1956 St. Clair International Trophy
[International Boundary]

St. Clair River, St. Clair, Michigan, July 15, 1956

Harmsworth Takes 11 Boats To St. Clair

International Trophy race course
INTERNATIONAL RACE COURSE—An expected 11 unlimited power boats will roar over this three mile course in three 15 mile heats on St. Clair River in the second annual running of the International Trophy race, sponsored by the St. Clair Children’s Recreational Committee. The backstretch is 6600 feet long, the homestretch is approximately 6800 feet, while the north and south turns are 1065 feet wide.

St. Clair, July 13 — Three unlimited power boats have already arrived fbr the second annual International Trophy race to be held here at 1 p.m. Sunday and at least eight more are expected to be hauled in late today.

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None can be transported Saturday or Sunday because a state law prohibits moving boats of their beam on weekends or holidays.

Chuck Thompson’s Short Circuit, Jack Schafer's Such Crust III (defending champion) and Dora My Sweetie, Horace Dodge’s entry, appeared in the Port Huron Blue Water Festival parade Thursday night.

Race Chairman Cecil Vollstaedt and his committee have been working on the course and other last minute details in getting ready for an expected invasion of well over 70,000 spectators.

Working on the committee are: Ed Shafron, Clayton Smith, Ralph Liscom, Carl Black, Richard Rourke, Ted Wilson, Dick Donnellon, Charles Hayden, Pete Sprayberry, Al Whitsitt, Dick Collins, Buck Collins, Don Cheadle, Wesley Collins, Mike Delano and Dick Schwarts.

The International race is Important from a Harmsworth standpoint.

Winning the Harmsworth is to power boating what a World Series championship or the Kentucky Derby is to baseball and horse racing.

The boat totalling the most points in designated races during the season will defend the Harmsworth against Canadian challenger, Miss Supertest II, of London, Ont, late in August.

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The Yachtmen’s Association of America does the actual selection of the Harmsworth defender The YAA's method for picking the boat is to consider any two races an owner designates as his boat’s best efforts.

Miss United States II [Miss U.S. II], owned by George Simon, Detroit, is the current point leader with 300 scored in the Picton, Ont, race.

She finished second behind Miss Supertest.

Both are expected to compete in the International along with Miss Wayne, owned and driven by Frank "Bud" Saile, Detroit: Gale VI, owned by Joe Schoenith, Detroit; Marv Heinrich's Wha Hoppen Too; Gordon DeNeau's What A Pickle; Schoenith's Gale IV and another Dodge boat.

The race is over a three-mile course, consisting of three 15-mile heats, starting at 1 pm

--- July 13, 1956