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Independent Races Question |
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By Fred Farley - ABRA Unlimited Historian |
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QUESTION: Fred, have independent Unlimited races occurred in the past? - Harry Callahan ANSWER: It is difficult indeed to find a precedent for the situation of an Unlimited race that lacked an APBA sanction. In the 1930s, the Gold Cup Class of the APBA and the 725 Cubic Inch Class of the Mississippi Valley Power Boat Association (MVPBA) had separate circuits--even though most boats qualified under both codes--until the MVPBA was absorbed by the APBA in the 1940s. In the post-World War II era, "wildcat races" (as they were called) for inboard hydroplanes were occasionally run. These included the 1949 Madison Regatta, although the largest class in attendance was the 225 Cubic Inch Class. Exhibition races for Unlimiteds were conducted at Polson, Montana, and New Martinsville, West Virginia, in 1955. But these were run within the structure of a sanctioned APBA inboard event, back in the days when the Unlimited Class was governed by the APBA Inboard Racing Commission. The Lake Tahoe Yacht Club Championship free-for-alls of the early 1950s were apparently without benefit of sanction and sometimes included Unlimiteds. (These are not to be confused with the Lake Tahoe Mapes Trophy races, which were APBA-sanctioned.) |
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