1960 APBA Gold Cup
Lake Mead, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 12-13, 1960

Muncey Takes Unlimited Crown

bullet Gold Cup to Draw 15 Unlimiteds
bullet Wilson Qualifies Miss U.S. I Fastest for Gold Cup
bullet Gold Cup Racing Put Off til Next Year
bullet Muncey Takes Unlimited Crown
bullet Statistics
Bill Muncey, wily jockey of the Seattle hydroplane Miss Thriftway, finished the 1960 unlimited season with high point honors even without the Gold cup Regatta. Speedboat fans were disappointed this year when the Gold cup spectacle, scheduled to run Nov. 13 on Lake Mead, was called off due to rough water and high winds. Ironically, the day before the finals 15 hydros completed three laps around the three-mile course, each with a qualifying speed of 100 mph or more.

This was the first time the classic had been cancelled because of course condition, and it has been run for 56 years. It is anybody’s guess as to where next year’s event will be held, but Seattle seems to be a likely prospect. According to Gold Cup rules, sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association, the Unlimited Racing Commission must set the date and location of the next race. Sealed bids for the location, which will be opened March 31, 1961, may be made to the Commission.

Muncey, however, clinched the driver high point championship with three major victories in 1960 — the Apple Cup, the Governor’s Cup and the Seattle Seafair. He also collected equal points with Chuck Thompson driving Miss Detroit in the much disputed President’s Cup race. (The contest went to the Detroit hydroplane on the basis of lower elapsed time.)

Thrifty also took the Martini-Rossi unlimited high point award for boats with a total of 2994 points. The standings of the five leading drivers and boats for 1960 are:

Drivers Points
Bill Muncey, Seattle 10,957
Norm Evans, Chelan, WA 8,777
Ron Musson, Akron, OH 6,612
Bob Gilliam, Seattle 4,612
Bill Cantrell, Detroit 4,164
Boats Owners Points
Miss Thriftway W.E. Rhodes, Seattle 2,994
Nitrogen Samuel duPont, Wilmington 1,650
Nitrogen Too Samuel duPont, Wilmington 1,500
Miss Bardahl Ole Bardahl, Seattle 1,340
KOLroy I Bob Gilliam, Seattle 1,084

(Reprinted from Sea and Pacific Motor Boat, January 1961)

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