1975 Desert Thunderboat Classic
The History of Big Boat Racing in Arizona (excerpt)
In 1975 at the Desert Thunderboat Classic, held on Firebird Lake near Chandler, Arizona, a series of head-on "match" races was held until the top four point-getters -- in two rows of two boats each -- were pitted in the final heat. Miss Budweiser, driven by Mickey Remund, was the winner. In the aforementioned final heat, the Budweiser and Weisfield's, driven by Billy Schumacher, earned a front-row start. In a second row, 300 feet back -- or the approximate length of a full roostertail spray -- were Milner Irvin in the Lincoln Thrift and the Hamm's Bear.
Weisfield's gave the Budweiser all it wanted in the five-lap finale, but drifted wide on the final turn when a rudder came loose -- allowing Remund to charge inside and win a dash to the finish line. About 10,000 spectators attended the race -- the only such incidence of two-boat match racing in unlimited history until [1995]'s Gila River Casino Unlimited Cup.
(Reprinted from the Electronic URC Hydroletter, Vol. 1, no. 4)