1962 Spirit of Detroit Trophy

Century 21 Wins Detroit Trophy

Muncey Sweeps 3 Heats

Notre Dame 2nd on Points

by Joe Dowdall

Bill Muncey and his fabulous Century 21 won the Spirit of Detroit Trophy race — sweeping their heats and posting their fifth straight unlimited powerboat victory.

Muncey averaged 97.715 miles an hour for the 45 miles in choppy seas and posted the fastest heat speed of 104.530 mph.

But this victory wasn’t all of the Muncey-Century combination’s doing.

They showed the huge crowd of more than 100,000 the speed and stamina with which they have dominated the Gold Cup class for the last four years.

But wily old Wild Bill Cantrell showed the crowd and Muncey what might have been.

Cantrell’s Gale V has been plagued with supercharger trouble all year. It cost him his chance of beating Muncey in the Gold Cup race two weeks ago.

It cost him the race Sunday.

In a breath-taking boat-to-boat drama, Cantrell held off the champion for four grueling laps of the final heat in the long-awaited showdown between the two boats.

In that final and deciding heat, Cantrell won the start, the fight to the first turn, and a blazing side-by-side duel along the long backstretch.

It was Cantrell into the turn and out of it at the Roostertail, and Mr. Muncey and the 100,000 cheering fans lining the shoreline knew who might have been boss if his luck held out.

Cantrell shot Gale V around the bumpy three-mile course at 108.488 mph on the third lap as he opened daylight between himself and Muncey. The lap was the fastest of the day and brought Wild Bill the Lt. James J. Meehan Trophy.

Cantrell won the match, but not the race. His supercharger quit in the lower turn of the final lap, and Century 21 breezed home the winner.

Muncey still wears powerboating’s crown proudly. He and his boat had it in the end, where victory lies.

In sweeping his three heats

Muncey ran Century 21’s consecutive string of completed heats to an unprecedented— and unbelieveable—50.

Thirteen boats started the hectic race, delayed by winds and rough water throughout the day.

The speeds were far below records. But the thrills were never better—with the best saved for last.

Trailing Century 21 in the final standings were Notre Dame, Tahoe Miss, Miss Madison, Thunderbolt, Gale Vll and Gale V.

Rough water and the whims of luck ripped the fleet in the first round of elimination heats.

Only six boats of the 13 starters finished their first 15-mile tests.

Miss Bardahl and Fascination were still strapped on their trailers as their crews tried futilely to get them ready for the first heat. Miss Bardahl got in the water too late. Fascination never got wet.

Notre Dame, with Col. Warner Gardner at the wheel, took the first heat after Miss U.S. 1 threw two rods in her engine while leading on the second lap, Donnie Wilson, had set the pace with a blazing 107.570 m.p.h. lap the first time around before his engine burst into flames.

Danny Foster, the only other finisher, was second with Gale VII. Notre Dame’s average was 97,359,

Tahoe Miss won the second heat as Russ Schleeh out-dueled Cantrell in Gale V for three laps. Cantrell was forced out at that point with super-charger trouble.

Tahoe Miss averaged 99.603.

Muncey was never in trouble in the third heat as he breezed home a full lap ahead of Marion Cooper in Miss Madison, averaging 89.940.

Gale V, with a new super charger, beat Schleeh and Tahoe Miss by half a mile in the fourth heat. The heat was marked by a side-by-side duel for second place by Notre Dame and Miss Madison.

Gale V’s speed was 99.426. The fifth heat was a parade as Muncey averaged 104.530 to lead Notre Dame, Miss Madison and Gale VII.

With Cantrell out of the race in the final heat, Muncey breezed home at 98.675.

The heat results:

HEAT 1A:

1-Notre Dame, Warner Gardner, Detroit, 97.359 mph

2-Gale VII, Dan Foster, Detroit, 95.735

Miss U.S. 1., Don Wilson, Detroit DNF, broke rod on 2nd lap

Miss Bardahl, Ron Musson, Seattle, DQ, for late start

Fascination, Bob Gilliam, Seattle, DNS

HEAT 1B:

1- Tahoe Miss, Russ Schleeh, Lake Tahoe, Calif., 99.603

2-Thunderbolt, Bud Salle, Detroit, 89.293

Gale V, Bill Cantrell, Detroit, DNF, blew supercharger on third lap

Fascination I, Bob Gilliam, Seattle, DNS.

HEAT 1C:

1—Century 21, Bill Muncey, Seattle, 89.940

2—Miss Madison, Marion Cooper, Madison, Ind., 69.133

Such Crust, Fred Alter, Detroit, DNF, carburetor failure on second lap

Miss B & l, Bob Miller, Tacoma, Wash. DNF, broke exhaust stacks on third lap

HEAT 2A:

1-Gale V, 99.426

2-Tahoe Miss, 96.308

3-Thunderbolt, 86.831

Fascination I, DNF, oil line broke on second lap

Such Crust, DNF, carburetor failure on second lap

HEAT 2B:

1-Century 21, 104.530

2-Notre Dame, 98.450

3-Miss Madison, 96.026

Gale VII, 83.688

FINAL HEAT:

1-Century 21, 98:675

2-Notre Dame, 92.744

3-Miss Madison, 90.566

4-Thunderbolt, 77.536

5-Tahoe Miss, 75.005

Gale V, DNF, broke supercharger on final lap

(Reprinted from the Detroit Free Press, August 27, 1962)