth and trails second-place McCormick by 596.

"I'm glad the Bud and Madison are in there with me," Schumacher said. "I can gain on both of them if I can get out in front."

McCormick, like Chenoweth, is concerned about the charging Schumacher.

"This big, first turn favors the Pay 'n Pak," McCormick said. "Billy will come through this corner like gangbusters. The small turn at the far end may bother him, but he'll be way out in front by then."

It was first announced that an 11-boat field would mean six of the big unlimiteds in one section, five in the other. But at the drivers' meeting, concern was voiced over the tightness of the east corner where the boats will mill around prior to the start. In that corner, the exit buoy is about 570 feet from shore.

Bill Newton, referee, took a poll of drivers. Most said there isn't enough room for six boats. Newton then ruled there will be two sections of five boats each, with the 11th — the slowest qualifier — designated the alternate starter.

Right now, that is the Lincoln Thrift. If Terry Sterett can better Henley's 85.188 m.p.h., Henley will be on the beach.

The Muncey Era Comes to a Sad End

By Joanne A. Fishman
Reprinted from The New York Times, October 25, 1981

''Dangerous? This is defined as one of the cruel sports. We figure anything less than death is a minor accident.'' So said Bill Muncey of unlimited hydroplane racing two years ago. Then, at the age of 50, Muncey was preparing to embark on his 29th year on the circuit.

Bill Muncey standing on the deck of the Atlas Van Lines in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1981.

Tomorrow on the shores of San Diego's Mission Bay, not far from his La Mesa, Calif., home and where Muncey last year set the record of 140 miles an hour for a 2.5-mile oval, an outdoor funeral service will be held for this driver who dominated the sport. In the process, he collected an unprecedented seven national championships and 62 career victories in unlimited hydroplane racing.

With airfoils and stabilizer wings, the unlimiteds are the fastest boats afloat, capable of reaching speeds in excess of 200 miles an hour. Skimming the surface, the boats become almost airborne, riding only on the tips of two sponsons and half a propellor. And to hear their 3,000-horsepower airplane engines blast is to know forever why they are called Thunderboats.

No Accidents in 20 Years

Muncey had not had a serious accident in 20 years, although he had two notable ones prior to that. In the 1958 Seattle race, he lost his steering and drove his boat into a Coast Guard cutter at 100 miles an hour, puncturing the cutter's steel hull. Then two years later, in a race at Madison, Ind., his boat disintegrated beneath him.

A determined competitor, Muncey stepped on an oil patch and slipped off his boat's deck in the pits during the Detroit race a few years ago, breaking a bone in his right foot, recalled John Crouse, a longtime friend. Refusing medication, Muncey had his crew lower him into the boat and then went out and won three straight heats with that broken foot on the throttle.

This year had not been one of his outstanding seasons, though. Muncey had won only one race and was third in the national standings behind Dean Chenoweth of Miss Budweiser and John Walters of Pay 'n Pak. During the first two heats of the $175,000 world championship in Acapulco, Mexico, last Saturday, Muncey had finished second and fourth.

Tried to Make Adjustment

Muncey felt his boat, called Atlas Van Lines, was sticking to the water too much, and before the third and final heat, he had some adjustments made to make it ''a little more flighty,'' related Sam Cole of the American Power Boat Association.

Chenoweth recalled that the boats were ''flighty all day long.'' ''In the first heat,'' Chenoweth explained, ''my boat was all over the place, and they said Bill's boat was, too. We made a modification and ours got better after the first heat.''

Yet, Pay 'n Pak took off like an airplane in the second heat, traveling about 100 feet at about 10 feet off the water, said Chenoweth.

''All day long these boats were just acting wild like that and for no apparent reason,'' he said. ''There was no rough water, no wind, and no current.''

Classic Muncey Start

The conditions in the lagoon were perfect, with the surface as smooth as glass. In the third heat, Muncey made one of his classic starts, hanging back behind the other four boats as they approached the starting line and searching for a hole. Then, accelerating all the way, he ducked inside, left the others sitting at the start, and shot out to a five-second lead.

Muncey increased his lead as he pulled out of the first turn. Two-thirds of the way up the backstretch, his boat rose into the air, did a complete revolution and landed upside down. Muncey, who remained in the cockpit, was fatally crushed on impact, his spinal column severed, according to Cole, who was at the race.

Why did Muncey, who was vice president of marketing for Atlas Van Lines, persist in such a high-risk sport? After all, the monetary rewards were not predominant for him, because it cost several hundred thousand dollars to campaign a boat for a season, and the most the team could hope to make from prize money was about $125,000.

The lure was speed, certainly. But more, as Muncey put it two years ago, when he acknowledged that a racing person in his fifties is not the norm.

''It sounds irresponsible,'' he continued, ''but I don't feel that way. I'm feeling strong, and I expect to be competitive. There is still the child in me; I like to run and play like all the other kids.''

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.''