1958 U-40 Miss Bardahl
Reprinted from Skid Fin Magazine, 2003, Volume 1 Number 2
After Ole Bardahl dabbled in unlimited hydroplanes racing in 1957, sponsoring
the U-4 built by Norm Christiansen, he was infected with the water bug. He
commissioned Ted Jones to design and build his new Miss Bardahl. Legendary
designer/builder Ted Jones turned the job over to his son Ron. Ron’s first
unlimited was the portent of things to come. The metallic green boat,
embellished with black scallops and bright yellow sides, became loved by many
and feared by some as the “Green Dragon.”
The
Dragon won its debut at Chelan’s Apple Cup with local hero Norm Evans driving.
She couldn’t finish her next race in Coeur d’Alene, but with Mira Slovak at the
wheel, the Miss Bardahl wend on to take two more firsts, two seconds and three
thirds in nine races. Her consistency earned her the National High Points
Championship.
Ole,
now even more enthusiastic, expanded the Green Dragon’s program in 1959. He
increased the boat’s power by running a Rolls-Royce Merlin. Highly regarded crew
chief George McKernan joined driver Jackie Regas to form a potential juggernaut.
However, after Regas was critically injured in the Diamond Cup, the rest of the
1959 season was a struggle. The Dragon was put in the boathouse for six weeks
after the accident, but she re-emerged to race in the Silver Cup with young Bill
Brow behind the wheel. Despite the season’s struggles, the Dragon was consistent
enough to garner second place in the National High Point standings.
For
the competitive fury of the Bardahl camp, 1960 also began as a dismal year with
the Green Dragon taking only one-second place finish in seven races, but then
Ron Musson arrived. With Musson at the helm, Miss Bardahl dashed to victory in
the inaugural Seattle Seafair World Championship and finished the season with
two-thirds and another victory in five races.
The
original “Green Dragon” set the stage for Ron Musson and the Bardahl Team to
become one of the legendary hydroplane dynasties in the ensuing years.
More on the Miss Bardahl...
Breathing Fire Into A Green Dragon
The Miss Bardahl Story |
