1912 Detroit Motor Boat Club Match Race

Statistics

Detroit Motor Boat Club Match Race
June 8 10 Mile Course
Detroit River 20 Mile Heats
Detroit, Michigan 40 Mile Race

 

  Entry Owner Comp. Lap Race
1. Baby Reliance II (1) John Ryan
2. Kitty Hawk II Lee Counselman 43.848 37.325

 

  Heat One Driver Points Speed
1. Kitty Hawk II Freeman Munroe 2 38.605
2. Baby Reliance II Jay Smith Dnf  
  Heat Two Driver Points Speed
1. Kitty Hawk II Freeman Munroe 2 36.126

 

  Recapitulation Heat 1 Heat 2 Total
1. Kitty Hawk II 2 2 4
2. Baby Reliance II DNF DNS 0

 

This was a challenge match race between John Ryans's Baby Reliance II and Lee Counselman's Kitty Hawk II. Baby Reliance was designed by Smith-Ryan while Kitty Hawk was by John L. Hacker — two rival designers in the Detroit area. Baby Reliance had a Sterling while Kitty Hawk had a Van Blerck under her hatches.

Each heat was to be two laps around Belle Island. However in the first heat Baby Reliance capsized when confronted with a pleasure boat wake. The boats ran evenly matched until the Reliance accident. This was the most important Detroit regatta up to that time.

[Statistics from Greene, V.1]