Designer, safety innovator, commentator

“He was a master,’’ said inductee Chip Hanauer. “As a driver, I was the violinist. But he was Stradivarius.’’ The son of inductee Ted, Ron Jones Sr. emerged from his father’s shadow to design and build more than 500 race boats. Perhaps his most famous, Miss Pay ’n Pak, dominated the sport from 1973-76. Jones also was one of the sport’s foremost safety proponents, helping to put drivers ahead of the engine and inside enclosed cockpits. After inductee Tom D’Eath won the 1976 APBA Gold Cup in Jones’ cabover Miss US, every winner since has been a cabover design. After Jones installed canopies on Miss 7-Eleven and Miss Budweiser in the mid-1980s, they were made mandatory. Only one unlimited driver has perished since then. A 2009 APBA Honor Squadron inductee, the organization noted, “He has created fast boats that have set over 90 records in Unlimited, Inboard, Outboard, Drag, OPC, Offshore and Special Event classes. The result is an unprecedented dynasty of APBA World Record holders, National Champions, and thousands of regatta winners.”