1972 Red Bank
By Dick DeBartolo and John Maer
Photos by Rocky Weldon
POWERBOAT MAGAZINE - January 1973

The Gulf Oil Company sponsors a variety of special interest events such as space launchings, occasional political conventions, boat races, etc. Maybe a racing regatta doesn't cost as much as a moon shot and it doesn't usually last as long as a convention, but the Gulf sponsored Red Bank Regatta, last August 19th and 20th, was every bit as exciting and interesting as anything else the good Gulf people provide.

Mario Sqillace puts the Yankee Stealer over the bumpy jumps to take first overall and set a 90.543 record.

Saturday was a good day for the spectators, but the racers took their lumps. An inconsistent, sometimes gusty, wind played pranks on the drivers and kicked up some bumpy water. Boats which normally cut broad, powerful, sweeping turns suddenly found that the only way around Red Bank's turns was hop, skip and jump. Herbie Moore's Flying Carpet JS set a new record at 62.5-mph which was disallowed after the technical inspection. Jack Kiely almost lost his National Champ, Yankee Steeler, but some cool driving on the part of Mario Squillace and others averted a surely bad scene. Dave Sooy, wheeling his dad's 280 prototype cabover, kissed his windshield rather violently when he suddenly lost his starting lane to another over anxious racer. Curvaceous Connie Cottrell undertook a full-blown PR campaign. The Eggbeater crew (JS), dressed in hot pink outfits, distributed about a thousand "Think Pink" buttons to spectators and participants alike.

Sometimes it's hard to see when the bow is six feet above the water. Jersey Speed Skiff fights the windy course.

On Sunday the shoe was on the other foot. A racer couldn't ask for much better water. When Jack Kiely foots the bill, Carl Gardella wrenches the engine and Mario Squillace reads the water, everyone else is bound to come in second. From the outset of the SK elimination it was obvious that something had to happen. Mario grabbed an early lead and continued to widen the gap as he glassed over the water in flawless fashion. When Yankee Steeler glided into the pits, an astounding 90.543-mph record was in tow. Later the Kiely/Squillace team copped first in the finals to capture first overall. Dave Kramer's Fuss Budget coupled a first and a fifth for second overall. Richard Wertz earned third place with his Branded Too.
     Fortunately for everybody else, National Champ and world record holder Willard Wilson was disqualified in the elimination heat for 145's. Stu Shane, Bonanza, posted top honors with a first and a second. The Country Boy with Sid Johnson and Allan Schnabalk's Meri Pam rounded out the top slots in the 145 class.

Andy Lemeshewsky's new Jones 5 Litre Wildcat, took top honors with a 1-1 on Saturday and a 2-1 on Sunday.

Two weeks prior to the Red Bank Regatta, Andy Lemeshewsky unleashed his new Jones Wildcat on the 280 pack and it mauled everything in sight. In  the 280 eliminations the Big Bawana of Henry Knab went hunting and Bawana bagged a Wildcat. The finals saw Andy and Henry stalking each other as they approached the gun but their mutual preoccupation caused them to arrive at the clock a bit early. While Big Bawna and Wildcat feathered it, Tony Scartine's First State, with Skeeter Johnson at the helm, blasted by hitting the white flag in fullstride. Andy eventually caught and out-dueled Skeeter and resigned  him to the role of spoiler. First State kept Big Bawana at bay and upset any possibility of a tie between Andy and Henry. When the white water settled, Lemeshewsky had wrapped overall top honors. Knab finished in second and Scartine's First State settled for third.
     Larry Lauterbach made a clean sweep of the 150's in Dr. James Davis's Rudy's Comet. The race for the next two slots turned out to be a family affair as the Denstens, Bill and Allen, waged war on one another. Bill and his tiny Baby June bested Allen and his Gee Bee. Jack Van Deman, who nearly totaled himself on this course two years ago, really turned the crowd on with a hard charge at Rudy's Comet which netted him a second in the finals. Unfortunately an earlier DNF kept him out of serious contention for any of the top gold.

Tommy D'Eath's Boom Boom took a third and a second in Saturday 280 action, failed to finish on Saturday.


The 5L race was almost won on the basis of the fewest number of DNF's. In the first heat, Tommy D'Eath rifled his Boom Boom across the starting line and looked as if he were going to run away and hide from the rest of the boats. Suddenly, Boom Boom headed for the pits and second place Miss Jenny began to falter and lag on the back straight. With two boats devouring the distance behind him, Gordie Reed got the Jenny going again and commenced to give her a fine ride. A repeat for Gordie in the final netted him a perfect score for the day. Frank Hawk's Jersey Lightning finished second overall with a second and a DNF. The Wha Hoppen of Chet Bourne took third on the strength of a first heat third.
     Having set 7LII records for two consecutive years, Don Dunnington was a marked man. Nobody was about to concede a third record to Don and Sunday's 7L heats were fiercely contested.
     The godfather of the 7LII's, Cheri Petti, made Don Lostumbo an offer he couldn't refuse. Don took the wheel of Cheri's boat in the elimination heat and wailed, to the overwhelming joy of the spectators. Dunnington, in his Maryland Miss, nipped at the transom of Another Pet all the way but Lostumbo took the flag first. Apparently nobody ever told Lostumbo and Dunnington that a hydro is supposed to drop its roostertail once in a while. Both drivers flew full tail for the whole five miles, as Paul Sparrow eased it home for a third. Sometime between the first and second heat Ontario's Sparrow took the time to read the instructions painted on his dash panel, "go fast and turn left". Sparrow's Apache grabbed the lead early in the finals and was never headed the rest of the way. Dunnington barreled home second again and Steve Petti tagged a long for third. Another Pet and Sparrow's Apache tied for points but Petti's boat took it on elapsed time. Dandy Don was thus bumped into third.

Who needs water? Paul Sparrow lifts Apache clear of the water in red hot 7L II competition.

The JS races turned out to be a real donnybrook. In the elimination heat, Fred Zbranak hit the 500-foot marker but was declared legal since another boat had forced him into the buoy. For five miles Connie Cottrell and her hot pink Eggbeater chased the disqualified Daffodil. Ultimately, it was determined that Zbranak's Orange Crate zigged when it should have zagged; Schmedes' Daffodil was reinstated for a first; Eggbeater settled for second. The final matched Herbie Moore's Flying Carpet and Schmedes' Daffodil, 1st heat winners, with the standard-bearer of Women's Lib, Connie Cottrell. Shortly after a good start, Schmedes pulled into the infield with some bashed ribs leaving Moore and Cottrell to slug it out. Rounding corners side by side, the duo scorched the course. Connie came home behind Herbie but was eventually awarded first overall when Moore's Flying Carpet was disqualified for sliding out on the Eggbeater in a corner. A consistent Dave Greenlaw and his Veri-Cheri tied two seconds together for runner-up honors. Driving his second race ever, an adolescent looking Charlie Boland coupled two thirds for an overall third.
     It was a bittersweet weekend for Tony Rodriguis. Four times Tony answered the five minute gun and four times he failed to make it to the starting flag. While Red Bank was in direct contrast to his usually outstanding performances it hardly negated his last year of success. Tony was the recipient of the William Ritner Memorial Trophy for outstanding accomplishments over the past year. Nominees also included Ron Jones and Willard Wilson. Well, you take the good with the bad and surely the Ritner Trophy will help Tony forget an agonizing weekend.
      The spectator crowd was even bigger than last years, a total of 29,500 on-lookers including Honorary Chairman Guy Lombardo. He returns each year to Red Bank, which is where he won the Gold Cup in 1946 driving his famous Tempo VI.
I don't know if Arrangements Chairman Jack Sweeney is responsible for bringing the beauty to the Sweepstakes each year, but this time we had four out-in-front winners. There was a gorgeous Red Bank queen, a knock-out first mate, a beautiful second mate, and the petite Bob Wanamaker. Rounding out a fine two days of excitement was veteran announcer Al Bauer, who can tell you everything you want to know about any boat and you don't even have to ask!

33rd Annual National Sweepstakes Regatta
Saturday - 145: Lil' Electron, Wilson (1-1); Miss Bazar, Howarth (1-2); Bonanza, Shane (3-3) - 150: Rudy's Comet, Davis (1-1); Two Twentys, Murphy (2-2); Budget Buster, Lynn (5-3) - 280: Wildcat, Lemeshewsky (1-1): Big Bawana, Knab (1-2); First State, Scartin (2-3); Boom Boom, D'Eath and Boren (3-2) - 7LII: Another Pet, Petti (3-2); Apache, Sparrow (2-DNF) - SK: Home Brew, Wellman (2-1); Eggbeater, Cottrell (2-1); Bugs Bunny, Becker (3-3)

Sunday - 145: Bonanza , Shane (1-2); Country Boy, Johnson (1-2); Meri Pam, Schnabolk (1-3) - 150: Rudy's Comet, Davis (1-1); Baby Jane, W. Densten (2-3); Gee Bee, A. Densten (3-4)- 280: Wildcat, Lemeshewsky (2-1); Big Bawana, Knab (1-3); First State, Scartine (3-2) - 5L: Miss Jenny, Reed (1-1); Jersey Lightning, Hawk (2-DNF); Wha Hoppen, Bourne (3-DISQ) - 7LII: Another Pet, Petti (1-3); Apache, Sparrow (3-1); Maryland Miss, Dunnington (2-2) - SK: Yankee Steeler, Kiely (1-1); Fuss Budget, Kramer (1-5); Branded Too, Wertz (3-2) - JS: Eggbeater, Cottrell (2-1); Veri Cheri, Greenlaw (2-2); Bill Al's, Boland (3-3)

Thanks to Brent McLean for loaning this Powerboat Magazine.
Thanks to Cassandra Spruit for all scanning/formatting work.