1958 Detroit Memorial
Wildroot Charlie
There has been a lot of grunting and groaning, as well as midnight oil burnt, In Bob Schutt’s Ontario St. garage, since last Saturday.
Reason being that the garage houses the big Buffalo-owned unlimited, Wildroot Charlie, and said garage was a beehive of activity as Charlie’s crew replaced an engine which blew up in a Niagara River test run Saturday.
A second stage blower put too much pressure on the first stage blower. It blew while Bob Schroeder and Charlie were churning up the Niagara at around 160 miles an hour. Repairs to the engine were impossible to effect in time for Charlie’s engagement at the Detroit Memorial Regatta this Saturday — so a new engine had to be installed.
The installation was completed late Monday night. Schroeder had Charlie out on the river, off Wardell’s Niagara Park-Marina at North Tonawanda, at 7 yesterday morning. Smiling, grease-smeared, rain-splattered faces indicated the test was successful.
Come tomorrow, Charlie and crew members Bob and "Pop" Schroeder, Jim Moynihan, Ace Englert, and probably Chet Hardt and Bob DeGlopper, will head for Detroit. The unlimited test there will be a 90 mile race consisting of three 30-mlle heats.
— June 11, 1958
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Gale V Primed Fine for Qualifier
By Joe Dowdall
Mechanics and drivers were making last-minute adjustments on their powerful unlimited hydroplanes Tuesday in hopes of qualifying Wednesday morning for the Detroit Memorial Race Saturday.
Four Detroit boats and Miss Supertest II of Canada must qualify at 90 miles an hour on the three-mile Detroit River course. Four other boats already have qualified in time trials for other races.
Joe Schoenith's new Gale V with Bill Cantrell at the wheel looked very good in her runs Tuesday and will be one of the first ones to attempt to qualify.
The former Tempo VII, that is now being campaigned by Chuck Thompson as Short Circuit is also ready to run. Thompson had the boat completely overhauled and is very confident after several trial runs this spring.
The qualifying trials will be the first appearance on the Detroit River of Miss Supertest since it set a world mark last fall of over 184 tnph. The record has since been broken by Seattle's Hawaii Kai III.
Bob Hayward will pilot the Rolls-Royce powered Canadian craft.
Two other crews were fighting the clock. Bud Saille, who owned and drove the Miss Wayne, is working on Jack Schafer's Such Crust III. They were installing a new gearbox in the twin-engined three-pointer and hoped to be ready in time for the trials.
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Art and Bill Hickson were also trying to get the bugs out of their Bill-Der for the trials. Bill-Der is the former Miss Great Lakes II.
The three-mile course between Belle Isle and the mainland will be closed for the trials from 6 to 11 a m. Those qualifying will join George Simon's Miss U.S. 1 and Miss U.S. IV, Buffalo's Wildroot Charlie and Lee Schoenith's Gale VI.
The Gale VI has been overhauled after flipping at Elizabeth City, N.C., two weeks ago after winning two heats.
The Memorlal will start at noon Saturday with the final heat at 5 p.m. The number of heats will not be determined until it is known how many boats qualify for the race.
Schafer’s Such Crust III is the defending champ.
— June 11, 1958