Bobby Humphries

[Ron Hill]

I wanted to add Bobby's name to "Drivers not longer with us", but I know very little about him. I do know how he died, but I want some info about this life.

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

I wanted to add Bobby's name to "Drivers not longer with us", but I know very little about him. I do know how he died, but I want some info about this life.
Ron,

Contact Terry Rinker, they were close friends & I believe Bobby was instrumental in getting Terry in to racing

[boatmark59]

Ron, I didn't know Bobby all that long, but can fill in a little bit.

My understanding that Bobby was one of the dominant dogs in stock outboards, particularly 25SS Hydro I believe. From there he wanted to run tunnel boats, and bought a boat from John Nichols in Florida to run SST-140 on the IOGP Series. The boat was one we had built in-house, and had been John's Champ boat for a while, it was on the small side for Champ, but a good running 140 boat.

John was running without teammates at the time, and had room in his trailer to carry Bobby's boat, so he jointed up with us for support as he got his feet wet in tunnel boats. And to be charitable, wet was a good description of Bob's entry into tunnel boats. He had been very successful in hydro's and it just wasn't in his personality to lay back a bit and learn - he dove in head first, and barrel rolled the boat in the first turn at Minneapolis, . . . and Huntington, . . . . . and Bay City. At that point the boat was hurt, and Bob's pride was a little dinged, and he went home to regroup. -- in a side story to that, we were running Steve Kertin from England in a third boat for a couple races. He was unhappy in the Veldon we had for him, so we fixed Bobby's boat on the road, and put Steve in it as a Champ boat the following week in St. Louis. The boat ran at the top of the charts right up to the point Steve rolled and destroyed it. Some weeks are like that.

Anyway, Bobby regrouped, Steve replaced the boat, and over time Bobby developed into a competitive tunnel boat racer. He put together his own operation with sponsorship from Hooters, and was very serious about it. Off the water he owned an Air Conditioning / Heating contracting company - I think he might have been second or third generation in the business. He had a wife and three kids.

I had moved away by the time he passed, I heard only sketchy details of a traffic accident that wasn't of his making, nor survivable.

I will try to find and post a great photo I have of Bobby in John Nichols shop the week after St.Louis when he came by to see the remains of his destroyed boat. I was de-rigging it, and had a complete sponson and deck in one piece on the floor. Bobby standing with one foot on the sponson, holding a fishing rod, with this big grin acting like a big game fisherman with his catch. One thing he was, was never boring . . . .

[Ron Hill]

I'm thinking it will be 18 years, this February, we were at the Miami Boat Show. We were planning our F1 season. I didn't know Bobby, really. Seems he'd come to our Winter Nationals in California and had some great looking boats. We had heard rumors about his Champ Boat races, but also knew many a new tunnel boat racer had troubles at times.

Seems there was a party for displayer at Miami and Bobby came up to me a gave me a beer. He proceed to tell me more abut my boat racing career than I knew. I told Bobby I head he was a "MALE DANCER" and he said that was a "SIDE JOB". I had heard, at the Winter Nationals from some f the women in the pits that he was a "MALE STRIPPER".

I guess he had raced J Runabout in Dayton with Wyatt Nelson and other young "Champions".

We were at the first P.R.O.P Tour Race 1997, when the motor inspector, who I can't recall his name told me Bobby was dead. He told me Bobby was pulling out of his gym after a work out and COP CAR was in hot pursuit of someone and hit Bobby and killed him.

I just got to thinking about him, is why I posted the thread.

Thanks for the details...

[Tim Weber]

That dude was interesting.

At the Dayton nationals in 1985? , I was pitted next to him and the Small brothers. At the time he had a pretty hot DSH and 35ssh. I think he was second in 35ssh.
That year they had a ASR, KG-4 mini marathon. Tim Small entered it with Bobby. I was hinting around all week that I should be the 2nd driver. At the time I was 22 years old, 170 pounds a little big for A but I figured a lot better choice the Bobby who was bigger than me and not a whole lot of experience in a runabout. As expected, Tim Small drove the heck out of it when he was on the water, Bobby not so much. They traveled together so I understood the teammate deal.

A couple of years later, he was running tunnels and sponsored by Hooters. Hooters is head quartered in Atlanta. I happened to go to the Atlanta boat show one year and there is Bobby
with his Hooters rig next to the Hooters booth. Hooter's girls around and I'm thinking this might be a good deal.

I walked over to him and he wouldn't give me the time of day. I was definitely dissed. I'm not even sure he shook my hand. He made it obvious that he had moved on to bigger things.

Tim

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

That dude was interesting.

At the Dayton nationals in 1985? , I was pitted next to him and the Small brothers. At the time he had a pretty hot DSH and 35ssh. I think he was second in 35ssh.
That year they had a ASR, KG-4 mini marathon. Tim Small entered it with Bobby. I was hinting around all week that I should be the 2nd driver. At the time I was 22 years old, 170 pounds a little big for A but I figured a lot better choice the Bobby who was bigger than me and not a whole lot of experience in a runabout. As expected, Tim Small drove the heck out of it when he was on the water, Bobby not so much. They traveled together so I understood the teammate deal.

A couple of years later, he was running tunnels and sponsored by Hooters. Hooters is head quartered in Atlanta. I happened to go to the Atlanta boat show one year and there is Bobby
with his Hooters rig next to the Hooters booth. Hooter's girls around and I'm thinking this might be a good deal.

I walked over to him and he wouldn't give me the time of day. I was definitely dissed. I'm not even sure he shook my hand. He made it obvious that he had moved on to bigger things.

Tim
Yeah Tim, that is the Bobby I remember.

[boatmark59]

[Groan] Yep, Bobby was a "Male Entertainer" for a few years. If you knew Bobby, it was very fitting. I actually included that in my prior post, but then wasn't sure how disclosing that tidbit would go over, so I deleted it. I don't see anything in Tim Weber's post that I would disagree with.

I remembered one funny Bobby story - Like many teams then, he had an outfitted Box Van as a race tow / support vehicle. Apparently it was leased. I have no idea of the financial issue, but Bobby apparently got into a pissing match with the dealer / leasing company and wasn't paying the tab. This went on for a while, and the season opener was coming up - the leasing company decided that if they didn't do something, the truck was going to be out of state, and beyond their reach, for six months. (I suspect Bobby was banking on this too) So the entire rig is loaded and hooked up ready to head out for the first race - truck, double trailer, two champ boats, etc.. It's parked in Bobby's driveway ready to head out at first light . . . . . when they sent a repo tow truck after it in the wee hours. They towed away and impounded the entire Hooters rig, boats and all. Apparently, legally they could take anything in or attached to the truck - then it was simple, cash on the barrel head, or no go racing. Doh!! - - - - - I have no idea of the back story, but he paid up, and went racing.

I'm sorry he lost his life so young. He was a character, with a real talent for both being a lot of fun, and eventually royally pissing off the same people.