RACING HISTORY
Accomplishments

Art Maynard was the 2nd person to officially exceed 100 mph in a limited class boat.
That was accomplished with his 225 cubic inch class Wickens hydro above.

• Paul Sawyer was the first driver, reaching that benchmark in 1950 and again in 1951.
• Art Maynard was the second driver on August 11, 1952 at Seattle.
• Bobby Sykes was the third driver in November 1952 (probably at Salton Sea)
• B.G. Bartley, Jr. was the fourth driver in December 1952 at Miami with his 7 Litre.

1951 - National High Point Champion - 225 hydro class
1952 - Elected to the Gulf Oil 100 MPH club in 1952.


Two Local Pilots Produce World Marks
By BOB RUSKAUFF
MOTORBOAT drivers of America have shot all their big guns for 1949. The last barrage was fired during the last week-end (a
five-day weekend) at Salton Sea in the ninth Desert Regatta and as a result two ace Long Beach drivers have added more
records to the imposing number held by membership of the Southern California Speedboat Club.
Art Maynard drove Al Menken's E-Racing runabout Plastigo to a new record, which yesterday went in for final A. P. B. A. approval, at 61.813 m.p.h. for five-mile competition. The mark clipped the 61.058 m.p.h. record made more than a year ago in Florida by Lorin Pennington with Copperhead. Glenn Miller of Long Beach, with Commodore Roy Skaggs of S. C. S. C. in co-pilot role, went 68.56 m.p.h. straightaway to crack the record of 68.080 made on Missten Bay this spring by George Zimmer's Skimon Demon.





Local Speed Boat Pilots Clean Up In Florida Races, Then Sell Craft
By BOB RUSKAUFF
Long Beach Press - Telegram
Sunday, March 19, 1950

The newest chapter in the Southern California Speedboat Club's best-seller, "Conquest of Florida" has now been written by a pair of Long Beach boat stars, Art Maynard and Al Menkens. Just returned from the latest of the annual crusade to meet
the nation's best in the big Grapefruit Circuit, driver Maynard and owner Menkens came back, with just about everything in the books, except the boat, Plastigo. Following races at four big meets in which the record holding runabout snared seven wins, a second, third and one did-not-finish in 10 starts, Menkens disposed of the Plastigo to Lou Nutas of Miami. Trophies brought back include the St. Petersburg perpetual trophy, the Fort Lauderdale silver pitcher. At St. Petersburg Maynard turned the fastest time, 62.5 m.p.h. ever made on the difficult triangular course. In the race Plastigo defeated R. Critchfield's famed
Hell's Angel in a race in which the former Southern California E-job, Copperhead, disintegrated in a spill. Lacking a boat, Menkens has turned to build a new one. He doubts it will be ready for the opening season regatta, May 7 at Parker Dam, but said the boat will be ready for all comers by time of the first big meet on Marine Stadium, the 2nd Annual North Long Beach 20-30 Club National Memorial Day Regatta, May 30.

Maynard Retains 1952 Trimper Trophy

ART MAYNARD of Long Beach, California has retained for California the Trimper Trophy for 1952, with his performance of Restless III, 225 cu. inch Div. II hydroplane. Elmer Enquist of Petaluma, Calif. held this award in 1950 and was runner-up for 1951 with 2,300 points as compared to 2,925 for Maynard. Enquist had the Firefly racing in 1950. The Trimper Trophy was the gift of George Trimper of Buffalo, New York who has been racing in the Buffalo region for about 10 years. It is a take-home award to be donated for five successive years.

Maynard isn't new to racing. Back in 1930 in Boston he played "water boy" for racers on the Eastern Seaboard, pulling boats in and out of the water, packing outboards from trailer to boat. In high school he had his own outboard with a 14-hp which wasn't fast enough into the racing classes. 

After coming California, Art saved his pennies to buy the boat he could put into competition and in 1945 he achieved that goal by racing his 135 hydroplane, Lil Beauty, at Salton Sea, his first race, taking third place in his class and second in the
grueling Pacific Motor Boat magazine trophy race. The hydro's Ford V8 engine pushed the boat along at 60 mph. Two years later a Wickens hull, 225, was built at the Wicken's yard in Inglewood, Calif., the original Restless. The boat didn't have the speed Maynard wanted so he re-built it, again at the Wickens' yard, from sponson to sponson and stem to stem. Her first trial was May 14, 1949. "I knew I had it right that day," said Art, and the Restless II became a boat to give all comers in her class terrific competition. When Restless II took the 225 Div. II title that year, beating the world record holder, California Kid, the hydroplane was running between 93 and 94 mph. Restless III was developed in 1951, built by Wickens with Maynard's
specifications, says Art. A new Ford Six was souped up by Art and she was on her way. How she performed that racing season is well-known history, climaxing at Salton Sea estimated straightaway speed, Art says, is 100 mph, and the boat is expected to top 110 when present equipment is completely developed. Art says he has problems of delicate balance and propeller design to solve and work is progressing. The Ford Six has been souped to turn between 6600 and 6700 rpms."


$ Bill 17-F



Hydroplane Race Won By Injured Driver

Art Maynard, Long Beach, Calif., won the Limited Class hydroplane race yesterday afernoon while  he was unconscious from the waters of Lake Washington by another racing driver who sacrificed his own chances of winning to make the rescue. Eddie Meyer, Hollywood,Calif. driver of the Avenger IV, was the hero who rescued Maynard. Maynard was not seriously hurt, but was taken by ambulance to a hospital for a checkup. He was thrown into the lake when his speeding boat, the Dollar Bill, event out of control and flipped over. Meyer held him up until a Coast Guard patrol boat pulled him out Maynard torn to shreds in the crash. Maynard won the Seattle Seafair Trophy on the basis of his victory in the first of the two heats. He had tied with Charles Kobus, Vancouver, B. C., at 400 points for a heat victory apiece, but his speed of 83 miles an hour bettered Kobus' second heat-winning time of about 75 miles per hour for the 7 miles. Maynard was going at high speed near the front of the field, when his craft's prow apparently lifted too high off the water and wavered to disaster. The Dollar Bill was wrecked. John D. Beverly of Spokane Seed third in his Lettuce Go with 320 points.

Although Boat Exploded Maynard Won Seafair Race Despite an explosion which destroyed his speedboat, Art Maynard of Hollywood, Calif., won the Seafair Trophy limited-  class race yesterday on the Gold Cup course. Maynard' s 266-cubic-inch speedboat $ Bill won the first heat of the limited-class free-for-all and earned 400 points. In the first turn of the second heat, $ Bill exploded, tossing Maynard into the water. Charles Kobus piloted his Mercury VII to victory in that second heat, also earning 400 points. Maynard was awarded the $4,000 Trophy, originally offered for Gold Cup class boats, by virtue of his faster time. Maynard's time for the first heat was 5 minutes 27.19 seconds. Kobus did 6:03.21 in the second heat.  Results (boat, cubic-inch class, driver, time): FIRST HEAT 1. $ Bill, 266, Art Maynard, 5:27.19 2. Vivo, 225. Floyd Sather, 5:55.11 3. Rooster Tail, 225, Ralph Mars, 6:05.89 4. Cyrano, 266, H. D. Gill, 6:07.58 5. Candy Too, 225, Marry Ammon, 6:25.77  6. Lettuce Go, 266, John D. Beverly, 6:28.54; 7. Restless III, 225, Tom McLaughlin, 6:34.71;  8. Kay Gee, 225, Bob Bagdon, 6:42.08 9. Baby Trimmer, 225. Bud Wheelock, 7:13.38, 10. Avenger IV, 135. Eddie _Beyer, 7:18.31 11. Nonchalant II, 136, Allen Ford. 8:04.47 SECOND HEAT 1. Mercury VII, 266, Charles Kobus, 6:03.21 2. Flying Saucer, 225, Mich Hallett, 6:28.67 3. Lettuce Go, 266, John D. Beverly. 6:29.11 4. Cherokee, 266. Harold Ceelho, 6:38.46 5. Candy Too, 225, Barry Ammon, 6:54.64 6. Restless III 225, Tom McLaughlin, 6:58.95 7. III Ball, 225, Port Alameda, 8:05.21 SUMMARY 1. $ Bill 2. Mercury VII 3. Lettuce Go

INBOARD HYDROPLANE - RESTLESS III
WICKENS HULL and FORD ENGINE of A.J. MAYNARD
Kent Hitchcock photo

The "All American" Racing Team - 1951

© Art 'Joe' Maynard IV

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