| 1968, the Checkerboard Comet and the “Year that Changed the World” | |
| By David D. Williams | |
2008 marks the 40th Anniversary of the tumultuous summer of 1968. To those of us that lived through it, it was a long hot summer marred by riots, assassinations, political unrest and yes, some darn exciting hydroplane racing. Time magazine calls 1968 “The Year that Changed the World!”
 Billy in the Checkerboard Comet It struck me, that while I viewed the onrushing social change of 1968 from the safety of my living room via a 18” RCA Black and White TV; the “Teeny Bopper” crew of the Miss Bardahl was watching events first hand as they crisscrossed the country chasing the 1968 National Championship. I spoke with Bardahl Crew Member David Smith about that experience. In 1968 Smith, the son of long time Budweiser crew man Burns Smith, was a Senior at the U of W and was starting his fourth year traveling with the Bardahl Crew. David, along with Bardahl Advertising Director Bill Voorhees, had designed the Bardahl’s new distinctive checkerboard paint job, and was looking forward to a competitive season. “To be honest, the 67 season was a bit of a cake walk for us. The cabover boat was a real heavy boat, so we built up a lot of really strong engines for 1966. When we lost the cabover in DC, we had something like 12 motors left over. The yellow (Karelsen) boat was a real light boat and pushed easily, so we had this really light boat and a lot of strong engines, and the rest of the “big boys” were still recovering from their accidents in 66, so we pretty much had things our own way.” By 1968 everyone was back up to strength and Smith and the Bardahl team knew that they would have their work cut out for them. |
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Bardahl Wins; Gardner Badly Hurt as Eagle Flips
Gold Cup Driver Undergoes 2-Hour Operation
Detroit River, Detroit MI, September 8, 1968
Spokane Daily Chronicle - Sep 10, 1968
DETROIT — (Special) — Warner Gardner today was listed as “extremely critical” following a two-hour operation at the Detroit General Hospital.
Gardner, 52, was injured seriously yesterday when his unlimited-hydroplane, Miss Eagle Electric, exploded on the Detroit River during the Gold Cup race. The hydro suddenly became airborne, flipped on its side and disintegrated as it smacked against the water.
Billy Schumacher of Seattle, who successfully defended his Gold Cup championship driving Miss Bardahl, started to make an effort to help rescue Gardner until he saw a Coast Guard amphibious helicopter swooping in to pluck the unconscious driver from the river.
“I got out of the way in a hurry. I knew they could be of more help to Warner than I could,” Schumacher said.
After a delay for regrouping of boats, the third and championship heat in which Gardner and Schumacher had been dueling was rerun.
Gardner’s son, Warren, Jr., 17, a member of the Eagle Electric pit crew was among the 70,000 spectators who saw the spectacular crash.
It occurred on the opposite side of the river from where Chuck Thompson, veteran Detroit driver, was injured fatally when his boat disintegrated during the 1966 race. Continue Reading…
Bardahl Wins Interminable Diamond Cup
Lake Coeur d’Alene, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, August 11, 1968
By Bud Livesley, Times Sports Writer
Ellensburg Daily Record Aug. 12, 1968
COEUR D’ALENE — As a Smirnoff mechanic said, mimicking Gene Miller as he counted down the long, tiresome hours over the public address system: “It is now three days to the five-minute gun.”
It was only a slight exaggeration. It took seven minutes short of eight hours to determine a Diamond Cup hydroplane champion yesterday. It took Billy Schumacher only three seconds longer than 18 minutes to perform the task.
It took hours to piece together a timetable and a race course wrecked by a frustrating southwest wind that turned Lake Coeur d’Alene into a sea of whitecaps and a million “holes.”
In the end, persistence by men and machines outhuffed and outpuffed the wind.
It was dark when Schumacher guided the Miss Bardahl through the grey water to win the final heat and his first Diamond Cup regatta. It was 8:23 p.m. Continue Reading…
Bardahl Wins At Madison, Ind.
Ohio River, Madison, Indiana, July 7, 1968
Tri-City Herald July 8, 1968
Billy Schumacher drove the Seattle based Miss Bardahl to victory in the Indiana Governor’s Cup Race for unlimited hydros at Madison, Ind. on July 7. Final point standings were: Miss Barclahl-1,100; Miss Eagle Electric-900; Miss Budweiser-794; Gale’s Roostertail-752; Notre Dame-625; My Gypsy-525; Savair’s Probe-469; Miss U.S.-400; Smirnoff-400; Atlas Van Lines-394; Savair’s Mist-394; Miss Madison-300; Parco O Ring Miss -225; Harrah’s Club-169.
(Reprinted from Yachting, September 1968, p.195) (courtesy www.lesliefield.com)
Billy the Kid Strikes Again in Wisconsin
Lake Monona, Madison WI, June, 16, 1968
The Milwaukee Journal June 17, 1968
MADISON, Wis. — (Special) — Billy Schumacher, in his many years of driving speedboats, has become accustomed to winning. It almost became habit-forming last year when Billy The Kid took over as driver of Ole Bardahl’s new unlimited hydroplane. The Kid rode the Bardahl to six victories in eight races and handily won the national championship.
It was back to form yesterday for Billy and the yellow-and-black-checkered hydro from Seattle in the first-time Wisconsin Cup regatta viewed by an estimated 30,000 paying spectators.
Several thousand more “free-loaders” watched the race on Lake Monona from apartment rooftops and terraces of buildings that line this lake just two miles from the state capitol building.
A blown engine and two penalties made Schumacher’s task easy, after scooting the Bardahl to firsts in Heats 1A and 2B. Bill Muncey, also of Seattle, had turned in the fastest qualifying in George Simon’s Detroit-owned Miss U. S. But the U. S. blew an engine on the second lap in the final heat and left the Savair’s Probe to challenge the Bardahl. Continue Reading…