Ronald J. Musson (died June 19, 1966) was a hydroplane driver from

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

. He is best known for driving the Unlimited Hydroplane ''

Miss Bardahl ''Miss Bardahl'' was an Unlimited Hydroplane that raced from 1957 to 1969. Between 1963 and 1968, the team won five American Power Boat Association Gold Cups. Driver Ron Musson won three from 1963 through 1965, and driver Bill Schumacher won in 1 ...

'' to three

American Power Boat Association The American Power Boat Association (APBA) is an American membership-owned corporation. In 1903, New York's Columbia Yacht Club had formulated a constitution for what ultimately became the APBA. It is the United States sanctioning authority for the ...

Gold Cup championships in 1963, 1964 and 1965. Musson died on Sunday, June 19, 1966 on what became known as "Black Sunday", when, in Washington, DC, three unlimited drivers were killed during the President's Cup race on the Potomac River. Musson was driving ''Miss Bardahl''. Also killed were Rex Manchester, driving the ''Notre Dame'' hydroplane, and Don Wilson, driving the ''

Miss Budweiser The ''Miss Budweiser'' were 22 hydroplanes sponsored by Budweiser beer that raced in the unlimited class under the U-12 banner. They were owned (some were leased backups) by Bernie Little. Anheuser-Busch sponsorship began in 1963, thanks to the ...

''. Musson was inducted into the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...

in 1993.Ron Musson
at the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musson, Ronald 1966 deaths Motorboat racers who died while racing Sports deaths in Washington, D.C. Sportspeople from Akron, Ohio Year of birth missing