Tom D’Eath is an American
hydroplane and
racecar driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
from
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
.
Career summary
Tom D'Eath (pronounced deeth) won 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 Cups and three the Prince Edward Canadian Gold Cups. He remains the only three-time winner of both. He has also won National Championships in virtually every other class of
hydroplane racing
Hydroplane racing (also known as hydro racing) is a sport involving racing Hydroplane (boat), hydroplanes on lakes and rivers. It is a popular spectator sport in several countries.
Racing circuits
International professional outboard hydroplane r ...
. D'Eath also competed on land, by driving in the USAC Formula Vees from 1977 to 1981 and
midget car
Midget cars, also speedcars in Australia, is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four cylinder engines. They originated in the United States in the 1930s and are raced on mo ...
s from 1982 through his retirement from racing in 1991.
Arguably his most memorable victory was in the bicentennial 1976
APBA Gold Cup
The APBA Gold Cup (originally known simply as the Gold Cup, a speedboat race) is an American hydroplane boat race, named for the American Power Boat Association. It is now run as part of the H1 Unlimited season.
Starting in 1904, the Gold Cu ...
unlimited hydroplane
Unlimited may refer to:
* Infinity, a boundless or limitless extent or quantity
Arts and entertainment Games and comics
* '' Unlimited (Magic: The Gathering)'', a 1993 core set
* '' SimCity 3000 Unlimited'', a revision of ''SimCity 3000''
* ''Th ...
race, held on the Detroit River. D'Eath piloted the Miss US to a narrow upset victory over Bill Muncey in the Atlas Van Lines, a hull that won the two previous Gold Cups and the three previous APBA National Championships. In addition to being D'Eath's first Gold Cup win, it was the first Gold Cup win for a turbocharged V-12 Allison aircraft engine, the first for a cabover unlimited hull, and the first Gold Cup win for Miss US owner George Simon, who had competed in unlimited hydroplane racing since 1953.
In 1994 Tom became the first Chairman of the Vintage and Historic Division of APBA.
Awards
*He 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, ...
[Tom D'Eath]
at 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, ...
in 2000.
*D'Eath was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame on June 23, 2011, in Troy, Michigan.
[http://polishsportshof.com/inductees/motor-sports/tom-death/]
Racing record
Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results
References
External links
APBA Official websiteAPBA Vintage Official website
American motorboat racers
Living people
APBA Challenge Cup
American people of Polish descent
Racing drivers from Michigan
Year of birth missing (living people)
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