Detroit 1996

APBA DETROIT GOLD CUP, Detroit

A full dozen of the seven-litre speedsters assembled on the now-you-see-it, then-you-feel-it Detroit River for a grand weekend of competition, highlighted by the inaugural Subway Automotive Gold Cup Friday evening. That special event pitted four ULRS stalwarts against a like number of Grand Prix boats, with the former gaining a 15-second advantage at the start due to their not-so-powerful engines. With the handicap, Mark Weber was off and running and only gave up the lead on the home straightaway of the final lap to ultimate winner Jimmy King. Weber ran the close second in his Miss Acutus while Randy Haas came home third in his regular Miss Leroi mount.

Thanks to the wild-and-wooly weather of Sunday, only the Unlimited Light preliminary heats were held. These were dominated by Greg Grenier in his UL-141 National Debt, owned by Rick Grenier of Warren, Mich. Mike Weber got the Lane Automotive boat rolling and nabbed Heat 1B, while Mark Weber came home in front of Heat 2B. When the final could not be held, the Greniers took the trophy on the basis of accumulated early-heat points.

Charley Wiggins made his season debut in dad Milt's High Pressure from Gadsden, Ala., finishing second in Heat 1A but failing to finish his second time out. Bob Larimore, per usual, split the Miss Acutus driving chores with Mark Weber and took a second in Heat 1B. Rookie Dennis Macy of Garden City, Mich., began his drive for eventual first-year honors by piloting The Menace to a pair of third-place spots in the prelims.

Greg and Jerry Hopp, from Snohomish County, north of Seattle, in Washington state, split the driving chores in the UL-14 Happy Go Lucky, each grabbing a fourth place. Phil Bononcini was fifth and third in his two heats, while Patrick Sankuer and Andiamo out of Marine City, Mich., got a sixth and a fifth for his efforts. Phoenix winner Dave Bender was unable to start his first heat, but gave Mark Weber a good rassle in Heat 2B before nabbing the place spot. John Grigg Jr. and the Wanna Bee Racing team, down from Traverse City, Mich., motored to a pair of fourth-place finishes in its respective heats, while crafty veteran Joe Tate and the Detroit Yacht Club entry couldn't finish either heat.

Subway Automotive Gold Cup

 Boat # Name                    Driver          Speed
 ------ ----------------------- --------------- ------
 GP-2   Pleasure Seekers        Jimmy King      95.887
 UL-1   Miss Acutus             Mark Weber      95.319
 UL-110 Miss Detroit Yacht Club Randy Haas      ??
 GP-34  Gator                   Brian O'Connor  87.882
 UL-38  Miss Personal Touch     Dave Bender     82.410
 GP-101 Pavages Chenail         Gaetan Latour   81.874
 UL-10  High Pressure           Charley Wiggins 81.603
 GP-77  First Automotive        Ken Brodie      DNS

Unlimited Lights

The final standings were:

 1. National Debt     Greg Grenier    800
 2. Miss Acutus       Mark Weber      700
 3. Miss Leroi        Randy Haas      525
 4. The Menace        Dennis Macy     450
 5. Lane Automotive   Mark Weber      400
 6. Pocket Mechanic   Phil Bononcini  352
 7. Wanna Bee Racing  John Grigg Jr.  338
 8. Happy Go Lucky    Jerry Hopp      338 

Heat 1A

Heat 1B

Heat 2A

Heat 2B

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