 |
Muncey to Go For 7th U.S. Title Today |
|
|
The Boats in Review |
|
|
Hydro Handicap |
|
|
Ali, Unitas, Mantle, Palmer — ‘Outlived’ By Muncey |
|
|
|
|
|
Grass for a Grandstand |
|
|
|
|
|
Statistics |
1979 Squire Seafair Trophy
The Boats in Review
|
Capsule summaries of the hydroplanes in today’s Seafair Race:
Atlas Van Lines (U-1) — Driver-owner: Bill Muncey, 50, La Mesa, Calif. (56 career victories). Built: 1977. Home base: Seattle. Power: Rolls-Royce Merlin. This is the defending national-champion boat that has won a record eight straight races over a two-year span. The boat has dominated the sport as no other ever has, winning 12 of the past 13 races.
The Squire Shop (U-2) — Driver: Chip Hanauer, 25, Seattle. Owner: Bob Steil, Seattle. Built: 1979. Home base: Seattle. Power: Rolls-Royce Merlin. This will be the third race for the new boat. It finished third in the Gold Cup and second last week at Pasco.
Tri-City Tile and Masonry (U-3) — Driver: Jack Schafer, Jr., 35. Santa Ana, Calif. Owner: Ken Thompson, Kennewick. Built: 1974. Home base: Tri-Cities. Power: Rolls-Royce Merlin. The boat won three races in 1977 to capture the national points championship as Miss Budweiser. As Miss Budweiser again last year, it was the only boat to beat the Atlas, doing so at Tri-Cities. Thompson took delivery of the boat last fall.
Miss Century 21 (U-4) — Driver: Norm Evans, 49, Chelan (2 career victories). Owner: Bob Murphy, Kennewick. Built: 1977. Home base: Tri-Cities. Power: Chevrolet auto engine. Coming into Seafair, the boat has failed to qualify for a race in the past two years.
Dr. Toyota (U-8) — Driver: Bob Maschmedt, 36, Seattle. Owner: Bill Wurster, Seattle. Built: 1972. Home base: Seattle. Power: Allison. The boat raced as Valu Mart for years and campaigned in 1977 and 1978 as Oh Boy, Oberto.
Evergreen Roofing (U-10) — Driver: Mark Evans, 21, Chelan (rookie). Owner: Norm Evans, Chelan. Built: 1962. Home base: Chelan. Power: Allison. Built us the first Notre Dame, the boat’s only victory came as Miss Budweiser in the 1967 British Columbia Cup. It has raced in Seattle as Burien Lady, Smoother Mover, Greenfield Galleries, Red Boll Express and most recently as Oh Boy Oberto (1977).
Miss Budweiser (U-12) — Driver: Dean Chenoweth, 41, Tallahassee, Fla. (13 career victories). Owner: Bernie Little, Lakeland, Fla. Built: 1979. Home base: Seattle. Power: Rolls Royce Griffon. This will be the fourth race for the new boat designed and built by Ron Jones. The Bud was leading in the championship heat lost week when it went dead. It finished second at El Dorado, Kan.
Miss Burien Hobby Center (U-15) — Driver: Fred Leland, 42, Lynnwood. Owner: Robert Warner, Des Moines. Built: 1972. Home base: Burien. Power: Allison. The boat raced once in 1972 as Sweet Thing in Detroit and Walter Kade, driver, was inured. Warner bought the boat last winter and it failed to qualify last week at Pasco.
Tempus (U-17) — Owner-Driver: Chuck Hickling, 65, Bellevue, (1 career victory). Built: 1978.. Home base: Bellevue. Power: Rolls-Royce Merlin. It took Hickling almost five years to build the boat. It collided with the U-22 (then Dr. Toyota) in last year’s race but continued racing. Tempus finished fifth last week at Pasco.
Miss Electricraft (U-29) — Owner-driver: Bob Miller, 47, Everett. Built: 1970. Home base: Everett. Power: Allison. Jim Lucero, Atlas crew chief, designed this boat. It won the 1973 President’s Cup as a member of the Lincoln Thrift fleet. Miller bought the boat last year and raced it as B&L Plumbing. It was the first racing for the boat since 1974. The U-29 ran without a sponsor last week in Pasco and failed to qualify.
Miss Circus Circus (U-31) — Driver: Steve Reynolds, 32, Kirkland. Built: 1979. Home base: Renton. Power: Rolls-Royce Merlin. The boat, designed by Dave Knowlen and built by Norm Berg, set a world record when it qualified at 133.136 miles on hour last week in Pasco. It finished second in three races this year and broke down in the other three, including Pasco.
Whatcom Lady (U-66) — Driver: Steve Jones, 37, Helen, Georgia. Owner: Tom Frees, Bellingham. Built: 1970. Home base: Bellingham. Power: Allison. The boat first appeared in 1971 as Miss Timex and raced here as R. Mikulski Advertising in 1976 and Elliott Dog Ration last year. It has raced elsewhere under 12 other names.
Miss Ingraham High Class of ‘69 (U-69) — Driver: unnamed. Owner: Tad Dean, Seattle. Built: 1957. Home base: Ballard. Power: Allison. This is the oldest hydroplane in the sport and never has won a race. It was built as Breathless II. It raced at Seafair as Huling’s People Mover in 1977 and as Dr. Toyota (U-22) last year, when it collided with Tempus in a preliminary heat and almost sank when it reached the pits. Dean’s classmates at Ingraham are sponsoring the boat this year.
Miss Van’s PX (U-80) — Driver: Ron Armstrong, 38, Lakewood, Calif. Owner: Bob Patterson, Van Nuys, Calif. Built: 1967. Home base: Van Nuys. Power: Turbo-Allison. The boat was designed by Chuck Hickling and built by Patterson. It was converted to a cabover last season. It was built as O-Ring Miss but has raced here as Van’s P-X since 1970.
Barney Armstrong’s Machine (U-96) — Driver: Chuck King, 46, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Owners King and Roger Janke, Fullerton, Calif. Built: 1973. Home base: Santa Ana, Calif. Power: Rolls-Royce Merlin. The boat was built as the turbine-powered U-95 and finished second twice with turbine power. In 1975 Pete LaRock bought the boat and converted it to Allison and then to a Rolls. King finished fifth in the national point standings in the boat last year and won a heat at Seafair. This is the second straight year the Bellevue-based rock band has sponsored the boat.
(Reprinted from The Seattle Times, August 5, 1979)
Hydroplane
History Home Page
This
page was last revised
Thursday, April 01, 2010
.
Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. Email us at wildturnip@gmail.com
© Leslie Field, 2005