1974 APBA Gold Cup
Lake Washington, Seattle WA, August 4, 1974
Remund Qualifies at 119.761 M.P.H.
Lincoln Thrift Joins Leaders
Mickey Remund, last year’s national-champion driver of unlimited hydroplanes, today established himself as a serious contender for tomorrow’s Gold Cup race.
Remund, driver of the new Lincoln Thrift, was one of four qualifiers on the Sand Point course this morning—and he did it in convincing fashion.
Remund posted a time-trial average of 119.761 miles an hour. That put him second on the qualifying ladder, right behind George Henley in the Pay ‘n Pak.
Henley, in the boat Remund drove last year, has the top speed of 122.531 m.p.h.
The turbine-powered U-95, a questionable performer after losing its tail fin in an accident in Pasco, qualified easily. Leif Borgersen put the boat, back from an overnight trip to the shop for alterations, into the race with a qualifying average of 117.506 m.p.h.
Jerry Bangs qualified the Red Ball Express at 93.803 m.p.h., and Tom Martin barely got the Sunny Jim in with a 90.72 37 m.p.h. mark.
The four new qualifiers increased the total of "in" boats to 13.
Miss Northwest Tank Service was well over the qualifying minimum for 1½ laps when it blew an engine.
With three hours of qualifying time remaining, crews of the unqualified Tank Service and Miss Madison were working frantically.
The talk of the pits yesterday was the "unretirement" of Bill Schumacher. The former Gold Cup champion signed on to drive the Valu-Mart.
Schumacher, 32, replaces Ron Armstrong, who has been temporarily "retired" by the boat’s owner, Les Rosenberg.
"There’s a lot of pressure on us to do well," Rosenberg said in explanation of the switch. "I want to win the Gold Cup, and an experienced driver is what I need right now."
Schumacher, indeed, is experienced. He began racing outboards when he was nine. After several national titles in outboard and limited-inboard classes, he moved to the unlimiteds in the early 1960s. He won national championships and Gold Cups with the Bardahl in 1967 and ‘68.
Schumacher spent a year and a half as driver of the Pride of Pay ‘n Pak but quit in July, 1972, when he refused to drive in what he considered adverse water conditions at Madison, Ind.
"Billy is a sensational starter," Rosenberg said. "And he gets through the corner better than anybody I’ve ever seen, except Bill Muncey."
Schumacher thinks the Valu-Mart is capable of winning tomorrow. After three test runs, he said:
"I wouldn’t get into the boat unless I thought I could win. I think the equipment is here. All we have to do is sort it out and we’ll be right on top."
Armstrong, from Lakewood, Calif., qualified the Valu-Mart for tomorrow’s race with a run of 115.017 m.p.h. Schumacher in-creased the V-M’s speed 110.051 m.p.h. today.
A rookie in the unlimited class, Armstrong was injured when the V-M spun out during the season opener in Miami. The boat returned to the circuit two weeks ago in the Tri-Cities. Armstrong finished third.
The Valu-Mart was one of three boats to increase their qualifying speeds yesterday.
The Pay ‘n Pak and George Henley moved to the head of the pack with a 122.869 m.p.h. clocking. Tom D’Eath moved the Miss U. S. into second at 119.366 m.p.h.
Muncey got the Atlas Van Lines in with 115.830 m.p.h., Fred Alter qualified the Pizza Pete at 111.525 m.p.h., and Tom Sheehy breezed the Red Man to 102.066 m.p. h. Heat 1A of the $52,500 Gold Cup will start at noon tomorrow.
(Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 3, 1974)
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