1955 Mapes Mile High Gold Cup

Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, Calif., September 10, 1955

Tahoe Gold Cup Lists Eight Boats For Saturday Mile-High Regatta

Kaiser Entries Include Sister to Thriftway

Hawaii Kai testing
Hawaii Kai will be one of three Henry J. Kaiser boats running Saturday for the Mile High Gold Cup in the unlimited hydroplane feature of the Mile High Regatta at Tahoe City. The Hawaii Kai, which arrived at Tahoe a week ago, is a sister to the Gold Cup threat, Miss Thriftway, carrying the same power plant in the same hull, and will be joined in the Tahoe races by Kaiser hydroplanes Scooter Too and Restless. The Mile High Regatta program will begin Saturday at 9 a.m., with the feature Gold Cup to be run in three heats

Eight of the “big boys” have been entered in the unlimited hydroplane class Tahoe Gold Cup Saturday, the feature race of the annual Mile High Regatta at Tahoe City. Three of the unlimited hydros will be entered by San Francisco industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, including a brand-new sister ship to the highly-regarded Miss Thriftway. Kaiser’s new boat, which carries the same Allison power plant in the same hull [design ]as Thriftway, has been named Hawaii Kai, and bettered 100 miles an hour handily in her first workouts at Tahoe two weeks ago.

Both defending champions from the Tahoe Gold Cop will be on hand for Saturday’s third running for the $5,000 perpetual trophy donated by Reno hotel operator Charles Mapes. Stanley Dollar’s "Short Snorter,” winner of the first Tahoe Gold Cup In 1953, will be back for another shot at the championship taken away last year by Kaiser's "Scooter.”

Other unlimited hydroplanes entered In the meet include J. Phillip Murphy’s Breathless, which placed third last year with Jay Murphy at the controls (he’ll pilot Breathless again Saturday); Kaiser’s "Restless”; the "[Zephyr] Fury [did not appear],” a new boat owned by Ray Crawford and Howard Gidovlenko; "War Paint,” owned by Paul Scaglon of Berkeley and piloted by Morgan Keating; and the "California Kid,” another Murphy boat, this one driven by Roger Murphy.

The big boats will run three heats for the Tahoe Gold Cup, with the first heat scheduled at the Tahoe City course Saturday morning at 10 o’clock the second heat called for 12:30 p.m. and the final heat set for 3 p.m.

72 Total Entry

But the Gold Cup boats will not attract all the attention Saturday by any means, with a total of 72 boats on the entry list provided by Lake Tahoe-Sierra Chamber of Commerce official Mrs. Myrtle Camell.

Fourteen have been listed for the cracker box event, seven for the "B” racing runabouts, 11 for the 48 cubic inch hydros, 14 for the 136 cubic inch hydros, 10 for the 135 cubic inch hydroplanes and eight for the 225-cubic inch hydros.

A new race has been added since the entry list was printed for distribution, with a special event to be run for seven-litre boats, originally scheduled only with the unlimited hydroplanes. Details of the seven-litre race were not available, other than sponsorship by Ralph S. Peer.

Saturday’s schedule lists the following action;

Programs and reserved seat tickets for the Saturday regatta are on sale in Reno at the Mapes Hotel (lobby cigar stand) with the programs retailing for 50 cents each and reserved seat tickets going at $2.50 a copy. General admission tickets will be available at Tahoe City Saturday at $1 for adults and 50 cents for children.

Entry list last night included the following:

Unlimited Hydroplanes (Tahoe Gold Cup)

Short Snorter, owner-pilot, R. Stanley Dollar. Jr.; Scooter Too, owner Henry J. Kaiser, pilot Jack Regas, Breathless, owner J. Phillip Murphy, pilot Jay Murphy; Restless, owner Henry J. Kaiser, pilot Barney Navarro: [Zephyr] Fury, owners Ray Crawford and Howard Gidovlenko; War Paint, owner Paul Scaglon, pilot Morgan Keaton; California Kid, owner J. Phillip Murphy, pilot Roger Murphy; Hawaii Kai, owner Henry J. Kaiser, pilot Kenneth St. Oegger.

Cracker Box

Hot Cinders, Bob Patterson, Van Nuys; It’ll Do, Earl John, Bakersfield; Rattler, Wendell Tucker, Folsom; Later. Richard Jensen, Oakland: No Go, Paul Pearce, Pico; Vixen, Edward DeGear, San Francisco; Miss-Fit, Mark Hayne, Palo Alto; Li'l Sneezer, Riel Beatteay, Los Angeles: Wild Hare, Ernie Davis, San Bernardino; Blue Hawk, Leslie Hawk, Lafayette; unnamed, Bill Briner, Tahoe City; Jack In A Box, Jack McConnell, Sacramento; Barbara Lynne, Bob Pearce, Pinole; Hickybill, Stanley Newton, Lemoore.

B Racing Runabout

Pell Mell, George Charney, Modesto; Down Boy, Richard Johnson, Monrovia; Li'l Bee. Ernest Rose. Patterson; Flying Parts, Fred Davis, Walnut Creek; Slide-Rule, Woody Eldredge, Merced; Keene-O, Fred Keene, Modesto; Queen Bee, Richard Overpack, San Leandro.

48-Cubic Inch Hydroplane

Wisp, Richard Hallett, Downey; Sweety Peach. Clarence Frye, Piedmont; Undecided II, George Moriz, Hayward; Little Butch, Denton Denny, Lafayette; Little Jim, Fred Hubbard, Los Angeles; Two Shoes, Gerald Eschen, Hayward; Jr., Herbert Newell, San Leandro; Fat Pants, Vernon Dallman, Jr., Daly City; Flyln’ Finn, Anton Hill, Long Beach; Little Reggie Too, Robert E. Rhoades, Lafayette; Mighty Mouse, Victor Parsley, Los Banos.

136-Cubic Inch Hydroplanes

White Heat, Stanley Jouanne, San Francisco; Scatter-brain, Gene Souza, Oakland: Imwldu, Clark Akin, Bakersfield; Torken I, Ronald Lamm, San Mateo; Maybe, Howard Newton, Concord; Rebound, Jack Terrett, San Francisco; Jerky, Bob Boehm, Healdsburg; Who Cares, James Silva, Tracy; Hidden Loot, Eddie Silva, Hayward; Let’s Went, Dino and Leo Ortolan, Los Gatos; Nonchalant II, Allan Ford, Hayward; Mar Caballo, Marie and Jack Lewis, San Diego; My Sin, Lloyd DeLozier, San Diego; Joker, Morey Hale, Modesto.

135-Cubic Inch Hydroplane

Hot-T Trot, Bob Barnes, Berkeley: Screaming Eagle IV, Buddy Holloway, Oakland; Z B, Robert Ingram. Visalia; Jostle II, Bill Jaustl, West Log Angeles; Rlc-O-Shay. Bill Dugranrut, Fresno; Trample. Rod Maurer, San Diego; Sklppy, John Corea, Dos Palos: Little Miss I (eye) A. L. "Red" Loomis. Monrovia; Joey III, Fred Galante, Visalia; Avenger IV, Edwin "Bud” Meyer, North Hollywood.

225-Cubic Inch Hydroplane

Candy Too, Harry Ammon, North Sacramento; Spitfire, Alex Harvey, Oakland; King Pin II. George King, Fresno: Hi Ball, Porte Alameda, Stockton; Thunderblrd, William Gausti, West Los Angeles: California Kid, Roger Murphy, Piedmont; Galloping Gael, Floyd Ciochon, Oakland; Flyin' Saucer, Richard Hallett, Downey.

— Nevada State Journal, September 8,1955