''Miss Supertest III'' was a
hydroplane designed and built by
Canadians
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
that won the 1959 Detroit Memorial Regatta and the 1959, 1960 and 1961
Harmsworth Cup The Harmsworth Cup, popularly known as the Harmsworth Trophy, is a historically important British international trophy for motorboats.
History
The Harmsworth was the first annual international award for motorboat racing. Officially, it is a cont ...
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.
Racing out of
Sarnia
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes w ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, ''Miss Supertest III'' was owned by J. Gordon Thompson, owner of
Supertest Petroleum
Supertest Petroleum Limited was a Canadian petroleum company that operated from 1923 to 1973. Its head office was in London, Ontario. It marketed itself as "Canada's All-Canadian Company", and was acquired by BP Canada in 1971.
History
John Gor ...
(later acquired by
BP). The team was managed by his son,
Jim Thompson, and the boat piloted by
Bob Hayward.
''Miss Supertest III'' was inducted into
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. She is currently owned by Murray Walker.
Her predecessor, ''Miss Supertest II'', was briefly the fastest propeller-driven
motorboat
A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine.
Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...
in the world, setting a water speed record of 296.96 km/h (184.494 mph) on November 1, 1957, at
Picton, Ontario
Picton is an unincorporated community located in Prince Edward County in southeastern Ontario, roughly east of Toronto. It is the county's largest community and former seat located at the southwestern end of Picton Bay, a branch of the Bay of ...
, with
Art Asbury at the wheel.
She broke a record that had stood for five years, but a new record was set only a few weeks later. The Harmsworth Cup races near Picton were broadcast on
CJBQ
CJBQ is a Canadian radio station licensed at Belleville, Ontario. It is owned by Quinte Broadcasting along with CIGL-FM and CJTN-FM. CJBQ broadcasts at 800 kHz at a power of 10 kW. The transmitter is located in Prince Edward County. The ...
radio by
Jack Devine
Jack Devine is a veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and a founding partner and President of The Arkin Group LLC.
Biography
Devine's career at the CIA spanned from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, including the fall of President ...
.
The first ''Miss Supertest'' was originally known as ''Miss Canada IV'' and competed in hydroplane races from 1949 to the mid-1950s.
The ''Miss Supertest'' boats were retired following the death of Bob Hayward. He was killed while racing ''Miss Supertest II'' about a month after winning the 1961 Harmsworth Cup with ''Miss Supertest III''.
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...
issued a commemorative stamp in 2011 honouring ''Miss Supertest III'', her driver Bob Hayward and businessman Jim Thompson, who designed and built her.
References
{{Reflist
External links
''Miss Supertest'' Heritage Minuteon
Historica Canada
Racing motorboats