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Year of the Green Dragon : San Diego Cup |
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Year of the Green Dragon : San Diego Cup (more) |
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Mariner Too Takes San Diego |
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Mariner Too Wins in San Diego |
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Statistics |
1964 San Diego Cup
Mariner Too
Wins in San Diego
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After a heavy, steady diet of cars, we decided to drop clown to San Diego for the Unlimited Hydro race. WOW! Blasé indeed would be anyone who wasn't stirred by the multi-thousand horsepower thunder boats roaring down the course at 150 mph plus, with their towering rooster tails streaming out astern. This event, known as the San Diego Cup Race, is being promoted by the city as an annual event. For a first-time operation, we must say, it came off beautifully. The event is held in heats, in which the boats eventually eliminate each other up to the final heat. The winner is determined by the boat scoring the most points earned by its finishes in all of the heats.
The race consists of four to five heat races, depending on the number of boats available and the number competing in each heat. Herein lies the only criticism to be found. There's a bit too much time wasted between heats. (There's about five minutes of racing followed by 45 minutes of dead time.) In San Diego there are too many things to do on a fine sunny day to hold a crowd long with this much dead time between races. Exhibition skiing, SK races, or some other form of action will have to be provided.
Colonel Warner Gardner, of Detroit, driving Miss Mariner Too, won the cup, with wins in both of his heats. Ron Musson, in Miss Bardahl, racked up enough points to take second for the day, despite a bad finish in his last heat; Ron is already the '64 Champion on points. Miss Exide was third. The English engines seemed to predominate; first, second and third were Rolls Merhns, with an Allison in fourth and another Merlin in fifth.
(Reprinted from Eric Rickman's "Rooster Tales" column in Hot Rod Magazine)
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