Dick Sherrer

[Ron Hill]

Dick Sherrer!!! Christ, I don't know how old Dick Sherrer was when he won Parker. But, Dick raced WOA, with an Evinrude, when I was 9 years old.

He was the first one to built a tunnel with air slots, somewhat like a pickle fork. He was the first one to race a V-6 Merc on a tunnel...It went so fast he tore the whole sponson off, at Long Beach, and skidded up on to the beach damn near into the parking lot.

He was the first one to ever race fuel injection on an outboard.

He was the first one, with the help of RAPAIR and Ed Lane to make a 2.4 live at high RPM's. He was the one that got LA Sleeves to make sleeves for outboards...

Everyone called him "SUPER DICK" behind his back, but I called him SUPER DICK to his face. (He didn't mind it!!) Dick was all BOAT RACE ALWAYS. He even had a MOD VP when he was running his Seebold.

We had boat club meetings in his place of business. He worked for boat racing for ever....He was a GREAT DRIVER, also!!!!

When he won Parker, he BEAT TEAM MERCURY. Not out lasted, like I did. He ran faster.

His nose dive at Havasu hurt him internally, which he never came back from really... He was leading Havasu on the first lap, with his Seebold hull with all the boys behind him, he comes around the wrong way corner, and the wind is blowing about a hundred.....waves four feet high... Sheerer backed off but at a 130 mph, you don't stop that quick...The wind blew the race out....The next year when capsules came, Dick retired saying he didn't want to be strapped in....but he was hurt, physically inside... Heart and lungs damaged...He was probaly 62......then.


He well deserves credit as one of the greats in tunnel racing....We had many conversations, but we never had harsh words. We raced a two hour race at Long Beach, once, side by side. We had both of our crews ready to fight. (Mercury and OMC) Dick and I got out of the boat and shook hands, neither of us mad. We'd just had one hell of a race, and we knew it, the race was for 5th place!!!!

Boat racing lost a great guy when his heart gave out...

Here is a picture of Dick with his C-6 Mercury on a Crusader Tunnel...Dick's own design...

[Ron Hill]

Super Dick....
<HR style="COLOR: #72a5d8" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Many called Dick Sherrer "Super Dick", but I called him that to his face...we were always, sort of friends...Dick started out racing Evinrudes, then went to Mercury. I started with Mercs and went to Evinrude. Dick worked 24-7 for boat racing. COBRA held there monthly meeting at Dick Sherrer Marine.... He had a large EGO, but didn't we all?

This picture is when he won Parker, with an Ed Lane motor. DIck and Ed figured out how to make a 2.4 live and they beat the pants off OMC's V-8's and Merc's 2.0 liter motors... RAPAIR helped them make a timer base....I know that helped , but Dick basically led wire to wire... He refused to drive with a capsule.

We viewed the video of Jim Hauenstein's accident together... We spend about an hour and half together ....laughing and BSing...Dick died not longer after that day. It was special to me in many ways.. I had known Dick Sherrer since 1954.

This was the first lap, and even though it isn't clear...he was the first boat around.

[Ron Hill]

Having trouble with this disk...

But the first one is Dick and Reggie Fountian going at it...Both with T2X's... Note Dick's boat was one foe the first to use an air slot tp let air our. Reggie's boat isa Molinari, Dick's is his own design, a Crusader... Dick didn't build them only designed them...

[Ron Hill]

I really don't know where this is, but looks like Dick and Ted are running HARD...Ted is in his FIRST Scotti...Not the Hell Cat


Second picture is Dick getting fuel at Havasu...Maybe, someone can fill in the blanks on names here!

Bottom picture: Front shot of Dick, his T2X and hios CRUSADER hull...

[Ron Hill]

The Hot Ones at Long Beach goes to Dick Sherrer.