Aggressor Takes
Griffith Cup
By Ted Madden

Aggressor, Australia’s largest hydro plane, won the 1972 Griffith Cup on Lake Eppalock yesterday. It was the unlucky boat in last year’s classic race.

In the 1971 final race Aggressor was moving up in Stampede when a fractured exhaust stub led to the withdrawal of the giant, allowing Stampede to win comfortably.

Yesterday Stampede was the victim of circumstances when its motor began spouting water early in the second lap. From that stage Aggressor’s only problem was to complete the course to win the keenly contested trophy and title.

Dave Tenny and Les Scott hurled the big boat over the course in 8 min. 6.4 seconds.

Their fastest lap over the one and a half mile circuit was 1 min. 9 secs.

Stampede time was 8 min. 31.3 secs. Cheeta was third in 8 min. 32.5 secs. and the Western Australian entry, Big Benzol, was a belated fourth, the time being 9 min. 49.7 secs.

Cheeta provided the greatest excitement. In the first heat Cheeta had the chance of taking the win from Stampede, but the run home brought about defeat.

The enforced retirement of veteran Ernie Nunn from New South Wales whose name appears in records as the winner of the big classic disappointing to officials.

The estimated attendance was reported as being around the 15,000 mark.

Results
Griffith Cup: Aggressor (D. Tenny, L. Scott) 1; Stampede (B. Saniga, S Jones) 2; Cheeta (L. Ramsay) 3
100 c.i. scratch: Taylor Tunnel, B Cooper, 1; Havoc, A. Eddington, 2; Dynamite, M. Bakoff, 3.
300 c.i. scratch: Cheeta, L. Ramsay, 1; Vilain, M. Longford, 2; Shilo, T. Newman, 3.
155 c.i. scratch, Div 1: Screamin’ Eagle, I. Harvey, 1; Viper, M. Luhrs, 2; Falcon, J. Taylor, 3.
155 c.i. scratch, Div 2: Chinook, L. Arnott, 1; Rusco, A. Coombs, 2; Hydromania, N. Howe, 3.
225 c.i. scratch: Scrubcat, J. Long, 1; Hydrophobia, A. Brown, 2; Vixen, R. McDonald, 3.
266 c.i. scratch: Tracy, R. Kruger, 1; Rascola, W. Baberton, 2; Shirap, F. Stacey, 3.
100 c.i. handicap: Dynamite, M. Bakoff, 1; Foxee, J. Winzong, 2; Frantic Too, L. Jenkins, 3.
225 c.i. handicap, Div 1: Falcon, J. Taylor, 1; Russco, A Coombs, 2; Screamin’ Eagle, I. Harvey, 3.
225 c.i. handicap, Div 2: Banzai, K. Wheeler, 1; Scrubcat, J. Long, 2.
266 c.i. handicap: Panther, 1; Tracy, R. Kruger, 2; J.’aminie, J. Willis, 3.
300 c.i. handicap: Shilo, T. Newman, 1; Cheets, L. Ramsay, 2; Comanche, L. Nicholls, 3.
Open handicap, Div 1: Banzai, K. Wheeler, 1; Hydrophobia, A. Brown, 2; Screamin’ Eagle, I. Harvey, 3.
Open Handicap, Div 2: Frantic Too, L. Jenkins, 1; Rascla, W. Baberton, 2; Panther, 3.

Madden, T. 1974, 'Aggressor Takes Griffith Cup,' Modern Boating, May.

Article donation - Glenn Cox

CLOSE WINDOW 

HOME