1962 Indiana Governor's Cup

Ohio River, Madison, Indiana, September 1-2, 1962

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Photos

There's never been a deck-to-deck like duel like last year's [1962] Governor's Cup contest between Bill Muncey, driving Miss Century 21, and Ron Musson, herding Miss Bardahl. The two plucky charges drove side by side for four laps and gave race fans one of their biggest racing thrills. Here is the start of that heat with Fred Alter in the Such Crust on the outside, Muncey and Musson charging across the line and other boats hidden in roostertails . . . . .

Up the backstretch on the second lap Miss Bardahl forges into a lead of almost a boat length. Musson had been passed on the main stretch by Muncey but he took the lead away as the hydros roared out of the lower turn. The two boats, battling at 160 m. p. h. and upwards, were at times almost touching as they fought for the lead.

At the end of the third lap, Willard Rhodes' persimmon and white bombshell grabbed the lead away again as the boats neared the starting line. There wasn't any doubt that Musson, in the Miss Bardahl, would make another serious challenge.

Musson went inside Muncey as the boats came out of the upper turn at the end of lap number four. Ole Bardahl's Green Dragon responded with a will and by the time the boats reached the start of the final lap, Musson was a deck length in front of Muncey. Muncey was later declared the winner when the official photograph showed Bardahl had jumped the gun at the start, but this didn't lessen the thrill felt by the thousands of fans who saw the duel.