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DETROIT APBA GOLD CUP
Hello race fans, sponsors and volunteers,
I'm sorry that it has been so long since the last issue of
Signal Flag Online, but I just haven't had any solid news to
report. Unfortunately, some of the news I have now is not
so good...
In this issue:
*** THE DETROIT RACE WILL NOT BE HELD IN JUNE ***
I have just been informed that the Detroit race will NOT be
held in June. It is possible that it will be rescheduled for
later in the summer, perhaps August 24th. For a story from
the Detroit News see:
*** SODT CONGRATULATES APBA ON THEIR 100TH ANNIVERSARY ***
The American Power Boat Association was formed in 1903. The
first Gold Cup race was held just one year later, and was won
by "STANDARD" at a speed of 23.6 MPH, owned and driven by
C.C. Riote in an event held by the Columbia Yacht Club.
The Spirit of Detroit Thunderfest would like to congratulate
the APBA on their 100th Anniversary, and wish them 100 more.
*** BERNIE LITTLE, "KING OF BOATS" DIES AT AGE 77 ***
LAKELAND, Fla, April 26, 2003 - One of the most recognizable
faces in motorsports history, Bernie Little, owner of the Miss
Budweiser unlimited hydroplane team passed away April 25 in
Lakeland, Florida as a result of complications related to
pneumonia. He was 77.
Little is survived by his wife, Jane; two sons, Bernie Little
Jr. and Joe Little; a daughter, Becky Ham; a sister, Catherine
Moore; and four grandchildren.
Memorial Services will be held Tuesday, April 29 at First United
Methodist Church in Lakeland, Fla. In lieu of flowers the
family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the
Lakeland Regional Medical foundation and Watson Clinic
Foundation in Lakeland, Fla.
Little was a colorful, passionate and dedicated racer of boats.
His record is unsurpassed with 134 race victories, 22 World
Championships and 14 APBA Gold Cups. Little had been the most
successful team owner in the history of unlimited hydroplane
racing.
Little's teams were sponsored by Anheuser-Busch for more than
40 years, representing one of the most successful owner/sponsor
relationships in the high-powered world of motorsports.
A force in hydroplane racing since 1963, Little completed 40
consecutive seasons of competition after entering 354 Unlimited
hydroplane races. Little's Miss Budweiser finished in the top
three a total of 230 times. At the conclusion of the 2002
season, the Miss Budweiser team was presented with the first
Bernie Little World High Points Championship Trophy, which was
renamed in 2001 in Little's honor.
A native of McComb, Ohio, Little was a resident of Lakeland,
Fla. As a youth growing up in the Depression era of the 1930's,
he operated a morning and evening newspaper route and found time
to polish cars, shovel snow and caddie at the golf course on the
weekends. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II,
Little and his wife settled in Florida and began building a
dynasty in aircraft and automobile sales. He opened an
automobile dealership, and he performed as a stunt pilot with
the "All-Miami Air Show."
Later, Little started leasing airports and eventually selling
and leasing airplanes. It was during this time that Little
entered Unlimited hydroplane racing with his first boat, Tempo.
In 1972, Little purchased his first Anheuser-Busch
distributorship in Lakeland. He later purchased two additional
distributorships and turned all three into major successes.
In addition to Little's unprecedented racing accomplishments,
he had received several honors both in and out of the sport of
Unlimited hydroplane racing. The Unlimited Racing Commission
(URC) honored Little in 1985 for his dedication to the sport
with the inaugural Gar Wood Award. He was elected "Owner of
the Year" 12 times by the URC; named to the Unlimited
Hydroplane Hall of Fame in 1980 and the APBA Honor Squadron in
1981; and was inducted into the Hancock County (Ohio) Hall of
Fame in 1988, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1982, the Stan
Sayres Hall of Fame in Seattle in 1980, and the Sun Dome Walk
of Fame in St. Petersburg, Fla., in 1992.
Little also was the recipient of the Unlimited Racing
Commission's Historical Award in 1992; was inducted into the
Motorsports Hall of Fame in Novi, Mich., in 1994. Little
received the prestigious Horatio Alger Award in 1994. The Award
is bestowed annually to ten outstanding Americans who have
achieved success despite having to overcome difficult childhood
circumstances and have become adults who exemplify hard work,
honesty, and service to others.
As a businessman, Little was awarded the Polk County, Fla., Top
Manager of the Year Award in 1992, and was named a "Hometown
Hero" by the City of Lakeland Advertising and Publicity Board
in 1993.
In 1987, Missouri Valley College honored Little by granting him
an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree in recognition of
his outstanding accomplishments and service to the community.
In February 1996, Little was honored with a special achievement
award from the prestigious APBA Hall of Champions. It marked
the first time the Hall of Champions had ever honored anyone
other than a driver in its 22-year history.
For those who knew Bernie Little, he'll always be remembered as
a hard charging, dedicated individual.
Bernie Little: October 7, 1925 - April 25, 2003
*** DETROIT RELATED UNLIMITED LIGHT NEWS FROM 2002 ***
We have a few good notes about racer accomplishments in 2002:
First of all, UL-15 Mike's Hard Lemonade/Freddie's Club/Happy-
Go-Lucky was the winner of the Unlimited Lights events at
Seattle, Olympia, and San Diego. The Happy-Go-Lucky sponsorship
is provided by Bill and Happy Rands, Detroiters who are huge
fans of hydroplane racing. Congrats to the team and to drivers
Jerry and Greg Hopp for their wins!
Detroit owner and driver of the UL-58 Hard Hat Racing/Union
Dooz, Pingree ("Ping") Conflitti won his very first race in
a hydroplane at the Valleyfield event (Canada). Congrats Ping!
Detroit driver Cal Phipps took a second in the UL race at San
Diego in the UL-10 Frazee Paint. Congrats to Cal and the team!
*** THE DETROIT "MARINE PROP RIDERS" INBOARD RACING CLUB ***
Many of you may not know about the Marine Prop Riders, often
called "America's Finest Inboard Racing Club".
The Marine Prop Riders club was established in 1951 to promote
Inboard Hydroplane Racing in the Detroit area. Our racers range
in age from 16 to 60, and represent at least five classes of
racing from the 1.5 Litre class to the thundering supercharged
big-block powered Grand Prix hydros.
MPR members are involved in presenting a number of races in the
region, many are drivers and others participate as crew, race
team owners, scorers, referees, rescue personnel and event
volunteers.
Club meetings are the first Wednesday each month, and everyone
is welcome to attend! Please visit our website prior to
attending, to check the date and location.
MPR's new website (still under construction) can be found at:
*** JIM CLARY PAINTING OF THE U-3 VACATIONVILLE.COM ***
PUTTING THE ROAR BACK IN THE THUNDER
The Marine Art of J. Clary - www.jclary.com
Michigan marine artist and author Jim Clary has signed on as a
national sponsor for the only active racing piston-powered
unlimited hydroplane, U-3, Vacationville.
"The pistons are back," was the broad and enthusiastic response
from spectators after witnessing Ed Cooper's U-3, Vacationville
lead the pack with a run of 160.370 mph in the San Diego time
trials on Mission Bay last year. The feat was also enough to
convince marine artist and author Jim Clary to jump in as a
major sponsor.
Unlimited race enthusiasts often scoffed at the tireless efforts
of Ed Cooper, Mitch Evans, and the 8600 pound U-3 with nothing
much to show in the win column at previous events. But now with
a brand new 6900 pound hull and a good stock of Allison engines
to work with, those scoffs are expected to turn into cheers when
the bright red U-3 comes on the racing scene this year.
Clary believes the U-3 with its compelling and beloved "thunder"
might serve as the catalyst to bring back the hoards of
spectators who long for that beckoning roar of the piston engine
boats.
As part of the sponsorship package, Clary has agreed to create
an original painting and collector print edition of U-3 which
will be portrayed in San Diego during her high speed run. The
original painting and collector prints will be available for
sale in time for the 2003 Unlimited racing season.
*** DETROIT RIVER RACING - A HISTORY ***
By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian
The Motor City has had its ups and its downs as an Unlimited
hydroplane race site.
The first major race was in 1916, which was for the Gold Cup.
This was on the strength of MISS DETROIT's victory in the 1915
Gold Cup in Upstate New York.
The famed Detroit Yacht Club was the usual sponsor in the years
prior to World War II.
The DYC hosted three successful Gold Cup races in 1937-38-39,
which were won by NOTRE DAME, ALAGI, and MY SIN respectively.
Detroit had the opportunity to host the 1941 Gold Cup but chose
not to do so. (The race ended up being run in conjunction with
the National Sweepstakes Regatta at Red Bank, New Jersey, that
year.)
In 1946, the first major Unlimited race to be run after the war
was contested at Detroit. This was the Gold Cup, won by
bandleader Guy Lombardo in TEMPO VI. This started the Motor
City's unbroken string of hosting at least one Unlimited race
each year from 1946 to 2002. That's 57 consecutive years.
From 1947 until 1961, Detroit traditionally hosted two Unlimited
races per year. The DYC staged the Silver Cup, while the
Windmill Pointe Yacht Club presented the Detroit Memorial Regatta.
The Windsor Yacht Club of nearby Windsor, Ontario, staged a less
successful series of Unlimited races, starting in 1948, also on
the Detroit River, on the opposite side of Belle Isle. This was
for the Maple Leaf Trophy, which ended in 1956.
Only five races counted for National High Points in 1953. Two of
those were run in Detroit. MISS GREAT LAKES II won the Detroit
Memorial, while GALE II captured the Silver Cup.
By 1962, the sport had entered its professional era. All races
had to post a substantial cash prize. The DYC and the WPYC
refused to go along with the new order of things and were denied
sanctions for 1962 by APBA Unlimited Commissioner J. Lee Schoenith.
The 1962 Unlimited season almost didn't happen. On the Fourth of
July, only three races appeared for certain on the schedule:
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Seattle, Washington; and Madison, Indiana.
A new Detroit group, headed by Jack Love, Joe Schoenith, and
Jack Adams, then stepped up to the plate. Within the space of
six weeks, the Spirit Of Detroit Association (SODA) was formed
and a race--for the Spirit Of Detroit Trophy--was successfully
staged on August 26 and won by Bill Muncey in MISS CENTURY 21.
As things turned out, the rest of the 1962 season turned out
reasonably well. In addition to Coeur d'Alene, Seattle, Detroit,
and Madison, the President's Cup Regatta Association in
Washington, D.C., got its financial act together and returned to
the fold. And a new event--the Harrah's Tahoe Regatta--
materialized at Stateline, Nevada.
The Spirit Of Detroit Association--although only a few months
old--successfully bid for the 1963 Gold Cup. In the last four
decades, more Gold Cups have been run in Detroit than any other
location. In 1990, Detroit was designated as the "permanent"
home of the Gold Cup.
Now renamed the Spirit Of Detroit Thunderfest, the organization
has hosted 42 Unlimited races in 41 years. (Two races were run
in 1973.)
The 1968 season was not a banner year for the Detroit race. The
Gold Cup, scheduled to be run in June, had to be postponed until
September due to high winds.
Besides Detroit, only two other cities have the distinction of
hosting the Unlimited hydroplanes continuously for more than
half a century. Madison had its first Thunderboat race in 1950;
Seattle followed in 1951.
*** UPCOMING RELATED EVENTS ***
* MAY 18TH: R/C HYDRO RACING ON BELLE ISLE - THE MINI GOLD CUP
On May 18th, watch the 1/8 Scale hydroplanes compete in the
annual "Mini Gold Cup" race on Belle Isle. Cheer for your
favorite Unlimited as they race at speeds up to 60 MPH.
The Mini Gold Cup is open to all, and free to spectators. It
will be run at Blue Heron Lagoon on Belle Isle, all day. For
directions see legend #4 on this map:
* JULY 11-13TH: DETROIT RIVER - RIVER CRUISE
The DRRC is a celebration to honor the Legends of Powerboat
History. From Classic Gar Wood / Chris-Craft / Hacker Craft
runabouts to a flotilla of live entertainment, DJ's and concert
acts.
Party Central is the Roostertail Restaurant and the surrounding
area including Sindbad's and the Dodge Pits. For more info see:
* JULY 5-12TH: FORD MODEL BOAT CLUB - THE IMPBA (R/C) INTERNATS
The Ford Model Boat Club is hosting two events this coming year.
The first event is the IMPBA Internats, July 5 through the 12.
This is the premier national rc boat racing event, not just some
ordinary district race. This event will draw 300 of the best
racers from around the Country. Last year there were 38 scale
boats racing at the Internats.
* JULY 26-27TH: QUAKE ON THE LAKE IV - WATERFORD MI !!!!
Join the Marine Prop Riders and the Waterford Lions in Waterford
at the 4th annual "Quake On The Lake" inboard hydroplane race.
Come feel the thunder of automotive powered hydroplanes on this
record-setting 1-mile course! For more information see:
- Brian Reed
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All contents Copyright © 2003 Spirit of Detroit THUNDERFEST, except where noted.
Written by Brian Reed.
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