1948 President's Cup
Potomac River, Washington D.C., September 25-26, 1948

Arenas With Such Crust Capture President's Cup in Record Speed
Dan and Gene in Schafer's Motor-Boat Win Final Heat in 77.856 for 1,900 Points
LaHaLa Is Second on Potomac
By Clarence Lovejoy
Special to The New York Times

Fast Fleet Ready for Potomac Race Arenas With Such Crust Capture President's Cup in Record Speed The President's Cup Regatta Such Crust wins President's Cup Summaries

WASHINGTON, Sept., 26 [1948] -- The popular Arena brothers, Dan at the wheel and Gene alongside as mechanic, pushed the new Gold Cup class craft Such Crust, owned by Jack Schafer of Detroit, to frightening, unheard-of new speeds today on the Potomac to win the President's Cup.

In the third and final of the fifteen-mile heats in this eighteenth running of a famous trophy event, Such Crust was clocked in 11:33 3-5 for a speed of 77.856 miles an hour, erasing the old heft speed of 71.181.

Nearly two miles astern, in second place was LaHaLa, driven furiously in the lead for the first four laps by the Lake Hopatcong, N. J., sportsman, Harry Lynn. The third heat looked like his, and his clearcut victory over Arena in the earlier second heat seemed to stamp LaHaLa the best of an amazingly good fleet.

But a carburetor want out rounding the upper turn, and Lynn was lucky to be able to coax his Allison motor for the remaining distance to finish ahead of Harold Wilson's Miss Canada III.

Police observers estimated 150,000 persons saw the race program on a windswept river that had bumpy wave troughs and repeatedly tossed the daredevils around in their cockpits. ,

Pilots seemed to be soaring their boats out of the water as if on wings about as often as they were planing through the waves. Down the long straightaways the fleet tore along at better than 100 miles an hour---- probably nearer 110 slowing down on the turns to avoid skidding and capsizing.

Such Crust's winning total was 1,900 points, built up from two heat victories at 400 each, 300 for' second place in the second heat and a bonus of 800 more for fastest heat and fastest forty-five miles. Eight years ago Arena was a. winner of the President's Cup, then at the wheel of Notre Dame.

In river water getting meaner every minute with a stiffening cross wind blowing from Potomac Park, Lynn gunned his LaHaLa into the lead as the second-heat fleet sloshed over the starting line. He was never headed for the entire fifteen miles. Speed records on the books were erased in wholesale fashion. LaHaLa's 73.971 for the heat replaced Danny Foster's 71.181 set here in 1948 in Albin Fallon's Miss Great Lakes.

Even the second boat, Such Crust, bettered the old record with a heat speed average of 72.543 and both set new lap records.

In this smashing second heat seven boats started and almost an eighth, inasmuch as R. Stanley Dollar Jr.'s Skipalong from San Francisco swung around the course before the cannon but two struts gave way just before the signal to start.

Although Danny Foster, winner of both the 1947 and 1948 Gold Cup Classics, carried off in Bee Jay the third and final heat today of the 225 cubic inch class, nearly 200 yards in front of Henry Sieck of Hempstead, L. I., in Pearl IV.

John Francis, the Hickory, N. C., chemist in Whirlaway, added 225 markers for third place today to the tallies of yesterday's two heats to give him a winning 925. With his victory goes the John Charles Thomas Trophy, as well as the national championship for the class.

Referee Jack Hyde had bad news today for Major Horace E. Dodge, the sportsman who over the years probably has spent more than two million dollars trying to make fast boats go faster. Hyde announced Dodge's disqualification in the first President's Cup heat yesterday for wearing a football helmet instead of the required safety head covering.

(Reprinted from the New York Times, September 27, 1948)

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