Stanley Sayres
Stanley St. Claire Sayres | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1896 Dayton, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | Error: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day |
| Occupation(s) | Hydroplane racer, entrepreneur, automobile dealer |
| Years active | 1937–1951 |
| Known for | Setting the world water speed record piloting "Slo-mo-shun IV" |
Stanley St. Claire Sayres (1896 – September 17, 1956) was a renowned [[hydroplane racing|hydroplane] competitor who set the world water speed record piloting his vessel "Slo-mo-shun IV."
Born in Dayton, Washington in 1896, Sayres pursued his education at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. He enlisted in the military in 1917. Following the conclusion of World War I, he operated car dealerships first in Walla Walla and later expanded to include a second location in Pendleton, Oregon. By the time he relocated to Seattle in 1931, he had established ownership of five dealerships.[1][2]
His Chrysler-Plymouth dealership was situated at the intersection of Broadway and Madison Street in Seattle.[3] Alongside Harry Jensen, Sayres co-founded Jen-Cel-Lite, a prosperous company producing sleeping bags insulated with cellulose. The connection to motorboat racing emerged through Harry’s brother Tony Jensen, who owned Jensen Motor Boat Company—an influence that ignited Sayres’s lifelong passion for hydroplane racing.[1]
Starting in 1937, Sayres acquired and campaigned a sequence of successful hydroplanes named Slo-mo-shun I through V. The initial boats were purchased from Jack Cooper in 1937 and 1942; notably, the Slo-mo-shun II had previously held a world record for 225-class boats under its former name Topps III, achieving a speed of 87.48 mph. The 1947 model, Slo-mo-shun III, was the first custom-commissioned boat by Sayres within the same class. This marked the beginning of his collaboration with designer Ted Jones and builder Anchor Jensen, Tony’s son. The construction of Slo-mo-shun IV spanned from 1948 until October 1949, followed by Slo-mo-shun V in 1951, which was his final hydroplane project.[1]
While Sayres typically delegated piloting duties to others, he personally drove the Slo-mo-shun IV when setting the World Unlimited water speed record in 1950. The previous record had been established by Malcolm Campbell in 1939 at 141.740 mph (228.108 km/h) with his boat Blue Bird K4. On June 26, 1950, Sayres surpassed this by reaching 160.323 mph (258.015 km/h). He further extended this achievement on July 7, 1952, recording a speed of 178.49 mph (287.25 km/h). This benchmark remained unbeaten until July 1955 when Donald Campbell, Malcolm’s son, attained a speed of 202.32 mph (325.60 km/h) aboard the Bluebird K7.[1]
During the early 1950s, his two vessels—Slo-mo-shun IV and Slo-mo-shun V—with various pilots including Ted Jones, secured six victories in the prestigious APBA Gold Cup, recognized as the premier hydroplane race across the United States.[2] Additionally, Slo-mo-shun IV captured the Harmsworth Cup in 1950, making it unique as the only boat to win both major trophies and establish a world speed record within a single year.[1]
Sayres passed away due to a heart attack in 1956. In honor of his legacy, Seattle’s Stan Sayres Memorial Park bears his name.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Notes
- 1896 births
- 1956 deaths
- American automobile sales professionals
- American motorboat competitors
- Entrepreneurs based in Seattle
- Residents of Dayton, Washington
- Water speed record holders
- Alumni of Whitman College
- Holders of world records
- American business figures of the 20th century
- American automobile salespeople