The 1951 Gold Cup Remembered Sayres Readies Boat for Defense of Gold Cup in Seattle Race Nation's Top Racers to Invade Seattle New Slo-Mo-Shun May Be Ready For August Races Can They Beat "Slo-Mo-Shun IV"? Are the Big-name Racing Boats Challenging with Revised Hulls? Just Two Boats Qualify Set Speed-boat Record 100 mph Record for Dossins' Craft Miss Pepsi Chief Threat in Gold Cup "Slo-Mo V" Roars to Gold Cup's Fastest Win Slo-Mo-Shun V Wins Gold Cup At Seattle Pilot and Mechanic Killed As Gold Cup Race Boat Sinks Cup Racer Called a "Runaway" Boat Gold Cup Rules Changed Safety Committee Named Death at Seattle Quicksilver (from This is Hydroplaning) Statistics

After the Quicksilver tragedy which occurred at the beginning of her third lap, it was several laps before the flares stopping down the race were fired. At the time the leading Slo-mo-shun V must certainly have completed five laps. Under new rules adopted in 1955 heat three would have been called complete since the leader had done 15 of the 30 miles. The flares were inadequate to stop the heat. At the time the heat was finally stopped Slo-mo-shun V had completed 8 laps with Slo-mo-shun IV and My Sweetie doing 7 laps. )

The winning Slo-mo-shun V was credited with a lap of 108.663 m.p.h. Originally the speed of the Slo-mo V's was believed to be 97.826 m.p.h. However Referee Mel Crook upon inspection of the timing sheets discovered the error and also that Slo-mo-shun V had done 108 m.p.h. Also discovered was that Miss Pepsi had turned a lap of 108.330 in the first heat before expiring.

When advised of his 108 m.p.h. lap Slo-mo V driver Lou Fageol stated that he doubted he drove such an uneven race in the first heat — his heat average was only 91 m.p.h. If the 108 m.p.h. laps are true the lap record went up 22 m.p.h. in the space of one year. Certainly an incredible performance by Slo-mo-shun V when it is realized that the course was relatively calm in Detroit for the 1950 Gold Cup.

Incredible is a good word for the allegedly 108 m.p.h. laps. In 1952 both Slo-mo-shun V and Miss Pepsi had more horsepower at their disposal on a similarly calm course and in a replay of their 1951 duel the best the Pepsi could do was 103.927 with Slo-mo-shun V checking in at 102.837. The difference between 1951 and 1952 was that in the former year Miss Pepsi went dead half way through the heat while in the latter Slo-mo-shun V expired half way through the 30 miles. In addition in qualifying for the 1951 race Miss Pepsi turned a lap of 104.247 and in 1952 did a lap of 104.046. Slo-mo-shun V did three unofficial laps of 103 m.p.h. in 1951 while doing a lap of 104.651 in 1952. Thus it is very unlikely that the 108 m.p.h. laps are true. It is much more likely that the originally announced 97.826 is accurate.

There is about 11 seconds difference between the laps of 108 and 97. In the pressured atmosphere of timing a race taking a reading off a watch indicating the first lap so that the watch can be used in timing the third lap can be done in error. This is probably what happened at the 1951 Gold Cup.

[Statistics and comments from Greene, V.1]

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