Because of numerous interruptions and a busy schedule, my Thunderboat Throwback Thursday has become a late Flashback Friday article. The inspiration for this entry comes from yesterdays TBT posting by our friend John Woodward. Johns picture of the Staudacher $ Bill up on blocks on the Vintage Hydroplane site, and his well researched story of its history and its ultimate destruction got me thinking of the heated battle for the 1968 National Championship that led up to the events of that sad afternoon and the details of the catastrophic accident that resulted in the death of Col. Warner Gardner. Gardner and the Eagle Electric team had been engaged in a season long contest for supremacy among the unlimiteds with the Checkerboard Miss Bardahl team and driver Billy Schumacher. Only 400 points separated the two teams as the circuit moved into Detroit on September 8th - Schumacher led the way with 6,300 points and Gardner was one heat win away with 5,900. (Note: Largely ignored by the media at the time, Tommy Fults and My Gypsy was only 631 back of Gardner with 5,269, thus further clouding the race for top point winner.) Billy and the U-1 had won the Wisconsin Cup at Madison, WI, the Governors Cup at Madison, IN, and the Diamond Cup in Coeur dAlene. Gardner and the U-25 Screamin Eagle had secured wins at the Dixie Cup in Guntersville, AL, the Atomic Cup in the Tri-Cities, WA, and the Presidents Cup in Washington, D.C. So tight was the race, that the Eagle had narrowly missed winning the Diamond Cup when the engine gave way in the first turn of the final while holding a clear lead over the Bardahl. It was clear the defending National Champion Bardahl team could not falter on the challenging Detroit course with the Eagle team nipping so closely at their heels. Originally scheduled for June 30th, the 1968 Gold Cup had been postponed to September by extremely unsafe and choppy water conditions. A west-southwest wind blew the Detroit River into a unnavigable froth of whitecaps, and at 3PM that day, officials pulled the plug, and the URC and APBA eventually settled on moving the race to the September 8th date. In the interim, the Unlimited Racing Commission had instituted some rules changes for the venerable race. They had allowed that any boat that met or surpassed the 100 mph qualifying limit would be allowed to compete, and they had also changed the format from four heats of 15 miles to three heats with the top six point earning boats qualifying for the third heat final. Leading the 15 qualifiers for the race was Billy Schumacher and Miss Bardahl with a blistering run of 119.660. Below him on the qualifying ladder were Billy Sterett and Miss Budweiser at 115.138 and Bill Muncey and Miss U.S. at 114.464. The Miss U.S. had been the only other hull to win a race to that point in the season - the UIM Championship in Seattle - and the Detroit based boats strong qualifying run and that of Bernie Little’s Bud boat, had muddled the prognosticators predictions as to which of the four boats might prevail on the Detroit River. The top guns were separated in the first section of heats. Eagle Electric was slotted in Heat 1-A and Miss Bardahl in Heat 1-C. Schumacher faced perhaps a greater challenge in that he faced My Gypsy, Miss U.S., and young Jerry Schoenith and Gales Roostertail in his section, while Gardners toughest competition appeared to be Miss Budweiser with Billy Sterritt and Jim McCormick and Harrahs Club. Leif Borgerson and Notre Dame were favored in Heat 1-B with perhaps Dean Chenowith and Miss Smirnoff being the only strong competition there. Racing conditions were considered primo as race day began. The wind speed of 10 mph out of the south provided a light chop to the three mile racecourse to compliment the very comfortable 70 degree temperatures that greeted an estimated 70,000 race fans that day. I was unable to find much in the way of descriptions of heat by heat competition because of the focus on Col. Gardners death in the reporting, but it appears by the race summaries that the Detroit crowd was treated to quite a day of racing. As predicted, Col. Gardner was challenged by Sterrett and Miss Budweiser as Heat 1-A unfolded. Eagle Electric would prevail with Gardner pushing his boat to a five lap average of 110.024. The Bud was only one mile per hour off the pace at 109.024. The skateboard Atlas Van Lines and Bob Miller bounced and skidded to third place at a much slower 101.848. Encountering mechanical problems and not finishing were Jim McCormick in Harrahs Club and Ed OHalloran and Miss Madison. Heat 1-B appears to have been less of a contest, with Dean Chenowith powering Miss Smirnoff to a win by opening an early lead and averaging a steady 101.925 for the fifteen miles. Behind him, Leif Borgerson in Notre Dame and Bob Schroeder in My Cupiee battled for second place with the Shamrock Lady taking the win for second at 98.039 mph. Schroeder was right there at the finish, averaging 97.613 as he followed Borgerson across the line. Bob Gilliam chugged his Fascination in for fourth place points at 92.024. Walter Kade and Savairs Mist died mid-race and failed to finish. Heat 1-C was all Miss Bardahl with Schumacher easily pulling away from the field to take the win. The U-1 averaged 108.303 and developed a substantial lead over Bill Muncey and Miss U.S. who came in second at 102.234. Further back were Jerry Schoenith and Gales Roostertail at 94.943 and Mike Wolfbauer and Savairs Probe at 93.457. In the midst of the heat, an oil line broke, igniting an engine fire on the My Gypsy. Driver Tommy Fults pulled the boat into the infield and quickly helped extinguish the flames. When the oil line let go, it reportedly covered the young driver in hot oil leaving his hands with first degree burns. Through the luck of the draw, the two lead dogs were once again separated. To Heat 2-A went the Bardahl and to Heat 2-C went the Eagle. My Gyspy landed in Heat 2-B along with Miss U.S., Notre Dame, Smirnoff, and Savairs Mist. On paper, Schumacher appeared to have the better draw with the Miss Madison, My Cupiee, Gales Roostertail, and Fascination being his competition. Gardner was faced with the formidable challenge of Miss Budweiser along with Atlas Van Lines, Savairs Probe, and Harrahs Club. As expected, Miss Bardahl dominated 2-A. It wasnt even close, as the Checkerboard Comet roared to a big win with an average speed of 105.140. None of his competition even broke the 100 mph barrier. A distant second was Miss Madison at 98.684, followed by My Cupiee at 95.070, Gales Roostertail at 89.820, and Fascination at 84.745. One challenger was eliminated before the boats even entered the water for the warmup for Heat 2-B. According to an Associated Press report after the race, the Miss U.S. team were pushing the boat into position on a wheeled trailer to put it on the sling for launch when fuel fumes mysteriously exploded in the engine well, sending two of the crew members to the hospital with first and second degree burns. With the damage from the explosion and the loss of the crew members, there was no choice but for George Simon to withdraw the boat. The remainder of the field made its way onto the course for 2-B on time and without further mishap. Among those who made the warmup period and raced was Tommy Fults who showed a good deal of grit after having been treated for the severe burns on his hands. Despite the bandages, he guided My Gypsy to a second place finish behind Leif Borgerson and the Notre Dame. Borgerson clocked the slowest average speed for any of the heat winners (96.531) while taking an easy victory from Fults and the Gypsy (89.820) and Dean Chenowith and the Smirnoff (83.166). For the second time on the day, Walter Kade and Savair’s Mist failed to finish, going dead in the water early on in the race. Heat 2-C brought a mild upset by the Miss Budweiser team over Miss Eagle Electric, putting Dave Heerensperger’s team another 100 points behind the Bardahl in the points race and in the chase for the Gold Cup. Bill Sterett put the Bud out front early and developed a two mile per hour advantage over Gardner and the Eagle Electric by the finish (106.635 to 104.848). Bob Miller had a strong showing in Bob Fendler’s Atlas Van Lines (101.886), but fourth place finisher Mike Wolfbauer and Savair’s Probe (93.039) had another disappointing run and finished well back of the rest of the field. Bad racing luck continued to plague the Harrah’s Club team when Jim McCormick failed to finish a heat for the second time on the day. Schumacher and the Comet topped the six boat field that had earned a place in the final with its two heat wins and 800 points. Right behind him were Col. Gardner and Eagle Electric, Leif Borgerson and Notre Dame, and Bill Sterett and Miss Budweiser with 700 each. Next in line was Dean Chenowith and the bat winged, pickle forked Miss Smirnoff with 625, followed by Bob Miller and Atlas Van Lines at 450. It promised to be a very competitive final. Before the final was run, those boats that failed to make the final were allowed to compete for the Horace Dodge Trophy Consolation Race. Coming out on top was Jerry Schoenith and Gale’s Roostertail with a solid 99.374 fifteen mile average. Giving him some competition for at least part of the race was Bob Schroeder at 97.157, but the rest of the field was well off the pace. Finishing a distant third was Ed O’Halloran with Miss Madison at 91.432, and even further back was Mike Wolfbauer in a struggling Savair’s Probe at a dismal 79.834 mph. Going into Gold Cup race week, Gardner had tried to down play what was perceived by the media to be a rivalry between his team and that of the Miss Bardahl, saying of the two team’s showdown for the Gold Cup was “just another boat race” and that there was nothing different about it than any other race. However, it was obvious that there was much on the line as he and the final heat field of boats headed for the start line that day…the pride of winning the APBA Challenge Cup and improving his team’s position in the National Championship race had to be playing on his mind. As the boats came out of the turn on the way to the start of the race, Gardner could see Schumacher and the Bardahl swinging wide on the outside, so he wasn’t prepared for Bill Sterett’s bold move behind him and to his left. Sterett passed through the Eagle’s wake and pushed the nose of the Budweiser into Lane One, altering Gardner’s strategy from the outset. With the inside advantage now his, Sterett roared through the first lap maintaining a good lead over Gardner and Schumacher. As the lap ended, Bardahl began to fade a bit, but Gardner seemed to be making up ground on the charging Miss Bud down the front straight. He seemed to close the gap even further in the Belle Isle turn, but lost some ground as the boats headed down the back straight. It was here that Gardner seemed to give in to a fit of desperation. Gardner could see that there was a chance he could gain the upper hand if he persevered with a hard charging strategy in the turns. Heading down the back stretch, Sterett again drew on the top end power of the Budweiser and gained back a small amount of ground from Gardner. As the two raced into the extraordinarily tight Roostertail Turn, Sterett seemed to back off early, slowing a bit as he slid through the turn. Gardner made no such move and appeared to be charging deep into the turn at full throttle. He still had his foot in it as he neared the marker pin. It was there that he finally backed off the throttle just a bit and began to use the prop and skid fin to slow his momentum. Turning as tightly as he could just outside the Bud’s wake, the Eagle suddenly lurched violently sideways as it appeared to hit a whole caused by turbulence from the boat wakes bouncing off the nearby shore and cross currents common to that area of the course. Moving at an estimated 130 mph, the boat suddenly was airborne, the left sponson lifting ever higher as it rose off the water. Slowly, it rolled over and showed its bottom side to the crowd on shore before landing upside down in a huge spray of water and pieces of a now disintegrating boat. Gardner was rocketed out of the cockpit by the cartwheeling action of the boat, and it was believed that he lost his helmet as it came in contact with the water. He landed in the water on his back amidst the wreckage. Almost immediately, red flares shot skyward and the Coast Guard helicopter and rescue boats began descending on the stricken craft. Coming up from behind on the wreck, Billy Schumacher began to shut down with the intention jumping in the water to help his stricken friend, but reconsidered that move when he saw the approaching patrol boats. I got out of the way in a hurry. I knew they could be of more help to Warner than I could, Schumacher said when interviewed after he returned to the pits. Within seconds, divers were deployed to locate Gardner amidst the wreckage. When he was finally located, he was airlifted to shore and to Detroit Receiving Hospital, a trauma center less than four miles from the Detroit River racecourse. Meanwhile, the Eagle Electric hull began to tilt on end and sink beneath the water surface. Divers made a valiant attempt at attaching lines to it as it continued to sink away from them. They were able to attach a marker buoy to it as it slipped below the waves. First reports had Gardner seriously hurt, but not critical. Having received this report, Race Referee Bill Newton hastily called a driver’s meeting and the decision was made to continue the race and re-run the final. Minus the Eagle Electric, the final was rerun after a delay of nearly an hour. It proved to be an exciting duel between Miss Bardahl and Miss Budweiser, with the two boats going deck-to-deck for most of the first two laps. They were said to be never more than 15 feet apart until the start of lap three when Sterett was washed down by some of the Bardahl’s roostertail. The Bud abruptly slowed, and dropped out of contention. Both Miss Smirnoff and Notre Dame took advantage of the sudden power loss by the Bud and moved into second and third place respectively where they finished the race. Sterett was able to revive enough to close on Notre Dame and to hold on to fourth ahead of the struggling Atlas Van Lines. Schumacher averaged 111.248 on his way to his second straight Gold Cup victory. Smirnoff was nowhere close at 100.618. Notre Dame came in at 100.074, with Sterett and the Bud sliding in at 99.741. The Atlas Van Lines chugged across the line more than a lap behind at 79.543 mph. After the awarding of the trophy, the focus turned fully on the condition of Col. Gardner. In reality, Gardner’s condition was indeed extremely critical. APBA Medical Consultant Doctor Sinclair Finch reported to the media that the Receiving Hospital team had found that Gardner had broken seven ribs on his left side and that he had suffered brain damage of “some magnitude”. He would later expand on the description of Gardner’s injuries saying that he had suffered “general physical concussion of the head, chest, and abdomen as well as severe shock”. Over the course of the next 24 hours, a team of six specialists at the trauma center performed more than six hours of surgery to repair Gardners ribs, to treat his internal injuries suffered in the crash, and to repair the damage to his skull and brain. According to one source, the team also removed a blood clot from the Colonel’s brain. Despite their efforts, Gardner lapsed into a coma and would never regain consciousness. He passed away nearly a day to the hour after the accident occurred. With him at the hospital at the time of his passing were Gardner’s wife, Gloria and his son, Warner Gardner, Jr. The young Gardner (Age 17) was a volunteer crewman and “chief handyman” on his father’s boat and observed the accident from the pits. Gardner also left behind two daughters. Gardner was buried as befitting a World War II P-38 fighter ace in Arlington Cemetery. A memorial to Gardner and the other unlimited drivers who died while racing was erected by the Diamond Cup Hydromaniacs later that year near the Diamond Cup pit area at the foot of Third Street in Coeur dAlene. It was fully financed by Eagle Electric owner David Heerensperger. When the Eagle Electric was recovered from the river on Monday, the devastation from the accident was to the extreme. The planking on the deck was peeled back like a paring knife had been used and the tail fin was torn loose from the cowling and smashed to pieces. The remains of the hull bore little resemblance to the powerful race boat that it had been the day before. Billy Schumacher and the Bardahl team would go on to win the National Championship by 2312 points over second place finisher Tommy Fults and My Gypsy. Despite the accident, Eagle Electric would edge Miss Budweiser for third by the score of 6600 to 6551.The ’68 Gold Cup would the last win for the boat as Miss Bardahl, as the Karelson hull lost on points to My Gypsy in San Diego and placed a distant second to Bill Sterett and Miss Budweiser in the season ending race at the Arizona Governor’s Cup on Lake Pleasant. A brief return to competition in 1969 at Seattle and San Diego yielded no wins with Fred Alter driving. The ’68 Gold Cup win would prove to be the end of a very successful era for the Bardahl team, finishing with a total of 27 career wins.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 00:13:01 +0000
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