1951 National Sweepstakes
Navesink River, Red Bank NJ, August 11-12, 1951

Lombardo's Boat Wins at Red Bank
Tempo VI Annexes First Heat of National Sweepstakes, Scores in Cup Event
by Clarence E. Lovejoy

bullet Lombardo's Boat Wins at Red Bank
bullet The National Sweepstakes
bullet Sweepstakes Won by Lombardo Boat
bullet Statistics

Red Bank, NJ, Aug 11 [1951] — One of the country's most popular speed boat headliners, Guy Lombardo of New York and Freeport, came out of semi-retirement this afternoon on the Navesink River and in his familiar red and white creation, Tempo VI, carried off with a mile to spare the first of two heats for the National Sweepstakes championship.

Tomorrow he will tear out of the pits again for the final ten-mile test in defense of the trophy he captured last summer. He also won in 1946.

This was the bandleader's first regatta of the season and he faced one of the best fields Red Bank has assembled in years. Eight sped away with the starter's cannon, including another Gold Cup craft of the Tempo size, Joe Schoenith's Gale of Detroit, driven by Al D'Eath. This is the former Notre Dame of the late Herbert Mendelson and like Tempo is powered with one of the Allison 1710 cubic inch aircraft motors.

Lombardo, a little rusty at the steering wheel, perhaps, but eager for a comeback, started last. By the end of the first of the four laps he had climbed into second spot, behind the sensational 225 Class You All, owned and driven by Bobby Rowland of South Norfork, Va., the former intercollegiate outboard champion.

But Rowland, outclassed in the league of super-powered Gold Cuppers, soon was passed by Lombardo and then by D'Eath and finished third, ahead of Ray Gassner of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Bob Schroeder of North Tonawanda, NY.

National Sweepstakes
First Heat (10 miles)
1 Tempo VI Guy Lombardo, Freeport, L.I.
2 Gale I Albert R. D'Eath, Detroit
3 You All Bob Rowland, So. Norfolk, Va.
4 Sunshine Baby II Ray Gassner, St. Petersburg, Fla.
5 My Ambition Robert W. Schroeder, North Tonawanda, NY

Time — 7:41.9 Speed — 77.956 mph

Bill Muncey, Detroit; Chuck Hickman, Philadelphia; Jimmy Broaddus, Fredricksburg, Fla., DNF

(Reprinted from the New York Times August 12, 1951)

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