Evening star., 1938-09-26
Grid Teams Nou Plunging Into Conference and Section
BY MALCOLM LAMBORNE, Jr.

by MALGOLM LAMBOkNE, Jf.
That thrill-spangled final heat for
the Presidents Cup yesterday aft
ernoon of crowded Hains Point, at
which President Roosevelt was an in
spectator, was 4 triumph for
more than the suave Italian, Count
Theo Rossi. The man behind 1t all
was modest Charles F. Chapman,
Racing Commission Sec
retary of the American Power Boat
Association and editor of INCORPORATING
All the credit for making q real
race out of what promised to be the
marine farce Of the season goes to this
man who just the day before blush
ingly refused to say a few words over
the public address system. 1t was he
who first suggested that the counts
Alagi be pitted against q field of 225-
cubic-inch hydroplanes on a handicap
basis when it became apparent that
not single challenger for the $4,000
cup was coming out.
And it was Chap, as the racing
fraternity calls him, who sat down
with pencil and pad to figure q time
allowance that couldn't have worked
better. In fact, that was Count Rossi's
first word when he tore of his helmet,
and his boat lay alongside of the Coast
Guard cutter Calypso after setting q
terrific new pace for Gold Cup craft:
Only Chap could work out such
handicap. I had to give her all she
had"
Almost Steals Show.
And there was third party,
blond-headed young man, who almost
stole the show. He was 25-year-old
George Seay of Norfolk. Va, who gave
the count the race of his life. Not
until the last turn of the final lap did
the Alagi overtake Miss Manteo II that
had started l minute and so seconds
before, and then only 2 seconds sep
arated the boats at the finish.
1t was some time before Seay real
lied just what had happened. Then
when he and the count were taken
over to the presidential yacht Potomac,
to be introduced to the President.
young Seay still couldn't understand
what all the fuss was about.
In giving her all she. had" the
Italian sportsman on all six circuits
broke Presidents Cup lap record, new
mark that he had set on Saturday.
His highest speed was in the fifth lap.
with 70.S66 miles an hour. The aver
age pace for the is miles, 69.675 miles
an hour, set 4 new American record
for the fastest heat ever made by a
Gold Cup boat.
The closing days card for the 18th
annual classic found the Ventnor-
built Miss Manteo II pretty much
the standout, even aside from her Der
formance in the feature race. In the
women's ee-for-all. she was taken
over by Mrs. Nell Gatewood, wife of
Owner w. E. Gatewood from Norfolk.
and led the field OF fair drivers to the
finish.
Tops III Is Second.
Jack Coopers Tops II, the boat that
was given up for lost on Saturday
when she tore out planks and mangled
propeller on driftwood, enly to
come out yesterday fully recovered,
finished second under the able hands
Of Mrs. Thorn Cooper from Kansas
City, Mo.
Hard luck dogged Tops wake later
in the day. Racing in the so-called
A. P. B. A. championship for 4-liter
hydroplanes, 62-year-old Jack Cooper
wasn't able to get going and finished
third on points for the two heats.
Then in the Presidents Cup race,
she fell out after the first lap with
engine trouble.
The 4-liter crown went to Miss
Manteo II, this time driven by w. E.
Gatewood, with 700 points. As the
day closed with the American speed
boat championship a sort of speed
ing catch-as-catch-can, Miss Manteo
II. getting really tired of it all, ended
up second to Pep w, driven by Owner
John Bramble of Baltimore. Soon
afterward, Pep hit . bit of debris,
started to fill with water and was
driven into the Virginia mudfats
where she came to an ignoble rest.
New Marks in Trials.
Three new American marks were
set in mile trials in the morning
One was made by David Gerli's Lady
Gen III. driven by Len Bailey. 1t
was 6l.740 miles an hour. . new high
for class I runabouts Robert Gam
brill of Havre de Grace, Md, sent his
class D inboard, Ja-Bo II, over the
measured mile at 44.732 miles an
hour. 72 miles faster than the old
record.
The class c inboard time was
boosted to 44.118 m.ph. by Joseph
Moniele of Wilmington, Del.
Nittany Lion II of young Frank