| 7/14/2006 3:00:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | |
| | APBA Gold Cup Winners | American Power Boat Association
Past winners of the APBA Gold Cup
Year-Driver, boat (location)
1904-Carl C. Riotte, Standard (New York, N.Y.)
1904-Willis Sharpe Kilmer, Vingt et Un II (New York, N.Y.)
1905-Jonathan Wainwright, Chip (Chippewa Bay, N.Y.)
1906-Jonathan Wainwright, Chip II (Chippewa Bay, N.Y.)
1907-Jonathan Wainwright, Chip II (Chippewa Bay, N.Y.)
1908-Jonathan Wainwright, Dixie II (Chippewa Bay, N.Y.)
1909-Jonathan Wainwright, Dixie II (Alexandria Bay, N.Y.)
1910-F.K. Burnham, Dixie III (Alexandria Bay, N.Y.)
1911-J.H. Hayden, MIT II (Alexandria Bay, N.Y.)
1912-A. Graham Miles, PDQ II (Alexandria Bay, N.Y.)
1913-Casmir S. Mankowski, Ankle Deep (Alexandria Bay, N.Y.)
1914-Robert Edgren/Jim Blackton Jr., Baby Speed Demon II (Lake George, N.Y.)
1915-Jack Beebe/John Milot, Miss Detroit (New York, N.Y.)
1916-Bernard Smith, Miss Minneapolis (Detroit, Mich.)
1917-Gar Wood, Miss Detroit II (Detroit, Mich.)
1918-Gar Wood, Miss Detroit III (Detroit, Mich.)
1919-Gar Wood, Miss Detroit III (Detroit, Mich.)
1920-Gar Wood, Miss Detroit IV (Detroit, Mich.)
1921-Gar Wood, Miss America (Detroit, Mich.)
1922-Jesse G. Vincent, Packard Chris Craft (Detroit, Mich.)
1923-Caleb Bragg, Packard Chris Craft (Detroit, Mich.)
1924-Caleb Bragg, Baby Bootlegger (Detroit, Mich.)
1925-Caleb Bragg, Baby Bootlegger (Port Washington, N.Y.)
1926-George H. Townsend, Greenwich Folly (New York, N.Y.)
1927-George H. Townsend, Greenwich Folly (New York, N.Y.)
1928-NO RACE
1929-Richard F. Hoyt, Imp III (Red Bank, N.J.)
1930-Vic Kliesrath, Hotsy Totsy (Red Bank, N.J.)
1931-Vic Kliesrath, Hotsy Totsy (Montauk, N.Y.)
1932-Bill Horn, Delphine IV (Montauk, N.Y.)
1933-George C. Reis, El Lagarto (Detroit, Mich.)
1934-George C. Reis, El Lagarto (Lake George, N.Y.)
1935-George C. Reis, El Lagarto (Lake George, N.Y.)
1936-Kaye Don, Impshi (Lake George, N.Y.)
1937-Clell Perry, Notre Dame (Detroit, Mich.)
1938-Theo Rossi, Alagi (Detroit, Mich.)
1939-Zalmon Guy Simmons Jr., My Sin (Detroit, Mich.)
1940-Sidney Allen, Hotsy Totsy III (Northport, N.Y.)
1941-Zalmon Guy Simmons, My Sin, (Red Bank, N.J.)
1942-NO RACE
1943-NO RACE
1944-NO RACE
1945-NO RACE
1946-Guy Lombardo, Tempo VI (Detroit, Mich.)
1947-Danny Foster, Miss Peps V (Jamaica Bay, N.Y.)
1948-Danny Foster, Miss Great Lakes (Detroit, Mich.)
1949-Bill Cantrell, My Sweetie (Detroit, Mich.)
1950-Ted Jones, Slo-Mo-Shun IV (Detroit, Mich.)
1951-Lou Fageol, Slo-Mo-Shun V (Seattle, Wash.)
1952-Stan Dollar, Slo-Mo-Shun IV (Seattle, Wash.)
1953-Joe Taggert/ Lou Fageol, Slo-Mo-Shun IV (Seattle, Wash.)
1954-Lou Fageol, Slo-Mo-Shun V (Seattle, Wash.)
1955-Lee Schoenith, Gale V (Seattle, Wash.)
1956-Bill Muncey, Miss Thriftway (Detroit, Mich.)
1957-Bill Muncey, Miss Thirftway (Seattle, Wash.)
1958-Jack Regas, Hawaii Kai III (Seattle, Wash.)
1959-Bill Stead, Maverick (Seattle, Wash.)
1960-NO CONTEST (Las Vegas, Nev.)
1961-Bill Muncey, Miss Century 21 (Reno, Nev.)
1962-Bill Muncey, Miss Century 21 (Seattle, Wash.)
1963-Ron Musson, Miss Bardahl (Detroit, Mich.)
1964-Ron Musson, Miss Bardahl (Detroit, Mich.)
1965-Ron Musson, Miss Bardahl (Seattle, Wash.)
1966-Mira Slovak, Tahoe Miss (Detroit, Mich.)
1967-Billy Schumacher, Miss Bardahl (Seattle, Wash.)
1968-Billy Schumacher, Miss Bardahl (Detroit, Mich.)
1969-Bill Sterrett, Miss Budweiser (San Diego, Calif.)
1970-Dean Chenoweth, Miss Budweiser (San Diego, Calif.)
1971-Jim McCormick, Miss Madison (Madison, Ind.)
1972-Bill Muncey, Atlas Van Lines (Detroit, Mich.)
1973-Dean Chenoweth, Miss Budweiser (Tri-Cities, Wash.)
1974-George Henley, Pay 'n Pak (Seattle, Wash.)
1975-George Henley, Pay 'n Pak (Tri-Cities, Wash.)
1976-Tom D'Eath, Miss U.S. (Detroit, Mich.)
1977-Bill Muncey, Atlas Van Lines (Tri-Cities, Wash.)
1978-Bill Muncey, Atlas Van Lines (Owensboro, Ky.)
1979-Bill Muncey, Atlas Van Lines (Madison, Ind.)
1980-Dean Chenoweth, Miss Budweiser (Madison, Ind.)
1981-Dean Chenoweth, Miss Budweiser (Seattle, Wash.)
1982-Chip Hanauer, Atlas Van Lines (Detroit, Mich.)
1983-Chip Hanauer, Atlas Van Lines (Evansville, Ind.)
1984-Chip Hanauer, Atlas Van Lines (Tri-Cities, Wash.)
1985-Chip Hanauer, Miller American (Seattle, Wash.)
1986-Chip Hanauer, Miller American (Detroit, Mich.)
1987-Chip Hanauer, Miller American (San Diego, Calif.)
1988-Chip Hanauer, Miller American (Evansville, Ind.)
1989-Tom D'Eath, Miss Budweiser (San Diego, Calif.)
1990-Tom D'Eath, Miss Budweiser (Detroit, Mich.)
1991-Mark Tate, Winston Eagle (Detroit, Mich.)
1992-Chip Hanauer, Miss Budweiser (Detroit, Mich.)
1993-Chip Hanauer, Miss Budweiser (Detroit, Mich.)
1994-Mark Tate, Smokin' Joes (Detroit, Mich.)
1995-Chip Hanauer, Miss Budweiser (Detroit, Mich.)
1996-Dave Villwock, PICO American Dream (Detroit, Mich.)
1997-Dave Villwock, Miss Budweiser Detroit, Mich.)
1998-Dave Villwock, Miss Budweiser (Detroit, Mich.)
1999-Chip Hanauer, Miss Pico (Detroit, Mich.)
2000-Dave Villwock, Miss Budweiser (Detroit, Mich.)
2001-Mike Hanson, Tubby's Grilled Subs (Detroit, Mich.)
2002-Dave Villwock, Miss Budweiser (Detroit, Mich.)
2003-Mitch Evans, Miss Fox Hills Chrysler Jeep (Detroit, Mich.)
2004-Nate Brown, Miss Detroit Yacht Club (Detroit, Mich.)
2005-Terry Troxell, Miss Al Deeby Dodge (Detroit, Mich.)
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11 chasing Gold Cup dreams in Detroit
David Campbell
Courier Sportswriter
It is the crown jewel of Unlimited racing, the oldest contested trophy in all of motorsports and the one goal of every driver who has ever sat in a hydroplane cockpit. And chances are this weekend, one driver will win it for the first time.
The 102nd American Powerboat Association Gold Cup will be run on the Detroit River this weekend and 11 boats and drivers will be on hand to fight for the right to have their name etched onto the cup. Only one of those drivers, the U-1 Miss Elam Plus' Nate Brown, has won the Gold Cup before, leaving 10 drivers salivating at the chance at immortality.
"This is the Indianapolis 500, the Super Bowl of our sport," said rookie Mike Allen, who currently leads the season points standings. "I have known about it for years and I've never been there. I'm looking forward to the river and roostertail turn. I'm excited."
Nearly every driver gets excited when Gold Cup week arrives. The race has been contested every year since 1904 - with a few exceptions here and there - and has been the source of some of the sport's biggest moments.
The biggest, undoubtedly, came in 1971 when Jim McCormick drove the Miss Madison to the Gold Cup win on its home waters at Madison, but there have been moments in the past few years. Just a year ago, Terry Troxell drove the aging Miss Al Deeby Dodge to victory in one of the most improbable wins in Unlimited history.
And that's the beauty of the Gold Cup. Regardless of where it's being contested, the Gold Cup is the one race where seemingly anything can happen.
"You always have your surprises. Someone is going to crash or make a mistake and you have to be ready," said Allen's teammate, U-5 Formulaboats.com driver Mike Weber. "We know we have the equipment, now it's just up to us."
It used to be that the Gold Cup was run on the home course of the defending yacht club, but then the sport switched to a bidding process in the 1960s. Since 1990, the Cup has found a permanent home in Detroit.
It's fitting that the biggest race of the year is held on the oldest Unlimited course on the circuit. Detroit arguably is also the most difficult; a 2.5-mile course not unlike Madison's which features one tight turn - the famed roostertail turn - and one very wide, arcing turn.
The Detroit River is also a driver's course which demands the most of pilots and crews alike. More than one contender has been sent to the sidelines with mechanical woes.
Last season's race is a perfect example. The Elam, with J.W. Myers aboard, flipped in Friday qualifying to begin a wild weekend on the river. Before it was through, Cooper Motorsports driver Jimmy King was disqualified for cutting off Jean Theoret in the LLumar Window Film, Theoret was sent home early for repairs, Steve David and the Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison was DQ'd and Troxell had his upset win.
For Detroit-native King, last year's race was just the latest sequel in his love-hate relationship with his home river.
"Last year was the first time that I have been here in equipment that could win," said King, in his 12th year has an Unlimited driver. "You look at what happened last year and some people think you didn't do anything wrong and other people are jumping up and down about what you did. It's just what side of the trailer you were on.
"I would probably do it all over again. I had to win that heat to have a chance. It's the Gold Cup and that's what you do. If I don't win, I'm watching the final from the beach, which, as it turns out, I was anyway. But it's the chance I had to take."
Taking chances is the key at Detroit and several drivers are prepared to do anything to win. Such is the pull of finally hoisting the Gold Cup.
"For anybody that has every driven a hydroplane, that is the bottom line, to put your name on that Cup," said King. "I've always loved the Detroit race course. You not only have to be prepared and fast, but you have to be lucky."
"There's no bigger prize in our sport than the Gold Cup," echoed U-2.25 driver Ken Muscatel. "When I was a kid, I went to the Gold Cup in Seattle and hydroplane racing became a big part of my life. It's unbelievable to race for this historic and incredible trophy."
Muscatel, like King, Weber and Allen, has never won the Gold Cup and will join a host of drivers who will be seeking their first. Only Brown, who won aboard the U-10 Miss Detroit Yacht Club in 2004, has claimed the trophy. And even that win didn't come without drama when Dave Villwock was awarded the win aboard the Miss Budweiser, only to have it taken away nearly an hour later on a rules violation.
It will be Villwock's absence that will be felt the most the weekend. The third-winningest driver in the sport's history, Villwock has won the Gold Cup five times. But Villwock will take the weekend off after wrecking the Miss Elam Plus at Valleyfield last weekend and will be replaced by Brown. That leaves the field wide-open for this weekend.
If a driver other than Brown does win, it will continue a trend that has gone back to the early 1950s. Several of the sport's biggest names won their first - and sometime only - Gold Cups at Detroit, including Ted Jones, Bill Muncey, Ron Musson, Mira Slovak, Tom D'Eath, Chip Hanauer, Mark Tate and Villwock. In the past few years alone, Mike Hanson, Mitch Evans, Brown and Troxell have claimed their first Gold Cups.
Weber would love to add his name to the list of winners. Like King, he is a native of Detroit who now lives in Atlanta.
"No matter where GM sends me, I will always be a Detroiter," Weber said. "To be home in front of my family and friends is a thrill. And this is the 102nd Gold Cup. It's always everyone's goal to put your name on that Cup."
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