The Story Of Tru-Jen and the Masport Cup

[shellsport]

This is Bel Air 3 , not the first . I recommend a book "The Boss" which his nephew loaned me , great reading Hec Green was his engine man .

[bob homewood]

Basically as I saw and said ,one of those days that is better to forget and move on,there is enough sadness in life without dwelling on it

I was at Auckland library this morning and decided to do a bit of newspaper research into the death of Maurie Dunn.
I found an article from the Auckland Star dated 29 May 1965 with a sub-heading stating :

" An attempt on the Australasian water speed record ended in disaster at Bottletop Bay , near Papakura, this morning, when a racing hydroplane corkscrewed and crashed at about 130mph, killing the driver"

It goes on to say " Maurice Leslie Dunn was 36 years old and a father of four from Richard Avenue, Papatoetoe.
He was a motorcycle speedway star and was a member of the 1960 NZ team that raced in Europe.
It is thought that the boat possibly hit an obstruction in the water, or possibly a patch of turbulent water unsettled the craft
The plywood hull of "Elray 2" shattered into fragments.
The incident occured just before 11am as "Elray 2 " , owned by Mr Jock Appleton, Manurewa , who was watching from the shore, went streaking across the bay for it's first timed run.
Eyewitnesses said the craft appeared to lift once, then again, and be caught by the wind.
It corkscrewed into the air, the driver was thrown clear but then hit by the hull and hurled across the water.There was little wind at the time although the weather was dull with intermittent rain.

Elray 2 , which raced for the first time last season ( 1964 ) cost between 1600 and 1700 pounds , and was powered by a Corvette racing engine

29 May 1965