Tom D’Eath is an American hydroplane and racecar driver from Michigan.
Career summary Tom D'Eath (pronounced deeth) won three American Power Boat Association 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. D'Eath also competed on land, by driving in the USAC Formula Vees from 1977 to 1981 and midget cars from 1982 through his retirement from racing in 1991.
Arguably his most memorable victory was in the bicentennial 1976 APBA Gold Cup unlimited hydroplane 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 AmericaTom D'Eath at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000. D'Eath was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame on June 23, 2011, in Troy, Michigan.
Racing record
Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos Points 1977 TRE MIL MOS PIR - - 1978 PIR1 TRE1 MOS MIL1 TEX MIL2 OMS1 OMS2 TRE2 PIR2 55th 6 1979 TEX1 IRP MIL1 POC TEX2 MIL2 MIN1 MIN2 32rd 15 1980 MIL POC MOH MIN1 MIN2 ONT 55th 3
References
External links APBA Official website APBA Vintage Official website