1957 Mapes Mile-High Gold Cup
Tahoe Gold Cup Boat Race Entry List Grows
Tahoe City, Lake Tahoe — With more than a dozen high powered unlimited class hydroplanes entered, extra heats have been scheduled for the Gold Cup class race scheduled for Saturday and Sunday on Lake Tahoe.
The sponsor is the Lake Tahoe Gold Cup Association.
The big entry has resulted in expansion of the race from 45 to the full 90 mile unlimited class distance, under sanction by the American Power Boat Association.
Since this group’s rules permit only six of the big engined hydroplanes on the course at a time, the heats will be split.
Point totals accumulated in the 10 lap, 30 mile runs will decide which boats will be called back for the final heat Sunday afternoon.
To round out the two-day racing program, five events have been booked for limited class boats, including crackerbox runabouts, 48, 136 and 225 cubic inch hydroplanes and 7 litre hydroplanes.
The time schedule: Saturday
Crackerbox, 10 AM and 12 noon: 48 cubic inch hydros. 10:20 AM and 12:20 PM: 7 litre hydros. 10:40 AM and 12:40 PM; unlimited heat 1A, 11 AM; 1B, 1 PM.
Sunday
Unlimited heat 2A. 10 AM; 2B. 11:30 AM; 136 cubic inch hydros. 10:25 AM and 12:15 PM: 225 cubic Inch hydros. 11:05 AM and 12:35 PM; unlimited hydros, third and final heat, 1 PM.
Mapes Cup
The Charles Mapes perpetual cup, won last year by William Waggoner’s Shanty I, Will go to the unlimited class winner. Take home prizes will be given the first, second and third place finishers in all limited class races.
Other entries include Waggoner’s speedy Maverick, holder of the fastest, competition heat record of 108.6 miles per hour; Miss Bardahl, owned by Ole Bardahl of Seattle; Miss Supertest, owned by James Thompson; Gale VI, owned by Lee, Schoenith of Detroit; Miss U. S., owned by George Simon's; Hawaii Kai III, former Kaiser boat now owned by a crew headed by Jack Regas, driver; Breathless; owned and driven by Jay Murphy; Miss Seattle, owned by Roostertails, Inc.; Miss Wahoo, owned by Bill Boeing, Jr., and Miss Thriftway, owned by Willard Rhodes.
— July 17, 1957
14 Hydroplanes Ready for Tahoe Race
Nation-Wide Competition In Gold Cup
By Len Crocker
Fourteen big unlimited hydroplanes (15 if a late telephone entry arrives in time) will roar into action off Tahoe City Saturday morning, seeking honors in the Mapes Gold Cup feature of the Mile-High Regatta. The beats will include the defending Mapes Gold Cup and U. S. Number One boat, the Shanty I, owned by William P. Waggoner of Phoenix, Ariz., and driven by Air Force Col. Russ Schleeh of Castle AFB.
Of the 15 boats promised for the Saturday-Sunday unlimited races, 11 were on hand yesterday at the Lake of the Sky. The group present and in process of making shakedown runs and adjustments to cope with the high altitude of Lake Tahoe included Shanty I and Maverick, the other boat owned by William P. Waggoner; Breathless II and Muvalong, owned by J. Philip Murphy of Piedmont, Calif.; Hawaii Kai III, former Edgar Kaiser craft now owned by its crew; Adios, another former Kaiser boat now owned by Stan Adams and George Gilliam of Oregon; Miss Wahoo, owned by William Boeing, Jr., of Seattle, Wash.; Miss Bardahl, owned by Ole Bardahl of Seattle; and Miss Thriftway and Thriftway Too, owned by Willard Rhodes ot Seattle.
Due in today for late trials are Detroit entries Gale V and Gale VI, owned by Joe Schoenith of Detroit. Their crews were on hand yesterday waiting arrival of the boats. And a fourteenth boat, Miss Seattle, had not arrived but was expected.
Former Miss Skyway
Regatta officials yesterday were notified by telephone that a fifteenth unlimited boat had left Seattle en route to Lake Tahoe, and was expected to arrive late Friday afternoon, just in time to qualify. The boat is the former Miss Skyway, now carrying a new, undisclosed name.
The big field, largest by far in the five-year history of the Mapes Gold Cup at Tahoe, indicated the record may be broken this weekend for the largest field ever to run in Gold Cup competition. Thirteen started the action last year in Seattle’s big Seafair Week.
Prior to notice of entry of Miss Skyway, Mile High Regatta officials had planned to run two seven-boat sections to each of the three Gold Cup heats. Special approval was received from the sanctioning American Power Boat Association to run more than the normal six boats at one time. If there are 15 unlimiteds ready to go Saturday morning, three sections will be run in each heat.
10 A.M. Saturday
The Gold Cup boats will run their first 30-mile heat Saturday morning, with the first section due off at approximately 10 a m. The second heat will begin Sunday at 10 a m., with the final heat for the six fastest of the unlimiteds due Sunday afternoon Each heat will consist of 10 three mile laps with the total nue cohering 90 miles.
In addition five divisions of class boats will be tun Saturday crackerboxes, 48 cubic inch hydroplanes and seven-litre hydroplanes will run two-heat competition with Sundays bill to include races for 136-inch and 226-cubic inch hydroplanes
Among the noted men in the world of boat racing on hand at Tahoe City yesterday was Ted Jones of Seattle designer of most of the top unlimited hvdroplanes in the world. Jones is general manager of the Thriftway crews handling both the Miss Thriftway and Thriftway Too for owner Willard Rhodes of Seattle
Something Different
Jones as are others was trying something different for the Mapes Gold Cup run trying to overcome the difference in altitude and barometric pressure The big powerful Allison engines that normally power the Thriftways were pulled and replaced with Rolls Royce engines The Rolls assembly is some 375 pounds heavier than the Allison Jones admitted but provides other advantages
While the Rolls Royce power plants would turn 2,400 horsepower at sea level Jones figured they might get 1,600 HP from them at Lake Tahoe's 6200-foot altitude Most of the unlimited hydroplanes will clock speeds well in excess of 160 miles an hour on straightaways at sea level but Tahoe's atmospheric conditions may hold them back to the neighborhood of 140-145 mph, Jones added.
"What will be the average speed of the 1957 Mapes Gold Cup champion"?
93 Average Wins
Jones figures 93 mph will turn it — for the 90 miles total.
Last night several driver assignments still had not been announced. The list of boats whose pilots had not been named included the Adios former Edgar Kaiser's Scooter Too and now completely revamped Muvalong one of the J Philip Murphy boats on hand and the yet unarrived Miss Skyway
Readv to go when the gun booms across ‘he lake Saturday are Miss Bardahl, Norman Evans, Chelan, Wash; Hawaii Kai II, Jack Regas, Livermore, Calif; Maverick, Bill Stead, Reno; Breathless, Roger Murphy; Piedmont Calif , defending champion Shanty I, Air Force Col Russ Schleeh, Castle AFB, Miss Seattle Al Benson and Chuck Hickling; Gale V, “Wild BUI" Cantrell. Detroit; Gale VI Lee Schoenith, Detroit, Miss Thriftway, Bill Muncev Seattle, Thriftway Too, Brien Wygle Seattle; Miss Wahoo, Miro Slovak, Seattle; Breathless II, Jay Murphy, Piedmont, Calif
Tickets for reserved box seats ($5 each) and reserved grandstand ($4) still are available in Reno in the lobby of the Mapes Hotel Many spectators are expected to watch the races from the shorehne around Tahoe City but thev are warned early arrival will be necessary to guarantee to choice spots — all box seats — on the pier at Fred Main's Tahoe Boat Company — and grandstand seats are individually reserved to guarantee occupancy.
The traditional regatta banquet will be held Sundav evening (6:30 pm) at the Tahoe Biltmore hotel at Crystal Bay Nev. Tickets are available at $4.50 each
Boats finishing in both the Gold Cup and limited races will bo awarded points toward the 1957 national championship with regular APBA scoring systems in effect
While Shanty I is the defending Mapes Gold Cup and international Harmsworth Trophy champion her teammate William Waggoners Maverick is leading boat this far this year The Maverick with Renoite Bill Stead at the controls won the Apple Cup race at Lake Chelan Wash recently to get the jump on the remainder of the pack.
The APBA points have brought in Detroit boats for the first time making the Mile High Regatta and the Mapes Gold Cup truly a major event.
— July 18, 1957