1959 APBA Gold Cup
Lake Washington, Seattle, WA, August 9, 1959

Maverick Wins the Gold Cup

Hydros Groom for Gold Cup Your 1959 Time Table for the Seattle Seafair Gold Cup Race Rules Miss US I Pacing 13 And Next Year the Trophy Will Have a Cash Value Maverick Wins Cup Maverick Wins the Gold Cup Gold Cup Race Won by Maverick  How to Win the Gold Cup by Bill Muncey 1959 APBA Gold Cup - Statistics

Driver Bill Stead drove Maverick around the flattened three-mile oval of Seattle's Lake Washington 13.3 seconds faster than Miss Thriftway in 90-mile Gold Cup Race, August 9. This margin a victory to the William Waggoner Jr. boat from Phoenix, Arizona, after Maverick and Thriftway and in the race tied at 1325 points.

The 1959 Gold Cup rules state that in case of a tie on points, the boat with the fastest average lap time will be given the Cup, which the Seattle YC has held for the past three years. Maverick heading average lap speed of 104.003 and Thriftway 103.560. So the judges gave the nod to Maverick after the most careful deliberation -- two hours 14 minutes after the race was finished -- long after most of the several thousand spectators had gone home.

Maverick earned 1325 points by gaining 300 for second-place position in Heat 1-A; 400 for first-place in Heat 2-B; 225 or third place in the final heat; and 400 bonus points for the fastest elapsed time.

Miss Thriftway earned 225 points for a third in 1A; 400 for first in 2A; 400 for a first-place in the final heat; and 300 bonus points for the second fastest elapsed time in the 310-lap heats, 90-mile Gold Cup race to tie Maverick in points.

The spectators who saw Muncey finish first in the final heat while Bill Stead finished apparently forth were convinced that Thriftway had taken the Gold Cup, leading Maverick by 56 points. The photographic record of the start taken by Dr. Philip Smith on the official barge showed that Miss Spokane had jumped, moving her down from third to fifth enacting Maverick's point score from 169 to 225 points.

Once Maverick could tie Thriftway on points, the Arizona boat was a sure winner, because Muncey had been unable to entirely makeup a 31-second time deficit in the final heat; and set Pont italics Maverick was again the winner on this Sunday evening series with the top hole card.

The intense contest between Maverick and Miss Thriftway was the most dramatic feature of the 52nd running of the Gold Cup, which turned out to be one of the most exciting and most hotly contested of all time. Of the 14 boats which qualified at impressively high speeds, the race immediately settled down to five fireball contenders. But Miss U.S. I, the George Simon and free from Detroit with the number one call applying speed, when die in heat 2A after winning heat 1B at 101.608 mph. She had carburetor trouble, finely twisted her quill shaft.

Therefore the big race of 90 miles settled into a tremendous struggle of amazingly capable boats and drivers, Maverick, Thriftway, Wahoo and Mira Slovak, and Miss Spokane with Norm Evans. But the deer devil Evans and the dashing Slovak, whose ball key amounts later threw them out of real contention, provided several keystones to the pyramiding circumstances of complicated heat and bonus points.

Bill Waggoner, the alien owner of Maverick, hospitalized in Phoenix and unable to attend this year's Gold Cup Race, can take the 1960 race to Lake Mead near Las Vegas. Bill Stead, a Reno, and that a rancher, has a sentimental interest in Maverick, and may also favored the Southwest for the 53rd running of the Gold Cup.

Meanwhile Greater Seattle Inc. and the Seattle YC are again planning a big hydroplane spectacle in Seattle next year, the Seafair Trophy Race to substitute for the Gold Cup which moves with the winner.

Heat No. 1A -- the first section of the first heat of the Gold Cup saw the main contenders together. Bill Boeing's Miss Wahoo was off like a rocket, racking 113.924 mph on the first lap, the hottest of the day. Mira Slovak set a new Gold Cup record with this.

It was in this heat that Miss Spokane began to slip. Although the Spokane boat started in third position, her engine labored in the forth up and she slept back, finely finished sixth with only 95 points and her chances were jammed. This community-owned boat with an aggressive driver, defined group of long-term mechanics and a hot engine, however, turned in a brilliant and erratic performance.

Miss Wahoo was on catch of all in this heat, maintaining her position all the way, leading Maverick over the line by 6.3 seconds and the third place Miss Thriftway by 34.9 seconds. Muncey brought Miss Thriftway over the line 28.6 seconds behind Maverick, and this gap in time that he had failed to close dogged him the rest of the afternoon and ultimately cost him the race.

In this heat Nitrogen, Samuel F. du Pont, Wilmington, Delaware owner and Don Dunnington, driver, managed to finished fourth, but at a case well behind the blistering pace of the leaders. Miss Seattle, which headed uncomfortable wet started behind somebody else's roostertail, finely snorted out the water and got going, moved from last to fifth. The Gale V, Bill Cantrell driving, moved up behind Miss Thriftway midway through the heat, but lost power in the seventh lap, finely limped home last, another big threat from Detroit extinguished.

Heat No. 1B -- that in the second section of this heat the Detroit boats had their way, with Gale VI, driven by Fred Alter, holding the lead in the first four laps; then the second place Miss U.S. I took over and finished ahead with the winning speed of 101.608 mph. Gale finished second. Chuck Hickling riding Pay 'n Save came in third, well behind the leaders. These were the finishers.

The also-rans included Thriftway Too, piloted by Bill Muncey. At the start she roared into the south turn and stayed there. Breathless II did not start.

The biggest dud was Hawaii Kai III, the defender of the Gold Cup, the fastest propeller-driven boat in the world, former national Champion. She was taken out of second position in the third lap by Miss U.S. and 3 laps later when die in the water with gearbox trouble. She was recently purchased from Edgar Kaiser by Joe Mascari, driven by Brian Wygle in racing for the Meydenbauer Bay YC of Bellevue, WA.

KOLroy, driven by Bob Larsen, and fuel pump trouble, when today in water just before she was to have finished fast. She is owned by Seattle radio station KOL.

Heat No. 2A -- is heat gave Bill Muncey opportunity to take ample measure of Miss Spokane improve a boat for boat superiority yarn question. It was a two-boat race with the Wahoo in trouble, off to a late start, never finishing, Miss U.S. dead in the fourth lap, Breathless II dying in the second lap.

Miss Spokane was ahead until the sixth lap, always furiously pursued by Bill Muncey with Miss Thriftway who made pass after pass at the Spokane, but always Evans was able to close Muncey away. On the North 9 of the sixth lap, Muncey was able to draw abreast of the Spokane boat, and coming into the exit buoy began to move ahead. Norman Evans made a desperate effort to crowd through, heat the rubber buoy a glancing blow. By this time Muncey was away in making tail feathers at him. Muncey was never headed after this, turned in his best heat, 105.820 mph. He picked up a few seconds on Maverick's earlier time.

In this heat Miss Seattle moved up the third position while lapping fourth place Gale V, owned by Joe Schoenith of Detroit (Gale Electric Company).

Heat No. 2B -- there were six starters and 6 finishers in this lap as seen heat 1-A, demonstrating the stamina and lasting power in today's Unlimiteds. Bill Stead in Maverick lead the pack which maintained unbroken ranks around the course. Maverick into the race almost three miles and 70.3 scans ahead of Hawaii Kai, followed by Nitrogen, Gale V (driven by Bob Schroeder), KOLroy and Miss Pay 'n Save. State's average speed was 160.278 and he gained a few precious seconds on Thriftway's performance in the previous section.

Heat No. 3 (Final) -- the finalists were chosen on the basis of performance in previous heat, with both Gale VI and Miss Seattle sitting out his race. The leading contenders were Maverick with 700 points, Miss Thriftway with 625 points, Wahoo and U.S. with 400 points each, Miss Spokane with 395 points, Nitrogen with 394, and Pay 'n Save with 320 points.

There were more good boats in running condition for a final heat of the Gold Cup than anyone can remember; but the golden-haired boys were Muncey and Stead, for they had to speed in the point advantage.

The start was made by field of six roaring over the line almost together, but the official barge noted that Miss Spokane, which led the field, and Nitrogen, had jumped the gun. Miss U.S. was last. The Spokane boat was ostensibly the leader for the first lap, followed by Wahoo, Miss Pay 'n Save, Thriftway. Nitrogen was sixth.

The Wahoo, which turned in 112.5 mph on the first lap, pulled ahead of the Spokane boat in the second lap and Miss Thriftway passed Pay 'n Save, which was soon passed by Maverick.

Then Maverick's flashing speedy proved too much for Miss Thriftway, desperately trying to keep ahead, and she passed Thriftway in the third lap. Bill Stead drove Maverick with fantastic speed into the corners, was making take turns and straining up with a burst of speed that Muncey couldn't seem to match as he dropped behind. This was the most interesting duel between two of the best drivers in this field today, both cool -headed that willing to drive their outfits to the ultimate limit when the chips were down.

Bill Stead then took out after Miss Spokane. In the south turn on the seventh lap he overreached the ability of Maverick to cling to the turn and Maverick spying inside the course. His speed slackened; Stead circled a patrol boat inside the cores while Muncey swept past into third position. The Maverick came out on the course, and gave furious pursuit, but this time Muncey was away.

On the ninth lap Muncey caught up to Wahoo and Spokane on the south turn. It was as though any inside door opened. Thriftway shot through into first-place; and the door was slammed as Maverick came snorting up.

This was the order finished, with the bad start moving Miss Spokane out of an apparent second place as she had to take an extra lap: Miss Thriftway, Wahoo, Maverick, Miss Pay 'n Save, Miss Spokane and Nitrogen. Miss U.S. had gone dead in water in on the third lap.

On the heat-race performance, Miss Thriftway in did the 90 miles with 1025 points to Maverick's 925. The elapsed speed bonus to Thriftway was 300, with 400 to Maverick, ending with 1325 points for both boats.

It has been pointed out that the bonus points system for totally elapsed time gave Maverick a double advantage. The extra points first brought up Maverick's score to tie Thriftway. Then the time advantage held by Maverick scuttled Thriftway.

As no bonus points were given for the fastest heat as in past years, the bonus was issued on a new basis this year. This did not cured the sword that calls home-pound spectators, stirs protests among camps and generally raises the bitter question, "is this racing or is this champions by committee?" But none must forget that the Gold Cup is a race of 90 miles, and no one can win by gathering bases in an easy heat, then make a final dash to victory.

Official Gold Cup Finish

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