1960 Diamond Cup
Miss Seattle Too, Hawaii Kai Win Heats
Thrifty, Miss Spokane 2d
By John Owen
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, July 23.—Ron Musson, who arrived in town just a few hours before the race, and Norm Evans, who left town shortly after, piloted their boats to impressive victories on the bouncing waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene today in the opening heats of the Diamond Cup hydroplane classic.
Musson drove Hawaii Kai back into national prominence the hard way, giving Thriftway jockey Bill Muncey the lead and then taking it away from him to win Heat 1-B.
Evans gunned Miss Seattle Too to victory in Heat 1-A, pursued from wire to wire by Rex Manchester in Miss Spokane.
Thus the Kai and Miss Seattle Too move into the second round of racing tomorrow with a 100-point edge on their closest contenders. The chase will become even more intent in Heat 2-A, at 1:30 p. m. tomorrow. Hawaii Kai and Miss Seattle Too both were drawn into this same heat along with Miss Everett, $ Bill and KOL-roy I.
In Heat 2-B, at 2:15 p. m., will be Miss Thriftway, Miss Burien, Miss Bardahl and Miss Spokane.
The top seven boats will then square off in the third and final go-around at 3:45 p. m,
Musson and Evans were two guys in a hurry today. Ron was unable to obtain earlier reservations for the flight from his home in Akron, O., and arrived here late last night. He was able to take the Kai out for only a brief and bumpy shakedown cruise before the race.
After taking Miss Seattle Too on her victory ride, Evans handed the wheel over to Dallas Sartz, who will drive in Sunday’s final two heats. Evans is committed to drive Samuel DuPont’s Nitrogen Too in the St. Clair, Mich., regatta tomorrow. To accomplish this, he boarded a plane in Spokane at midnight tonight. He’s scheduled to arrive in Detroit at 10 a. m. and in St. Clair at 11 a. m., just an hour before the first heat.
The opening heat today was postponed a half hour because of gusty winds which whipped the lake. The second heat was set back an additional 30 minutes. The wind never did lend its fullest cooperation. Despite the rough water, Musson averaged 106.761 mph and was clocked at a breath-taking 112.500 miles an hour on the last lap, after he’d taken the lead away from the favored Miss Thriftway.
Heat 2-B was as colorful as the boats involved—the pink Hawaii Kai, the orange-and-white Miss Thriftway, the red-and-white Miss Burien, and the Green Dragon, Miss Bardahl.
Thriftway, the Kai and Miss Burien hit the line in an almost perfect start, with Miss Bardahl trailing. When they went into the first turn Thriftway had an edge, with Hawaii Kai, Burien and Bardahl following in that order.
The first three boats held their places around the first lap, but Bardahl continued to fall behind. After three laps, it was a two-boat race. Miss Burien began to flag under the blistering pace set by the Nifty Thrifty and the persistent Pink Princess.
As they came out the curve and down the straightaway, completing the fourth lap, Musson made his move. He slipped past Miss Thriftway on the outside, nursed a careful lead through the north turn, and then boomed up the backstretch with his supremacy clearly established.
That’s the way they hit the line—Hawaii Kai, Miss Thriftway, then farther back Miss Burien, and finally Miss Bardahl, which was a distant fourth.
Heat 1-A developed into a two-boat duel even earlier.
Bob Gilliam couldn’t coax any life into KOL-roy I until after the one-minute gun had sounded, so he immediately brought his boat back to the pits. Red Loomis narrowly escaped injury when Miss Everett lost its shaft and prop just before the start. A third boat in the heat, the California craft, $ Bill, just didn’t have the speed, although driver Ray Crawford chugged around patiently to pick up third place.
Evans, in Miss Seattle Too, had a slight edge on Miss Spokane in a screaming start. He widened his advantage through the first corner and was in command the rest of the way. He didn’t attempt to increase his lead, but remained four or five seconds ahead of Miss Spokane through the second, third and fourth laps.
Miss Seattle Too lapped $ Bill on the last turn and finished with an average speed of 102.77S.
--- July 23, 1960