1963 APBA Gold Cup - Musson Captures Gold cup Race in Miss Bardahl Before Crowd of 200,000

Musson Captures Gold cup Race in Miss Bardahl Before Crowd of 200,000
Miss Thriftway Stalls in 2d Heat
Muncey 6^th in Defender as Victor Set Mark – Gale V is 2d and Tahoe Miss Third
by Steve Cady

Detroit, July 7 [1963] – Miss Bardahl, the "green dragon" from Seattle, slew them all today on the Detroit River before a crowd of 2000,000 spectators.

Driven with a combination of early daring and late caution by Ron Musson, Miss Bardahl took the 56^th running of the Gold Cup and shattered the "invincibility" barrier surrounding Bill Muncey and Miss Thriftway."

Muncey, hoping to become the second man to win five Gold Cups and also to tie the record of three consecutive cup victories in the same boat, finished sixth in the final point standing. A mishap in an early heat forced a switch of engines in the defender.

Gale V, a Detroit boat, was second in the over-all standing and Tahoe Miss, from State Line, Nev., was third.

On the way to victory, Musson drove his green and yellow 7,200 pound unlimited hydroplane to lap and race records for the Gold Cup. Because the four heats of 15 miles each instead of three heats of 30 miles, the lap record was considered more noteworthy.

In taking Heat 2-A, Miss Bardahl turned the first lap at an average speed of 114,650 miles an hour. This broke the lap record of 113.924 set by Miss Wahoo at Seattle in 1959.

Miss Bardahl's average for the entire cup competition was 105.242 miles an hour. The old mark of 104.003 was established by Bill Stead aboard Maverick in 1959 when the boats raced 90 miles instead of 60.

Miss Bardahl, built in 1962, and renovated last winter, finished second in the final heat, but still had enough points to give Musson his first Gold Cup victory.

By winning three earlier heats, the Seattle boat went into the final with 1,400 point. A third in the last heat would have clinched the victory even if Gale V, driven by Wild Bill Cantrell, or Tahoe Miss, with Chuck Thompson at the wheel, won.

Cantrell, at 56 years, the oldest driver in the field and the favorite of the crowd, did win the final heat. He hit the line in front, on the outside, and held a wide lead for the five laps round the three-mile course, This gave him a total of 1,400 points, good enough for second place behind Musson's 1,500.

Tahoe Miss, third in the final, also was third in the over-all standing with 1,225 points. She was followed by Notre Dame (845), Miss Exide (844) and Miss Thriftway (823),

Only the six fastest boats from the three earlier heats (run in sections of six boats each) qualified for the final. These were the ones that shared in the major cash prizes.

In winning, Musson earned $10,000 and a lot more in publicity for the Bardahl Chemical Corporation, in which he holds the title of Director of Racing. Miss Bardahl is owned by Ole Bardahl, who founded the oil-additive firm.

Heat 2-A was the confrontation between Miss Bardahl and Miss Thriftway, and it was over virtually before it began. As he had in the opening heat, Muncey tried to charge up the middle at the start and pick up a quick-opener play.

The strategy had worked perfectly the first time, but it didn't on this occasion. The four boats in front of Miss Thriftway closed up as they ran for the line and the hole Muncey had hoped to go through disappeared.

Thriftway's engine, caught in the curtain of water from the other boat's rooster tails, flooded and went dead less than 100 yards past the line. The defender drifted forlornly down the course while Muncey tried to restart his engine. He finally did when Bardahl began the fourth lap at the head of the field.

THE SUMMARIES
Heat 1-A
Boat and Driver	M.P.H.	Points
Miss Thriftway, Bill Muncey	102.428	400
Tahoe Miss, Chuck Thompson	101.199	300
Miss Exide, Mira Slovak	89.522	225
$ Bill, Norm Evans	87.634	169
Miss St. Regis, Jim Fyle	86.097	127
Miss U.S. I, Roy Duby	DNF
Heat 1-B
Miss Bardahl, Ron Musson	104.936	400
Gale V, Bill Cantrell	104.622	300
Notre Dame, Warner Gardner	96.913	225
Blue Chip, Walter Kade	95.058	169
Tempo, Bob Schroeder	93.007	127
Such Crust, Leo Macuzta	DNS
Heat 2-A
Miss Bardahl	109.489	400
Tahoe Miss	101.437	300
Notre Dame	96.739	225
Miss St. Regis	92.056	169
Miss Thriftway	66.290	127
Miss U.S. I, Don Wilson	DNS
Heat 2-B
Gale V	99.815	400
Tempo	95.575	300
*$ Bill	95.003	000 (*disqualified for hitting buoy)
Miss Exide	90.756	225
Blue Chip	DNF
Such Crust	DNS
Heat 3-A
Miss Bardahl	105.469	400
Notre Dame	96.325	300
Tempo	94.077	225
Miss U.S. I	DNF
$ Bill	DNS
Blue Chip	DNS
Heat 3-B
Tahoe Miss	104.414	400
Gale V	103.250	300
Miss Exide	100.372	225
Miss Thriftway	99.631	169
Miss St. Regis	DNF
Such Crust	DNS
Final Heat
Gale V	105.551	400
Miss Bardahl	100.953	300
Tahoe Miss	99.199	225
Miss Exide	96.774	169
Miss Thriftway	95.205	127
Notre Dame	92.287	95
Final Point Standings
Miss Bardahl		1,500
Gale V		1,400
Tahoe Miss		1,225
Notre Dame		845
Miss Exide		844
Miss Thriftway		823