1953 President's Cup
Potomac River, Washington, DC, September 20, 1953
Boat Pilots Heard By A.P.B.A. Board
DETROIT, Oct. 17 (AP) — A three-member board of the American Power Boat Association met with a flat "no comment" today all queries regarding its investigation of a near-smash-up in the recent President’s Cup Regatta at Washington.
Lou Fageol, Ohio industrialist who was driving Slo-mo-shun V, complained that Chuck Thompson, a Detroiter driving Such Crust III, cut across his bow and almost caused a 140-mile-an-hour collision on the Potomac. Thompson denied this and insisted he was in front at the time Fageol claims he was fouled.
Pictures of Race Viewed
The A.P.B.A.’s three-member board heard both in a long closed session last night and viewed pictures of the race. But all it would say was that the A.P.B.A.’s inboard racing committee would review the case and likely hand down a verdict by Nov. 2. If Thompson were found guilty he could be suspended.
Both drivers claimed they were ahead going into the first turn of the third heat in the Washington race, Such Crust, owned by Jack Schafer of Detroit, won the heat, but Slo-mo-shun, owned by Stan Sayres of Seattle, won the race on points.
Thompson claimed movies of the race proved him innocent and showed he was twenty-five feet ahead and on the outside of the turn.
A dispute arose, however, regarding the angle from which the movies were taken and whether this might have distorted the distance between the boats.
Fageol was backed in his claim of foul by Lee Schoenith, who was driving Gale II in the race, and Bill Cantrell, who was driving Such Crust V. Schoenith and Cantrell are Detroiters.
Thompson presented letters from two race officials who, he said, gave the right-of-way to Such Crust III. They were Eddie C. Baltz, chairman of the President’s Cup Regatta board, and Edward A. Tamm, a District of Columbia judge. Thompson said the officials had viewed the race from a stand about sixty feet from the turn and that both had agreed he was three-quarters of a length ahead of Fageol.
[Reprinted from the New York Times, October 18, 1953]
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