Bill Muncey

[Trihedral_1]

I can't help but ponder Bill Muncey today, and I can't believe it's been 25 years since that final race in Aculpuco. I do have to say there is always a snapshot or a quote of Muncey's around my house on any given day, and we still like to use words like "barnburner" when it comes to race time. I also know that when a kid driving an outboard reaches deep and pulls off that amazing flying start, it was because the spirit of Muncey was with him. That's just how it works for me. So, dust off those old Seafair videos, give a friendly wave to that Atlas Van Lines truck, and remember the great Bill Muncey.

See ya in the first turn,
Jimi Oberto (305R)

almost forgot the quote of the day:

"A ‘devil-may-care’ attitude is not involved and a ‘live today, tomorrow we die’ philosophy is not true. As a matter of fact, a racing man probably is closer to the magnificence of life, and the value of it, than anyone else." -Muncey

[guedo499]

Committed at the 1 min gun...

Bill Muncey
“In contrast to the racing creed and philosophy of some who think the only way to win is to charge, I rather feel that the only way to win is to think. Think precisely, constantly, unemotionally”.

[Racerkyle20]

Born 1984

I wasn't born until a few years after Muncey died, but my favorite Boat of all time is the cabover Blue Blaster Atlas Van Lines. I remember the first time Pat ever showed me a video of him driving it, was in Detroit (or wherever the Bridge is in the second corner) when he would go under the bridge and start way outside in land 52 and nail the start at full speed. The thing looked like an ASH with sponsons riding high and tapping the water as the air spilled out from each side, It was sooooo cool! Here's to you Bill!

Kyle Bahl
20-R

[sponsonhead]

Bill

I wasn't born until a few years after Muncey died, but my favorite Boat of all time is the cabover Blue Blaster Atlas Van Lines. I remember the first time Pat ever showed me a video of him driving it, was in Detroit (or wherever the Bridge is in the second corner) when he would go under the bridge and start way outside in land 52 and nail the start at full speed. The thing looked like an ASH with sponsons riding high and tapping the water as the air spilled out from each side, It was sooooo cool! Here's to you Bill!

Kyle Bahl
20-R

That was the Tri Cities Gold Cup, 1977. One of Bill's best ever.

I remember in about 1973 I was down at the pits at the Seattle race with Fast Freddie Schmidt. I noticed Muncey had recently switched from racing with goggles to a gentex eyeshield (the kind that the fighter pilots wear) and I was curious about the change. At one point in the afternoon, I saw him standing off to the side, not looking terribly busy. I walked up to him and asked him why he made the switch. There are a lot of people who would blow off a 16 year old kid, that didn't know him from Adam, but Bill took Fred and I up into the Atlas truck, pulled out the helmet from his bag, showed us the system, talked about his new set-up, told us what he liked about it and what he didn't, and even let me try it on. He was smart, articulate, and treated two kids that raced outboards as peers. Pretty heady stuff at the time.

Boat racing never had a greater ambassador and spokesman for the sport than Bill Muncey. I miss him still.

R-19

[Ron Hill]

Bill Muncey and MOD VP

I got to know Bill very well when we were racing MOD VP...He had a PRODUCTION LOOKING Glastron with an Evinrude 235 on the back....He got Chip Hanauer, Bob Wartinger and a few others to co-drive with him...It always seemed to "SHOCK" me that this was BILL MUNCEY when we were talking....

Few knew that he and I were going to team the next season, after he was killed...He and I hit it off pretty well, he felt I could talk to the general public, which he felt was important for a driver...My fraterity brother was controller of Bill Bennett's Circus Circus Casino at that time...

Bill felt he could run two turbine boats for th price of one piston boat...the boats were to be called Atlas Van Lines and Circus Circus....I sometimes feel lucky the way my wife has played out...

Muncey was a gentleman.....and I miss him!!! The SPORT MISSES HIM MORE!!!!

[Richard K.C. Mo.]

Liked other forms of racing.

I first met Bill Muncey at a race in Detroit , Miss U S driver at the time 60s sometime, he always had time for spectators wich i was.

I next met him at a race on Mission Bay, he actually remembered our chat some 10+ yrs. previous, i seen him several times after at diff. races.
Oh ,also seen him several time at Otay Mesa dirt track watching midgets and sprints He and Jay Root were there one time , in about 1979 i think. Regular kind of guy, aways had time for fans.
RichardKCMo

[Jeff Akers]

I remember in about 1973 I was down at the pits at the Seattle race with Fast Freddie Schmidt. I noticed Muncey had recently switched from racing with goggles to a gentex eyeshield (the kind that the fighter pilots wear)
R-19

This reminded me of my childhood, I had one of those View finder things (you put a disc in and you look through to see a picture)..I had one from ABC Wide World of Sports it had 10 or 20 photos of the unlimiteds, there was one photo that was my favorite...It was Bill Muncey stanting on the right sponson of the Atlas in full gear, I thought he looked soo cool, kinda like a Astronaut with that fighter pilot helmet on....Never met him,but he left an impresion on this kid

[Richard K.C. Mo.]

Holding the throttle.

Jeff , was the boat in motion, if so i have a photo of that at Mission Bay linkage broke , he was standing outside cockpit holding on for the finsh to avoid a dnf.
Richard

[Jeff Akers]

I don't think it was moving...Maybe just coming in to the dock.

Post the pic and I'll let ya know

[BentRod]

I remember

I remember the first time I saw Bill Muncey drive a boat. It was at a race outside of Pontiac Mi. He owned a limited class inboard hydro with a Chevy in line six with a Wayne conversion. He was running against one other Chevy and the rest of the field were flat head V8's. He absolutely smoked them all. He got about half a lap lead and never looked back. I was young then and I'm still proud that I got to see him drive. As I remember now I believe it was at Sylvan Lk. I don't remember the year. The boat was named MY Son.

[Mark 72@E]

1973 New York Boat Show

I was 15 years old when I went with my dad to the 1973 New York Boat Show in New York City. My dad was there for business; I was there to see the sights.

Imagine my delight when I discovered Bill Muncey and the real Atlas Van Lines parked in a distant corner of the show. I learned recently that such appearances were part of his contract with his sponsor.

Throughout the day I found myself circling back to take another look. Atlas Van Lines looked HUGE tilted up on the trailer. Many times he had so many people around him I couldn’t even see him, let alone get through the crowd to talk to him. But at one point I got close enough to get a personally autographed card. (His autograph is on the back of the promotional card pictured below).

By the end of the day the crowds had thinned. On one return trip I saw he was talking to just one man. I wanted to go up to Bill, shake his hand, and tell him that I was going to be a hydroplane racer too. I wanted to tell him that I was already a member of APBA. I wanted to tell him that I had already collected enough Merc KG4 parts to build an engine and that I was close to ordering my first hydroplane from a builder. I wanted to tell him that I was planning to start racing A Stock Hydro that coming summer.

I wanted to tell him all these things. But I was 15 years old and very shy. I snapped the picture and turned away.

(In the photo Bill is leaning against his boat, facing left)

Note: These photos will eventually be removed to save server space.