Bill Muncey
William Edward "Bill" Muncey was a prominent figure in hydroplane racing, known for his exceptional skills and innovative approach to the sport. Born in Royal Oak, Michigan, Muncey had a multifaceted background, being an accomplished jazz musician as well as a marketing executive before turning to racing. He began his hydroplane career in the late 1940s and quickly made a name for himself, particularly during the late 1950s and early 1970s when he achieved remarkable success. Muncey’s strategic driving style allowed him to win significant races, including multiple APBA Gold Cups, amassing a total of 41 career victories, a record in the sport.
His racing career was characterized by both triumphs and challenges, facing the inherent dangers of high-speed competition, which often resulted in serious accidents. Muncey was known for his resilience; he famously competed with a broken foot and designed safety equipment that aided in his survival during perilous situations. Tragically, his career ended in 1981 when he suffered a fatal accident during a race in Acapulco, Mexico. Muncey's legacy continues to influence the world of hydroplane racing, where he is remembered as one of the sport's greatest champions.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Bill Muncey
Speed Boat Racer
- Born: November 12, 1928
- Birthplace: Royal Oak, Michigan
- Died: October 18, 1981
- Place of death: Acapulco, Mexico
Sport: Speed boat racing
Early Life
William Edward “Bill” Muncey was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. His father was a Chevrolet dealer in Detroit. After high school, Bill attended the General Motors Institute of Technology and did his postgraduate work in marketing at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Introduced to music by his mother, Bill became an accomplished jazz saxophonist and could also play the piano and clarinet. He played with the Guy Lombardo Orchestra, the U.S. Navy concert band, and the Seattle Orchestra. Bill’s background in marketing led him to Atlas Van Lines, where he was vice president of marketing for several years. Later, Bill drove the Atlas Van Lines hydroplane.
The Road to Excellence
Bill became a member of the American Power Boat Association (APBA) as a young adult. Over Bill’s long career, power boats were transformed into hydroplanes, a combination of boat and airplane. The boats were propelled by World War II jet engines, usually Rolls-Royce and Allison models. The jet engines enabled the boats to reach speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour. The boats rode the water on the tips of their sponsons, projections from the boat located in the rear hull, with half of the propeller out of the water.
Hydroplanes have always been loud, and the sport is often referred to as “thunderboating.” Speedboat racing is almost as old as automobile racing, dating to the early 1900’s. All across the United States, hydroplane racers have met in large cities—such as Detroit, Michigan; Seattle, Washington; Miami, Florida; and Washington, D.C.—or in smaller towns on the Ohio River—such as Madison and Evansville, Indiana, and Owensboro, Kentucky. The races have taken place on rivers, lagoons, and lakes. Tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of fans have lined the shores to watch these three-ton boats with 3,000 horsepower jet engines race, during which boats shoot off plumes of water called “roostertails” that climb 75 feet in the air and measure 100 yards long.
In 1946, Bill’s father asked musician Guy Lombardo, who was a speedboat racer and owner, to sell his son a boat in order to keep him busy and away from bad influences. “I sold him a boat that had never won a race,” said Lombardo. Within one year, Bill was driving hydroplanes, and within five years, he was racing them.
Bill was trained on limited boats, those that used automotive engines. In 1948, on the Detroit River, Bill drove an unlimited boat, those powered by jet engines, for the first time, in a race for the Harmsworth Trophy, one of the most important awards in motorboat racing. Bill, nineteen years old, borrowed an engine from legendary boat racer and wealthy industrialist Gar Wood. Bill’s boat, the Miss Great Lakes, sank to the bottom of the Detroit River. Bill did not get another ride in an unlimited hydroplane for four years.
The Emerging Champion
Over nearly thirty years, Bill’s racing career had its ups and downs. The late 1950’s was an era of dominance for Bill. Driving the Miss Thriftway for Willard Rhodes, Bill won the APBA Gold Cup in 1956 and 1957 and again in 1961 and 1962. In 1972, Bill was unstoppable. Out of seven races held that year, he won six and finished second in the other one.
Two regions of the United States, centered in Detroit and Seattle, created the East-West rivalry in unlimited hydroplanes. Bill was born and raised in the Detroit area but his loyalty was to Rhodes and Seattle. He made his home in the West as well, living in La Mesa, California. Not only did Bill drive his boat fast, but he also drove it intelligently. To win championships in unlimited hydroplanes, a driver must know when to go all out and when to back off.
Early in his career, Bill learned that victory did not always go to the swiftest boat and driver. Hydroplanes are sensitive machines: The engine burns out if the boat goes too fast; conversely, the boat stalls if the boat goes too slowly. Bill was an intelligent driver and an innovator. In addition to the jumpsuit, helmet, and parachute, the life jacket was a piece of essential equipment used by the driver. Bill designed his own life jacket, one which saved his life on more than one occasion.
Continuing the Story
By 1977, Bill had been racing in unlimited hydroplanes for twenty-seven years and had forty-one career victories—his closest competitor had won twenty. Furthermore, Bill had won five APBA Gold Cups, tying the all-time record set by Wood. Bill eventually won eight.
Like any high-speed-racing vehicles, unlimited hydroplanes are dangerous. Responding to the safety issues surrounding his sport, Bill once said, “Dangerous? This is defined as one of the cruel sports. We figure anything less than death is a minor accident.” The boats weigh more than three tons and measure more than 30 feet long. They travel in excess of 200 miles per hour and are powered by 3,000 horsepower. Skimming the water in the straightaway, going tightly into a turn, the hydroplane can disintegrate around the driver: the engine can explode and catch fire, and the boat can flip over or lose its steering. Bill had a number of encounters with out-of-control boats. In a 1958 Seattle race, Bill’s boat lost its rudder, and Bill was unable to steer his boat out of the path of a Coast Guard cutter. Traveling 100 miles per hour, Bill hit the ship broadside, puncturing its hull. Both boats sank in a matter of minutes. On another occasion, Bill fell off his boat’s trailer and broke his foot, and his crew had to carry him and place him in the cockpit of the boat. Bill ran the entire race with a broken foot.
In his twenty-ninth season, on an October day in 1981, Bill was in the final heat of the $175,000 world championship race in Acapulco, Mexico. Bill’s Atlas Van Lines boat moved ahead of a pack of rival boats, only to flip in the air at full speed and land upside down. Bill’s spine severed as a result of the impact with the water, and he died.
Summary
Bill Muncey dominated the sport of hydroplane racing in the same way that Michael Jordan dominated professional basketball or Tiger Woods dominated professional golf. Over a nearly thirty-year career in one of the most dangerous sports in the world, Bill won more hydroplane races and more Gold Cup trophies than any other driver.
Bibliography
Fishman, Joanne A. “The Muncey Era Comes to a Sad End.” TheNew York Times, October 25, 1981, p. A3.
Garey, Stephen A. Bill Muncey, Boat Racing Legend. Author, 1982.
Hogg, Tony. Thunderboating with Bill Muncey. Newport Beach, Calif.: Author, 1978.
Keese, Parton. “Muncey Rallies in Final Heat to Retain World Hydro Crown.” TheNew York Times, June 30, 1969, p. 51.