1956 Mapes Mile-High Gold Cup
Kaiser Boats Bid For Tahoe Trophy
Three Kaiser hydroplanes, With speeds ranging from 115 to 190 miles per hour, will he iidding for first places this reekend at the fourth annual jake Tahoe Mile-High Gold Cup Championships.
Top contender for the $10,000 Mapes Perpetual Gold Cup Trophy, awarded to the winner of the unlimited division, is Edgar Kaiser's newest speedburner "Hawaii Kai III,” said to be capable of speeds of around 190 miles per hour. It will be driven by Howard Gidovlenko of Los Angeles.
Another Kaiser entry in the unlimited division is the "Scooter Too." The "Scooter" has hit speeds in excess of 160 miles per hour, and will be driven by Jack Regas of Livermore. Defending unlimited champion is J. Philip Murphy's "Breathless" driven by his son, Roger Murphy.
Third entry is the “Restless,” defending seven-litre champion, which will be piloted by Barney Navarro of Glendale.
Qualifying heats for the unllmlteds—the “big boys” of the racing field—will be held tomorrow. To qualify for the final heats on Saturday, boats must hit an average speed of 80 miles per hour over a three-mile, 5-lap course, situated at New Chambers Lodge on the west side of Lake Tahoe.
Some 75 entries in seven different racing classes are entered in the two-day meet. A crowd of around 30,000 is expected.
--- July 6, 1956
Fast Hydros Will Compete In Tahoe Regatta Tomorrow
Breathless, owned by Phil Murphy of Piedmont, will be one of the speed boats entered in the fourth annual Mile High Gold Cup Regatta this weekend at Lake Tahoe. Qualifying races will be held Friday with the finals Saturday for the $10,000 Mapes trophy over the three-mile course at New Chambers Lodge.
Chambers Lodge. Lake Tahoe—A fast fleet of Gold Cup class hydroplanes will roar around a three mile course here tomorrow in quest of top money and the $6,000 Mapes perpetual trophy in the fourth annual Mile High Regatta.
The first of three unlimited class heats will start at 10 AM. Events for limited class hydroplanes and runabouts will be run between the three heats of the feature race.
Contenders for the cup won last year by J. Philip Murphy's Breathless include Edgar Kaiser’s boats, Scooter Too, winner of the 1954 race, and Hawaii Kai III; Willard Rhodes' Miss Thriftway and W. T. (Bill) Waggoner’s Shanty I. A third Kaiser entry is the Restless, defending champion in the 7 litre hydro class
The races are sponsored by the Lake Tahoe Sierra Chamber of Commerce and conducted by officials of the California Speedboat Association under sanction by the American Power Boat Association.
Trophies, including awards to the top driver and mechanic, will be presented at a drivers’ dinner tomorrow night in the Chambers Lodge dining room.
--- July 6,1956
55 Boats Vie in Gold Cup Ready for Races at Tahoe Tomorrow
Tahoe City, July 5.-Fifty-five speedboats will vie in the fourth annual Lake Tahoe Mile High Gold Cup races Saturday and Sunday.
The only Gold Cup action to be staged on the West Coast this year [NOTE: what about Seattle and Las Vegas?], the regatta will begin at 10 a m. Featured event will be the Mapes Gold Cup race. Course for the Gold Cup boats — big, unlimited hydroplanes — is three miles in length. It will be run in three beats, limited races will be run in two.
Favorites in the Mapes test Include the defending champion, Breathless, owned by California industrialist J. Philip Murphy, of Piedmont, and Henry Kaiser’s Scooter Too. Kaiser’s new boat, Hawaiian Village, is also expected to compete.
For the first time, main event points will count in the scoring of the American Power Boat Association for the coveted Harmsworth Trophy.
Prizes and trophies will be .awarded at 8 p.m. at the New Chambers Lodge. The awards include the Mapes Gold Cup to the owner of the winning Gold Cup boat; a trophy to the most outstanding driver, awarded by Burgermeister Beer; a new award for the top mechanic, given by the Lake Tahoe Sierra Chamber of Commerce, and a trophy for the fastest single heat in the Gold Cup race, donated by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Lake Tahoe Coast Guard auxiliary will govern the course and surrounding waters.
--- July 6, 1956