Louis Collins, #85

[Smokin' Joe]

Louis was the toughest driver I ever ran against and one of the world's finest V-bottom drivers. Louis, in turn, told me that Johnnie Sanders was in his opinion the best driver he'd run against. He started life modestly, while attending UT in Austin he kept a 1950s era Johnson 25 in his trunk for ready use. I met him when (advised by John Long) I drove to Waco in 1976 to buy a pristine blue-white 14' Allison (that would win me three national championships) with a Merc 850. At that time Louis traded rare coins for a living, he's probably nearly the best psychologist I've had the pleasure to know. Reading people was his specialty. He drove JP a lot in those days, got into Mod VP at Havasu in 1978 and would have won the 1980 Havasu race but was disqualified for an infraction that he may not have committed (cutting the right turn buoy-the video didn't show the infraction). I don't have many pictures of Louis, I hope someone else will post many. Driving back through Mo. at night from Kaukana in 1979 (where the time trials were blown out, and we'd spent several days oscillating between Marc's Budgetel and Marc's Big Boy with the Allisons and Jay Cox) he told me that he figured I, like him, 'liked to jack around with boats'. Louis and I are still jacking around, to out-do my 1980 Allison WP-15 fishing boat with tiller handle 1983 Johnson 35 (42 mph) he recently bought a ca. 1979 14' Allison bass boat with 1977 Merc 700. And, he jacks around with a Glastron-Carlson with various models of Mercury (Louis doesn't like Johnsons, but he once hung a 1875 Stinger 75 on the blue-white Allison to beat Sue-Ann Callahan at Lk. Charles). Sue-Ann dominated EP Class for a good while! The fifth photo shows Louis purposely blocking the view of my Johnson. Photos three and four were taken at Meatball Murray's outboard shop in Kingsland during the 2009 Texas AOMC wet meet (the fifth photo is also from Kingsland). The last two pictures show Louis' Allison, Louis, Brad and Brad's son with Paul at Paul's 81st birthday celebration in Louisville, where there was a boat parade and the mayor spoke.

[Dabull1919]

First time i`ve seen this thread, Really nice to read. Louis Collins, WOW! A very insightfull man for sure. I`ll never forget those long road tripp`s to and from a race while driving for Louis and Brad. It was after he decided to stop driving and coach from the bank. Tough act to follow! We got along well as we both had the same desires and that was winning. He always put me in a top notch boat and if i screwed up he could find a way to make it positive. He told me once at Havasu after i took out a turn bouy " Don`t sweat it. Just aknowlege it as a mistake and then forget it". Good advice. I think he could see that it bothered me deeper than was needed.
Those days with Mirage will never be forgotten by me. I haven`t seen Louis in some time but we exchange e-mails now and then. I`m sure i`ll see him at a race sometime and we`ll talk about the good old days. I can`t wait.

DB (aka Bobby Sanders)

[X-driver]

Joe, what boat did Louis drive in 78 and 80 at Havasu? Good thread by the way.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Yeah...a good thread. I'm glad it was brought back up. I talked to Louis for the first time in many years last summer. He was working on getting boat racing into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco. I need to do some follow up with him. I've got a few photos to post here. I wish Miss BK would chime back in on BRF. She could add a lot of stuff on this thread.

[Smokin' Joe]

Joe, what boat did Louis drive in 78 and 80 at Havasu? Good thread by the way.

Allison 1978, 79, Laser 1980.

[Smokin' Joe]

Yeah...a good thread. I'm glad it was brought back up. I talked to Louis for the first time in many years last summer. He was working on getting boat racing into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco. I need to do some follow up with him. I've got a few photos to post here. I wish Miss BK would chime back in on BRF. She could add a lot of stuff on this thread.

Wayne,

I'll copy this to her on FB. Saw Brad at Kankakee, he also was in Houston last Oct. He,
Cornelia and I ate together. I'm not sure that the daughter in law knows a lot more about 'the Big Boy' than I do, though!
Joe

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks Joe. Those were great pics you took. I need to call Louis again. We talked for nearly half an hour after ?? how many years....??. 1980 til 2011. Wow! 31 years.

When we set a record with a brand new delivered, seal coat, unpainted, Butts Aerowing in 1976 at Kakauna, Wisconsin, I was surprised to see my friend Louis Collins at the same event. We were both Texas boys, and were way north from our usual territory. I got a shot of Louis sitting in his boat prior to his record setting run. I will post it here, hopefully soon.

[Smokin' Joe]

Thanks Joe. Those were great pics you took. I need to call Louis again. We talked for nearly half an hour after ?? how many years....??. 1980 til 2011. Wow! 31 years.

When we set a record with a brand new delivered, seal coat, unpainted, Butts Aerowing in 1976 at Kakauna, Wisconsin, I was surprised to see my friend Louis Collins at the same event. We were both Texas boys, and were way north from our usual territory. I got a shot of Louis sitting in his boat prior to his record setting run. I will post it here, hopefully soon.

Well, Wayne, you were a lot farther north when you made that trip into E. Berlin with Dieter back before The Fall of The Wall!