1961 Silver Cup
Detroit River, Detroit, MI, September 10, 1961

Silver Cup Future is in Doubt
by George E. Van

All Have Shot at Silver Cup Miss Lumberville Pleases Owner Silver Cup Racer Dies in Boat Flip Hayward Dies Trying Fastest Turn in History Silver Cup Future is in Doubt 32 Seconds to Death Statistics

There was no Silver cup presentation dinner at the Detroit Yacht Club last night, and the future of this speedboat event is up in the air here.

Yesterday’s five-heat series with 10 boats racing, was stopped when Bob Hayward was killed as Miss Supertest II flipped on the first turn of the third heat.

Miss Bardahl, driven by Ron Musson of Seattle, was named winner of the Silver cup by John Carter, race chairman for the DYC.

Carter also said there are plans at this time for a Silver Cup next ,year.

Miss Bardahl had the fastest time made in the two heats completed. Musson whirled her around at 108.089 miles' an hour. Such Crust IV, driven by Fred Alter, won the second heat and second place with a time of 98.084 m.p.h. Bill Muncey's Century 21, of Seattle, second to Miss Bardahl in the first heat, was given third place.

A member of the DYC directorate said yesterday's tragic ending for the likeable young Canadian driver practically ended the DYC Silver Cup interest.

The club also has been embarrassed by recent publicity given the financial difficulties entailed in promoting the Silver Cup. Namely, the club was $6000 short last week in what was needed to pay for the annual event instituted in 1948.

The DYC already was concerned about the perils of holding the race. The death of Hayward pointed up the fact that the racing of unlimited speedboats around a three-mile course is becoming increasingly dangerous:

This angle involves spectators as well as contestants. The boats are going faster all the time and the drivers are going faster and deeper into the turns to stay in the running.

The possibility of a boat getting out of control and hurtling into a crowded dock or a section of loaded bleacher seats along the shore also concerns DYC heads.

(Reprinted from the Detroit News, September 11, 1961, pp.1B-2B)

[Thanks to Tom Jewett for providing the newspaper clippings for this page --LF]

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