1958 Mapes Mile-High Trophy
Hydroplane Races On Lake Tahoe
By Hal Wood, United Press International
Tahoe City, Nev. (UPI) - The world’s greatest hydroplanes, with the nation’s top drivers behind the steering wheels, shoot through the cold waters of Lake Tahoe today in quest of the $5,000 Mapes Gold Cup at the sixth annual mile-high regatta.
Nine of the powerful boats, all capable of going better than 100 miles an hour, will be seeking seven qualifying places in four 15-mile heats.
The finals will be held over a 30-mile route—and it is expected that an average speed of 100 miles an hour or better will be needed to win the event.
“Miss Wahoo,” which is not competing this year, won it last year at a speed of about 98 m.p.h. “But I think it will take a speed faster than that to win this time. These are very fast boats,” said regatta chairman Morlan Visel.
Detroit’s “Miss U.S. 1” was expected to be the favorite with Fred Alter at the helm. The Miss U.S. 1” is leading in the 1958 point battle for the national championship with half of the 10-meet tour completed.
— July 26, 1958
Maverick Triumphs In Mile High Regatta
Tahoe City, Calif. (AP) - Maverick, a 2½ ton roaring hydroplane. won the Sixth Annual Mile High Regatta Saturday after cooling off challenger Miss Bardahl with roostertail wake — a huge spray of Lake Tahoe water.
Bill Stead, Maverick’s Reno. Nev., driver, kept his brown-red craft powered by a 12-cylinder, 2.500-horsepower aircraft engine, in front from the start of the 10-lap 30 mile race. Stead averaged 89.341 miles per hour over the choppy blue lake.
Miss Bardahl, with Miro Slovak of Seattle at the controls, finished second, far behind.
A crowd estimated at 25,000 cheered the Seattle Czech as he turned on the speed after bogging down on the first lap. Maverick piled up a huge lead, but Miss Bardahl, with tremendous straightaway speed, caught up.
Slovak, a daredevil Czech refugee. won last year’s race and the $5,000 Mapes Cup and he wanted to repeal. He caught Stead at the sixth lap and tried to pass. But roostertail — the Maverick's wake spray — apparently drowned Miss Bardahl’s engine. Slovak got going again but he was too late to catch the winner.
The clocking for Miss Bardahl, owned by Ole Bardahl, was 86.621.
Other finishers with drivers:
3. Thriftway Too, Brien Wygle of Seattle, 82.398.
4. Gale V, Lee Schoenith of Detroit. 80 771.
5. Muvalong, Red Loomis of Monrovia. Calif, ‘no time’.
6. Wildroot Charlie, Bob Schroeder. Buffalo. N. Y. ‘no time’.
Millionaire Arizona sportsman William Waggoner claimed his sleek Maverick has clocked 205 m.p.h. on Lake Mead. Nev. The victory put Maverick in the lead for the national hydroplane championship.
Troubles
Nothing like 200 m.p.h. was needed today, what with the troubles of other challengers. Miss Bardahl wasn’t the only craft to have difficulty which the experts blamed on the high altitude, 6500 feet.
Miss U.S. 1, owned by George Simmons of Detroit, and the leader for national honors until today, broke down after running fourth in the first heat.
Breathless II, owned by J. Philip Murphy of San Francisco, never got started. Wildroot Charlie was No. 2 nationally before the race. Its sixth place finish was considered a big disappointment. Gale VI another Schoenith entry, dropped out in the second lap of the finale.
— July 27, 1958
Maverick Wins Tahoe Gold Cup
By Jack Menges
Tahoe City, Lake Tahoe, July 26 — Bill Stead drove Maverick to victory in the Mapes Mile High Gold Cup unlimited hydroplane speedboat race here today and at the lame time vaulted into first place in the national Championship point standings.
The 37-year-old Reno cattle rancher won both his qualifying heats and went on to capture the 30-mile championship event over relatively calm waters and under a clear blue sky.
However, the plaudits of the 25,000 spectators went to Mira Slovak, who also won two heats and finished second to Stead in the title race.
The heavy-footed Czech refugee, winner of the Mapes Gold Cup here last year in Miss Wahoo, really put on a show today in Miss Bardahl.
Twice his sleek green hydroplane was caught in the rooster tails of other boats and washed out the engine. But both times, after losing considerable ground, he came on again to challenge Stead.
However, on the ninth lap Slovak came too low into the first turn, missed the marker buoy and was forced to circle around to correct the error.
He still managed to finish only 36 seconds behind the winner and for his efforts was awarded the Burgie Trophy. Slovak also won the Burgurmeister award last year, which is voted annually by the sports writers - to the outstanding driver.
Stead’s victory picked up 400 points for the Maverick and boosted Arizona oilman William Waggoner’s racing boat into first place in the United States hydroplane point battle.
The Maverick, in fifth place going into today’s race, now has 969 points with six of the 12 championship races for the reason now history.
Miss U.S. 1, which entered the Tahoe regatta as the top point boat with 869, failed to qualify for the final run-off. The hydroplane experienced difficulty with the 6,000-foot altitude and the crew was unable to get it performing properly.
By virtue of finishing second, Slovak and Miss Bardahl moved from seventh to third with 700 points.
Maverick jumped into the lead at the start of the 80-mile championship event, with Miss Bardahl second and Thriftway Too, driven by Brien Wygle, third down the backstretch.
Miss Bardahl moved up in the second turn only to wash out and fall dead in the water. When Slovak got her going again Miss Bardahl was last in the seven-boat field and more than half a lap behind the powerful Maverick.
Slovak went down heavy on the throttle and moved up as Lee Schoenith’s Gale VI of Detroit was forced out at the end of two laps.
Miss Bardahl took over fourth place the third time Around and at the end of four laps was second. 25 seconds behind the leader.
Slovak chopped 17 seconds off on the next circuit and moved up fast on Maverick going down the backstretch. As they went through the second turn Slovak cut it tight and was Just about to overtake the leader when his boat drifted out slightly.
It was just enough to catch Maverick’s spray and Miss Bardahl again came to an abrupt stop.
Slovak refused to call it quits, fired up the 2,000-horsepower Allison engine and set out after Maverick.
He was gaining all the time, regained second place from Thriftway Too on the eighth lap and then in his eagerness to nail Stead missed the initial marker buoy on the first turn.
Slovak was forced to cut a wide circle, in which he lost all chance of catching Stead. But he did manage to go by Thriftway Too again for the fourth time in the race and hauled down second place
Maverick went the 30 miles in 20 minutes, 10:18 seconds for an average speed of 89.241 miles per hour. Miss Bardahl's time for the 10 trips around the three-mile course was 20:46.67.
Thriftway Two was third in 21:50.58 and Gale V, with veteran Bill Cantrell at the wheel, wound up fourth in 22:12.07.
J. Phillip Murphy’s Muvalong, with Red Loomis making his first start in the unlimited hydroplanes, dropped out after five laps while Wildroot Charlie and Robert Schroeder were forced out at the end of four laps.
Murphy’s other entrant, Breathless II, was unable to start in its heat when water apparently fouled the alky fuel mixture.
The unlimited hydroplane competition resumes with the running of the Seattle Gold Cup races August 10.
Following are the results of the qualifying heats:
Heat 1A:
Maverick, 10:00.62, 89.910; Gale VI, 10:23 58, 86.600; Thriftway Too, 10:28.58, 85.918. Miss U.S. 1, 11:38.68, 77.269.
Heat 1B:
Miss Bardahl, 9:57.95, 90.316; Muvalong, 10:02.83 89.754; Gale V, 10:31 34, 85.531; Wildroot Charlie, 12:05.22, 74.457.
Heat 2A:
Maverick, 10:16.79, 87.548; Thriftway Too, 10:25.32, 86.351; Muvalong, 11:35.97, 77.586; Gale V, 14:38.18, 61.458; Miss U.S. 1 did not finish.
Heat 2B:
Miss Bardahl, 9:50.85, 91.393; Gale VI, 9:55.25, 90.725; Wildroot Charlie, 12:06.96. 74.288.
— July 27, 1958