1959 Harmsworth Trophy
Maverick Crew Grim in Defeat
It was shortly after Miss Supertest had crossed the finish line to take the Harmsworth Trophy across the river into Canada when a group of small boats paraded about in front of the defeated Maverick. The occupants gaily waved Canadian flags.
The group of men clustered on the hull of Maverick took time out from their work to grin as the Canadian fans tooted horns and shouted. There were no hard feelings.
There wasn’t time. The Maverick crew was too busy trying to determine why the powerful hydroplane had given up on the 12th lap of yesterday’s third Harmsworth race. The Silver Cup was less than two days away.
In Silver Cup
"Don’t worry about us," said Maverick’s driver, Bill Stead. "We’ll he back on Saturday." Stead had been gracious in defeat. He appeared tired after the race, a condition probably due more to disappointment than to racing fatigue.
"We just didn’t have it out there today," he said. "Miss Supertest surprised me with her speed. It certainly ran real well."
Stead made no complaints about his own boat. The Maverick appeared to run well until it dropped from the race (supercharger trouble again).
Gets Bad Start
"I had a poor start all right," Stead said in explaining why he was five seconds behind Bob Hayward in Miss Supertest at the start. "My engine seemed to bog down a little as I approached the line."
In the first two races, Stead had led most of the time. He was leading when supercharger trouble slowed him down in the first race. Wednesday he led from start to finish.
While the water was almost too smooth yesterday, Stead was forced to ride through the wake left by Miss Supertest. On the upper turn during the third lap he nearly spun out.
Turned By Wake
"It wasn’t a case of taking the turn too fast," Stead explained. "I just caught some of Supertest’s wake and the sponson dug in and turned the boat."
The delay cost Maverick about 10 seconds and put Miss Supertest in complete command. It was obvious to everyone watching that Hayward was getting better acceleration yesterday.
"We finally got the acceleration we’ve been looking for," said owner Jim Thompson. After losing to Maverick Wednesday, the Canadian camp had promised some improvements would be made. Was Hayward immediately aware that Maverick dropped out of the race?
"I nearly lost the boat looking for him," replied Hayward. "I didn’t see him dead in the water until I was going directly toward him."
(Reprinted from The Detroit News, August 28, 1959)
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