Lewis has easy win at Hazelwood
- By TED MADDEN
Lewis led from the start to finish in both heats to score from his brother Geoff (Rebel), who finished second in the first heat and fourth in the second.
Third place went to Ray Smith’s Jane IV, third in both heats.
Big Gippsland runabout, Tiger, lost her chance when and electrical fault caused her to drop out of a place in the first heat.
She finished second in the second
in the second heat, but never looked like catching Vulture.
The win not only gave John Lewis the two big unlimited class cups decided
this season, but proved that a hydroplane can win on Lake Hazelwood, even
with a stiff breeze blowing.
The wind was from the north-west,
and did not affect the lake unduly.
As the afternoon wore on, it backed south-westerly – the vulnerable
quarter for Lake Hazelwood – but tended to lose force.
The two Hydroplanes, Vulture and Rebel, had no trouble with the conditions.
GREAT NOW
Vulture is going better, and faster, than when she won the Griffith Cup.
Lewis has removed the triple fin and brace and with only one fin, the boat trims better.
Ray Smith’s new boat, Jane IV, turned in her best performance yet. She finished third in both heats of the Gold Cup, and took the A grade scratch, 5-litre scratch and first A grade handicap as well.
Jane has undergone considerable modifications since she threw jockey Fred Heikens on Albert Park Lake, and is not only trimming and handling much better, but has gained acceleration.
Although slower than Tiger, she is accelerating so well that she must be given a chance of beating Gippsland boat over the tight Albert Park course in the third heat of the Prince Henry’s Hospital Cup, on May 25.
Madden, T. 1975, 'Vulture all the way', The Sporting Globe, Sat., May 3, p. 6