1963 Alabama Governor's Cup
Seattle Boat Sweeps Opener
Special to the Detroit News
Guntersville, Ala., June 24. — Ron Musson, of Seattle, won three heats with Miss Bardahl in the first unlimited powerboat races of the season here yesterday and says he’s pointing for champion Bill Muncey’s Miss Thriftway in the Gold Cup at Detroit July 7.
Miss Bardahl had a 106-mile-an-hour average for her three 15-mile heats and finished with 1,200 points. Bill Cantrell, driving Gale V, of Detroit, was second to the Seattle craft in the same three heats Gale V totaled 825 points.
Gale V had a 104.6 mph average. Miss Bardahl had the fastest lap time of 110.9 mph while Gale V’s best was 110.6.
Notre Dame, of Detroit driven by Col. Warner Gardner, took third place on 794 points with a first, second and fourth in her heats.
George Simon’s Miss U.S. 5 from Detroit with Don Wilson as her driver, went out of contention in her first heat. The craft stopped when she was washed down trying to lap Notre Dame.
In the pits afterward Wilson said Col. Gardner had cut him off.
Notre Dame won this heat with a 70 m.p.h. average, limping in with a broken oil line.
Detroiter Chuck Thompson drove Bill Harrah’s Tahoe Miss, of Reno, Nev., and had trouble holding down this new boat. Tahoe Miss was leading in Heat 2-A when she spun out. $ Bill, of Seattle, which conked out in the first heat, came on to win the heat from Notre Dame.
(Reprinted from the Detroit News June 25, 1963)