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By Fred Farley - ABRA Unlimited Historian |
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The 1940 winner, Sidney Allen, had never driven anything faster than a runabout. He had only just purchased the old and obsolete HOTSY TOTSY III from the estate of the late Vic Kliesrath. The race was a classic case of the tortoise and the hare. Powered by a supercharged Hispano-Suiza (“Hisso”) engine, HOTSY TOTSY III wasn’t the fastest boat in the world, but she was reliable--at least more reliable than her six challengers, all of which were plagued with mechanical difficulties. No one completed the 90 miles. Allen finished the first two 30-mile heats (in first place) but conked out in the finale. Allen accumulated the most points and emerged victorious after Dan Arena (NOTRE DAME), Lou Fageol (SO-LONG), Hugh Gingrass (GRAY GOOSE III), Ed Hudson (MISS SYNDICATE), Guy Simmons (MY SIN), and Gar Wood, Jr. (TINKER TOY) all fell by the wayside. |
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