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Two of Unlimited Hydroplane's Greatest Rivals
during the early 1970's, the Pay 'N Pak and Miss Budweiser at Speed. (Image
source: h1unlimited.com)
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Ironically, Karmically or as I prefer here
upon thou Isle 'O Nofendersville, Whare' thoust Spray of Synchronicity is
always in the Air... Just days after putting to bed thou Seafair News Blackout
post, I ran across the news of David "Dynamite Dave" Heerensperger's
Death at Age 82 via my once local Seattle Times Newspaper, that I still peruse
Daily from Oregon.
For Mwah, as a Wee' lad, Messer
Heerensperger's Unlimited Hydroplanes were thou Scourge, which will always be
known as The Pride of Pay 'N Pak, instead of Thar later nomenclature.
Yuhs see, I was a full blown Miss Budweiser
Fan, and those pesky Pay 'N Pak's were always stealing the Beer Wagon's
victories, especially with "Dynamite Dave's" revered "Winged
Wonder," the All conquering 1973 Pay 'N Pak with its then revolutionary
rear stabilizer.
As I've still never been able to confirm
which race between the Pak and the Bud's still Seared into thou memory some 40+
years later. Of when the two competitors went Deck-to-Deck for five electrifying
laps on Lake Washington with the Miss Budweiser coming up just some 100 feet (or
yards) short of victory.
And although to this day I still feverishly believe
it has to have been the 1975 Seafair Regatta final's, since I still believe firmly
that Mickey Remund was the Bud pilot that long ago day.
But where things get murky for Mwah is the
fact that Remund drove the Pay 'N Pak before becoming a Budweiser chauffer in
the '72 ex-Pay 'N Pak Hull that "Dynamite Dave" sold to his good
friend and fiercest rival Bernie Little, the legendous' Miss Budweiser owner.
Whilst the last we saw of Mr. Heerensperger
in Unlimited Hydroplane racing circles was the early 1980's, when once again
the latest Pak Hull was once again revolutionizing the sport, when becoming the
first ever Unlimited to win a race with turbine power.
Although Jon Walters was at the controls for
that historic victory, he'd subsequently be seriously injured no less than upon
Lake Washington in a violent crash during the '82 Emerald Cup event, which saw
Heerensperger leave the sport permanently.
Yet to Heerensperger's credit, after leaving the
sport, he kept Walther on his Payroll for four years during his lengthy
recovery...