Pay 'n Pak Wins Seafair Race

Reprinted from Propeller magazine, September 1975.

Continuing to state one of the greatest comebacks in thunderboat annals, defending national champion Pay 'n Pak, driven by George Henley of Eatonville, Wash., won the Seattle Seafair Unlimited hydroplane race on Aug. 3 for its forth consecutive 1975 victory. Seemingly out of contention early in the season, the famed Pak took on new life with the return of Henley who retired at the end of the '74 circuit.

Pay 'n Pak, driven by George Henley, wins in Seattle.

The 39-year-old marine propulsion manufacturer drove the Rolls Royce powered craft to a record seven wins in 11 starts last year and added four more this season to make Dave Heerensperger's Pay 'n Pak the second most successful Unlimited hydro in history. In three years the Pak has won 15 races to eclipse the 14 wins by Bill Muncey in Willard Rhodes' Miss Thriftway which was also campaigned as Miss Century 21 and it is just one shy of the 16 conquests of Guy Lombardo's Tempo VI.

The Seattle Seafair victory, Pay 'n Pak's third straight on Lake Washington, was not an easy one for Henley who had to overcome the record-setting Miss U.S. and take on the Bill Schumacher chauffeured Weisfield's in the final heat. The thread from the Detroit-based Miss U.S. with Tom D'Eath driving to a new course record of 120.000 for a 2½ mi. lap in competition, dissolved when the hull ran into a double dose of problems. George Simon's turbo-charged Allison powered hull first suffered a broken prop, then ironically, caught fire for the second straight year in Seattle during Heat 1B.

Weisfield's, winner of Heat 1B, also captured the final heat, but trailed the victorious Pak in total race points, 1100 to 1025.  Schumacher also established a new course mark of 109.330 mph for a 37½ mile race on a 2½ mi. course.

The Pak's only other major threat, Bob Fendler's Lincoln Thrift which one Heat 2A, was knocked out of contention when roostertail spray from another boat shattered the windshield and flying debris struck driver Milner Irvin of Miami Fla. Despite the accident, Irvin managed to restart the boat's turbo-charged Allison engine and finish the race in third position. Irvin was taken to Providence Medical Center where official regatta physician, Dr. William Merrill, said that Irvin's condition was not serious. Irvin set a 12½ mi. course heat record of 113.151 mph.

Veteran Bill Muncey of San Diego, Calif. was forth in Lee Schoenith's Atlas Van Lines despite being unable to finish his first heat. Bob Miller of Seattle drive Jerry Kalen's Miss Vernors to fifth place overall.

Pay 'n Pak won't be ready for Madison

By Gary Schultz, Courier-Journal Staff Writer

July 1, 1980 — Pay 'n Pak is coming back — but not at Madison, Ind., on Sunday.

That was the word yesterday from the Seattle-based team that had hoped to run the revolutionary unlimited hydroplane in the Gold Cup race.

"There's no way we can make it," said Monte Leen, a spokesman for the chain of do-it-yourself stores that sponsor the boat. "The basic hull is ready to go, but there are some other things that aren't right yet."

Leen said the Pak crew didn't want to enter a race until the boat had been thoroughly tested.

"We didn't want to throw everything together just to make the Gold Cup," he said. "We want to be ready to be competitive. As it is, we're a week to 10 days from putting the boat in the water for the first time."

Pay 'n Pak dominated the sport from 1973-75 before owner Dave Heerensperger retired from racing in 1976.

During its heyday, the boat was powered by the conventional unlimited hydroplane setup — a vintage World War II aircraft engine. The new Pak will be powered by a turbine engine similar to those used in helicopters during the Vietnam War.

With Pay 'n Pak on the sidelines, probably until the Tri-Cities (Wash.) race on July 27, Madison Regatta officials are expecting eight to nine boats for the $65,000 Gold Cup competition.

The regatta received an unexpected boost yesterday when another new boat, the Aronow-Halter Special, joined the lineup of challengers to heavily favored Miss Budweiser.

Not since the mid-1960s, when Bill Sterrett of Owensboro, Ky., campaigned Miss Chrysler Crew, has an automotive-engine powered boat competed on he unlimited hydroplane circuit.

The Aronow-Halter Special will be propelled by twin 850-horsepower turbo-charged Cosworths, the engines that have become the leading force in Indianapolis 500 racing. Earl Bentz will drive the boat.

Miss Busweiser, driven by Dean Chenoweth, has won all three 1980 races and 11 consecutive heats. The boat has 4,400 points and comfortably leads Circus Circus (2,138), driven by Steve Reynolds, in the national championship standings. Atlas Van Lines (1,975), with Bill Muncey driving, is third.

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.''