No, but here is his story....By Fred Farley - ABRA Unlimited Historian In the long history of Unlimited hydroplane racing, no individual defined the sport more convincingly than William Edward Muncey. From 1955 until his death at Acapulco in 1981, Bill was the unchallenged superstar. When the definitive history of 20th Century power boat competition is written, the two titans of the racing world will be the "Gray Fox" Gar Wood for the pre-World War II years and Bill Muncey for the post-war era. At the time of his death in a "blow-over" accident at the World Championship Race on Laguna de Coyucca, Bill had won 62 victories in the Unlimited Class--more than anyone else--including eight Gold Cups. He died while maintaining his familiar first-place. The late, great Bill Muncey William Edward Muncey was an obscure 225 Cubic Inch Class hydroplane driver in the Mid-West during the late 1940s. In 1950, he had a chance to drive Albin Fallon's MISS GREAT LAKES in the Harmsworth trials on the Detroit River. He was trying out for one of three spots on the U.S. Defense Team. The 21-year-old Muncey failed to make the final "cut" but he was still able to pull an incredible 97 miles per hour out of the obsolete MISS GREAT LAKES on a 5-nautical mile course. This was nothing short of amazing. Bill reportedly had to be coached on the fine points of starting the huge Allison engine. But once out on the race course, there could be no doubt that a major new talent had arrived on the Unlimited scene. Ted Jones was attending the same race with the SLO-MO-SHUN IV team. He happened to observe and was impressed by Muncey's performance in the MISS GREAT LAKES. A few years later, when Jones was putting the MISS THRIFTWAY team together for Willard Rhodes, Ted remembered Bill and offered him the driver's job. Muncey had some great years between 1955 and 1963 with MISS THRIFTWAY (also known as MISS CENTURY 21), winning four Gold Cups and three National Championships. But he experienced some lean years in the middle and late 1960s seasons with Shirley Mendelson’s NOTRE DAME and George Simon’s MISS U.S. Race victories were few and far between. It is a testament to the man's character that he was able to rebound from those "off" years and get his career back on track in the 1970s and ‘80s. After all, many a driver in many a class has ridden the crest of the victory wave when a well-financed boat was available. But rebounding from a career low spot is another matter entirely. He became his own owner in 1976, after a quarter century of driving for others. In partnership with crew chief Jim Lucero and sponsor O.H. Frisbie, Bill went on to achieve another Muncey golden age. He won 24 out of 34 races entered between 1976 and 1979 under the aegis of ATLAS VAN LINES. Bill finally reached the end of the Thunderboat trail at Acapulco, Mexico, in 1981. By this time, he had won 62 victories in the Unlimited Class--more than anyone else--including eight Gold Cups. Muncey died in a "blow-over" accident during the Final Heat of the World Championship Race on Laguna de Coyucca, while maintaining his familiar first-place. The 62nd and last victory of Muncey's career occurred on a sunny afternoon in Evansville, Indiana, the city which was the world headquarters of Atlas Van Lines, Inc. Evansville's "Thunder On The Ohio" was a race that Bill had helped to establish on the Unlimited schedule two years earlier. The day was hot, the humidity was fierce, and the aging ATLAS VAN LINES "Blue Blaster" brought home the bacon one more time. It was a happy day for Muncey. From the pit area, he telephoned his elderly father, Edward L. Muncey, to share the excitement of winning. Bill had won his first Unlimited race 25 years earlier in 1956 with the original MISS THRIFTWAY. How many drivers that won races in the 1950s were still winning races in the 1980s? Only Muncey. The thousands of spectators lining the Ohio River at Evansville in 1981 could not have known it at the time, but to them was accorded a rare privilege--one that sports fans dream about. It was something akin to watching Babe Ruth--the immortal Sultan of Swat--hit his record 60th home run on the final day of the 1927 baseball season. Three months later, Bill Muncey was gone. The sun had set on an era. The team that he founded in 1976 continued in racing for another seven years under the leadership of Fran Muncey, Bill's widow. Atlas Van Lines, Inc., remained as corporate sponsor through 1984. In later years, Miller Brewing and Circus Circus Casinos bankrolled the team. Fran hired Bill's hand-picked successor--Chip Hanauer--to replace her late husband in the cockpit. Bill had always told Fran, "If anything ever happens to me, be sure to get the boat to the next race and put a driver in it." Hanauer picked up right where Bill had left off. Between 1982 and 1988, he won 24 races for the Bill Muncey Industries team, including an incredible seven consecutive Gold Cups. Chip was also National High Point Champion in 1982, 1983, and 1985. It is interesting to speculate as to what kind of a post-Acapulco career Bill might have had. He most certainly would have continued as a boat owner and as the sport's most eloquent ambassador of good will. The ATLAS VAN LINES "Blue Blaster" would have been retired anyway at the end of 1981, since a new boat was already in the planning stages--even before Muncey's death. The "Blaster” was eventually donated to the Hydroplane And Raceboat Museum in Seattle. It is questionable whether Bill would have continued as a driver. At the time of his death, he was just a few weeks shy of his 53rd birthday. Kenton Muncey, Bill's son and an ATLAS VAN LINES crew member at the first few races of 1981, is convinced that the Final Heat at Acapulco would have been the last heat that his father would have ever driven. But Kenton's older brother, Wil Muncey, Jr., tends to discount this theory. In Wil's words, "It's always easy to talk about the one that got away." The sport in which Bill Muncey played such a vital role for so long will most certainly continue. His legacy is a standard of excellence that will be difficult to surpass. And it's possible, in the mind's eye, to visualize Bill standing up there on the clouds, wearing that cowboy hat and those white-with-blue-trim coveralls, looking down on "his" sport. He's saying, "Okay, guys. I served my time. Now, it's your turn. The potential of boat racing is still unlimited. The future is in your hands. So, let's shake a leg and get moving. The 5-minute gun has just fired."
Watched him "center punch" and sink a Coast Guard cutter on Lake Washington while driving the Miss Thriftway. He lost the rudder going full chat down the front straight into turn one...everyone thought he was a goner.
Okay, I have one: this is the saddest story ever! In April 2006, I FINALLY heard about a vacant house in Orange County, across the street from where some friends worked. No one saw fit to tell me until after most of the hoard--cars, bikes, etc.--had been cleaned out. Are you sad yet? I'm pretty sure there was some great stuff there. This was the very last thing to go. The house was vacant and condemned--with a radical vintage pool for skating--and this boat. Not sure what it was, but it was tangerine metalflake with white tuck-and-roll upholstery, and a big block Chevy with Nicson speed equipment sitting right outside the garage. I found it on a Friday and shot these photos. I jumped on the phone, called the county (this was before cell phones in moving cars were illegal) and actually FOUND the company that was scrapping everything. I left several messages. Went back on Saturday--boat still there. Back on Monday afternoon, playing hooky from work--and yes, of course, the boat was gone. Finally got ahold of someone at the scrap yard, and naturally they said (I'm paraphrasing): "Yeah, we just picked that thing up a couple hours ago, and it's already been crushed. Too bad. We'd been trying to give it away for weeks." This is why I have bad luck with boats.
U-Tube video of the wreck...............remember while watching, no capsule, no lap belt, no harness, and he lived to race another day! <object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HFAMusZgs38?version=3&feature=player_detailpage"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HFAMusZgs38?version=3&feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></object>
This photo and the two photos with the flames coming out the headers were taken by my Dad Gary Brehmer. The pictures were taken in 1978. The boat was a Blown Fuel Hydro called Ambush. My dad crewed on the boat for three years.
wow what a great story, I was a great fan of Bill Muncie when I was growing up. I used to love to watch him race at the thunderboat regatta in san diego, I can still remember hearing (and feeling) that allison engine when he'd scream past, thanks for the post Rick
the above pics are a few years old . . . this set up was my old sprint car engine, with a tunnel ram / mechanical injection set up and quad turbo's with an air to air intercooler . . . sorry for the small pics . . . this is the new engine, now blown, injected, quadruple turbocharged another shot . . . I painted the blower gold so it would contrast and many of the magnesium blower parts were gold already . . . all that work and you still can hardly see it - lol I made this air deflector in memory of my Dad, he worked for Lockheed Missles and Space in the 60's, and used to tell me stories about black planes . . . so this is for him . . . taken while under construction my home made fuel injection in it's early stages
I don't know if it's a speedboat, but I inherited this one.. it has cool fins.... and the controls are Johnson, so I guess that's the engine that is supposed to be on it? Anyone know anything about it? I want to mess with it over the next winter after I finish my dunebuggy project.
^^^^^^^^^^ Post pic's and info here http://www.fiberglassics.com/ ^^^^ They are the HAMB of classic fiberglass boats.............
Hemi that looks like an early Aristo Craft boat, the engine I believe is a 58 which is the first year for the V-4 Johnson.
Thanks, I started poking around the Fiberglassics site, but their are a crazy number of boat companies... I didn't see anything in the Aristo Craft section. As far as I have seen, it's odd in that it doesn't have a windshield, or top. I don't think it ever had one... The engine is missing the lower portion that holds the prop and stuff... but the rest is complete. Is it a decent engine? I know nothing about boats other than it's rad and the price was right. LOL... Also, based on what I know about the previous owners, the boat has been in the Mississippi area it's entire life, meaning it was probably built and bought somewhere around this region....
Born and raised in Washington and when we were kids the hydros were one of our favorite parts of summer. I was at a customers yesterday and he was pretty involved with the restoration of the Miss Thriftway. He showed me this video yesterday, I think it was around 28 seconds in where it gets good. Especially if you were a kid in an area that had the hydro races. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2lEzEdEuiw
Hemi I'm going from memory and that's not to good although I do believe that to be a 58 or 59 Johnson. As far as the boat I'm not sure either but I believe Aristo craft made a glass boat that looked like that arouund 1960. They also made a real neat wood runabout with a dark wood bottom and a raised light colored wood deal on the bow. The old V-4's were dependable but thirsty. If you get in touch with some vintage outboard guys I'm sure they can find a lower unit for you as they were plentiful in there day.
Tragedy over the weekend in Florida boat races. http://www.seriousoffshore.com/commentary-steve-david-on-racing-tragedies/
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