1952 Steel Cup
Three Rivers, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1952


Statistics

bullet Cantrell Pilots Such Crust IV to Victory in the Steel Cup Speed Boat Regatta
bullet Statistics

June 7

2˝ Mile Course

Ohio River

15 Mile Heats

Pittsburgh, Penn.

45 Mile Race

 

No.

Entry

Owner

Qual.

Race

1.

U-3

My Sweetie (2)

Horace Dodge

67.0@@

2.

G-7

Such Crust IV

Jack Schafer

68.039?

3.

H-2

Bon Voyage

Gene Marentette

 

 

Heat One

Driver

Points

Speed

1.

Such Crust IV

Bill Cantrell

400

67.050

2.

Bon Voyage

Gene Marentette

DSQ

3.

My Sweetie

Al D’Eath

DNF

 

Heat Two

Driver

Points

Speed

1.

Such Crust IV

Bill Cantrell

400

68.380

2.

Bon Voyage

Gene Marentette

300

51.704

 

Recapitulation

Heat 1

Heat 2

Cum.

Heat 3

Total

1.

Such Crust IV

400

400

800

Can.

800

2.

Bon Voyage

DSQ

300

300

Can.

300

3.

My Sweetie

DNF

DNS

000

Can.

000

In the first heat Such Crust IV on the outside and My Sweetie on the inside battled for the lead. A buoy on the frontstretch had drifted out and as Such Crust and Sweetie headed for the start-finish line after the initial lap their courses converged and they collided. Sweetie spun toward the center of the course pitching her driver Al D’Eath out. Afterward Cantrell swung back to see if D’Eath was all right and then went on to complete the heat. Bon Voyage was disqualified for turning inside the drifted buoy.

An estimated 250,000 showed up in 1952 as opposed to 200,000 in 1951 and 150,000 in the initial year of the regatta 1950. The people showed up, but the unlimiteds didn’t with a field of three in 1950, two in 1951 and another two in 1952. The Steel Cup was scheduled early in the season being the initial regatta so perhaps the boats just weren’t ready. But ready or not they lost a major league city that might have enhanced the image of Unlimited racing for years to come.

The Steel Cup was a three heat race in 1950 and 1951. Apparently the final heat was cancelled in 1952 since no entry could overcome Such Crust IV’s point total.

[Statistics and comments from Greene, V.1]


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