The Winged Wonder Hydroplane
David Heerensperger, CEO of Pay 'N Pak Stores Inc, commisioned Ron Jones for a brand new boat to replace the long line of successful Pride of Pay 'N' Pak hulls. This hull was to be named simply "Pay 'N Pak". It was a radical design with a full picklefork and a rear wing - it was also the first unlimited to be made of honeycomb aluminum instead of marine plywood. Originally designed with a sleak engine cowling for aerodynamics, the cowling was removed to increase air flow to the engine and was only ever used in testing and qulifying at it's first ever race.
After 1972, the words PRIDE OF were dropped from the Heerensperger team’s official name. For the rest of Dave’s racing career, all of his boats would be known as simply PAY ‘n PAK. The 1973 “Winged Wonder” was the first hydroplane of any shape or size to be built of aluminum honeycomb, rather than marine plywood.
According to Jones, “I had originally thought that I would use a honeycomb bottom. But after talking with the people from the Hexcel Company, I was very impressed and decided to use it everywhere in the boat that I possibly could for a weight saving of about a thousand pounds.” In planning the new PAY ‘n PAK, Jones wanted very much to build a cabover. But Heerensperger insisted on a rear-cockpit hull and won out. Ron nevertheless utilized many of the cabover hull characteristics while still seating the driver behind the engine. “But I did insist on the use of a horizontal stabilizer. Heerensperger agreed because it would give him a lot of publicity. And it did. Perhaps, by today’s standards, the stabilizer was not everything it could have been. It was, however, a good running start on the widespread use of the concept. And in all fairness to Jim Lucero, he certainly added to the boat’s ultimate performance by preparing excellent engines, good gearbox/propeller combinations, and probably some fine-tuning on the sponsons.” The “Winged Wonder” PAY ‘n PAK set a Gold Cup qualification record for two laps in 1973 at 124.309 on the 2.5-mile Columbia River course. This translated to approximately 129 miles per hour on a 3-mile course. The 1973 season was the first in which the majority of races were won by Ron Jones-designed hulls. The new PAY ‘n PAK and its predecessor (now the MISS BUDWEISER) won four races apiece on the nine-race circuit. At Seattle in 1973, the PAY ‘n PAK with Mickey Remund and the MISS BUDWEISER with Dean Chenoweth became the first two teams to average over 120 miles per hour in a heat of competition. And they did this in a driving rain! MISS BUDWEISER averaged 122.504 for the 15 miles; PAY ‘n PAK did 120.697. A local newspaper labeled the PAK and the BUD as “the champion fogcutters of the world.” Although not significantly faster on the straightaway than the traditional post-1950 Ted Jones-style hulls, the Ron Jones-designed PAY ‘n PAK and MISS BUDWEISER could out-corner anything on the water. Both boats were helped considerably by the inclusion of an outboard skid fin. The skid fins helped greatly in holding the boats in their lanes through the turns. In spite of being three years older and a thousand pounds heavier than PAY ‘n PAK, MISS BUDWEISER was able to achieve parity with the PAK. This was due to driver Chenoweth consistently securing the inside lane in heat confrontations between the two entries. PAY ‘n PAK ended up with the first of the team’s three consecutive National High Point Championships in 1973. The only major disappointment was at the Tri-Cities Gold Cup. Pilot Remund appeared to have things well in hand. He won his three preliminary heats and had a clear lead in the finale. Then, on lap-two, the PAK lost a blade on its propeller. The boat bounced crazily a couple of times and settled to a stop. MISS BUDWEISER went on to claim the victory. This was a most unfortunate turn of events for Remund who had posted a Gold Cup competition lap record of 119.691 miles per hour on the first lap of the Final Heat on a 2.5-mile course. The 1973, ‘74, and ‘75 seasons are fondly remembered as “The PAK/BUD Era” of Unlimited racing. The many side-by-side battles by those two awesome machines are unforgettable. Their owners, too, were larger than life. Dave Heerensperger and Bernie Little gave no quarter and asked for none. To them, second-place was an insult. And yet, as competitive as their teams were out on the race course, the two men were close personal friends. In 1974, when Dave married his wife Jill, Bernie was Best Man at their wedding. PAY ‘n PAK and MISS BUDWEISER picked up in 1974 where they had left off in 1973–but this time with different drivers. George Henley now occupied the PAK’s cockpit; Howie Benns handled the BUD. (Chenoweth did briefly return to the BUDWEISER team in late season after Benns suffered a broken leg in a motorcycle accident.) The PAK won seven races and the BUD won four. The most memorable PAK/BUD match-up of 1974 would have to be the 1974 Seattle Gold Cup at Sand Point. Delays, controversy, and rough water marred the running of the race but PAY ‘n PAK finally prevailed and Dave Heerensperger was able to take his first Gold Cup home–but only after a titanic struggle. Henley and Benns battled head to head all day long in some of the finest racing ever witnessed in the Unlimited Class. PAY ‘n PAK won all four heats with MISS BUDWEISER always within striking distance. The BUD had the lead in Heat 1-C but spewed oil briefly and was overtaken by PAY ‘n PAK. Heat 1-C was the fastest of the day with Henley averaging 112.056 miles per hour and Benns 109.845. No one else averaged over 100 all day long because of the rough water. George Henley made it two Gold Cups in a row for Heerensperger at the Tri-Cities in 1975. The “Winged Wonder” won her three preliminary heats and then cruised to an easy third in the finale behind Tom D’Eath in MISS U.S. and Milner Irvin in LINCOLN THRIFT. In the space of three years, the low-profile/wide-afterplane Ron Jones-style hull had become the dominant design in Unlimited racing. (Ted Jones, Ron’s father, had likewise revolutionized the sport in the 1950s, starting with SLO-MO-SHUN IV.) The PAY ‘n PAK’s road to victory in 1975 was not an easy one. After a stellar 1974 campaign, George Henley retired as driver and Jim Lucero rebuilt the boat. In spring testing, PAY ‘n PAK was definitely faster on the straightaways but was skittish in the turns. New driver Jim McCormick (on the rebound from a serious injury accident in 1974 with RED MAN) had great difficulty in cornering the PAK and was the subject of considerable criticism. McCormick retired from racing after a third-place finish in the 1975 President’s Cup. Henley was coaxed out of retirement and returned to the PAY ‘n PAK cockpit at the third race of the season in Owensboro, Kentucky. Lo and behold, George had the same problem with the PAK that Jim had experienced. On the first lap of the first heat at Owensboro, PAY ‘n PAK swapped ends, caved in a sponson, and had to be withdrawn. All of a sudden, the Jim McCormick detractors became the George Henley apologists. PAY ‘n PAK continued to perform badly at the next race in Detroit. Finally, Lucero restored the boat to its 1974 configuration. Only then was the PAK its old competitive self again. Henley and PAY ‘n PAK picked up where they had left off the year before with victories at Madison, Indiana, and Dayton, Ohio. After winning at the Tri-Cities, the team went on to take first-place in Seattle and San Diego en route to a third consecutive National High Point Championship. Earlier in the season, the Billy Schumacher-chauffeured WEISFIELD’S had seemed a shoo-in for the national title. They had scored convincing victories at Miami and Owensboro and finished second at Washington, D.C. But once PAY ‘n PAK was back on track, the chances for a WEISFIELD’S championship promptly vanished. The MISS BUDWEISER team had an uneven 1975 campaign. They won two races (at Washington, D.C., and Phoenix, Arizona) with Mickey Remund driving, but in general lacked the consistency that marked the 1973 and 1974 seasons. After two dozen race victories and having re-written the speed record book from coast to coast, Heerensperger decided to rest on his laurels for a while. “We’ve accomplished everything we set out to do and more.” In January of 1976, he accepted an offer from Bill Muncey’s ATLAS VAN LINES team and sold the entire PAY ‘n PAK equipment inventory for a figure in the six digits. Inactive as an owner between 1976 and 1979, Dave nevertheless stayed close to the sport that he loved. He sponsored the boat that he had most recently owned–the ”Winged Wonder”–at two 1977 races. |
"WINGED WONDER" QUESTION
By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian QUESTION: What's the story on the "Winged Wonder" PAY 'n PAK of 1973, one of my all-time favorite boats? - Bruce Lowe ANSWER: The "Winged Wonder" PAY 'n PAK ranks among the all-time great Thunderboats with 22 race victories. It stands with designer Ron Jones, Sr.'s other big winner, the 1980 Rolls-Royce Griffon-powered MISS BUDWEISER, which likewise captured 22 first-place trophies. The 1973 PAY 'n PAK, which became Bill Muncey's ATLAS VAN LINES in 1976, was the first hydroplane of any shape or size to be built of aluminum honeycomb, rather than marine plywood. According to Jones, "I had originally thought that I would use a honeycomb bottom. But after talking with the people from the Hexcel Company, I was very impressed and decided to use it everywhere in the boat that I possibly could for a weight saving of about a thousand pounds." In planning the new PAK, Jones wanted very much to build a cabover. But Heerensperger insisted on a rear-cockpit hull and won out. Ron nevertheless utilized many of the cabover hull characteristics while still seating the driver behind the engine. "But I did insist on the use of a horizontal stabilizer. Heerensperger agreed because it would give him a lot of publicity. And it did. Perhaps, by today's standards, the stabilizer was not everything it could have been. It was, however, a good running start on the widespread use of the concept. "And in all fairness to [crew chief] Jim Lucero, he certainly added to the boat's ultimate performance by preparing excellent engines, good gearbox/propeller combinations, and probably some fine-tuning on the sponsons." Perhaps the most eloquent showcase of the talents of Ron Jones occurred at the 1973 World's Championship Race in Seattle. Despite mist and rain, the competition was superb and unforgettable. The honeycomb PAY 'n PAK and its 1970 predecessor (renamed MISS BUDWEISER) ran side-by-side. Drivers Mickey Remund and Dean Chenoweth shared the same roostertail en route to becoming the first boats in history to average better than 120 miles per hour in a heat of competition. A local newspaper labeled the PAK and the BUD as "the champion fogcutters of the world." That 1973 campaign was the first season in which hulls designed by Ron won the majority of Unlimited races (eight out of nine). PAY 'n PAK and MISS BUDWEISER both had four wins and finished one-two in National High Points. In spite of being three years older and a thousand pounds heavier than PAY 'n PAK, MISS BUDWEISER was able to achieve parity with the PAK. This was due to driver Chenoweth consistently securing the inside lane in heat confrontations between the two entries. The famous PAK/BUD rivalry continued into 1974. PAY 'n PAK won seven races and MISS BUDWEISER won four to sweep the eleven-race campaign. The 1975 season was another banner year for the Ron Jones hulls. That's when the Billy Schumacher-chauffeured WEISFIELD'S (former VALU-MART) had the defending National Champion PAY 'n PAK on the ropes in the first three races. But PAY 'n PAK driver George Henley overcame an almost insurmountable point lead by winning five of the last six races of the season to retain the championship. Never before or since has the momentum of one boat been so surely halted by the performance of another challenger. |