1948 Silver Cup
Miss Canada III Wins Silver Cup In Detroit Speed-Boat Regatta
Wilson's Craft Easy Victor After Dollar's Skip-A-Long Is Disabled
Fageol's So Long Finishes Second, Miss Frostie Third
DETROIT, Sept. 6 (AP) — Miss Canada III breezed to a straight-heat victory for power-boat racing's Silver Cup here today, showing the way to four finishers by doing the second and final heat of the 90-mile run at 68.471 miles per hour.
Events of the final day of the Labor Day week-end regatta on the Detroit River permitted Miss Canada, owned by Ernest Wilson of Ingersoll, Ont., and driven by Wilson's son, Harold, to win in a cakewalk.
Her closest pursuer in Saturday's initial heat, Clell Perry of Algonac, Mich., couldn't get his Miss Pepsi started, as she broke her propeller approaching the starter's gun.
Out With Motor Trouble
R. Stanley Dollar Jr. of San Francisco piloted his fast-stepping metal craft, the silver Skip-A-Long, through more than half of today's 45-mile heat in first place, and she wars leading Miss Canada by a mile when she developed motor trouble and quit midway of the tenth lap over the three-mile course.
Skip-A-Long flashed through the second lap of the race at a record-breaking 78.182 m. p. h., and went faster than 70 miles an hour on eight of the nine laps she lasted. The old record for the three-mile Gold Cup course was 77.911 m. p. h., set here in 1946 by Miss Golden Gate, Dan Arena's craft.
Half Minute In Front
When Skip-A-Long went out Miss Canada stepped quickly in front and stayed there, finishing a. half min to in front of So Long, owned and driven by Lou Fageol of Kent, Ohio.
The only others finishing of the eight craft to face the starter in the final heat were Warren Avis of Detroit in Miss Frostie, third, and Dan Arena in Will-o-the-Wisp, fourth.
Sid Street of Kansas City, Mo., captured the Edenburn Trophy for 225's by taking the first two nine-mile heats in Z-Z-Zip, the fastest at 68.123 m.p.h. Street's Sid's Ace was second to Bob Lueckenhoff of Dearborn, Mich., in an 18 mile race for 135's.
(Reprinted from the Associated Press, September 6, 1948)