1961 Seafair Trophy Race
[World Championship]
Special Hydro Races Set for Seafair
Dallas Donnan, president of Greater Seattle Inc., announced recently a plan to stage a world’s championship unlimited hydroplane race on Seattle’s Lake Washington, Aug. 6 as part of the 1961 Seafair. The richest entry purse ever offered for a race — $40,000 — will be one of the incentives expected to attract a large entry. Mr. Stanley Donogh of Seattle, active for many years in hydroplane racing, formulated the plan and worked out the rules which will not only take into consideration a sense of responsibility to the public who view the race but will produce a race with the results announced at the end of the race.
The day’s racing would be divided into three races of three heats each. Heats would be 15 miles — five laps of three miles each. The seven boats with the fastest qualifying speeds would go into the World’s Championship Seafair Trophy Race; the seven next fastest boats to qualify would race for the Seafair Trophy and the next seven fastest boats would make up the field for the Seafair Queen’s Race. The rules are simple and precise and should overcome many of the factors that have caused dissatisfaction with unlimited hydroplane racing in recent years.
(Reprinted from Sea and Pacific Motor Boat, May 1961)