1951 Marine Derby
Street, Rowland Score In Regatta Z-Z-Zip Wins National Title;
You All Annexes Free-for-All
By Larry Boeck
A small, chubby speed driver from the “Show-Me State” of Missouri showed a heavy foot, daring driving and a fast boat yesterday to win a national 225 Division I championship.
Sid Street, of Kansas City, Mo., zipped his Z-Z-Zip to victory in two heats of the title race to gather the American Power Boat Association crown.
The five-foot-eight Street, bouncing along the rough, choppy course like a cowhand riding a bucking bronc, didn’t find himself on Easy Street all the way, if you’ll pardon the expression. He was given the third and final heat of the 15-mile championship by another hardy pilot—Bob Rowland of Portsmouth, Va.
Takes Marine Trophy
Rowland pushed a heavy throttle to annex that heat. Then, to share in the day’s honors, he took the one-heat, 10-mile free-for-all with his speedy You All in the fifth annual Falls Cities Motor Boat Racing Association’s regatta on the Ohio River.
In other events, Ray Smith of St. Louis drove his Stinger to easy victories in all three heats to cop the 225 Division II race.
W. Curtis Martens of Hampton, Va., captured the 135 Cubic Inch Division race with his Mar-bel. He finished second twice to Street’s Gee-Whizz in the first two heats but took the final heat when the Gee-Whizz conked out. So, Martens scored on points, 1,000 to the Gee-Whizz’ 800.
Rowland outmaneuvered and outsped the heavier, unlimited division craft in the jaunt for the Marine Derby Trophy. Far behind him were last year’s winner, Andy Marcy’s My Darling, and Horace Dodge’s vaunted Delphine X.
Crowd Around 10,000
A crowd estimated by officials at from 10,000 to 12,000—lured by cloudless skies and moderate weather—watched in amazement from the Kentucky and Indiana shores while the You All slashed through the rough water to gain a comparatively easy victory.
Rowland, winner in 14 of 16 races this year before competing here, hung up the day’s fastest time for a heat in the 225 Division I race—averaging a flat 72 miles per hour. He slowed down to 67.415 m.p.h. in the free-for-all.
It was Street, however, who dominated the regatta.
He took the first two heats of the 135 cubic inch class in his Gee Whiz without opening up. But he conked out in the third heat.
Undaunted by a burned-out exhaust that sidelined him in the final heat of the 135 Division race, Street sent his Z-Z-Zip to an unchallenged victory in the first heat of the national championship race. The You All, getting off to a slow start, was fifth in this heat.
Z-Z-Zip Takes Lead
The Z-Z-Zip took a commanding lead in the second heat, but the You All came up fast in the stretch drive of the second lap. Street hung on to win—but just by one-half second. He turned the two-and-one half mile oval in 70.20 miles per hour. Rowland was on his heels at 70.03 miles per hour.
Rowland triumphed without trouble in the third heat, giving the tip-off that he’d be trouble in the free-for-all scramble. He passed Street at the end of the first lap and won, as they say in horse race parlance, going away. He averaged 72 m.p.h. flat this heat with Street covering the five miles in 68.96 m.p.h.
Street did not compete in the free-for-all because he had weakened his Z-Z-Zip by losing the end of one pontoon.
Hornet, driven by Louisville's Marion Cooper, set the pace in the Marine Derby spin. At the end of the first of four laps, My Darling had the lead with you all a close second.
My Darling spun out on the far turn of the second lap, however, and lost a great deal of distance. Rowland took over with his You All. He kept the lead, although
My Darling made a run at him in the straightaway of the last lap.
My Darling conked out, however. Meanwhile, the Delphine X was having its trouble, too. So the finish was You All, Hornet, the Tweet-Tweet of Lee Rickman, Huntington, W. Va., Delphine X and It’s A Wonder, owned by George Davis, of Vine Grove, Ky.
Two minor accidents occurred.
The Texan, driven by R. A. Bush of Ontario, Cal., and owned by Fred Steed of Tyler, Texas, flipped over in the second heat of the 225 Division race after finishing third in the first heat. Bush was not injured.
The experimental Miss Chiro caught fire in the first lap of the free-for-all. Driver and owner M. W. Jabczonskl of Detroit was not injured and the fire was extinguished by the Coast Guard without much damage to the boat.
Rough water cut down on the speed of the boats yesterday. And drivers in runabouts, lined up to watch the races just outside the course on the Kentucky side, were unco-operative, said regatta officials. The runabouts broke line several times to splash along the course. Their wandering caused race drivers to slow down and their wake helped to provide a rough course.
But, all in all, the regatta was an exciting success.
The Winners
135 Cubic Inch Division—1. Marbel, owned and driven by W. Curtis Martens. Hampton. Va.. 1,000 points; 2. Gee-Whizz, owned and driven by Sid Street. St. Louis. Mo., 800 points: 3. Jim Sue, owned and driven by Willard Fuller, Portsmouth, Ohio. 586 points.
Top average speed: 67. 66 rn.p.h. by Gee-Whizz in second heat.
225 Division I Championship—1. Z-Z-Zip, owned and driven by Street. 1,100 points; 2. You All. owned and driven by Bob Rowland. Portsmouth, Va., 827 points: 3. Briar Hopper, owned and driven by William Linso, Dayton. Ky.. 619 points.
Top average speed: 72 rn.p.h. by You All in third heat.
225 Division II—1. Stinger, owned and driven by Ray Smith. St. Louis. 1,200 points; 2. Rig-A-Mortis, owned and driven by Mac Wiefering, Dayton, Ohio 600 points; 3. Tweet-Tweet, owned and driven by Lee Rickman, Huntington, W. Va.. 525 points.
Top average speed: 65.93 rn.p.h. by Stinger in third heat.
Free-For-All—1. You All, owned and driven by Rowland; 2. Hornet, owned and driven by Marion Cooper, Louisville: 3. Tweet-Tweet, owned and driven by Rickman.
Winner's average speed: 67.41 rn.p.h.
--- August 6, 1951