Black Cat Racing Team.

[tthibodaux]

This is off the wall I know but does anyone remember or have any picture of the Black Cat Racing Team? The drivers were Jim Foreman (my grandfather) and Bud Babbitt. I found one picture in an old scrap book but it's very old and didn't scan well. Don't know how much or if ever these guys won any races but the stories say they had a heck of a time. My mom told me the first race they went to they had a prop that was the wrong rotation and the boat would only go backwards. lol. Jim was also a boat builder (Super Carpenter Racing) was the name of the boats he built if that rings any bells. My dad won countless races in a Mod 50 boat Jim built. Anyway if anyone can help I would be greatful.




Tim

[Mark75H]

Bud Babbitt Sr is still in Texas I think. You missed his son, he died a few years back. Buddy had one of the best collections of boat race info anywhere and was a super helmet artist and a good friend. They have a treasure trove of pictures if you can connect with Bud Sr.

[tthibodaux]

I grew up with Buddy. He and my uncle Roddy Foreman were best of friends. Last time I saw Buddy was at the port Neches races several years ago. I still have a helmet he painted for me and lots of his tee shirts.

[tthibodaux]

The coolest t-shirt..

[tthibodaux]

Thanks to Wayne Baldwin (MASTER OIL RACING TEAM) for allowing me to use these pictures. This is Jim (poppy) in his early racing years at a 1972 race at lake Conroe.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Tim, I will look for some more pics of Jim and Bud. I remember them both well, but for some reason I can't recall Bud's face. Your grandmother Willa I remember as a class act. A very attractive and an avid boat racer. If I remember correctly she was involved in scoring and other aspects of officiating. I didn't remember specifically Black Cat Racing Team, but those two gentlemen were leaders in their day, both on the course as well as off. I also recall the Super Carpenter boats.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This is part of an article from the 1973 Houston Boat Show that appeared in the April 1973 edition of Motorsport.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I don't know why the pics are smaller now, but the third boat from the left is a "Super Carpenter". I'll see if this one is easier to read. It is from the September 1972 issue of Motorsport.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This is from the September 1973 issue of Motorsport. I'll do it in two parts because it may not all fit.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The bottom of the first page was too big. Let's see if this goes.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The rest of the article.

[tthibodaux]

Wayne, I can't say THANK YOU enough times.. You make the history of this sport exciting to read about. AWESOME....

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks Tim. I enjoy looking up this old stuff. If I were only more organized.:(

This is from the June 1973 Motorsport.

[Miss BK]

Great articles and pictures Wayne! Thanks for sharing! I proud to say I've met nearly all of those guys in those pictures, and some I've gotten to know long after their racing careers ended. Jim Slack even took me on my first Poker Run at Lake Travis 6 or 7 years ago - what a RIDE that was~!!! WOT all the way --- in a 22 foot boat! :eek:


Here's a website I found for Alvin E. "Bud" Babbitt, "Babbitt Custom Homes" in Waller, TX.

I'm positive Buddy made this site for his dad:

http://www.babbittcustomhomes.com/aboutus.html


Jim Foreman's son Roddy is currently living in Austin, TX and occasionally visits my in-laws who live there too. When Roddy made it into the APBA Hall of Champions 10 or so years ago, he dedicated his award to Bud Babbitt's son Buddy Babbitt, who was then suffering from severe lung damage he developed after treatment for spine cancer as a child. He and Buddy were very close.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks Miss BK. Those were all great guys. I was talking to Joe today about the Motorsport days. We had a great time. It was because of that we got to meet so many of the OPC and inboard guys, plus our connection with Red Adair. And most of the alky guys would come to the OPC races if there were any way possible. I was very pleased to meet Roddy at the LSBRA reunion last year. When I saw Foreman on the name tag, I knew he had to be Jim's son. I would never trade for the associations and friends that I met along the way through boat racing. Never a finer bunch ever wore wet tennies.;)

[jrome]

Wayne remember when Woody Carson talked me in to doing the color for his radio show when they did the races live. Woody got me up in the air about 50ft. Then WOODY TELLS ME DONT DRINK ANY THING WE HAVE STAY UP HERE FOR THE WHOLE RACE.That was the last time I did the race up in the air.Wayne we had alot of fun working for Harry with his MOTORSPORT mag.

[tthibodaux]

Jim's son (my uncle) Roddy Foreman. APBA Hall of Fame SST60. Roddy raced Sport E in his own boats #84 for years and drove SST60 for Johnny Calley boat #333 for years after that and won everything there was to win. Roddy is my mothers (Angie Thibodaux) younger brother. Willa Foreman (nanna) spent years on the highway pulling boats from race to race as well as like Wayne mentioned was involved in scoring and officiating.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Tim, I found another article in Motorsport September 1973 in which Bud and Jim are mentioned.

[tthibodaux]

Thanks Wayne. Thats real cool. I'm trying to get my mom to turn loose of some of the stuff she has so I can post.

I have some picyures of Jim but the are so orange that when I scan them you can't really tell what your looking at.:rolleyes:

I always heard Jim say my dad was crazy in a race boat. How funny the paper called him a wild bull. Sounds like he was a bit of a wild man himself.

[Ron Hill]

V-8....Who is this??

ADD; Wayne, the lady with the white belt...Who is she?

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'm sorry Ron, but I don't know her name. She was one of those Motorsport ladies I was told to keep my eye out for. Harry always wanted a cute girl in a story and I wish I could say she was bringing me that Shlitz beer. But........alas! She will have to announce herself here on BRF.

[Ron Hill]

For the era, she was VERY "HOT"...

How about this...Motorsport magazine of southwest motor competition, April 1973???

Who took the pictures and who wrote the story????

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'm guessing it was either H C Clyde or the editor Harry Echols who happen to be one in the same.;) When Harry started out, it was mostly him so he conjured up the name H C Clyde as a photographer who accompanied him to the events.:D That way it appeared he had several on his staff. He was very glad to have Joe and I come aboard, and I can say it was a great experience.

In that same issue was a motorcross race that Joe and I covered and I met this guy named Rusty Rae. He was I believe the Editor then of the American Motorcyle Association publication. We became great friends and he spent a lot of time with Tim Butts.

On the cover was A J Foyt's radical Coyote IV. It was more like a Formula 1 of the day than a typical Indy car.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Here is a photo I took at an OPC race just upstream from the race at Riverside Inn. It didn't make it in Motorsport, but there was kind of a funny story behind it.

I was in one of the pickup boats snapping pictures in the bottom turn. As the editor Harry requested, I always kept my eye out for girls that might make it onto the pages. As we were coming to the pits for a water break I spotted this girl and snapped the photo. Now, I didn't know any of the guys I was in the boat with and the driver never said anything or looked at me funny. When we got out of the boat, she came over to him and gave him a kiss and a hug.;) :D

[David Mason]

I don't care that Ron will say she was "hot for the era" she is hot in todays era !!

Wayne and Ron certainly have a nack at spotting the girls and getting photos ! Makes all this history that much more enjoyable. Thanks guys.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Tim, this wasn't exactly the prize I was looking for, but I had forgotten about the incident with Jim and I never knew if you had heard about this so I decided to post it. Your Dad was also in this article running 2nd behind Darrel Beaulier.

[WharfRat]

I cannot believe I missed this thread !!!!!!!! This was back when I was first getting involved in the racing stuff. I'm gonna go thru my pics tonight to see if I have any left from back then. Unfortunately back in 86 when I left the Clear Lake area I left some stuff (including pics) in my mom's storage which she deemed was "trash" & threw it away without telling me

[tthibodaux]

Thanks Wayne.:) I wonder if that was when he almost got his arm cut off? I'll get mom to check it out and see if she remembers. All I remember about that crash was that the boat was green, dad never would run a green boat. The one time dad did it was Steve Kurtens (Laing Homes) boat overseas and he blew over and was hurt pretty bad.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Tim, go to search and type in green boats or green racing or some combination and you will find a thread that discusses green as bad luck in racing and other bad luck symbols. It started with a green unlimited blowing over, but I can't recall the title. You might also try "peanuts". It was a pretty interesting and funny thread.

[David Alaniz]

[QUOTE=tthibodaux;31602]This is off the wall I know but does anyone remember or have any picture of the Black Cat Racing Team? The drivers were Jim Foreman (my grandfather) and Bud Babbitt. I found one picture in an old scrap book but it's very old and didn't scan well. Don't know how much or if ever these guys won any races but the stories say they had a heck of a time. My mom told me the first race they went to they had a prop that was the wrong rotation and the boat would only go backwards. lol. Jim was also a boat builder (Super Carpenter Racing) was the name of the boats he built if that rings any bells. My dad won countless races in a Mod 50 boat Jim built. Anyway if anyone can help I would be greatful.


Tim,

Did Jim first start running Chrysler outboards, the 135HP?? If so, the thread "Southern Flying Start" shows some pictures I posted of a tunnel in third place. Looks like the boat he may have driven. Looks like a big guy and the type of helmet/face shield he used. Just not sure........Most of my pictures were distroyed in a flood.

[tthibodaux]

Tim, this wasn't exactly the prize I was looking for, but I had forgotten about the incident with Jim and I never knew if you had heard about this so I decided to post it. Your Dad was also in this article running 2nd behind Darrel Beaulier.Words from my mother about this article!! "I had just gotten out of the hospital with you and was there the day the accident happened. The article was not quite correct, we won that race but they tried to throw us out, something about the pistons so we protested and they sent the motor parts to some machine shop for measurements. Gene (your dad) had them honed as close as specs would allow. After they took measurements with there machines we later got the points and the check for winning the race. I paid off the hospital bills with the money. They kept saying on the intercom that Gene's new son was in the pits. Friends of ours had a motor home and you slept in it all day while I watched the race from on top of it. It was a BLESSING that dad (JIM) was alive after that crash and a very hard race to watch.

I copied the article and emailed it to mom to read and that was her response!

[tthibodaux]

Tim, I will look for some more pics of Jim and Bud. I remember them both well, but for some reason I can't recall Bud's face. Your grandmother Willa I remember as a class act. A very attractive and an avid boat racer. If I remember correctly she was involved in scoring and other aspects of officiating. I didn't remember specifically Black Cat Racing Team, but those two gentlemen were leaders in their day, both on the course as well as off. I also recall the Super Carpenter boats.Look what I found today!!!:)

[Mark75H]

Cool!

[tthibodaux]

Look what I found tonight! AeroTechx boats was my poppy's (Jim Foreman) last attempt at building boats before he passed. Found this poster tonight of my uncle Roddy and his Force powered tunnel boat. Notice Terry Strack also drove an AeroTehx/Force powered boat at the Nationals that season.

[marty92xrd]

Oh man, you just gave me goose bumps. I have been searching for a LONG time for something on John "Doc" Parsons and Terry Strack. They both drove an old boat that I have. Doc drove a couple somewhere around 89-93 or so and Strack drove it the last year it was raced. It was an old Seebold, #31. Do you have any other information on these guys? Thanks man!!!:cool:

[tthibodaux]

Oh man, you just gave me goose bumps. I have been searching for a LONG time for something on John "Doc" Parsons and Terry Strack. They both drove an old boat that I have. Doc drove a couple somewhere around 89-91 or so and Strack drove it the last year it was raced. It was an old Seebold, #31. Do you have any other information on these guys? Thanks man!!!:cool:I'll dig up some old Terry info for ya! Terry was one hell of a driver in just about everything I ever saw him drive. What boat do you have? Got a picture? I may know the boat.

[marty92xrd]

Cool Deal! I have some pics of it from when I got it. This is the way it looked the last year or 2 it was raced. There is not much paint left on it now, paint stripper and scrapers work wonders.:D I thought that pink was kickin though.LOL I got the thing for a little of nothing and HATED to see it sitting doing nothing. Its just going to be something for me to toy around with, not putting much HP on it at all. Jerry Rothwell was the owner of it, I work for his son at a dealership. I have only seen one picture of it running and that was a poster we used to have hanging here at the store of Parsons running at Kankakee in '93.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/marty92xrd/Seeboldpics017.jpg

[1169 Crusader]

[QUOTE=tthibodaux;31602]This is off the wall I know but does anyone remember or have any picture of the Black Cat Racing Team? The drivers were Jim Foreman (my grandfather) and Bud Babbitt. I found one picture in an old scrap book but it's very old and didn't scan well. Don't know how much or if ever these guys won any races but the stories say they had a heck of a time. My mom told me the first race they went to they had a prop that was the wrong rotation and the boat would only go backwards. lol. Jim was also a boat builder (Super Carpenter Racing) was the name of the boats he built if that rings any bells. My dad won countless races in a Mod 50 boat Jim built. Anyway if anyone can help I would be greatful.

Tim,
When I first met your grand dad, he & Bud had a Ron Jones w/ a single Johnson. The boat had Black Cat Racing written on it. This was 1970. In 71 your grand dad bought 2 locally built boats called Dodsons. I tore the transom out of one at Palacious. He rebuilt & extended the transom & later that year while waiting for the start at Lake Texoma, the boat sank. We figured out later that I had hit a pothole in the road while trailering the boat to the race & seperated some of the joints. I think that's when jim decided to go into the tunnel boat building business. He had had enough of the Dodsons.
I think he had had enough of me too.