1947 A.P.B.A. Gold Cup

Jamaica Bay, Jamaica, L.I., New York, August 10, 1947

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Gold Cup Challengers

Leonard H. Thomson, president of the American Power Boat Association, advises that he has forwarded to the South Shore Y. C. Gold Cup Committee at New York entries of four challengers for the 1947 Gold Cup Event Three will fly the colors of the Detroit Yacht Club, while the fourth is entered through the Yachtsmen’s Association of America.

So-Long, Jr., owned by Lou Fageol of Kent, Ohio, is one of the three challengers from the Detroit Yacht Club. This boat won the Mulford Memorial Silver Cup at the Detroit Regatta in 1946. So-Long, Jr., is equipped with a Fageol motor of 404 cubic inches, considerably under the piston displacement of many other motors in this event.

The second challenger from the Detroit Yacht Club is Miss Peps-V, owned by Walter, Roy and Russell Dossin. Miss Peps-V is a Ventnor type hull rebuilt by Danny Foster, who is in charge of construction of the boat and installation of her Allison engine.

The third D. Y. C. challenger is Miss Cincinnati IV, owned by J. Cam Fischer of Cincinnati, Ohio, to be driven by Dr. Robert Hermann of Cincinnati, Ohio. This boat was the original challenger for the 1946 Gold Cup Race through the Detroit Yacht Club, but unfortunately turned over in the first heat of last year’s event. It has since been completely rebuilt and a new Hispano 725 cubic inch motor installed.

The fourth challenger, entered under the burgee of the Yachtsmen’s Association of America, is Miss Great Lakes, owned by Albin Fallon of Detroit. Miss Great Lakes won the President’s Cup at Washington in 1946 and under her former name, Miss Golden Gate, gave Guy Lombardo many ticklish moments during the running of the 1946 Gold Cup event at Detroit This boat is also Allison-powered and was originally designed and built in California by Dan Arena, who drove it in the Gold Cup race of last year. The hull was badly damaged during an attempted mile record trial in Detroit last fall when it upset when making an estimated speed of over 120 m.p.h. It has since been completely rebuilt and many changes in design have been incorporated, and an entire new engine installed.

Other dark horse Detroit contenders are said to be still under construction. All four of these boats, as well as probably many other Gold Cup entries at New York, will also race in Detroit over the Labor Day weekend for the Mulford Memorial Silver Cup, qualifications for which are the same as for the Gold Cup.

Notre Dame, owned by Herb Mendelson, will be driven by Dan Arena of San Francisco. Notre Dame makes its first Gold Cup appearance since 1940 when it set a lap record at 77.911 m.p.h.

For the first time since 1938, this year’s Gold Cup Regatta will have foreign entries. Two Italian boats and one French speedboat are expected to compete.

Theo Rossi, it is reported, has put two boats in condition for the regatta. It had been previously reported that his boats had been damaged by Allied bombs while in an Italian drydock, but Rossi has sent word that he intends competing in the Gold Cup classic this year.

Guy Lombardo will defend his Gold Cup crown with his Ventnor boat, Tempo VI, powered with the same 16-cylinder Zumbach Miller 600 horsepower engine which enabled him to break two world’s records in the classic at Detroit last year.

Joe Van Blerck, Jr., fellow member of Guy Lombardo in the South Shore Yacht Club, has entered his Aljo V Winner of the 1946 New York State 225 cubic inch championships, Joe has had previous experience in the Gold Cup event, having finished third last year. Aljo V is said to be good for 80 m.p.h., with excellent prospects of finishing the 90 miles regardless of course conditions. Should either Joe or Guy take top honors this year, the cup will stay in Freeport.

Darius Sylvester, chairman of the Gold Cup Committee, in a statement intended to clear up popular misconception that the boat showing the fastest time wins the cup, emphasis that points are awarded each boat in each of the three heats, and it is the boat with the greatest total number of points that is the winner.

(Reprinted from Motor Boating, August 1947)