His Chrysler-Plymouth dealership was located on the corner of Broadway and Madison Street in Seattle.[3] Together with Harry Jensen he founded the successful company Jen-Cel-Lite, which made sleeping bags using cellulose for insulation. Harry's brother Tony owned Jensen Motor Boat Company, and this sparked the interest in motor boat racing Sayres would have for the rest of his life.[1]
From 1937 onward, he owned a series of successful hydroplane racing boats called Slo-mo-shun I to V. The first ones were bought in 1937 and 1942 from Jack Cooper; the Slo-mo-shun II had with its previous owner and under its previous name Topps III set a world record for its class (225-class boats) at 87.48mph. The 1947 Slo-mo-shun III was the first boat specially ordered by Sayres, again in the 225 class. It marked the start of the collaboration between Sayres, designer Ted Jones, and builder Anchor Jensen (son of Tony). The Slo-mo-shun IV was built between 1948 and October 1949, the Slo-mo-shun V in 1951. It was the last boat he built.[1]
Usually, he let others drive the boats, but in 1950 he piloted the Slo-mo-shun IV to the World Unlimited water speed record. Malcolm Campbell had set the record in 1939 to 141.740mph (228.108km/h) with his Blue Bird K4. On 26 June 1950, Sayres broke that record when he reached 160.323mph (258.015km/h). He again improved this record on 7 July 1952 to 178.49mph (287.25km/h). This record stood until July 1955 when Donald Campbell, son of the former record holder, reached 202.32mph (325.60km/h) in the Bluebird K7.[1]
In the early 1950s, his two boats Slo-mo-shun IV and Slo-mo-shun V (with various drivers including Ted Jones) were the 6-times winners of the APBA Gold Cup, the most important hydroplane race in the United States.[2] The IV also won the Harmsworth Cup in 1950, making it the only boat to win the two most important trophies and set the world speed record in one year.[1]
Sayres died of a heart attack in 1956. The Stan Sayres Memorial Park in Seattle is named after him.[4]
Donald Malcolm Campbell, was a British speed record breaker who broke eight absolute world speed records on water and on land in the 1950s and 1960s. He remains the only person to set both world land and water speed records in the same year (1964). He died during a water speed record attempt at Coniston Water in the Lake District, England.
A hydroplane is a fast motorboat, where the hull shape is such that at speed, the weight of the boat is supported by planing forces, rather than simple buoyancy.
Hydroplane racing is a sport involving racing hydroplanes on lakes and rivers. It is a popular spectator sport in several countries.
A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine.
Seafair is a summer festival in Seattle, Washington, that encompasses a wide variety of small neighborhood events leading up to several major citywide celebrations. While many small block parties and local parades occur under the auspices of Seafair, most Seattle residents associate Seafair with the Torchlight Parade, Seafair Cup hydroplane races, and the Blue Angels. Seafair has been an annual event in Seattle since 1950 but its roots can be traced to the 1911 Seattle Golden Potlatch Celebrations.
The world unlimited Water Speed Record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle, irrespective of propulsion method. The current unlimited record is 511.11 km/h (317.59 mph), achieved by Australian Ken Warby in the Spirit of Australia in 1978.
Tudor Owen ("Ted") Jones was a hydroplane designer and builder.
Miss Supertest III was a hydroplane designed and built by Canadians that won the 1959 Detroit Memorial Regatta and the 1959, 1960 and 1961 Harmsworth Cup races—the only four races she ever entered. She was the only three-time Harmsworth Cup winner and the first non-U.S. winner in 39 years.
Ken Warby was an Australian motorboat racer, who at his death held the water speed record of 275.97 knots, set on Blowering Dam on 8 October 1978.
The Rolls-Royce Merlin, although designed as an aero engine, was used in other applications both on land and at sea. A derivative called the Meteor was developed for use in tanks.
Eddie Hill is an American retired drag racer who won numerous drag racing championships on land and water. Hill had the first run in the four second range (4.990 seconds), which earned him the nickname "Four Father of Drag Racing." His other nicknames include "The Thrill", "Holeshot Hill", and "Fast Eddie". In 1960, he set the NHRA record for the largest improvement in the elapsed time (e.t.) when he drove the quarter mile in 8.84 seconds to break the previous 9.40-second record.
Blue Bird K4 was a powerboat commissioned in 1939 by Sir Malcolm Campbell, to rival the Americans' efforts in the fight for the world water speed record.
Miss England II was the second of a series of speedboats used by Henry Segrave and Kaye Don to contest world water speed records in the 1920s and 1930s.
Bluebird K7 is a jet engined hydroplane in which Britain's Donald Campbell set seven world water speed records between 1955 and 1967. K7 was the first successful jet-powered hydroplane, and was considered revolutionary when launched in January 1955. Campbell and K7 were responsible for adding almost 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) to the water speed record, taking it from existing mark of 178 miles per hour (286 km/h) to just over 276 miles per hour (444 km/h). Donald Campbell was killed in an accident with a much modified K7, on 4 January 1967, whilst making a bid for his eighth water speed record, with his aim to raise the record to over 300 miles per hour (480 km/h) on Coniston Water.
H1 Unlimited is an American Unlimited Hydroplane racing league that is sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association (APBA). Until 2009, the series was known as ABRA Unlimited Hydroplane, in turn renamed from APBA Unlimited Hydroplane in 2004. The H1 Unlimited season typically runs from July through September, consisting of five races.
Blue Bird K3 is a hydroplane powerboat commissioned in 1937 by Sir Malcolm Campbell, to rival the Americans' efforts in the fight for the world water speed record. She set three world water speed records, first on Lake Maggiore in September 1937, then later twice raising her own record.
The Seafair Cup, is an H1 Unlimited hydroplane boat race held annually in late July and early August on Lake Washington in Seattle, Washington. The race is the main attraction of the annual Seafair festival. Seattle has hosted the Seafair Cup consecutively since 1951. The event was part of the APBA Gold Cup for the following years: 1951 to 1955, 1957 to 1959, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1974, 1981, and 1985.
Dean Alan Chenoweth was an American hydroplane racing pilot. Known for piloting the famous Miss Budweiser boat and the winner of four American Power Boat Association Gold Cups, he was killed at age 44 in a racing accident on the Columbia River.
Fabio Buzzi was an Italian motorboat builder and racer.
Russ Wicks is an American racing driver. He is the only living person to hold world speed records over 200 mph, on both land and water. Wicks' racing career started with professional motocross.
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