1958 Silver Cup
Waggoner's Boat Takes Silver Cup
Maverick Survives Protest and Defeats Gale V With Record 105.481 m.p.h.
DETROIT, Aug 23 [1958] (AP) Bill Stead, driving W. T. Waggoner's Maverick, gained for the West Coast another victory over Detroit in their eight-year-old unlimited hydroplane feud.
Stead scored a spectacular triumph in the final and deciding heat of the Silver Cup regatta today.
The question of disqualification was raised when it was claimed Maverick had hit a buoy on the third lap. The claim was not allowed.
"I wasn't even close to the buoy on that third lap" said Stead. "There was a buoy destroyed on the back stretch, but I don't know who hit it."
Stead finished with a 100-foot margin over Joe Schoenith's Gale V, driven by Bill Cantrell, a 50-year-old driver who has been racing boats and cars more than thirty years.
The two boats never were more than 200 yards apart in the final thirty-mile heat, the only one in which points were awarded.
Stead had the faster and better accelerating boat. Detroit's Cantrell, however, drove with reckless daring on the turns.
Several times Cantrell pushed Stead into turns at such high speeds as to force the Nevadan into semi-spins. Stead, however, always managed to pull away on the straightaway.
Six boats started the beat and four finished. Miss Bardahl, another Seattle entry, placed third, although more than a mile behind the two leaders.
Fourth place went to the Buffalo craft Wildroot Charlie.
Two Detroit,boats, Miss Detroit, owned by Chuck Thompson, and Gale VI, another Schoenith entry, dropped out on the third lap. Neither was in contention.
The victory was the third of the season for Maverick on the unlimited circuit and kept it in first place in the point standings.
Maverick broke the Silver Cup race record with a speed of 105.481 miles an hour.
Cantrell drove Gale V to two straight victories in preliminary heats. Winners of the other early fifteen-mile heats were Thompson and Roy Duby in Gale VI.
(Associated Press, August 23, 1958)