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DETROIT APBA GOLD CUP
Hello everyone...
*** DETROIT APBA GOLD CUP RACE STATUS
At this late date, things don't look very promising. I have
heard rumors that negotiations towards a race for the weekend of
August 24th have stalled. There's still a small chance but
perhaps it's best to look forward to a rebuilt event in 2004.
I fully believe the tradition of Gold Cup racing in Detroit will
continue!
Some of you have written after a segment on FOX 2 News and a
newspaper article by Pete Waldmeir, asking if the race has been
moved to Wyandotte. It has NOT been moved to Wyandotte, that is
a separate event for limited hydroplanes. Both stories were very
confusing, FOX 2 even showed the Unlimiteds during their segment.
The last I heard about the Wyandotte event was that it is in
*very* early negotiations and not expected to be run this year.
*** JUNE 24TH: UNLIMITED HYDROPLANE EXHIBITION IN ST. CLAIR MI
There is an exhibition of the Unlimited Hydroplanes scheduled
for Tuesday June 24th in St. Clair Michigan towards a possible
race in 2004, "The Blue Water International Hydrofest". Four
teams are expected: U-1 Miss Budweiser, U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss
Madison, U-9 Miss Tubby's/Jones Racing, and U-10 Miss Emcor.
The event will be adjacent to the St. Clair Inn. Other limited
hydroplanes and classic power boats will be on display at the
Inn and around town. For a map to the St. Clair Inn visit:
http://www.stclairinn.com/files/contact.htm
The hours of the event are 11am-3pm, the exact schedule could
depend on freighter traffic and water conditions. It is
expected that each team will run solo laps then they will all
run an exhibition heat together.
*** 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.
In addition, the Unlimited Lights mark their return to the
Detroit River with exhibition racing.
Party Central is the Roostertail Restaurant and the surrounding
area including Sindbad's Restaurant and the Dodge Pits. For
more info see:
*** 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:
*** BERNIE LITTLE MEMORIAL IN SEATTLE
By Steve Montgomery and Fred Farley
From Steve Montgomery:
Pat Malara borrowed his friend Ron Gai's 57 foot Bayliner (Pat's
yacht was still getting its Winter overhaul, as were about a
dozen others we checked on) The boat was backed into the Bernie
pit area, next to the long finger pier, and we used the fantail
as a stage.
Speakers included:
They all did a very nice job, before Beth and Chaplain Shupert
placed a wreath in the water beside the boat. A minute later,
Dave came by at about 185....so close we could all feel the
spray. Bernie would have loved it.
I would list the names you know who were there, but there were
literally hundreds of familiar faces. The crowd looked like the
Unlimited Hall of Fame.
I had some info from Fred Farley on Bernie's Seattle
experiences, which I will paste in below.
Dave talked about how Bernie had taught the whole team to carry
on no matter what happened, and never quit trying to win. And
that was what the Bud team planned to do. He also talked about
the reunion of Bernie and Bill Bennett, and the arguments they
could have about how to decorate the place, etc.
Brian from AB talked about his first meeting with BLL, 20 years
ago. Bernie was the first wholesaler he ever met after joining
AB...so he though they would all be like Bernie.
Beth talked about his support of race sites, even though hers
hasn't needed as much help as some over the seasons. She talked
about how great he had been to work with on his many trips to
Seattle.
Mark said Bernie was great to drive for. Always gave him
anything he wanted if he felt it would improve the boats
performance....then told him, "Go out and win or bring it back
in pieces!"
I told the story of the lecture I got from Bernie when we went
to dinner at the Lakeland Yacht Club and I hadn't brought a
jacket. I used to make those Florida trips for voice-overs with
a toothbrush and a change of socks and underwear. Bernie told
me a gentleman ALWAYS travels with a jacket....in case he goes
to dinner!
BTW...we had been to a couple of other restaurants in Lakeland
where I had been okay. Bernie just wore a $200 silk shirt.
That was informal dining.
I also told a story I got from Jim Hendrick....about the old
timer at the Gold Cup in Detroit who got excited in the pit area
and had a heart attack and died.
The old fan was being shown around the men's dorm by St Peter,
when they went by a door that said "G Washington" on it. George
Washington? he asked. St Peter said yup...all the greats were
there. A couple doors later they came across "A Lincoln" and
again the old fan was told it was indeed Abe Lincoln's room, and
he would be meeting a lot of famous people.
Then they came to a big double door which apparently went
outside. He could hear turbine hydros running and someone with
a gruff voice shouting encouragement to someone named Dave. The
old timer looked puzzeled and told St Peter that it sounded like
Bernie Little....but Bernie was still alive. Wasn't he? Was
Bernie Little in Heaven?
St Peter said, "Well....actually....that's God. He likes to
pretend he's Bernie Little."
>From Fred Farley......
Hi Steve,
Bernie Little first raced a boat in Seattle in 1963. The boat
was sponsored by Anheuser-Busch but carried the name TEMPO.
(This was on account of Little's association with bandleader Guy
Lombardo.) The driver was Bob Schroeder. The power was a
supercharged Allison V-12.
TEMPO, the four-seater (designed and built by Les Staudacher),
qualified 10th in a 13-boat field that year at a speed of
103.779. In the race for the 1963 Seafair Trophy, TEMPO finished
an overall fourth at an average speed of 88.933 for the 45-mile
race. TEMPO's heat finishes in 1963 were 5th (80.572), 2nd
(91.525), and 3rd (96.188). It was at this race that astronaut
Gordon Cooper took a well-publicized test drive in the TEMPO. I
was watching. No lap speeds were announced. He handled the boat
well. With Bernie along side in the front passenger seat, I
would estimate that Cooper did laps in the 90 mile an hour range
on the 3-mile course.
The final results of the 1963 Seafair Trophy on that August 11
were: 1-TAHOE MISS, Chuck Thompson; 2-MISS BARDAHL, Ron Musson;
3-MISS EXIDE, Russ Schleeh; 4-TEMPO, Bob Schroeder; 5-MISS EAGLE
ELECTRIC, Rex Manchester; 6-TEMPEST, Chuck Hickling; MISS
THRIFTWAY, Bill Muncey; 8-NOTRE DAME, Warner Gardner;
DNF-MARINER TOO, Fred Alter & Roy Duby; DNF-$ BILL, Norm Evans;
DNS-GALE V, Bill Cantrell; DNQ-FASCINATION, Bob Gilliam;
DNQ-FASCINATION I, Bob Miller. Bernie didn't win his first
Seattle race until 1969. That was with Bill Sterett, Sr., as
driver. The boat was the Ed Karelsen-designed MISS BUDWEISER,
which repeated at Seattle in 1970 with Dean Chenoweth at the
wheel. He went on to win the Seattle race 15 times in 40 years.
Bernie Little's Seattle victories & drivers:
Between 1963 and 2002, Little's boats participated in 354 out of
a total 356 Unlimited races. His team finished in the top-3 a
total of 230 times with a record 134 victories.
*** SOME HUMOROUS GOLD-CUP CLASS ANECDOTES
By Fred Farley - APBA/HYDRO-PROP Unlimited Historian
Here are some humorous anecdotes for your edification...
--Lee Schoenith thought he had won the 1958 Detroit Memorial
Regatta with GALE VI. He paraded up and down the course waving
his hand. Only one problem. He had jumped the gun. This gave the
victory to Bill Muncey and MISS THRIFTWAY. Lee and his father
Joe came roaring up to the judges stand and exchanged heated
words with referee Al D'Eath, who ordered them off the stand or
be subject to a fine. TV film later proved that GALE VI had
indeed crossed the starting line ahead of the gun. Joe Schoenith
eventually apologized to D'Eath for his outburst.
--Walt Kade, on loan from Jack Schafer's SUCH CRUST III team,
was scheduled to pilot George Zigas's original THUNDERBOLT in
the 1952 Silver Cup at Detroit. The T-BOLT resembled something
from the Gar Wood era--a step hydroplane with twin side-by-side
Allisons and a forward-cockpit. Chuck Thompson had been
scheduled to drive SUCH CRUST III but had a fight with Schafer
on race day morning and quit. Schafer then had to recall Kade
from the THUNDERBOLT to take over the CRUST in Thompson's absence.
Kade tried to persuade Zigas to drive the THUNDERBOLT. George
replied, "You aren't getting me in that thing!" Walt then handed
Zigas a fifth of whiskey and said, "Drink this. It'll give you
courage."
In the race, George drove like a man possessed. Riding mechanic
Leo Mucutza became so frightened, he kicked Zigas's foot off of
the gas pedal, causing the boat to go dead in the water. George
and Leo got into a fistfight right there in the cockpit!
--MISS WAHOO driver Mira Slovak was possessed with a wicked
sense of humor. In 1959, when the new MISS THRIFTWAY took its
maiden voyage on Seattle's Lake Washington, driver Bill Muncey
wanted to make a big splash in front of the local news media.
But Mira "upstaged" Bill by flying around just above MISS
THRIFTWAY with Slovak's Bucher-Jungman biplane while Muncey was
making his highly publicized run.
That same year, when Muncey's wife Kit was expecting a child,
Bill attached a pink scarf to the back of his crash helmet in
the hope of having a girl. Mira jokingly attached a black sock
to HIS helmet in the hope that the infant would be of the
opposite gender. Sure enough, the Munceys had a boy, and "Uncle
Mira" hasn't lived it down yet!
--The following story was told to me by the late George "It's A
Wonder" Davis. It's about an unpublicized "race" that took place
in the early 1950s between Marion Cooper and a youthful Bill
Muncey.
This alleged "race" occurred not on the Ohio River or the
Detroit River but on dry land. It seems that the Kentucky
veteran Cooper and the Motor City rookie Muncey had earlier
exchanged angry words with one another after Bill had
reportedly cut Marion off in a 225 Class race. This was in the
days before Muncey had made it big with the Unlimiteds.
Davis was a passenger in Cooper's car when Marion and Bill met
up unexpectedly on the road home and spontaneously opted to
continue their heated debate in the form of a drag race--with
screeching tires and clouds of dust substituting for
roostertails. According to George, things got pretty hairy as
the two rivals accelerated their way across the Mid-West
countryside at breakneck speed. Even after more than a quarter
century, Davis would break into a cold sweat when recalling the
incident. He declined to comment on whether Cooper or Muncey
was the "winner."
- 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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