1955 Detroit Memorial

Race with death fails — Seconds after crashing in the Detroit River, Lloyd Maddock was pulled aboard the Moonshine Babe (centre above) by Dallas R. Kremer, of Bellevue, Ky. Maddock is seen clinging to the rear of Kremer's craft. At left, Dan Ziegler, of Detroit, stands by in the Hot Ice. At right, another driver who has quit the race also is waiting to help. Maddock was taken ahore by a police boat and died en route to a hospital.

Detroit, June 26 [1955] (AP) — Bill Cantrell drove his Gale IV to victory Saturday in the unlimited class of the Detroit Memorial speedboat regatta. Five boats crashed in the blinding spray of the first heat and a driver in a smaller class was killed in a second collision.

The fatality was the first in the history of speedboating on the Detroit River. Lloyd Maddock, 51, of Pontiac, Mich. died almost immediately after a crash of Holiday, which he was driving, and Little Audrey, driven by Harry Vogel of Dearborn, Mich. in the 135-cubic-inch class. Vogel was injured seriously.

In the first turn in the unlimited-class race Saturday on the Detroit River, five boats got messed up while jockeying for position. Gale IV and Miss U.S. were more fortunate while gunning to the lead. The course had been cleared of damaged boats when the two leaders made the turn for the second time. They maintained this pace to finish one-two in the heat. Gale IV took the second heat and clinched the big trophy. In the five-boat accident, drivers Jack Ban in My Sweetie and Chuck Thompson in Short Circuit went to the hospital.

Cantrell swept to victory in the first 15-mile heat in an average speed of 93.729 miles an hour and also captured the second heat with a 92.028 mph average. He finished third to a sister boat, Gale V, in the third heat. The Gale boats are owned by Joe Schoenith of Detroi6t.

Gale IV ran up a point total of 1,025 points to 925 for Gale V, second place finisher. Back of the leaders came George Simon's Miss U.S. with 825 points followed by Such Crust III with 565, Tempo VII, 391, and Wha Hoppen Too with 283 points.

Two drivers were injured slightly in the first heat crash.

Miss Cadillac, My Sweetie, Short Circuit and Canada's Miss Supertest were forced out of the race. Tempo VII, Guy Lombardo's new boat, also was involved but not damaged.

Jack Ban, My Sweetie's pilot, was taken to a hospital for leg x-rays. Chuck Thompson, Short Circuit's driver, received hospital treatment for facial cuts.

Going into the first turn of the opening 15-mile heat, five of the 10 starters were bunched together. Miss Cadillac skidded into Miss Supertest. In the resulting melee, My Sweetie was sandwiched in between and both sponsons were broken. All three came into the pits, My Sweetie in a sinking condition.

[Note: the boat referred to as Miss Supertest was the CA-1 Miss Supertest II. --LF]

Final Results
1.	U-54	Gale IV [race average 92.285 mph]
2.	U-55	Gale V (1)
3.	U-2	Miss U.S. (1)
4.	G-22	Such Crust III (2)
5.	G-13	Tempo VII
6.	U-23	Wha Hoppen Too
7.	U-6	Short Circuit (1)
DNF	U-45	Miss Cadillac
DNQ	U-14	My Sweetie Dora
DNF	CA-1	Miss Supertest II
DNF	U-3	My Sweetie (2)
DNQ	U-5	Miss Detroit (2)
DNQ	U-15	My Sweetie John Francis