1958 Apple Cup
Miss Bardahl Wins The Big Apple
Here's some inside information on Miss Bardahl, which brought honor to Ole Bardahl of Seattle, glory to the Queen City YC, more fame to designer Ted Jones and his first unlimited victory to driver Norm Evans when the green, yellow and black hydro won the Apple Cup at Lake Chelan May 11.
The victory proved an Allison aircraft engine still can develop the speed and maintain the stamina necessary to win the major unlimited hydroplane race. The Bardahl craft has a model 1710-G-6 of the 12 gasoline engine, 5.5 x 6 in. bore and stroke, a supercharger ratio of 8.10 to 1, a peak engine speed of 4200 r.p.m., turning a 2.75-to-1 step-up Seattle-built Western gear, with the maximum shafts speed of 11,550 r.p.m. developed 2000 horsepower.
The propeller sizes used varies from 13-in. diameter by 19-in. pitch to 13½ in by 24 in. on a 1-5/8 in. diameter "K" Monel shaft. The speed which the lash-up develops is amazing, although Miss Thriftway, Thriftway Too, and Maverick outran Bardahl in the various preliminary heats. However, the Bardahl was still running fine in the final heat of the Apple Cup for the big payoff.
The new Miss Thriftway was the boat to beat. She is a foot longer and eight inches wider than the 30 by 12 ft. Bardahl, heavier (6500 pounds) and packing a powerful Rolls-Royce. Brien Wygle and Thriftway Too was a second formidable challenger.
But in the final heat the two went out on the third lap when she struck some debris, presumably a part of Miss Burien's sponson which moments before had collided with a buoy, and tore a hole in the two's bottom as big as watermelon. She was saved, of course, but went out of the race.
Willard Rhodes thought he had the quill shaft problem licked, but on the eighth lap of the final heat, with victory in sight, Bill Muncey had to bring Miss Thriftway to a stop when she lost power.
The Chelan race was the first unlimited race of the season and the first to be run under the new rules of the APBA which provide for preliminary elimination heats, with the winner of the final heat declared the winner of the race.
This arrangement proved most satisfactory. There were 10 qualifiers, 5 interesting heats, no boats lost and all drivers in good condition for the next major Northwest race, the Diamond Cup at Coeur d'Alene Idaho, June 28-29th.
(Reprinted from Sea and Pacific Motor Boat, July 1958, p. 48-N)
| Apple Cup Summary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat 1-A | |||
| Boat | Drivers | Speed | Points |
| Miss Thriftway | Bill Muncey | 104.287 | 400 |
| Miss Bardahl | Norm Evans | 100.521 | 300 |
| Miss Seattle | Chuck Hickling | 98.504 | 225 |
| Miss Burien | Mira Slovak | 97.035 | 169 |
| Coral Reef | Harry Reeves | 92.847 | 127 |
| Heat 1-B | |||
| Thriftway Too | Brien Wygle | 103.706 | 400 |
| Maverick | Bill Stead | 101.733 | Disqualified |
| Miss U.S. 1 | Fred Alter | 100.241 | 300 |
| Miss Spokane | Dallas Sartz | 95.659 | 225 |
| Miss Pay 'N Save | Al Benson | 92.672 | 169 |
| * Maverick - fouled buoy on third lap and was disqualified from heat. | |||
| Heat 2-A | |||
| Boat | Speed | Points | Total |
| Maverick | 107.313 | 400 | 400 |
| Miss Bardahl | 103.868 | 300 | 600 |
| Thriftway Too | 97.666 | 225 | 625 |
| Miss Spokane | 96.843 | 225 | 394 |
| Miss Pay ' n Save | DNF | — | 169 |
| Heat 2-B | |||
| Miss Thriftway | 104.428 | 400 | 800 |
| Miss U.S. 1 | 101.484 | 300 | 600 |
| Miss Burien | 99.282 | 225 | 394 |
| Coral Reef | 95.003 | 169 | 296 |
| Miss Seattle | 90.27 | 127 | 352 |
| Final Heat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boat | Time | MPH | Points | Total Points |
| Miss Bardahl | 17:07.8 | 101.618 | 400 | 1000 |
| Miss U.S. 1 | 18:01.2 | 99.928 | 300 | 900 |
| Miss Spokane | 18:06.1 | 96.774 | 225 | 619 |
| Maverick | 22:09.5 | 78.419 | 169 | 569 |
| Miss Thriftway | DNF eighth lap | 800 | — | — |
| Miss Burien | DNF fourth lap | 394 | — | — |
| Thriftway Too | DNF third lap | 625 | — | — |