An Amazing Story: Part 2

[Mark75H]

Part 2

Picking up where Wayne left off:


We left Devils Lake and did some sightseeing down the Pacific Highway. Seems like it was No. 5. It was kind of weird at sunset with the clouds below us on the Pacific like we were flying. I guess a lot of people fly above the clouds in this part of the world;) Maybe we were close to Big Sur.

We spent the night at the Sequoia National Forest. I think we were the only ones there. At least we were the only ones in the dining room that evening. We had been running solid for the past week and I couldn't sleep. I hadn't talked to Debbie since we left. There was no phone in the room so I went outside to a pay phone. The guy running the place said not to wander around outside and if you did go out, keep a close eye out for bear. That I did, while standing outside talking to Debbie. She was crying the whole time because she had never heard from me and didn't know what was going on. That's about the lowest I have ever felt. Even to this day I have a little pang about not bothering to call her when we got to Lincoln City.

The tree Tim Butts is standing by is the largest living thing in the world. It has thirty more years growth since that photo was taken. I wonder how many Aerowings it would make.;) :D

It was on the way back that Ruth Butts got sick from a hot dog we grilled under the hood. A trip to the VA hospital and several hours later we were back on the road.

[Mark75H]

Don't apologize, you obviously did a good thing ... a real good thing :)

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I've got to penalize myself one lap. I came across thes pics and discovered that Tim and Ruth Butts came to see Debbie and I in Denton the week before we went to Lincoln City rather than the week after we got back.

As previously mentioned we moved to Denton Texas in order for Debbie to get her Master's Degree in Nutrition and Texas Women's University. Back in those days you could legally have a separate women's college. I for one wouldn't want to attend a college especially for women because they would probably think something was wrong with you.;)

So Tim and Ruth came to spend a few days with us and the first night they were telling us about this great movie that had come out and they watched it the night before they came down from Michigan. There was this new movie star named John Travolta and he starred in Saturday Night Fever. Up until then the Bee Gee's songs that I remembered were Massachusetts, To Love Somebody, New York Mining Disaster 1941, etc. It was also while Debbie and I were living there that Star Wars came out and the Cowboys won the Superbowl.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Bill and Eileen Van Steewyk also came down from Festus, Mo while we all took a brief break from racing. We went to the Original Six Flags over Texas. It is in Arlington between Dallas and Fort Worth. I know other states now have Six Flags theme parks, but were they also ruled under six soverign flags during their history? That I do not know.

We had a great time at the park, then we went back to our house in Denton a little under an hour north of Arlington. We grilled steaks, had baked potatoes and salad with probably a Burgandy or Bordeaux. Debbie probably also made a cheescake or a cobbler. Don't remember, but it would have been typical.

In the meantime, while we were nibbling on some appetizers I happened to mention something I had heard that was very interesting to me. (Sometimes stupid little inconsequential things catch my attention.) I had heard that Gatorade was named for a Florida college team called the Gators. It was named that because of the help the Gators gave them in developing the drink. As the Gators were in the heat of battle of a sports event they allowed the Gatorade people to collect samples of their urine to analyze to determine what electrolytes, minerals and other products were eliminated from the body during strenous excercise. It was their idea to replace the beneficial products for the players to be able to replenish them within their bodies so they their stamina and performance wouldn't fall off as much.

Flash back to Dayton in the Amazing Story Part 1. If you may remember, Bill Van Steenwyk consumed quite a bit of Gatorade as he had taken a liking to its refreshing qualities during the heat of the day. Now back to Denton.

When I mentioned that there was quite a bit of uric acid that left the body in the Gators waste stream and that the Gatorade people came up with a synthetic uric acid to put in the drink, Bill Van shouted "SO THAT'S WHAT IT WAS!" He said that he had gout and he took pills to get rid of uric acid from his body. He added "After Dayton I had the worst attack of gout I ever had."

So after all these many years.....;) Sorry Bill Van!:D

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Wayne:

Thanks for posting the pictures taken at 6-flags. I had almost forgotten about that trip. I will NEVER forget about the Gatorade deal thought. Thought someone had a red hot spike stuck in my instep. I had one doctor tell me if you had gout, you can drink all the beer you want, but no hard booze, another at the same time told me absolutely no beer, but Jack Daniels was OK. I didn't know which one to believe, so I just stayed with both so I was sure I was at least 50% right all the time. Eileen asked who the babe was with me in the pictures, and I told her now I knew why she says she must have had a good time in the 70's but really is not sure. Please notice "Buttso" looking over his left shoulder in the dodge-em cars. I had just bumped him good and he is getting ready to take my "safe lane" away. I also seem to remember he didn't care much for the amusement rides. Looks like he is squeezing the hand rail in two on the roller coaster.
Thanks again for the swell memories. Old friends and the times you had are the best, especially as you grow older.

Bill and Eileen

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Yeah Bill, Tim's like me on those rides. This runaway mine train is about my limit. Tim liked it even less. Reminds me of one time when on a publicity tour around the track at Daytona Richard Petty was a passenger with a couple of other media guys. When they got to that 30 or whatever degree banking at less than 100 mph Richard hollered "Get it down--get it down!".:D Racing's different.;)

So now we get to Alexandria-1977. The races were held over October 8th through the 10th. I flew down from Love Field into Corpus Christi on the newly formed airline Southwest Airways. They had fought a legal battle for years as the only airline allowed to use Love Field in the city of Dallas, while all other carriers had to fly from the new and in progress Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. My one way-on time- ticket to Corpus......$25.00.

I flew down to help my Dad load up on a Wednesday and we drove to Alexandria the next day. On Friday Debbie flew from D/FW to Alexandria for $46.00---about half the distance I flew.

A few views of Fort Buhlow Lake at Pineville. I don't know why Joe is flying his hat half mast for this escort van.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Registration time. There's Louis Williams, Jr. registering and behind him in the background you can see Ray and Pete Nydahl. Eileen Van Steenwyk is wearing her Master Oil Racing tee shirt. And Joe and an official are looking for something while Tony Byron (far left) and Reles LeBlanc (behind Joe) look on.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Just a little tour of the pits for some interesting sights. Some of these are have a little historical significance.

We had not seen Freddie Goehl since he last raced for Ed Holstein around 1968 or so. You guys remember Ed from Kansas? I think it must be a least one of Freddie's sons with him in the pits. Cindy Hosler in her intricately painted boat. One of the shots of Cindy I believe was in Powerboat. Check out Gary Pugh's helmet. The motor on Dan Kirts' Butts hydro is a Merc-Quincy. Maybe Paul could tell us a little bit about this particular motor. I think Denny had a good weekend, but he looks a little unsure about something after coming in from testing.

[epugh66]

WOO HOO I made the thread, I made the thread!!!!
Look closely, the number is #66, the number of the late Mark Donahue. I don't know why Gary chose #67?

Yes, those are rookie stripes. 1977 was my first year, 1976 was Garys as he had attempted to get on plane at Winona. That was a Hedlund that we bought from Phil Wagner "U-4". For a couple races, we switched from bolt on Konig to clamp on Yamato so I could race Novice 350 and MOH .

As to why i'm getting towed in, I don't know??? At least I wasn't the only one. We would "test" those rigs for hours on end.

That race was where I had my first dedicated 125 boat, one I still have today, complete.

[epugh66]

Wait a minute, I'M doing the towing! Thats Frank Milner on the hook. He "tested" alot too. We all did. Twenty gallons to test, four to race.

Hey look, my post count is 66, where's the lottery outlet?

Launching Cindy in "Chantilly Lace" is Jeff Hutchins and Tim Townsend.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I apologize for getting your numbers mixed up Eric. I knew Gary was 67, but when I saw the pic of you towing the other boat, I knew I had to post that and just had Gary on my mind.

As far as Mark Donahue---He was a great racer. Broke a long spell, winning Forumla 1 in 1972 I believe. Steve Jones and I were making the rounds of newspaper and TV stations promoting coverage for a boat race when we got the news of his death.

Here's you a little closer up.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

1977 was a good year for rookies. I think there may have even been more at Alex that I didn't get on film and I don't have a roster to check.

[epugh66]

We are firmly seated in "The Wayback Machine" now.

"X" is me in the MOH/125cc boat I mentioned above. As usuall, the exhaust has broken and I've gone from 25 horsepower to 10:(

V-1 is Jeff Kuglar. Those were fun days(not) in 125. You either had one of the few Konig's, built it yourself or ran a Quincy "Z". Effectionatley called a "drill press" engine bt Racin' Ray Nydahl.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I was thinking X was you Eric. That photo looks like from testing, then I have another where it looks like it came off during the race.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

There had been a major worry about the weather prior to the races. Then there was a weather report in Friday's Alexandria Town Talk that said rain may not come until Monday. Referee Carl Rylee said "We can run in a light rain, but if the wind and rain get too strong, we'll have to delay running for awhile". Right before the start of 500 hydro the wind kicked up hard. We waited a half hour and it calmed a lot but was still rough. I wouldn't race in rough water anymore. When it became an endurance contest rather than a race, I would set on the bank. I had already lost one year due to an accident, and I didn't want that to happen again. So I scratched to allow someone else to get in if they wanted to.

The wind of the finals on Saturday was just a preamble to the weather brewing over the horizon. That night a severe blow came out of the north. It blew the starting clock in the water, moved some bouys around, and some came loose from their moorings and were washed away. As a result, the survey was compromised so the finals on Sunday were reduced to three heats and no competition records.

One of the boat racing legends that was created by Buddy McBride started here at this race. I'm sure it is lost to the past now, but from this race on, whenever Charlie Bailey first arrived in the pits, someone from the Texas ranks would holler out loud for all to hear "MY HERO.....CHARLIE BAILEY." Some of the racers from other parts of the country may have heard this once or twice and not given it another thought, but the Lone Star racers heard it at every race that Charlie attended after that.

Charlie Bailey was setting smack in the middle of the Picadilly Cafeteria on McArthur Drive. Joe Rome and Louis Williams were also already seated. Our group was standing in line to be served when Buddy and Carolyn McBride arrived. There was a slatted partition alongside the serving line. When Buddy spotted Charlie he stuck his head through that partition and hollered that phrase so loud that all could hear. "MY HERO....CHARLIE BAILEY". It was Saturday night and a bunch of racers were already there so they all turned to look at Charlie, giving the non racing crowd an idea of who the commotion was about. Poor Charlie turned as red as Louis William's 14T DeSilva runabout.

All this time Joe and I had thought Buddy McBride had just started that infamous greeting that night on his own, as he was usually the one to holler it at the races. If Buddy didn't see Charlie first, then my Dad would sometimes do the honors.

Now...after all these years we get the skinny on how it all began. Joe talked to Charlie a couple of days ago and got the true story. It all started at a race on the Neches River in Beaumont earlier that year. After one of the races, one very large lady busted through the crowd, a piece of paper in hand, into Charlies pit area. Exclaiming loudly for Charlie and the others to hear "MY HERO...CHALLEY BAILEY....I WANT YO AUTOGRAPH!" Charlie stopped what he was doing and took her pen and paper. He told Joe "That was the first time anyone ever wanted my autograph.":D :cool:

[epugh66]

That overnight storm was the one that crashed my Hedlund. It was pointing to the lake with the Y-80 on back. The wind "blew it over" onto the Hardins trailer. Crunched the nose a little, I don't remember if we ran Novice that day or not.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I have found one in a series of four pictures I want to look at before continuing with 700 hydro, in the meantime here are some other shots I picked out of Alex 1977.

The last one was a double exposure mistake, but I saved it because of these two great guys that raced together in New York and made the trip down to Alex. It was just by chance they are to two that ended up in this double exposure.

[jrome]

Wayne Great Shot Or Mistake Or Karma. When We Saw Bob We Say Pete. Great Pic.

[Jeff Lytle]

I remember that green boat Pete Voss had. We used to tease him about the color, and rib him whenever we could. I remember a Canadian racer who used to run with us joined in on Pete at a race somewhere, his boat happened to be blue.

Pete's reply was simple, and straight to the point- "Blue is glue......Green in MEAN!" :D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I found the photos, but they don't appear to be of heat 1 of 700 hydro as I thought. They were taken at that race by Floyd Hopkins but it appears it was during a test session rather than the first heat. But, as I have always thought that Floyd's captions were funny, I'll repost them.

I don't have much in my notes except we did not make it out the first heat due to a ground wire not hooked up. I can't remember what happened and it doesn't make much sense because as soon as we rigged up a motor and it was ready, we fired it off. My Dad would snap the rope, I would wrap it up a couple of times then I would kill it and loosen the fuel cap to keep heat from pumping fuel into the carbs.

We had lost the 1100 hydro event at Hot Springs due to a ground wire breaking with a huge lead, but after that we went to a new type wire that wasn't brittle. That cured that problem. We did have a problem running out of electricity with our fuel pumps though. In 1976 my fuel pump failed with a quarter lap to go in qualifying for the John Ward race in Canada and only a hundred yards to the finish at the 1976 Nationals my 500 hydro ran out of juice. So it may be that we disconnected the ground wire to make sure nothing bled out of our battery. I just don't remember, but I guess it must have been a stupid oversight. We usually didn't fire up until three minutes. So we must have not figured it out until it was too late to get out of the pits before the one minute gun fires. Anyway, here are those pics from Floyd Hopkins along with his captions.

[Chris Hellsten]

Great pictures Wayne. Brings back lots of memories. I was 11 years old at that 77' race in Alex and must be somewhere in the Novice 350 photo. Dan Kirts asked me to drive Jim Kirt's boat since he didn't come to the race that Oct.

I remember 4 or 5 boats jumping the start the first heat and I was the first legal boat. Took a 5th in the second heat to win the race by 2 points overall.

You wrote an article about it in the December 77' Powerboat magizine that I still have clippings from in a scrap book somewhere.

Seems like a different lifetime but still a lot of familiar faces.

Thanks,
Chris Hellsten

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I have that article Chris, and I am putting together in a scrapbook that will contain all the stories I did for Powerboat. I started doing that more than two years ago, but unfortunately I keep mixing stuff up to post here on BRF. I was looking for it a couple of days ago. I don't know if you remember, but you signed the pic that was in Powerboat for me.:cool:

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Here is the pic. I knew exactly where it was, but I don't know why the article isn't where the others are. I was looking for it because I lost the notes I had in my "reporters" note book and only had some scattered remnants I wrote in a log. Anything you have to add would be great Chris. BTW are you coming to DePue. Respond in the roll call. You and your family need to be there.

[Jeff Lytle]

Who says boat racing gets in your blood? That pic of Chris is a fine example, and I too remember that article from Powerboat.

NB--Greg Hall's trailer right behind him with an Aerowing on the bunk.

Chris.........I remember when we raced in Canandaguia NY, you sister, Mom and Dad were being interviewed for a TV show. I can't remember the name of it right now, but do you still have a copy?

I ran C Service Runabout there on the Saturday, and Pete told me if I got my butt out of bed early enough on Sunday morning, He'd let my run his C Service Hydro. Well.........long story short, It was a fine party on Saturday night, and your Mom was in charge of registration. I arrived late and she made me a spectator for the day!

I have memories of your family from the 70's when you still lived in NY. Remember you all arrived at the races with a camper on the back of Dad's pick up. Chris, in those days was a fine racer too........I remember him spending hours during the day, pulling around a wooden hydro on a string making Konig noises! ;)

[epugh66]

Thats also a nice pic of the "half A" What do you do with a Konig FA once a rod breaks the block?, cut the bad part off and make a 125cc engine!

I had one too, but we broke the top cylinder, used the good bottom cylinder. We flipped the cylinder so the exhaust was on the left and the intake was on the right.

[Chris Hellsten]

Wayne,

Thanks for posting. I know my family will get a kick out of this. I sent an e-mail to my sister to make sure my 3 nephews who have been racing with me and her for the past 3 or 4 years get a chance to see this stuff. Even they will find it hard to believe that a 40 year old still racing has been enjoying this passion for 32 years.....

I scanned what I had in my scrap book. I must have cut the article out of the magizine "back in the day"!

Chris

[Chris Hellsten]

Hey Wayne I found the newspaper article from the 77' Alex race!

[Kristi Ellison]

Jeff

The show was " We're Moving" with host Willie Ames from Eight is Enough. We still have a copy of the tape. We found it when my Dada passed away and laughed our butts off!!

Kristi

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Kristi...I hope you are coming to DePue. And so...........can you bring a copy to show?

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I don't have results of any other drivers in heat one of 700 hydro besides the first two. Jerry Kirst 1st and Rex Hall 2nd.

After we didn't get the ground wire fixed in time, I did the next best thing and got my camera and got a few shots. But only these two.:( This was one of 9 second place finishes by Rex Hall. Rex did win one heat of 1100 hydro and with a second place, he won that championship.

Rex was overall high point champion at Alex this year with a little over 3600 points. Jerry Kirts, who was the 700 hydro champion was high point hydro champion and second highest behind Rex with 2500 points.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Wayne:

Seeing that shot reminds me of something that took place at Alex that year involving the two in the double exposure and Stan Leavendusky Jr. AKA "Butch". Butch had gotten a new design DeSilva runabout of the same style as Bruce Nicholson's "Miss Laurie" because Bruce's boat ran so well and
was always the class of the large runabouts. Unfortionately, for whatever reason, except for finally winning the C runabout championship with it at Ackworth, Butch was not overly successful with it except for one thing. It liked to pitch him about 50 feet right out the side, sometimes for absolutely no reason anyone could figure out. Anyone who knows or knew Butch at that time would know that if there was anything he was, it was STUBBORN, not for the least of reasons that he had to face his "old man" Stanley Sr., when he came back in from a heat. He worked long nights on the bottom of the boat, getting advice from everyone he knew to cure the boat of that bad habit, and went to Alex that year with high hopes. This has now been 30 years ago so if some parts of the story are a little vague as to detail, the main thrust of it is true, so on with the tale. Butch went to the first turn with the rest of the group in the first heat in good shape and either at the first pin or the second the boat unloaded him big time. Fortunately, nothing hurt too bad that some duct tape and a good drying out of the engine wouldn't cure so everybody pitched in to get him out the next time, including the two from NY in the double exposure picture. Next heat was a rerun of the first time with him again being tossed out, this time thru the cockpit side as he was really hanging on this time. Pulled him in again and he wasn't really anxious to try to go out again, as he had reinjured a shoulder that he had hurt a couple of years earlier, and the boat was in much worse shape this time also. The two from NY would not hear of another heat without Butch though, and with them teasing and egging him on and helping with more duct tape and whatever else could be done to get him back out for the third time, he made it out again. They always say "third time is the charm" It was for Butch, as the third time he really busted his arse as some of the duct tape repairs let loose and the boat came apart in the first turn again, this time not to be repaired on the lake bank, or the driver either. I don't think anybody laughed longer and louder than the the two from NY and Butch still talks about that to this day whenever he picks up something wrong with that arm and shoulder. He was the typical "hard headed Polock" when he was racing and proud of it, and a hell of a driver also. He has also been one of my closest friends since the late 60's.

Just talked to him earlier in the week and he is looking forward to the DePue reunion.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I had though I had some pics of Butch in his DeSilva but I didn't. Incidentally, this is the same race where Todd's Wild Ride and Here's One For Cookie both appear in the splash section.

I don't remember anything in particular about heat 2 of 700 hydro, and no notes to stir my memory. I don't even have the complete results. Most of my 1977 stuff is missing, so this is all I know about 700 hydro. Jerry won the second heat also and was the champion. I finished second behind Jerry and Pete Voss ended up third. I don't have Rex Hall's position in the second heat, but if I were to guess, I would think he was second overall in 700 hydro unless Pete got two thirds and Rex was 5th or more.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Well...I did find partial results of the 700cc hydro.

Heat one
1 Jerry Kirts
2 Rex Hall, Jr.
3. Trebor Billiter
4 Pete Voss
5. Tim Crimmins

Heat two
1 Jerry Kirts
2 Wayne Baldwin
3 Pete Voss
4 Mel Kirts
5 Rex Hall, Jr.

I don't remember 5th place points, but I think that still puts Rex ahead of Pete. In the first contact sheet of Trebor Billiter, I think that might be Pete on the inside. And Mel in the other frame.

[Dave_E71]

....I don't remember 5th place points,......

Wayne,
I think points are based on 75% of the next higher place

1st 400
2nd 400 * .75 = 300
3rd 300 * .75 = 225
4th 225 * .75 = 169
5th 169 * .75 = 127
.
.
.

Of course I could be completely full of crap, it wouldn't be the first time....

Dave

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks Dave. I was thinking 5th was around 125, but looks like you got it right. I never knew that was how the point system came about. (Or could it be I just forgot???;) :D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This is the final race for us in 1977 at my Dad's house in Barbon Estates on Lake Corpus Christi. It looks like the water is down about three feet, but we still have plenty of room to race in this cove. I set the bouys out a couple of days earlier. Johnny and Liz Dortch came in from Missouri a day earlier to have some time to visit with us before things got going.

It was a long season and I guess a lot of racers were tired. Only 30 drivers showed up for this final one of 1977. It was held on October 29 and 30. Some of the racers may have been afraid that it would be blown out, but late September and October are great for racing in South Texas.

In the spring, the wind blows like hell. We have to start testing at daylight and by 9 its usually getting too rough. Most of the alky circuit is running hot and heavy throughout the summer all across the U.S. From mid July through mid September there is a threat from hurricanes--not to mention the heat. The late fall timing will usually be calm and mild temperatures. Like in the 80's;) . If a norther does come, the next day is perfect. So that's why we always raced in late September or into October. This was the Texas State Championships--a dual sanction--Lone Star and APBA.

Sadly----as it turned out---this would be the last race we ever held at my Dad's place.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

As the field was less than what we expected there wasn't much competition in the big classes, so I cruised to an easy Texas State Championship with two wins in 700 hydro.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

One class that had enough boats for a good show was the Formula 350 hydro class. Among the contestants were three ladies who put on a good show. The winner was Eileen Van Steenwyk from Festus, Mo. In one heat she was battling with rookie Mike Howard whose flip is posted in the Splash section. I forget which title.

The first pic is Eileen.

Second The future Mrs. Denny Henderson--Lizzie. and pit crew L-R Troy Dunn, (I forget name) Lizzie's mentor Steve Jones behind her.

Third Marsha Thompson driver L-R Jim McKean, Craig Lawrence (cranking), Doug Doering.

[denny henderson]

Wayne,

The top picture is either '76 or '77. Of the three hydros sitting side by side, the one in the middle (T-37) is the first "A" boat I ever built, in 1974. The (86) boat was the third boat I built in '76, Richard Frye bought it but never even took a ride in it. Troy Dunn bought the first boat and ran a 350 Piston Port Yamato on it. He later built his own hydro, with help from Craig Lawrence. The T-80 was a Novis 350 boat that Craig built for Al Davis's girlfriend, Marsha.
Man those were the days. I had a good job with a great company, but the only reason I worked was so I'd have enough money to race boats.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks Denny. These are all pics from the final race at Baldy's in 1977. While this thread is primarily the odyssey of Marshall's old D motor, I have been bringing up points of interest that happened at the races along the way. As the 700 hydro heats weren't interesting, the Formula 350 (or Service 350 as it may have been called back then) and the 350 hydro races were worth commenting on. Next up is that heat we talked about a couple of weeks ago, so after I post some pictures and stuff, maybe you could make some commentary.:)

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The first heat of 350 hydro was full of excitement and close racing.

Denny Henderson and Benny Aylor both had their Yamato's in top form. Denny took and early lead and I was chasing him, with Benny Aylor right there on my tail. There must have been a hole in the water or something as Denny lost it and his boat careened off to the right. I was pushing Denny very hard and he went into the turn very hot. It all happened so quickly, I only saw Denny's boat shoot off and I scanned the water to see if he was in front of me. Of course this is in split seconds. When I looked to the right to see where Benny was I saw Denny back in his boat. So I thought he just blew and engine and pulled off the course. (According to the story Louis Collins had in the District 15 news, about the same thing happened to Benny. I had fed Louis the info. but it apparently came from Benny who told us after the race. Denny can maybe expound on this.)

Anyway...It was just a couple of seconds and we were away from the turn and I took over the lead as we completed the first lap. I didn't see Benny anywhere close when I looked back at Denny, so I wasn't pushing it anymore. Surprisingly, Benny had recovered and was driving hard down the front straight. He pulled along side of me just starting into the turn. I got hard on the throttle had took the Aerowing to its limits. I had good acceleration, but both Denny and Benny had me on top end. If I could get a good jump off the turn maybe I could hold Benny off. It was a 1 mile course with average turns so there was a chance I could pull it off. Unfortunately, I dropped and sponson and dumped in the turn.

So now I was in the water, floating with my hydro and saw Denny making up time very quickly. After he recovered, Denny began chewing up the water, caught and drove through the pack to a second place. He was gaining on Benny all the way to the finish. I'm floating there and trying the piece together all the events in the last couple of minutes. I tried to make the second heat, but my hydro was too damaged so I came back in. Denny won the second heat, and the Texas State Championship.

When everything settled down, I had to go talk to the Denny and Benny to figure out what was going on. I can't remember everything but we must have had some pretty good laughs all around. When Denny hit that hole, he was thrown out of his boat, but he had a death grip on the wheel. He hit the water and bounced back in. As soon as Denny got back under control, he got back in the race. Denny came back into the pits without any shoes, as the water took them away when his legs hit it.:D I'm not real clear though on the reference to Benny doing "the same thing". David Weaver, is it you that has a contact to Benny? I forget, one of you east coast guys does, so maybe we can get a full report if Denny can't remember.

sorry I don't have pics of Benny. 1st is Denny, 2nd is me.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

So the long 1977 season ended and it was time to hand out awards. Lone Star Boat Racing Association did dual sanctions with APBA since becoming affiliated with it, but it was still an independant sanctioning body with its own rules. The whole time I raced boats, the banquet was held in Baytown. It was held in a banquet hall at a motel until Baytown Boat Club built their new building which is still in use today for racing events. Our first banquet there was probably around 1970.

Awards were for the Texas State Championships held at Barbon, high points in each class, high point hydro, high point runabout, overall high point, sportsmanship, pit man of the year, and I think there were special awards for scorers, refs, etc. A great time was had by all.

1st pic. Officers who had to sit at the head table. L-R
Lucky Lund, Butch Levine and Patty Levine, Martha Yates, Ray Yates, Commodore Steve Jones, Judy Jones, Betty and Dick Hassler .

2nd. "Little Ray" Yates receiving his "Rookie of the Year" plaque, Steve Jones, Ray Yates

3rd Butch Levine, Martha Yates, Baldy Baldwin. I think my Dad must be laying it on pretty heavy about the high point overall winner. I think it was Artie Lund.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

On Sunday morning following the banquet and awards ceremony from the previous night, Lone Star had its annual meeting. Just like APBA we went over old news, then took up new matters and rules. Since the weather was a little bit rough at the last race at Barbon, there were no new records to approve. So 1975 will remain as the last year any LSBRA records were set. We had a racing commission, but LSBRA was only alky, so the meetings could be concluded in just a few hours.

1st pic is Bruce Nicholson addressing the body. You can see familiar faces in the background. Too many to name.

2nd---Outgoing Commodore Steve Jones in the foreground and Ray Yates in background.

3rd. Incoming Commodore for 1978 is Joe Rome.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Joe had asked if I had more of the banquet, which I do, plus more of the meeting. The meeting the next day was the first for Tim Butts being an actual member of the Lone Star Boat Racing Association. Joe wanted me to post more pics, but I have been worrying about getting stuff done for the DePue Renion so that's where I've been. When I get a break, the meeting pics will be on the LSBRA thread and AN AMAZING STORY will resume at the Dallas Boat Show in 1978.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I will post pics of the Dallas boat show next. It's been too long since I visited this thread due to trying to get photos to Ron for the Reunion. So now I will set the stage for 1978.

My Dad, Baldy Baldwin, had convinced Carl Rylee to put on a UIM spectacle at Alexandria. My Dad put the bid in for OA through OF in 1972 as a continuation of what we were working toward to professionalize Alky racing in the U.S. We were awarded OA, OD and OF for 1973. Every year my Dad put in for all the same classes in the hopes that we would at least get one. In 1976 we got OA, OD and OF. Things were looking good. In 1977 we got OD. In 1978 we were awarded OB, OC and OE. The hottest classes in UIM for the alky burners was OA, OB, and OC so we were extremly excited to have two of them, and the addition of OE would get us some great publicity because of the press that followed that class. These were some great drivers that would get press due to the ON's and OZ's that were at the same races. Things were to get heated up due to outboard politics before it was over, but it was a great way to start the year off to be planning for another spectacular event at Dayton, Ohio.

The UIM OD World Championships would be held in Berlin, but at a different venue that I had raced the previous two years. So we were looking forward to a great year of not only racing, but bringing new blood and international racing to the U.S.

[wboxell]

wayne do you or joe (anybody else?) have the qual times for OB at dayton in 78? i didn't make the top five but as the saying goes the older i get the faster i was! i remember i tried turn 1, wide open with the pipes up and didn't make it. the boat rolled up on its side and tossed the valve belt. i got another shot and let the pipes back for the corners. seems like it was close but not good enough?

wish i could jump into the one week time warp and be back at depue.:)

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I will look Bill. I know I have some of the qualifying times. It was done each lap for 3 laps.

I'm like you Bill. You're one of many I didn't get to really talk to. A warp time would be good.:D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I was wrong about how it was done Bill. There were 2 attempts allowed. It was either 2 or 3 lap attempts and the best times were picked. 27 boats entered, but only 21 went out on the course. Jeff Hutchins and Skip Birbarie scratched. Apparently Bob Luke from Seattle was a no show.

Here are the best qualifying heat times for each boat up to your postition Bill.
1 Denny Henderson 159.0
2 Dan Kirts 159.8
3 Benny Aylor 200.4
4 Malcolm Harden 201.0
5 Craig Lawrence 203.2
6 Wayne Baldwin 204.0
7 Tim Butts 204.1
8 Jerry Kirts 204.2
9 Troy Dunn 204.8
10 Dub Parker 205.1
11 Terry McCartney 208.1
12 Bill Boxell 208.7

Four of the top five only ran one heat. The first go around I was no. 5, but Benny Aylor cut his time by 5 full seconds in his 2nd try, moving him all the way to third. I only cut my time by 1/2 the second go around so I got bumped to 1st alternate. My boat was totally wild. & it was all I could do to keep it from flipping. We loaned it to Guisseppe Landini who put a 3 blade Rolla on it and it totally changed the handling of the boat. He might have won the world championship had he understood English, but he got tossed in the first heat because he pulled into the pits after crossing the finish line instead of coming around the bottom turn again before exiting.

[wboxell]

wayne, i couldn't remember what the format was other then against the stopwatch. when my rotary valve belt came off after taking the green, i then probably got two laps later. where the quals one boat at a time, or a few at a time on the course?

i remember watching:mad: one of the final heats (OB) and dan kirts was coming to the front. when coming down the front straitaway he jerked his boat hard right (couple lengths behind) to cross the wake and rooster tail of the boat he was about to pass. wow! that aerowing danced like crazy but didn't trip. my buds and i looked at each other and thought it's dan kirts! what do you expect!

[wboxell]

thanks wayne. as i said earlier, i got faster as i got older:)

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The qualifying heats were on time with only one boat on the course. Looking at the times, it had to have been only two laps. The fastest didn't need to go back out if they didn't get bumped. You didn't have a time in the first try because you didn't finish Bill.

Incidentally, three of the five qualifiers were yamatos. Denny, Benny and Craig.

[denny henderson]

I have been to a lot of boat races, but only a few that were as exciting as that one. If I could turn back time, and re-run one race, it would be those four heats of OB. And, when I wasn't racing, I was watching the best racing I have ever seen.
Craig, Benny and I had the Yamatos running pretty good, but we had four heats against the Japanese team, the German team, the Italian team and the toughest of them all, the rest of the Americans, Danny, Jerry, Wayne and the rest. A couple of weeks before the race, Jim and I went to the lake to test my new engine and some other things that we had been working on. The first thing we tried was an intake cross-over manifold that Zak sent to Jim. I think I may have been the first to try it on a piston port Yamato. We just bolted them on, no jet changes, and picked up tons of low end and mid-range power, which had been the weakness of the piston port engines. At the time, we ran 25mm Bing carburetors on the "B", and 27mm on the "C" Yamato. Jim suggested we try the "C" carbs on the "B". The engine was running so good, I didn't want to mess with it, so I resisted. I just knew we would burn a piston or somehow screw something up and never get it running that well again. Jim won the argument and put the 27s on. Without even a jet change, we picked mid-range and top end speed. Suddenly I had a new problem, the boat was too small. We were ready.
The qualifying was two laps against the stop watch. My only problem was keeping the boat on the water. Most of the Yamatos ran well, they all had the Zak manifolds, but I was the only one who had the big carbs.
I will never forget milling for the start in the first heat. About 25 boats, most of them going in different directions. I almost got T-boned a couple of times. Just as the one minute gun fired, a bolt came out of my spray shield and went in one of the carburetors. The engine came to a quick stop. I was at the other end of the lake and could hardly even see the race, but I think Danny won the heat. Since I hadn't crossed the staring line, I was allowed to change powerheads. I put my old worn out engine on with all the new gadgets. It was weak, and when it broke over on plane, fell on it's face and died. I watched Danny and Guiseppi battle it out, what a race.
With a jet change I made it out for the third heat and got a good start. It was the first time I went 6 laps with 25 boats. The last couple of laps were plenty rough. Once on plane, I think the old engine was faster than the new one. I won the third heat with Danny second and Landini third. In the fourth heat, I came up to the line a little early, backed off a bit, and the engine swallowed its tounge. I was the last boat into the first turn and have no idea where I ended up.
I don't think Danny even had to run the last heat to win, but he did and I think he won it. Maybe Wayne will post the official results of the heats. I also like to see the results of OC. Those were the best races I have ever watched. I have heard that there is a video of that race, if so, I sure would love to see it.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Denny:

I think I have the video somewhere, probably in a box in the basement. I will see if I can find it and make you a copy. I now have a VCR/DVD recorder that I could put it on DVD if you have a player. Let me know and I will look for it in the next few days. I believe that Wayne's sister took some 16MM footage of the race also, but have no idea if it still exists, although I thought Wayne said something about it not too long ago. The video I have was made by the Japanese taken from the east end of the course looking at the boats coming right at you.

Bill

[Jeff Lytle]

I had a copy of that tape as well, but sadly :( loaned it out and didn't get it back :mad: NEVER AGAIN!!

This tape I had was the Japanese version, as well as the OD Worlds in Phoenix--Both races were excellent!

HINT!!--If Bill can't find his copy, I got mine copied from Eric Pugh, and he still has his original.

[wboxell]

i guess zak wasn't only working on gadgets for the konigs:)

i'm sure the same thing is going on now but we'll read the details in a decade or so:)

great post denny, i can remember watching:mad: that field milling above the race course(that was the rule right?) thinging is anybody going the survive to make it to the starting line. what a show!

i want video!!! if anybody can really come up with video i will donate a few bucks to their beer fund for a copy.

bill boxell

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The same goes for me Bill Boxell. And Bill Van...the 16 mm film my sister Jan took was of the OD at Dayton the previous year. I found a place in Corpus that will convert it to DVD which I am going to do soon, when I find out which reel is the unedited version.

I would like to see the OD from Phoenix. Especially if it has the start of the first heat. It will show as I have always contended that Billy Jack Rucker and I were the only legal boats in the first heat. We were dragging our sponsons when the hand hit zero while the rest were flying toward the turn. I came around the first lap second so I got tossed out. There were too many to count and all boats were passed the line when the camera went off except us two. Billy Jack was all the way to the inside and I was all the way outside and under the camera. If that start is on the film it will show me up on my knees in the boat waving my arms over my head to get the attention of the judges, and I hollered, but I guess they didn't see or hear me. I never knew a tape existed, so hey Eric, if you still have it, could we see about getting some DVD's made. Heck, I'll even buy Jeff a knew one since he made us aware.

[Jeff Lytle]

Thanks Wayne, I sure would love to have another copy.............but wait........I'm thinking I'm having a brain fart. I don't think it was from Phoenix, it was the year Steve L. won. Was that Shadow Cliffs, Pleasanton California?

[Jeff Lytle]

I'm in the process of uploading a clip of the race right now on You Tube, so I'll be able to post it here later on tonight or tomorrow. I'm sure it's not the race you're looking for Wayne, but it's worth watching :D (I'm sure Steve and Larry will like it too!)

I have also located a clip from Dayton that I will try to get on here the same way.



<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-wRFeAuDZBE"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-wRFeAuDZBE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>

[Jeff Lytle]

Here's a link to some of the Japanese footage:

http://216.120.234.56/RaceDec2.mov

[Master Oil Racing Team]

It's not Jeff, but it is cool t watch anyway. The one I was looking for was pre VHS.

Denny...I will post the 1978 Dayton later. I did it last night then again this morning and both times lost the satellite connection. I need to give it up until tommorrow. But, I will say your heat win was by far the fastest of the four, and Dan who finished second behind you had a time faster in that heat than the two heats he won.

[deanwilson]

Boy that's still painful to watch all these years later. I was on the losing end of the crash. I had no idea it was posted anywhere. The tunnel boat was from Austria and he spun-out on every bouy testing during the week. I actually beat him to the turn but when I dropped the pipe he pulled next to me and spun over the front of my boat. What a shame as I was 2nd to the turn and the leader went wide so I had clean water ahead. A side note, 1st heat 28 boats...last heat maybe 8 boats.

Dean

[Jeff Lytle]

Got this pic from Eric Pugh

[Steveracer]

That same weekend, Dean and I were in the 1100 runabout race. Dean and I blew that thing over backwards, and from what I was told it went pretty high. I believe to this day that this was the fastest runabout I've ever been in. I used to ride with Rex Hall and we were probably the fastest rig around so I know fast. We won the nationals in 86. (I have more then one 1100 runabout story about riding with Rex). I guess that they are always fastest before they go. I told Dean that as soon as it got quiet, I jumped. :eek: When I landed, I pulled all of the muscles in my right shoulder and my groin. I was limping for a couple of weeks and couldn't move my right arm. Dean wasn't that lucky. He fractured his back when he wit the water a$$ first.

Adding insult to injury, the boat landed right side up without a scratch.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Well...back to the Amazing Story. With DePue and the wedding behind us I need to try to finish this.

The year 1978. The Dallas Boat Show was up, and just like we used to do in Houston, this year we used the Dallas Boat Show to help promote PRO racing and to attract new drivers and other support people. Debbie and I drove to South Texas to pick up SHADOWFAX and Marshall's old D for the show. After we got home that evening it started snowing. Here are some pics from our rent house in Denton, Texas the morning after the snowfall.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

These are from the Dallas Boat Show January 27 1978.

Joe Cohen being his usual self in pic one, while Craig Lawrence is waiting around for some chick to wander by so he can explain the ins & outs of boat racing.

Quite a few people stopped by to check out the boat racing exhibits. There were a number of young people that expressed an interest and the North Texas Boat Club picked up half a dozen new members that started in RB. One was Troy Dunn who stayed with Pro racing for a number of years and I forget the name of the guy looking over Troy's T 47 hydro. He started out racing, but dropped out for some reason.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The boat is polished more than normal. Here is also a pic of Marshall Grant's old D motor. TORC (Texas Outboard Racing Club) also had an exhibit. I can't remember whose boat this is. Maybe Doug McCune's? TORC was mostly North Texas OPC while Houston Gulf Coast Marathon Association ran OPC races toward the coastal areas.

Troy Dunn was North Texas Boat Club member and like all others in Jim McKean territory ran Yamatos. Troy worked for Motorola and I believe the plant was at Arlington between Dallas and Fort Worth. Many Motorola products have sounds that have key functions in their operations. A lot of you will remember the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Richard Dreyfuss used a sound and light device to communicate with the space creatures. The main sound that people may remember was a 5 note sequence that was repeated over and over. Troy put this sequence together at the Motorola factory right after the movie came out. At random times he would broadcast it all over the factory on the PA. The very first time he did it, it brought the house down. After a half dozen or so times, the bosses were getting very aggravated and sent spies around to find the culprit responsible. I don't believe Troy ever got caught. Denny or Craig may remember more details.

[MN1]

Is the Sport E boat a Bunky Boat?
Mark

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I looked for pics with a different angle, but couldn't pick up anything that would identify it. I myself can't tell by looking.

Winter 1977-78

We were scheduled to compete in the 1978 UIM OD World Championships to be held in Berlin in June. No Butts Aerowing had ever been overseas at that point and Tim wanted to give it as try as did my Dad and myself. We knew going in that the water would be rough so Tim built a boat with deeper sponsons and some steps in them. I don't remember what other changes there were. After rigging up the boat we did some testing. Even down here the water is fairly cold in the winter so it's better to test with a wetsuit on.

The real test would be when the water got rough. Normally we had to hold out for calm water, but in this case we had to wait for a big norther to blow in and give us some waves.

[Dave_E71]

Hey wait a minute, I think I've seen the bottom picture hung up at the Post Office :D

Is that the scary Wayne face that you used on your kids?

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Maybe that's why I don't get my mail at the post office anymore Dave.:D

Our D41994 was now 8 years old and still pumping out enough horsepower to remain competitive. The care Marshall Grant took to make sure everything was square was still paying off. We had very little trouble with the internals. Our only problems had been blowing lower units, which we mostly solved by running Master Oil in it, and fuel problems. The motor ran through so much fuel and put so much pressure in the fuel tank, we experimented with several systems to make it more reliable. But, with that many years of racing we were afraid someday the stresses might result in a break that could be castastrophic to the block.

We had a F Konig, VF7331 that was built the same year as D41994 and coincidentally as the 4 carb, dual rotary valve F, VF7023, that we also bought from Marshall Grant. We resleeved it down to a 700cc motor with cast iron sleeves made by Larry Haufler. Since we got Marshall Grant's F, we had not run the old one in a while. One of Steve Jones's pit men, Larry Haufler, was an excellent machinist and said he could make sleeves for the motors. We decided this would be a good way to put his claims to a test. Although Konig's products were fast, sometimes the parts had little defects. Such as porous holes in the sleeves that may not be detected at first. Larry said he could cast sleeves without the porosity.

So we resleeved the motor and changed the Serial No. to VD7331. Then we used this motor to test our European style water Butts Aerowing. We also used it in some local racing to save D41994.

Here are a couple of test sheets from the spring of 1978. We had to get it tested and shipped out in time for the June race. The first test was in calm water after we christened it "TEX" and got it back from the paint shop. Since I was living in Denton at the time, we had to anticipate a strong blow from the north to be able to get in some relavent testing in rough water. Our cove is protected from the prevailing southeast breeze which is why we were located there. We finally saw a strong norther would be blowing in so I flew down to get the testing in. We had only this chance for one test before it was time to ship the boat to Berlin.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The wind was really blowing when we did the testing and I eased into it until I found out what the boat would do. Mostly I was afraid of stuffing. Once I found out that the design would keep the sponsons and nose above the water, I increased the speed. The sponson design was mushing in pretty good and it would have been a great rough water boat for most of the courses we run here. I would later discover though that I should have driven the mile and a half out to the main body of lake where in addition to wind blown waves there were rollers or swells to contend with. This was the difference between running in water roughed up by the wind in a cove, versus wind blowing down a larger body of water.

We got the testing done and two weeks later I came down when we boxed "TEX" up for shipping to Berlin two weeks after that. Often times my German caused a lot of laughter because of how I used the wrong words. So I guess I was close enough here because it did get to Berlin and it wasn't dropped or stabbed by forklift tines.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

We got a late start racing in 1978. In 1978 first class postage was only .13, Dallas beat Denver 27-10 in the Superbowl, all time number one idiot for President Jimmy Carter gave the Panama Canal to the Chinese, Polish Cardinal Wojytla became Pope John Paul II, the record of the year was Hotel California by The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours won album of the year.

Our first race was April 23 in Beaumont, Texas on the Neches River. We only ran 350 and 500 hydro. Our motor D41994 was on the way to Berlin and the sleeved down F Konig still had a leak around one of the sleeves. Not enough boats to run 1100 hydro.

First pic is my Dad Baldy Baldwin on left and our mechanic Jack Chance on the right. Second is Marsha Thompson chasing RB Hydro winner Eileen Van Steenwyk. The RB class in Texas was growing due to an influx of new drivers mostly from the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and a couple from Corpus Christi. (One was Denny Henderson's future wife Lizzie).

And this was the infamous race in which Ray Hardy attacked and speared a big yacht with his picklefork Butts Aerowing. There were actually two boats involved, but I can't recall the other driver. While milling they looked to see they had gotten a little to far out and Ray got hemmed in with no where to go and couldn't come to a stop in time. The yacht was actually encrouching in the milling area. The patrol boats were constantly having to tell them to move back, but this didn't stop the lawsuit from going forward.

[wboxell]

wayne,

Eileen looks intence. never could see what she saw in bill:D .

your dad and jack were always my heros.

bill

[Master Oil Racing Team]

...but you are reading the caption wrong. The Yamato in the foreground is Eileen's. It is Marsha Thompson that has the look you call intense. She was a very pretty girl with long brown hair. As far as Bill Van goes, I'd say he was pretty lucky.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Three days after the Beaumont race Dieter Konig gave me a call to say that members of the UIM Technical Committee voted to change the rule that stated "fuel is free" in the outboard category to a requirement that all engines above 700cc were restricted to gasoline. This was a blow because we were scheduled to run the OE World Championships at Dayton, Ohio at the end of July. Such a course with wide sweeping turns and the minimum distance to run would favor the hydroplanes over the tunnels. The move was an effort to reduce the horsepower and reliabilty of the Konigs.

The committee was made up of Bill Brown from England, Erik Braaten from Norway, Gert Lowisin from Sweden, Wolfgang Klein from West Germany and Paul Kalb and Gary Garbrecht from the USA. It was a three to three tie with Brown, Lowisin and Klein opposed. There ended up being a compromise, but the restriction remained. Some day I will get all the correspondence together and post the long running controversy that only ended after the race was run.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The next race up was the Pro Western Divisionals at Marine Creek Lake near Forth Worth on May 29 and 30. Drivers came from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, California, and maybe a couple of other states.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Scorer (left) Patty Doering looks on as other scorers Kim and Carolyn McBride sign up drivers. With her back toward the camera is Marsha Thompson and Dick Frye kneeling down. Waiting in line are Denny Hederson's future wife Lizzie, Alan Isii and further back to the right is Phil Howard.

[David Weaver]

It looks very windy in that last photo!

[Master Oil Racing Team]

........stay tuned.

[BPIII125V]

Wayne,

Thanks for continuing the story, this has been a great read. Definately makes me wish I was old enough at the time to see you guys race.

Bill Pavlick

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I appreciate your words Bill. It has been a lot of fun looking back at what went on and reading some of the comments of those that were there that remember stuff that I forgot. The thread has adjusted in content as we went along, and had I known how it was going to proceed in the beginning, I would have included a lot more of the non racers that make our sport work and more sideline anecdotes. But overall its been fun. Still a little bit left to go.

[Tubby Nevada]

Tubby here-
Love the story, great so see the old pictures. Ah the past, I was just telling my brother the other day if I could do it over I would- hmmm never mind, it was swell just the way it was. Tubby

[Master Oil Racing Team]

.......I'm gettin' close to the the end of this story. There are still some missing pieces that you can maybe filll in. But until then I appreciate your input and one of your insights to me regardiing your situations at the time I was trying to capture this motor was one of the most hilarious I had ever heard.:D I hope things are going good with you and Jason, and if you guys ever head toward South Padre Island, stop by for a visit.

[epugh66]

Seeing the pic of the boat in a box got me to thinking about maps. Here's a link to a sat image of where I think the Konig factory was. It's actually a little below the green arrow on the right side of the road, the building that sets back from the roadway. I can see the shed in the back where Gary and I found enough scrap foam from imported Tomos outboards to make an ice chest for one of our euro trips.

If you went testing, which we did, you rolled your boat "up" from the factory, across Saatwinkler Damm and tested on the canal. It's much narrower than it looks in the image.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=72+friedrich+olbricht+damm+berlin+germany&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.922255,81.738281&ie=UTF8&ll=52.546873,13.312286&spn=0.001494,0.004989&t=k&z=18&om=1

[Mark75H]

I did a current search on the address ... seems like its a welding/metal fabrication shop now.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

.....that next parking lot down from the arrow---if you were driving, you would turn left into the front parking lot. AND especially right about the canal being a lot narrower than it looks. There is a funny story that Steve Litzell told Joe and I at the Reunion about that canal that I will post soon. And stay tuned for pics from the Konig factory because Debbie and I left three days after this Western Divisionals at Marine Creek Lake to fly to Berlin.

As David previously mentioned the water was a little choppy, but it got better. This is a part of Texas that gets ripped with violent storms during the summer. It is not quite as bad as the more northern parts of Texas, but the weather anywhere in Texas can change within 30 minutes. But for the most part the weather calmed down quite a bit for racing and the racers were pushing it. There turned out to be more than a couple that got their tennies wet and for some reason, most were at the starting line. The rescue team was busy that weekend.

Pics. First is Pete DeLackner, a California transplant, who happened to live only a two minute or so drive from the race course. The rescue boat coincidentally is a 17' Mustang built by Pete. He built a 15' and a 17' which he called sleds. They were excellent boats but they didn't catch on. They should be collector items.

2 Rescue team

3 Tony Byron went over at the start

4 Lyndol Reid did some kind of didos at the start.

5 Not sure who this is at the start, but maybe Red Hamilton.

6 Doug Doering waving before going out

7 Doug moments later--Johnny Dortch in Y 99

8 "Lil" Ray Yates in a turn. Butch Leavendusky spun in the same turn, but the pic was too blurry.

ADD: the color pic of T88 is another of Doug Doering. He was a professional photographer from Dallas. He and his wife Patty dove headlong into racing, but I think this blowover cooled him down too much. They were great people and helped us a lot with publicity stills for our advertising. It was sad to lose such good friends from the circuit.

[epugh66]

Now would be a good time for me to re-iterate my description of a runabout.

RUNABOUT : noun & verb- Run about so far and tip over.

Coincidence? I think not.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That's been my experience as well Eric.:D Looking at those pics of Doug Doering I'm wondering.....Do you think he was putting the finger on me for jinxing him with that first photo of him waving from the pits.;) :D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I don't know what's with the first pic. Maybe someone else can remember. I don't believe I ever saw a motor come off the transom of a boat that wasn't upside down, torn up, or half sunken. I don't recognize the boat or driver.

Second pic, all but one boat was a rookie. It was a good year for rookies in Texas. I'm guessing Eileen Van Steenwyk Y888 and JC McDonough were the only legal ones in this pic. Bobby Dean Wilson is in 25T with his right arm up and Lizzie Henderson on the inside.

We had the sleeved down "F" Konig running in the 700 hydro race. I don't have any of the race results but the few notes I had show a 4th place in 700 hydro and that one sleeve was still leaking. So I am thinking we went out in one heat and found that we were unable to cure the ongoing problem with the leak so stayed in the pits for the second heat.

[mark johnson]

Looks like Larry Conners from Oklahoma. O-41.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I bet you're right Mark. He was at that race and I think that is where I first met him. If I remember correctly he was just starting out. I don't know exactly how we met, but I remember taking an instant liking to him. I was never around Larry much because my racing was starting to wind down and it wouldn't be long before I quit. So I was quite surprised when just a few years later Joe had told me how Larry cleaned up at the nationals. He had to have been very talented to have done so well so quickly.

[Jeff Lytle]

Looks like the tower is still there bolted to the transom, but the powerhead went GULP! :eek:

[Master Oil Racing Team]

...but the enlargement was too great for me to get a clear picture. I know YOUR eagle eye can pick out stuff the others can't see. But then there is still the question. How does a powerhead just pop off.:confused: :D

[Jeff Lytle]

A shortened tower (badly) welded at the top, and you'd lose the whole works, pipes and all. The only hope is that if that happened, the steering cables would hang onto it, but not prevent it from landing in the water and getting the snot bashed out of it till' the boat slowed down.

Scary thought!

[David Weaver]

...but the enlargement was too great for me to get a clear picture. I know YOUR eagle eye can pick out stuff the others can't see. But then there is still the question. How does a powerhead just pop off.:confused: :D

There is little run RB powerhead in the first turn of DePue. One team had too many mechanics and nobody tightened the nuts that held the powerhead on!! Ran about a lap, the nuts fell off and the powerhead fell off in the turn (breaking the throttle cable and fuel lines).

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I did read the post about that in the thread regarding stuff at the bottom ol Lake DePue David. I thought about that when I did my post, but figured a fluke like that was a one time deal. But maybe not. And what Jeff said is very plausible, but very scary. I couldn't race thinking a vital component could fall off during a race. After Clayton Elmers spill at Alex when an "S" hook broke, we were very careful about such stuff. We started using stainless steel cable and SS pulleys with ball bearings. The Leavendusky towers were built very well and much shorter than Konig. Really great for lowering the COG. Jack Chance taught me how to weld, but I never welded anything that could hurt anyone if it failed.;)

Then this reminded me of the FB we sold Steve Jones. It was our first "B" Konig and we had the exhaust manifold and "can" chromed. The first race Steve ran it was at Baytown, Texas. The lower unit was hanging on only by hand tightened bolts. My Dad told Steve that he had better tighten up those bolts. He was busy rigging up his boats and said not to worry, he would tighten them up. Over the next hour or so before racing started my Dad warned Steve a couple of other times, to which he replied that he would take care of it. After the first heat Steve came in with a big grin and was telling us it ran great for a couple of laps then started to slow down. I can still remember standing on the seawall looking down at Steve in his Marchetti and at the chrome on the can still bubbling. The tattle tale water hose in those days fed the cooling water into the can and went out a 30mm exhaust pipe in the front part of the can. When the can and manifold cooled down the chrome hardened back up, but with blue and yellow highlights. That FB konig never locked up. It was tough. Steve did have to change the rings though.:D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

In response to your post David, the wind did finally catch up to us. We had two days of mostly good weather but with four heat to run, a front came through between the five minute gun and the start of 350 hydro. I snapped a pic of it before it got there, then when Phil Howard and others were coming in to the pits. I still had a 350 hydro then, so I think this must have been a qualifying heat. In the third pic it looks like an Aerowing is hovering above the trailer. I looked briefly, but as the light changed so quickly and dramatically, I didn't adjust my exposures enough to pick up detail. Too washed out. Maybe "eagle eye and photo phorensic expert" Jeff Lytle can pick up some clues.

We could all see the cloud bank from the Northwest coming in and the Southeast breeze proceeding it had kicked up the water. The Formula 350 Hydro went out and had a tough time. But when the norther hit , it was a sudden whitecap, get off the water event.

When the cloud cover came over dust and whatever paper was on the ground started going up into the air. I looked up and didn't see any funnels coming down, but wind kept swirling around and debris kept being swept up so I kept waiting for a tornado. I wasn't taking pics, but was looking around while tying boats to the trailer. When we all saw the front coming through, everyone started rigging down knowing that there would be no more races. The final pics are after there was not enough fuel and violence for a twister to touch down.

[Jeff Lytle]

Looks to me like the boat is sitting either on top of an extremely high white trailer box, or on top of a white cube van.

[kenneth james]

The person that went over at the start was Kenneth James (yellow boat with last time on back corner) not Tony that was when my wife was there and had a fit. I blew over at the start what a ride.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks for the clarification Kenneth. One of these days when I post more on the Lone Star thread I will put a pic of you as deck rider with Charlie Bailey and then I want you to tell us about it.:D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Three days later Debbie and I boarded a plane at DFW for Berlin. We had decided to do a 14-21 day excursion rate which meant that you had to be gone for at least 14 days and leave by the 21st. In those days flying was pretty expensive and the various excursion rates had reduced pricing. We knew when we wanted to leave, but when we were at the travel agency we were not exactly sure when we wanted to come back. All dates had to be in by 10 days before departure so we booked the flight to Berlin. A few days later we decided on the return date and called our travel agent Helen. She took the message then the following day went to a hospital for minor surgery. Being that the surgery was upmost on her mind, she forgot to enter our return date into the system. They didn't have the computers like everyone uses now.

When we went to pick up our tickets Helen apologized. She said the date we wanted to return was booked. But........no problem...we could just fly standby. There were hourly flights from Berlin to Frankfurt..a major business hub. So........Okay.......No problem. We picked up our tickets and got packed and were ready for some racing and sightseeing over the next couple of weeks. Little did we know!;) :D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

My Dad and Jack Chance followed us over several days later. My first trip to Berlin in 1975 I flew into Templehof airport. It was the airport used during Hitler's reign and also the one used during the Berlin airlift. I took in as much as I could of the sights and was glad I did. In 1976 Tegel was open and they quit using Templehof. After getting the baggage we took my Dad and Jack to Jenny Scwhartz-Nitka's house in the Grunewald district. They were both surprised to see the Texas flag flying high atop the flagpole.

When I first stayed at Jenny's two years earlier she had just bought it from the Netherlands. It was their embassy in Berlin, having survived the bombing of WWII where it had been occupied by high admiralty from the German navy. The Jewish family that built it split early on when they saw trouble brewing. When Debbie and I spent our honeymoon there in 1977, Jenny was still in the process of remodeling and now everything was finished.

My Dad and Jack had never been to Germany before, but they knew Jenny and her friend Harry Splettstosser. So there were warm greeting between all. Debbie and I knew Jenny's son Peter Preis, (slacks and blue shirt) so we made the introductions. They refreshments after a long haul over the ocean were welcome. The jet lag would come later.

[john lawrence]

Wayne: I really want to thank you, for all the posting you do, your pics and stories are great now how about all you guys who raced back then joining in and adding your contributions. How about some pics and info on some of the races Joe Rome you told me about a huge number of As one year, and it was a challenge to win the elimination. Comeon guys Wayne is trying to keep this going!!!! John Lawrence

[Master Oil Racing Team]

........this thread will go to the end.:) At least the part of it I know. Remember....this is the saga of one engine with a wierd serial number and a winning history that Marshall Grant hand picked. Some of those that could fill in gaps are gone such as Dieter Konig who could have told us what D41994 meant and Harry Bartolomei who we sold it to when we quit. I still need to contact Michael Lopez for his input, and we DO know that Bill Diamond aka Tubby Nevada was the last owner prior to me getting it back. So, there is still some stories to come before the final wrap up. But don't worry John......plenty of stories left to come. There were a number of races in the mid sixties where eliminations were tough. I just have to many things going on to do justice to the stories. There are many more pics for Random Shots, Where the Action Is, Lone Star and Alexandria to mention a few. That doesn't count the OPC stuff I still have. So I will try to finish this thread soon and move on. I need to figure out how to get both parts on DVD though before it disappears.:cool:

[Master Oil Racing Team]

..........there it is. Our boat made it intact all the way to Dieter's. Found it around back I guess about where Eric found the styrofoam.;) :D

Got to go to the plant at Mineral Wells today. We'll unpack "TEX" in a couple of days.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

When we got to the Konig factory the next morning Dieter told my Dad how much the freight was. My Dad said "What? The shipping has already been paid." It turned out that it got to Dieter "freight collect". I can't remember now whether Dieter paid all the way from Texas or more likely the overland trucking from Hamburg to West Berlin. My Dad used a shipping agent and paid to get the crate all the way to the factory. He made arrangements to reimburse Dieter and apologized. He told Dieter he would never expect him to have to pay to get our stuff there and that when he got home he would get with the shipping agent and present the bill Dieter had paid. As it turned out, the shipping line that took it across the Atlantic had filed bankruptcy while we were gone. They knew what they were doing and were just cramming their pockets until the date they filed.:mad:

The main thing is that everything got there and it was undamaged.

[Jeff Lytle]

Wayne, just a couple of things............1st--I have to see the b/w pics of the OE engine you posted on the contact sheets <<<Really Cool!>>> and pretty rare for eyes on this side of the pond.

I noticed that the rear afterplanes on Tex were not shaped as we had seen in the later Aerowing designs--Any reason for it? or was it simply no benefit on the rough water boat.

Take a look at the sponson shape and design that can be seen in the last pic people...........COOL!

[Master Oil Racing Team]

.....I was a little bit flippant with you many posts back when you asked about pics from the factory and I knew that we would get there, but it took a little longer than I had expected. Please forgive me.;) I will post some pics of the motor.

As far as the afterplanes and sponsons go, "TEX" was just another of the series of R & D with Tim. Tim guessed what we needed based on my input and like "HONCHO" it was a one of a kind. We tried it, had partial success and had ideas about what to make it better. :eek: I was supposed to be picking up some catfish plates right now!.........bye

[Jeff Lytle]

How was the catfish? :cool:

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Poco bueno!

[Master Oil Racing Team]

.......for those of you not near the border.;) :D

Okay Jeff, here's a few pics for you. I have some more that I will scan from the negatives when I get back from Corpus.

Dieter never gave me any rules for taking pictures or told me anything was offlimits. I had a free rein to walk around and snap all I wanted. Except he never told me about the meeting room upstairs with the collection of all the old Konigs going back to the beginning. Steve Litzell told me about it.

The one exception from Dieter was the editor of Powerboat, Bob Brown forwarded a request from a reader in Tahiti for a picture of the 6 cylinder OF Hans Krage won the world championships in 1976. I asked Dieter about it and he said he didn't want pictures of that motor published. :eek: OOPS! That's how the guy knew it existed.;) :D Oh Well. Deiter never mentioned it again and didn't seem to have any problem with what I did.

[Mark75H]

I'd never considered the half speed disk rotary valve ... barrel rotors are often run at half speed and the hole thru the barrel is symmetrical front and back. A half speed rotor has to be big enough to have 2 symmetrical holes to accommodate 2 open times per turn.

I'm still not clear on the intake timing on that triple.

[Dan M]

Sam,

It looks as if carb#1 and carb #3 are 120° apart on the disc. Carb #2 is inset at a different diameter than 1&3. The disc has 2 sets of openings 180° apart for #1 and#3 to use and 2 additional openings at 180° for carb#2 and disc runs at 1/2 speed of the crank. Please check my logic on this.

Dan:D

[Mark75H]

Thanks, Dan ... now that you point it out, it is obvious ...

Dieter truly was a genius

[Master Oil Racing Team]

yeah...that was kind of a trick I played for "Eagle Eye".;) It was in a frame next to the other photos and so was on the bench. I just blew up the frames of the contact sheet and didn't notice the layout of the holes until then. I originally posted it to show some innovations Dieter had when making something other than the 2 cyl. or opposed 4 cyl motors. when I saw that it didn't go with this engine as is, I just left it to wait for comments.:D It worked.:cool:

Dieter had it laying there for some reason though. I will go dig out the negatives for the other pics.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

When I found this on another contact sheet I blew it up thinking that might be the motor that belongs with the rotary valve housing. Lighting and angle is bad, but it appears to be an FA with a cast iron block and rotary valve. What do you guys think? Need to find other angles.

[epugh66]

This sort of tinkering is why I always wondered why people were trying to improve Dieter's work? I guess it's easier to blame the engine maker or boat builder than just to admit you are bad at set up or a poor driver.

[epugh66]

Wayne,

I just have to add that your photos are AWESOME!

[Dan M]

Wayne,

If you draw an imaginary circle from the centerline of the driven shaft to the outside diameter of the carb openings, it doesn't look like there is enough room for a rotary disc to sweep behind the carbs. It almost looks like this might be some type of "shuttle/gate" valve arrangement. The rotary motion converted to linear motion possibly sliding a gate up and down to open and close the carb opennings. Dieter was amazing.:D

Dan

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I hadn't thought of anything like that Dan, but I couldn't detect any kind of rotary valve housing either. Unfortunatel, I didn't take any notes. I didn't want to push it as far as Dieter was concerned with his R&D and my curiousity. Unfortunately, the reason notes were invented was to jog your memory and without them........que lastima!

Did you remember this motor Eric? Dieter always had different things going on every time I was there. No telling what you might find on the workbenches or in the dyno room.

[Mark75H]

All I can see on the 2 cylinder motor is that the top carb might be a little closer to us then the bottom; but then maybe not, maybe it is just the float bowl position. I agree there doesn't look like enough space behind the carbs for a regular disk feeding 2 holes ... suppose it only feeds one hole and is only cutting off some piston port timing on the wrong side of center?

I think I know what that plate with the 4 holes is ... a dual rotor plate to allow 4 carbs like the piston port VC. Maybe it was the prototype before the single rotor 2 carb design was decided on.

Looks like there may be a rotor for it hanging on the nail behind it.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This was a current piece of work Sam and you got me to thinking so I went back to a contact sheet I had from pics I took several days before my Dad and Jack arrived. Found some other interesting things, but this is the motor that the interlocking rotary valve housing belongs to.

Sorry about the lighting. I never took my flash units with me because they were too bulky and we had enough to lug around anyway. The small flashes of today work great, but back then you had to calculate everything and the buildings were all too big to bounce light, so that's all I got. I was just taking these for curiosity anyway and never forsaw anything like BRF. The good side though is these computers and photo programs are great at enhancing poorly lit subjects.

[Jeff Lytle]

yeah...that was kind of a trick I played for "Eagle Eye".

Now that's just NASTY!! I saw the pics early in the day, and knew there was something up with the valve. By the time I got to thinking about it again, and got back to the board, Dan and Sam had already nailed it.

:p :p :pNA NA-NA NA NA!!:p :p :p

[Master Oil Racing Team]

.....errr.....Eagle Eye. I just blindly walked around snapping pics of stuff that we didn't see in the pits or on a transom. Believe me.....there's much more there that we'll ever see. It's guys like you, Sam, Dan M, Eric, Steve Litzell, Paul Christner, and others that bring attention to the details that call us back for another look.:cool:

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'll put more stuff up on the Konig thread because if others are like me I want to go back and look later and forget where I saw it. The Konig thread would be the first place I would look.

After we got the boat unpacked Jack Chance set out to rig it back up with the hardware we had to take off and make sure we had all the pieces and that they fit before going to the pits. As usual Jack has his famous half smoked cigar. It helps him concentrate.;)

[Master Oil Racing Team]

My Dad gives an A..OK to Jenny for preparing a delicious meal. It never matters if we eat at Jenny's or at a restuarant, all food in Germany tastes great.

The last pic is a view from our window at Jenny's in the Grunewald section of Berlin. It was very quiet in the neighborhood itself, but every morning we woke up to a jackhammer at the end of the street.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The two previous years we had raced on the Strandbad Oberhavel in Spandau. This race was at Tegler See in a different part of Berlin. The body of water was larger and there was much more traffic outside the race course. The pits were handier here though. We didn't have to move the boats so far to get to the water.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This race course was on Tegelersee not too far from the airport. The first turn consisted of two bouys and the bottom turn was a single pin.

Training, or testing as WE call it, began the day before the race. The water was already rough. Due to the heavy traffic on the lake a series of 9 barges were tied together on the backside of the course to help stop the waves from the passing boats. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and there was a heavy wind. Some passing rain showers settled the water a little, but it wasn't long until the wind was back up. Coats, windbreakers and rainsuits were the order of the day in the middle of the summer. Berliner Jurgen Hopner stuffed his proprider and cut his nose on the plexiglass windshield. It wasn't looking good.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The UIM Technical meeting was going on the same day that Debbie and I left for Berlin. Dieter had called me about the potential problem just before we left. While we were at Jennie's house in Berlin Dieter called me and said that I needed to get a telegram sent to an American representative on the Committee. According to its own rules, UIM has to give a two year time period between a rule change of this sort prior to implementation. In this case, banning methanol from the open class outboards was to be effective immediately. We still had a chance to fight this or at least get it put off for a couple of years and be able to run the upcoming OE World Championships at Dayton without this disasterous rule (for the alkys).

I called APBA PRO Chairman Mel Kirts and asked him to send a telegram to Gary Garbrecht. Mel asked me what we needed to say so I quickly composed a telegram and he fired it off to Belgium basically saying that Gary did not have the authority to represent us. It was the PRO division who was behind the sanctioning of the event, so even though PRO and OPC both held OE events, this one was under our wing.

[epugh66]

Tegal looked the same in 1986, just the boats and cars were a little newer, the Americans still had the "funny" looking boats...and oh yeah, the hair was higher. I suppose the "shark" tour boat made it's round too.

Ober Havel is probably the single most worst place I've ever raced. In OSY, the race course was probably three lanes wide...with a dogleg on one side and river traffic on the other. I could only imagine that in a real racing class, it was narrower.

In "training", I saw a boat disappear under water in front of me. As a concerned racer, I pulled into the infield to turn around to see if I could help. There was no infield. I got through on coming traffic in order to yank the driver up by his collar.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I am guessing "Moby Dick" is the one you were referring to Eric. I too remembered it as a Shark, but when I took a look this morning I found it to be a "whale" of a boat.;) :D This pic was taken at Strandbad Oberhavel the previous year.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Jack Chance got us rigged up and we put "TEX" in the water for "training". The weather was bad. Cold, intermittent rain and worst of all....wind.

It didn't take long to find out that if something didn't change drastically, we would sit this one out. Coming up the front straight I hit a roller and was launched into the air. Not the boat......ME! My legs were a couple of feet above my head and my grip is all that kept me in the boat. I only went a couple of rounds. This was impossible. At this point we still didn't think the sponson and bottom design were all that bad. After all even the European boats were having trouble in this water, and they were made to run under rough conditions.

Dieter is checking things out next to Hans Krage's proprider.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The weather, if anything, was worse. Wind was a steady 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 35 or 40. The barges helped, but with 15 to 20 feet gaps between them, rollers made it onto the course. The plans were to start on schedule at 9:25 am. The OD World Championships would be 8 laps and all other classes 6 laps.

There was no way I was going to race in that kind of weather with a boat I couldn't keep under me. I did have to suit up and go out for the cameras though. I made a couple of laps and was glad to get back in. Then I was informed there was a problem with one of the cameras and I had to go back out because they had no footage of the previous run.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

At the drivers meeting there was talk of waiting to get started, but with two hours necessary between heats of the world championship, the decision was made to start on time at 9:25.

Austrian Erwin Zimmerman borrowed Ernst Bisterfeld's cat and was never challenged from the start. Erwin normally raced kneelers, but he chose the cat for these conditions. Fellow Austrian Wilfried Weiland (112) was second for 3 laps but was passed in turn 1 on lap four by Jorg Lipinski- a Berliner. All these boats were catamarans, or tunnels. Hans Krage ran 4th for two laps in his proprider, but began dropping back after losing his pipes.

In my notes I wrote that "#30 cat will blow over before the final heat of OD. Too rough for propriders they are all bouncing & shaking all loose."

"PiP" Willy Douglas ,No.1, from England finished last in his Proprider.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

One heat of OA was run and boats were out on the water for the first heat of OB when they were recalled to the pits. The constant wind pressure on the barges had dislodged several and they began to drift onto the race course.

More than an hour later we were still waiting. Someone had brought a caravan to a spot next to the pits where we waited it out. Left to right are Harry Splettstosser, Debbie and Hans Krage. Mechanics and helpers were allowed to drink beer and schhnapps in the pits. Debbie and I chowed down on bratwurst and grog.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The second heat of OD went off as scheduled at 11:25 but all other heats were postponed until 2:00.

Wilfried Weiland was first across the starting line with Erwin Zimmerman chasing him. Hans Krage's motor wouldn't start right up so he was 20-30 seconds late. Erwin went into the lead on the back straight of the first lap and led the rest of the way. Jorg Lipinski was catching up to Wilfried until Lap 3 when his motor quit. Pip Willy finished 3rd. Hans was 5th or 6th. I didn't write down how Helmut Buschorn or #30 finished. The program didn't have a few of the names or numbers.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The third heat started on time. Erwin Zimmerman didn't. He had trouble getting started and was out of position when the one minute gun fired. Jorg Lipinski did a snap turn around the safety bouy at the start and flipped. Wilfried Weiland led from the white flag to the checkered. Hans Krage finished second. Pip Willy and #28 battled for third most of the race with Willy Douglas finally coming out on top. In spite of a half a lap deficit Erwin was able to move up to 5th at the end.

Just prior to the start of the third heat, Pip Willy had to set up his little table with a vase and a flower and have a cuppa tea.:D

Karl Bartel told me not to pay any attention to the racers that were criticizing me for not racing. I didn't even know they were, but I told him it didn't bother me. I had sat out races before, and would again rather than getting hurt. Karl said all my friends backed my decision and it was only those who didn't know me that were being critical. Karl himself had lost a spleen when he stuffed a proprider some years back. He said the smart thing to do was sit on the bank. I knew I wasn't going to risk losing another year or worse.

[David Weaver]

The third heat started on time. Erwin Zimmerman didn't. He had trouble getting started and was out of position when the one minute gun fired. Jorg Lipinski did a snap turn around the safety bouy at the start and flipped. Wilfried Weiland led from the white flag to the checkered. Hans Krage finished second. Pip Willy and #28 battled for third most of the race with Willy Douglas finally coming out on top. In spite of a half a lap deficit Erwin was able to move up to 5th at the end.

Just prior to the start of the third heat, Pip Willy had to set up his little table with a vase and a flower and have a cuppa tea.:D

Karl Bartel told me not to pay any attention to the racers that were criticizing me for not racing. I didn't even know they were, but I told him it didn't bother me. I had sat out races before, and would again rather than getting hurt. Karl said all my friends backed my decision and it was only those who didn't know me that were being critical. Karl himself had lost a spleen when he stuffed a proprider some years back. He said the smart thing to do was sit on the bank. I knew I wasn't going to risk losing another year or worse.

Wayne,

In the second photo there is a bass boat on the course!! I did not realize that they have large mouth bass in Germany?? :D

Must have been quite a variety of racing craft. I did not realize that the 'cats" were in such numbers at this time.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I don't know about bass David, but they have a lot of eels. Eel soup is good for your health. It has so many bones it burns calories picking them out, then it takes so long to eat you finally lose your hunger.;) :D

1978 was the first time I had seen cats in abundance in classes below OE. But I think it had more to do with the rough water this time, because in 1979 at Linz, the water was not as bad and there were fewer. Back then Wilfried Weiland was having great success with his though. He was sponsored here by Shuh Ski, then the following year by Citizen Quartz and he was giving them a good ride for their money. The "bass boat" I believe was Ernst Kozienski's. He shipped that boat to Texas in 1980 and gave it to Joe Rome.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Me and Hans Krage wasting film. "PiP" Willy Douglas always had some bloody bs stories. I would have loved to have seen a match up between him and Russ Hill.

Here is the "Bass" boat. With the wide angle lens it looks like a ballistic torpedo launcher.

I always think about toes when I see the Europeans fire their motors up on the docks. I guess now they have to have guards.

The last pic better shows the water conditions than some of the racing pics.

[Jeff Lytle]

Were the cats using the adjustable trim that they do now?

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That...I do not know Jeff. Never been in the cockpit of one...or asked. But as all that was available then and given the temperament of an alky engine, especially when cold, I am sure they had adjustible trim in and out..up and down.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Erwin Zimmerman went unchalleged in the final heat and led the whole way. Hans Krage was second for one lap until passed by Wilfried Weiland. PIP Willy Douglas ran 4th for 4 laps, then was passed by Michael Werner. On lap 6 Michael passed Hans and in a race to the finish Hans was just behind Michael. Coming out of the final turn Wilfried blew a lower unit. Thus it was Zimmerman, Werner, Krage and Douglas at the finish. I don't recall other finishers.

Pic 1 is Erwin Zimmerman preparing to get into his rig.

2 Hans Krage

3 Pip Willy pounding the waves.

4 Wilfried Weiland and Jorg Lipinski on the back straight

5 Baldy Baldwin and Erwin Zimmerman

6 I had shot a partial roll of film and must have rewound it to change to color. I usually mark how many shots were on the rewound roll so I know how many frames to shoot past when I respool it. I forgot to this time and more than half the roll was double exposed. The only pics I have of Michael Werner and some others were on this roll. Basically one whole roll of film shot.:mad:

ADD: I didn't really remember Michael Werner racing OD. He DID race in OE, but I lost most of my notes from those days. The only reference I have of him in any of the heats is No. 78 passing Douglas and Krage. That was Michaels Number at the race, but he could have loaned someone his cat for the OD class. So i figured without absolute proof, it may not have been Michael Werner that raced no 78.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I talked to Powerboat editor Bob Brown before I went to Berlin and as before he asked me to do the story in the first person. He didn't want any blow by blow of the races, or coverage like I would normally do.

The reason was because unlike offshore racing or the larger outboard classes OE, ON and OZ the Americans were not familiar with driver names from overseas. So that's why this article is written the way it was.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The following day a rather unique thing took place........at least as far as anything to do with boat racing that I ever saw.

A bunch of drivers were invited to participate in a test by pharmaceutical giant Schering. The drivers, around 20, underwent a medical examination for fitness and some tests performed. Then one group took a sugar pill while a second group took some kind of pill that was supposed to reduce blood pressure, and I think, reduce anxiety. No one knew which pill was which.

Then we went to a place on Saatwinkler Damm where some bouys were set up. Before each driver went out, he was wired up for information off his body. It was a time trial with a flying start. The clock would start when the boat flew past the starting point, then would go about a quarter miles, turn around a single bouy then race back to the start/stop bouy. As soon as the driver got out of the boat he was hustled to a place at the dock where they would check blood pressure, pulse and I a not sure what else.

Hans Krage was very elated to be a part of hit. He was very enthusiatic. He pounded his chest and exclaimed with a big grin "I have it. I have the pill!" He set the quickest time. Of course it didn't hurt any the fact that it was his boat that was used for the test and he was extremely familiar with it on that canal.

I was just thinking at the time what the lawyers would do to the drug company if something bad had happened.

The driver being wired here is Kurt Mischke.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The following day, Tuesday, we went to the factory for some dyno tests. I cannot remember what this was about except that at some point we bought a new OD 700cc motor. I thought it was 1979, but maybe we bought it on this trip and had it dyno tested. Problem is, the motor on the dyno doesn't look new. Maybe Dieter made a deal. I can't remember. But I do have a list of what I came back with for customs and a motor wasn't on it. I had ignition parts mostly.

My Dad and Jack left before we did so maybe he took it. Or maybe we didn't buy one then. My Dad wanted to spend a few more days looking around, but Jack was ready to hook'em home. Jack would spend days with my Dad and myself working on motors either at his house or ours, which to him was his second home. However, on the road, he was always upbeat on the racing and preparing motors until the event was over. After that, he was ready to hit the road.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

My Dad and Jack left while Debbie and I stayed to tour around a little first. The UIM OB, OC and OE World Championships were coming up soon at Dayton, Ohio so we couldn't linger long.

Our friend Peter Preis and his girlfriend Jenny took us out on the town the night before we were to leave for Hamburg to visit an Italian friend of his. We had dinner and the owner of the restaurant was a friend and gave us a complimentary bottle of champagne. The we went to U-Kudamm. An underground labyrinth of small bars that served beer, but each one had its own special schnaaps. Peter knew every bar owner. We had to go see all of them. We would buy beer, then they would insist we tried their trademark schnaps.

We left for Hamburg early the next morning. Debbie and I were not used to such things and besides headaches, our stomachs were laying low and trying to not work.;)

At that time, it was the high mark of the Baader-Meinhof Gang of West Germany and the Red Brigade from Italy. They were a bunch of communistic anarchists bent on terrorism in Europe. They had put out a notice that they planned to shoot down an airline with a stinger missile. They had accomplished enough terrorist activities at that time to the point where the threat was taken seriously.

When the jet to Hamburg took off from Berlin, it did not throttle back soon after take off as most airliners do when flying over neighborhoods. I never knew such large aircraft could do such low level manuevers. We went this way, then that, and pulled some G's. Our stomachs were rolling and the thought of a flight bag was unthinkable. To look at one would be instant (well...you know what.) I concentrated on my severe headache to forget my stomach. I don't know what Debbie did.

I felt better on the ground in Hamburg, and we got some crackers before the drive to the restaurant. When we arrived a the restaurant, the owner met us in the back and led us in through the kitchen. With all those spices in the air, my stomach turned a couple of flips and I hurried back out to the parking lot in the rear where I fertilized a few pansies. After eating a few crackers at the bar and a little glass of wine, things looked up.

Here's a few photos from around Hamburg--1978

[epugh66]

OK viewers, once again, Wayne has just laid down some outstanding photos.

See how narrow the canal was? Thats about as close to actual size in a pic that I've seen. A couple of shot's of mine come close, but not quite enough.

Those are some great shots of the dyno room. All my photos were too dark. Wayne, on our trips, I think I remember the water brake pulled on a cable, through a pulley and then tugged on a scale??? Just used for comparison/reletivity. I think Gary's "old" sand cast 350cc pulled a "40" while a off the shelf die cast pulled a 36-37?? Calling Gary first thing tomorrow!!! Any photos of that? Mine are dark, if I took any.

Ahhh, the dyno room. Turn on the fan, pull the rope, blip the throttle a few times, turn on the water alittle, full throttle, crank in the pipe with a winch, crank the water valve open!!!!!

Once I remember hearing an engine running at top revs when all of a sudden.....nothing. I knew what that was. In a boat, it usually coinsides with a jerk to the left, pushing on the steering wheel and then the quiet sound of the waves pitter pattering beneath the boat.

Sorry Wayne...continue, please.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'll have to take a look to see what I have Eric. I have more photos of the dyno room from 75 and 76, but don't know specifically what. I will post them on the Konig thread that I think Sam started in the encylopedia. That way it will be easier for people to find.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

We caught a train to drive us to northern Germany then caught a car ferry to take us to Sylt---a Danish island off the southwestern part of Denmark. The train system of carrying cars was very interesting. Luckily we ended up on top of a car for a good view of the countryside.

We have car ferries in Texas, but not for such long voyages or for so many cars. Ours are one deckers.

I ordered a fish sandwich at an imbiss in Sylt and it had four little fishies layed in a row alternating head and tail to make them fit the bun. Their little heads were still on with glossed over eyes not paying me any attention:eek: It tasted good.:D

This was also an educational trip. I guess many of you have seen or even tried the beer in a green bottle "ST. PAULI GIRLS". It refers to the girls of the St. Pauli district of Hamburg. It is a red light district. I have included a photo of the street in which the St. Pauli Girls hang out. It is a very short street and barricaded on each end by red blockades which you enter on one side and pass around another section. On each side of the street the buildings have big pane glass windows like a store. The girls in flimsy and filmy garmets sit in rocking chairs while the guys outside window shop. When the deal is made, the guy goes to a door and meets the girl, then they go upstairs. When Debbie and I, Peter and his girlfriend Jenny got there on a Saturday night, the merchandise was all upstairs. Not a soul in one of the picture windows.:( But everytime I see a St Pauli beer, I think of our trip.

[epugh66]

I ordered a fish sandwich at an imbiss in Sylt and it had four little fishies layed in a row alternating head and tail to make them fit the bun. Their little heads were still on with glossed over eyes not paying me any attention:eek: It tasted good.:D


I think I know why Danish Sushi didn't catch on :)
Glad to see you were in the MBZ, at first I thought you may be in the green Renault 4TL in the first pic. Also, if anyone wants to know, thats a 1974 up VW Type II transporter Westfalia getting on the ferry. Probably worth twice now what it cost when new.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That MBZ served us well Eric. We took the autobahn back to Hamburg. It was the most harrowing, nerve wracking auto trip I have ever had in my life. It could have been great fun if I was driving but Peter was at the wheel.

As West Berlin was basically an inland island concerning the free world in those days, Peter did all his long distance traveling by airplane or "flugzeug"--a flying thing. When zipping around Berlin he had a compact car, something about like a Fiat 124. I don't think he ever had much long distance high speed driving experience.

We were all laughing and joking until we got out on the autobahn and Peter got up to speed. We drove in the left lane all the way to Hamburg at 180 to 200 kph (sounds faster in kilometers :D). That wasn't the bad part. The reason Debbie and I clammed up and quit talking as we both probably figured we would end up like sardines in a tin can after the car stopped tumbling. Peter drove almost all the way with only the index and middle finger of his right hand resting on the bottom of the steering wheel. I like to drive fast, but I always do so with both hands on the wheel. At those speeds I think of a car pulling into our lane, or our car blowing a tire. The cars in the right lane weren't exactly slow, but we were passing them like they were in a school zone. You can't imagine the feeling of relief Debbie and I had when we got to Hamburg. I love Germany, but I didn't want to be buried there.;)

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Back in Hamburg we got a boat tour through the harbor. It is one of the big harbors of the world and also a major ship repair facitlity. I imagine since 911 there may no longer be any such tours available.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

When we got back to Berlin we began to prepare to return home. If you remember back as far as when we were getting ready to come to Berlin, you will remember our travel agent went in for minor surgery and forgot to book our return flight and missed the window. She called Pan Am and they told her no problem, just leave the date open and come back on standby. I didn't like the idea, but we didn't have any other choice. I recalled the year before that Debbie and I had run into Jerry Drake at the Frankfurt airport. He was flying in from South Africa to race in the World Cup also. I introduced Debbie to him and as we were talking found out that he had a standby number of around 70 or 80. Debbie and I had numbers somewhere around 150. So we all figured we would be much later getting into Berlin. Shortly after everyone boarded they started calling outnumbers and Jerry was able to board. After greeting him farewell, another 10 minutes and our numbers were called and we got on the same flight as Jerry. Seems with all the traffic between Frankfurt and West Berlin, businessmen started booking a return flight every hour after midmorning, hence a lot of no shows between noon and four in the afternoon.

So Debbie and I decided to leave a couple of days early in case we ran into a problem. We were on a 14-21 day excursion fare and returning at any date outside that window voided the fare and you pay book price.

Our friend Peter spent around 90 thousand per year flying to Zurich, Frankfurt, Leningrad and Moscow on business. He spent so much a young travel agent became his friend and would either bring the tickets to his house or send them out by taxi. Peter gave his friend all our travel info and said we needed to fly standby on the way home. His friend told him that was not possible. They spent the whole day trying to figure out a way to get home on our tickets. We couldn't. The airline situation in Berlin is unique. The Russian airline Aeroflot flew out of East Berlin. Only 1 airline from each of the three countries that had occupied West Berlin were allowed to fly out of there. Pan Am, British Airways and Air France. Anywhere else in the world we could have flown Pan Am on standby. The only exception was Berlin.

We did not have an extra $600 at the end of our trip to plunk down for two one way tickets home, so Jenny paid for the tickets and my Dad wired the money to Jenny from Texas as the wire could not get to Pan Am in time. After we got back to Denton and got rested up I headed to the travel agency. They blamed Pan Am, Pan Am put it back on them. I had to hire a lawyer and they did finally fork over out 600 but we were out lawyer fees.:mad: It wasn't as bad in those days. Now you would just have to take the loss because the lawyer would probably cost $2000.

We got home just before the Eastern Divisionals so we didn't go to Acworth. We still had to prepare for the upcoming UIM World at Dayton for classes OB,OC and OE.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Besides getting together with European and Japanese Teams to make arrangements for boats, transportation and lodging, we were in the middle of a battle with UIM on the fuel rule for OE. We were sending telegrams, letters and many phone callls around the world for help supporting our cause. In the end we lost, but I have a bunch of letters with full color logos and addresses of countries from all over the globe regarding our fight. Stamps included. So when we got back from Berlin, we hit the road running for the upcoming races. Since we were still living in Denton, I was having to fly back home to do motor work and testing. It was beginning to take a toll on Jack Chance.

[RichardKCMo]

Wayne , great history, living where i did when i was in my formative yrs. it was stock racing, it was a sin to take that thing apart without eyes on you.

Anyway, that was then and it's great reading this , btw i didn't even know NOA existed till i bought a copy of speed and spray.
RichardKCMo

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks Richard. Hey...if you ever get to South Texas come by and have a look at my racing room. Got some old Roostertails and NOA rule books to look at. Somebody needs to pick Claude Fox's brain for NOA history before it's too late. How about it Eric?

The UIM World Championships for classes OB, OC and OE were held at the end of July. We got to see a bunch of our European friends again as well as meet some new racers from Japan, France, Yugoslavia, South Africa, and England . In spite of the power play by OMC regarding the fuel for class OE, the races went off great. It was a very professionally handled event with lots of local TV, radio and newspaper coverage. Among magazines coverage I know of at least two. Powerboat and Performance Boating.

I also had the good fortune to meet Sports Editor for the Dayton Daily News--Harvey Shapiro. He was just in the process of launching a new racing tabloid --WORLD OF SPEED. He asked me to become a columnist to cover UIM racing and my boat SHADOWFAX with Marshall's old D ended up on the cover along with illustrations of other columnists. I felt very honored to be included in this company and have the cover framed and hanging in my racing room.

[Mark75H]

I did a phone interview with Claude 10 or 12 years back regarding the beginning of the post war NOA and the general operation of NOA over the years. I still have those notes. Claude had a fantastic memory at that point and most likely still does. Everything he told me syncs up with the written history by others. What I didn't ask and should have is biographical info about Mr. Fox himself.


He told me that he had to sell his little outboard boat just a year or two before that phone call, due to his son's declining health in his son's advancing age (well into his 60's) ... the son just couldn't help him launch and recover the boat anymore ... but Claude and his wife missed boating by themselves so much they went out and bought a jetski ... they could launch and recover it themselves and were enjoying it tremendously :eek:

To us, Claude is known as the Executive Director of the NOA, to many others he is known as one of the movers and shakers that made the US Power Squadron and all their boating safety courses all over the US for many years. Along with a lot of other things he pushed for boating safety videos to send to schools and public service announcements on radio and TV.

As far as number of people his work has touched he is probably on peer with Ole Evinrude and Carl Kiekhaefer, but very few know his name.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I remember now you mentioning some of that information Sam. What is the status of his photos? He had a great collection. Many valuable and historic photos. I would love to have a complete collection of Roostertails.

What about the info from your interview with Claude? Are you just waiting until your book is published?;):D If you don't have one planned yet, you need to start working on it.:cool:

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I don't have proper lighting or filters to do the head on shot anymore. Even bouncing was tough because of the little rangefinder light that makes a glare, but here is an oddball angle of that cover. Harvey was going to make a poster of the cover, but I never saw one. And the list of columnists. Like Motorsport, a tabloid that covers a wide variety of racing is tough to keep going for a long time. I guess it lasted a little over a year.

[F-12]

I have to comment on your ability to pick your work apart, Wayne. With all your equipment and that 'eye for perfection', you are your worst critic. I don't believe I have seen a bad picture come out of your camera..........(at least they never made it this far). The shots you have called 'bad' have still been works of art to me. I will never have your talent in photography and hope you continue bringing all of us what you see through your lens. It doesn't get any better. Thanks again..............

[jrome]

Charlie, That Is Why I Told Wayne When We Were In College To Give Me Your Bad Ones. I Have To Take Alot Of Picks To Get One Close To The Bad Ones. I Want Wayne To Make A Disc Of Waynes Favorite 1000 Photos. The Top Ones He Likes For What Ever Reason. It Would Be Such A Treat To The Rest Of Us.

[epugh66]

My Dad and Mom went to Claudes "99" birthday party about a month ago, It was on short notice and I was working. His wife, Julie, was at the Louisville Boat meeting and invited everyone. The party was at the Knoxville Boat Club club house. That property is adjacent to Claudes house and the NOA grounds. The location is where many races were held and records set over the years.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks Charley and Joe, but I do have a lot of duds. There is one in particular that comes to mind. An out of focus head shot of Gerry Walin. He was an icon to me. I read about him and saw photos of his world record run at Havasu before I started racing. When I started taking pictures he showed up at the Nationals at one race. I was too shy to approach him and talk and take pictures. The couple of pics I took from a distance were blurry and no good. I later got to talk to him after his accident and he parked in our pits on his 4 wheeler. But I didn't take pictures of him then. He was paralyzed from the waist down and I didn't know him well enough to know whether or not that he woud care if pictures taken.

The reason I don't trust Joe's opinion is that when he found out I was trashing pics that were too dark, light or whatever...he told me to save them and send them to him. In those days I did a lot of work in the darkroom and didn't do a lot of analyzation before I started to print. I had a good enough idea that I would start on an 8X10 instead of a test print. So Joe got the lighter or darker views of the final print. So Joe always got a print that was not the best, but always one that I thought was fairly good. That's why Joe's opinion is skewed.;) But Thanks for the compliment Joe and Charley.:)

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Now it was time for the PRO Nationals held in San Antonio...only a two hour drive north for us. The Alamo Boat Club was the lead club in spearheading all the action. But unfortunately, long time boat racing supporter Lone Star Brewing had been bought out a couple of years earlier by Olympia and were not able to fund racing to their previous levels. The headquarters of Lone Star, brewers of Lone Star Beer...the national beer of Texas, was in San Antonio. But they still provided Artie Lund and crew with samples to pass out. I think they pretty much tested each longneck to make sure it would pass though.;) So my Dad put up the money to get everything going and guarantee the prize money. I'm not sure he was ever repaid in full. It usually turned out that way, but he was a boat racing supporter and organizer all the way, and never backed down from helping.

When my Dad met J.C. "Jack" Waite an a combination OPC/Inboard marathon several years earlier, he was very impressed with the way he conducted his business. Since that time Jack was our referee or officer of the day at all events my Dad had anything to do with. In fact, he reached into other categories where he could find the best help. Such as JoAnne Ellis from the mods, Pete DeLackner from Stock and OPC, Gene Whipp from Limited Inboards and Offshore and of course, our great LSBRA personnel.

Here are some photos of Jack Waite conducting the drivers meeting.

[Jeff Lytle]

Pic #1

Front row: Vic Pede on the left chewin' on his thumb nail, Greg Hall to his left, and Roy Alexander beside him.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Elimination heats began on August 11 with the finals on the 12th and 13th on Braunig Lake about 20 miles southeast of downtown San Antonio. I don't know how many made the Riverwalk, but those who didn't missed a real treat. The Hemisphere Tower is still standing. Jean Dixon predicted it would fall during the World's Fair held 10 years earlier.

This, I believe, is the only APBA Pro Nationals ever held in Texas. There were several NOA World Championships in Texas, but I cannot think of any other national Pro races in Texas other than the Western Divisionals we held on a half dozen or so occasions.

The first pic shows a cross section of some of the attendees. Besides the Canadians from north of the border that Jeff mentioned you can see Harry Bartolomei and Henry Wagner from the west, sitting down is Jane Smith from the east, in the right middle is Rex Hall from the midwest and toward the left is Pett Hellsten from the northeast and back to us Trebor Billiter from the southeast. I am sure if we looked closer we could find someone from the northwest in this pic.

What a fine group that made the trek from the east in the second pic. L-R Henry Shakeshaft, Jane Smith, Pop Augustine, Ralph Smith and Tom Harden.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The front straight at San Antonio was excellent for getting right inside the cockpit with a camera. Unfortunately the western sun played havoc with lighting toward the end of the day. That's the main problem with trying to take photos and race at the same time. When the action starts you are stuck to a very small radius around your own pits. The good thing though is now with computers you can salvage otherwise washed out or poorly lit photos with backlighting or other effects to give a more dramatic look to otherwise dull pics. (Joe and Charley notwithstanding....it is still a true fact:))

[Steve de Souza]

Great to see these old pictures. Folks from the Northwest that were in the picture

Robert Waite 1100 CC runaboput
Steve de Souza 1100 cc hydro/c service hydro
John Laird c service runabout
Barry Lewis 350 cc hydro
Mike Jones
Steve Straith
Howard Anderson may have been there
Also Howard Shaw

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I know Howard Anderson was there and I thought I recognized Mike Jones but I thought no, why would he be there? There were a bunch of you guys in San Antonio, but I never got a roster of drivers, boat numbers or anything like I normally did. All I ended up with was a bunch of three hole pages with blue lines like a school kid uses with hand written notes on the heat positions of the first five, and top three in points per class. I was bummed out at the time & never even wrote a story for Powerboat. I looked on your profile to get your boat number, but nothing there. Reply here on this thread or by PM and I'll see if I have some more pics of you to post.

[Steve de Souza]

That would be great. For 1100 CC hydro my normal number was R46. For C service hydro it would have been R11 or 11R. I also rode deck for Robert Waite (R-44).

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'll look it up. I didn't get to race against a lot of you guys often enough to know the numbers. I do know Howard Anderson, Ron Anderson, Lee Sutter and Bob Rhoades' numbers. I forget Don Anderson's no., and probably a few others I have forgotten. But the couple of times we did get up to Yelm we had a wonderful time.

Seems like we had a full field of 1100 hydros and didn't have to qualify so I probably don't have one of you in the 1100 hydro unless it was testing. I'll check the color and B&W though to see about CSR and 1100R. Thanks much for the input. BTW can you point out where all of you were in the pit shots?

I looked through some CSR pics before I saw your post and found a couple that I thought people might like.

[Steve de Souza]

Attached some names on the pics.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That's cool how you did that Steve. I need to learn how. I'll look for some pics in the morning. When I get back to the Bill Holland story that I quit and left hanging after I started "An Amazing Story", I've got some questions for you.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Sorry Steve, no luck unless you were running a 6 cyl looper on a yellow hydro. I couldn't make out that number and it wasn't Wayne Walgrave's Chapparal unless he changed hull designs. For some reason I didn't take any CSH photos.

ADD: You don't by any chance remember the details on Cheney Street's disqualification and ultimate reinstatement in Formula 350 do you?

[epugh66]

Looking at the photo that DeSouza put names to I see several more. In the bottom left with curly blonde hair and hat, Tom Kirts Jr just behind him, Todd Warren. Center right is Pete Hellsten with legs crossed, just behind Pete, is Gary Pugh, then an empty chair and Chris Hellsten. I'm actually left of Gary, but blocked by Pete. Using another pic, John Stevens is sitting on my right, left in picture.......I think.....I somehow confused myself.

[epugh66]

Between Trebor and Pete I believe is Todd Brinkman, John Stevens is right behind him.

In the other boat pics, V17 is Clyde Queen and 11 is Jeff Hutchins.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'm going to have to learn to do that thing Steve did with the name tagging Eric. Between the camera and Mike Jones is the late Jim Stone. Above Trebor Billiter is Jim McKean and to Jim's right is John Yale. I have another angle I haven't posted yet, but anyone who knows how to post the names on the other pics, please give a try.

[deanwilson]

Sorry Steve, no luck unless you were running a 6 cyl looper on a yellow hydro. I couldn't make out that number and it wasn't Wayne Walgrave's Chapparal unless he changed hull designs.

A six looper on a yellow Byers would have been Dean Wilson, Sr.
If thats the style hydro you're looking at Wayne.
The boat# would be C-44.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Could be Dean, I know he was there. Debbie took the pic. Looks like we're milling just before the one minute gun, or maybe lining up for the start with more boats to the outside. Dan Kirts and I jumped the gun on the first heat, and I led all but the last lap of the second heat until the backside rotary valve belt broke. A rare thing to happen that far into the race.

I don't see your Dad's name in the final four of each heat, so it's possible that this was a pic of a qualifying heat. Heat one of the finals was Wayne Walgrave, John Yale, John Medlen and Walter Johnson. Heat two it was Dan Kirts, Jeff Hutchins, Wayne Walgrave and Walter Johnson. Overall it was Walgrave, Kirts and Johnson.

[deanwilson]

That picture would be him. He tried to duck inside you'all konigs in the first turn and spun that tank out, think he was 3rd at the time. Some broken wiring (which we couldn't track down in time) prevented getting out for the 2nd heat. Must have had Jerry Peterson trying to crank that think during the entire 5 minute gun. Each crank was fire a few seconds then die.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Wow! Isn't that the way things seem to happen. I'll bet everything was working perfectly until then Dean. We took those 6 cylinder loopers for granted then. they were part of all the nationals for as long as I remember.

I've noticed Pete Nydahl checking out the action on this thread. Pete won the 125 hydro nationals here. These two pics are for you Pete. First is Formula 350 and the second is him in his championship rig--125 hydro.

[Pete Nydahl]

Great pics Wayne!That was a brand new Quincy Z 125 and new Pugh hydro my dad bought for me in the spring of 78'.That was my first national championship title.We won alot of races with that rig in 1978 and 79.I later destroyed it at Acworth,Ga.1980.The Formula 350 boat was an older 125 hydro built by Bill Hosler.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

You know what Pete? It makes my day to know that I captured a shot of you on one of the heats that carried you to your first national championship. There were a lot of youngsters at that race and it seems like most of my photos were of the formula 350 class. I was aiming to get a bunch of rookie pictures for upcoming champs.:) I missed Acworth in 1980 so I didn't see what you did to destroy it.:eek:

[john lawrence]

Wayne: I so enjoyed seeing some of those famous names some here and most gone from years ago, keep it up. John Lawrence

[epugh66]

I was aiming to get a bunch of rookie pictures for upcoming champs.:)
I might be a little biased, but nearly everyone that ran 125 in those days went on to win APBA or UIM championships in everything from 250(OA) to
F1(OZ).

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Well Eric, I have to admit I was biased too. Just think of many of the drivers in 125 hydro and formula 350 that came from racing families. I figured there was a high probability that with an upcoming crop like that, there would be champions and nobody would have pictures of them when they started out. Names like Pugh, Nydahl, Hellsten, Eldredge, Kurps, Kirts, Henderson, Wilson to name a few.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Here's a coupe of other views I didn't show before John. Sitting down by the tower housing of the Johnson on the rescue boat is Dub Parker. To his left is Jane Smith and behind her is Mal Harden. Behind the boat in front of the motor is Larry Latta.

In the second pic, the guy in the forground is Pec Christiansen, one of our rescue guys. To the front of him but further back is Dale Sellers and even further back is Bruce Nicholson. To the right of referee Jack Waite is Steve Jones and chief scorer Carolyn McBride is in the dark curly hair to the right and behind Steve.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The first heat of 700 hydro I got a good start and came out of the turn first. In the pic you can't tell who it is, but Rex Hall is just on my hip outside. He chased me all the way, but I was able to get a comfortable lead. The front straight was so close Debbie never took any pictures near the pits. I never trained her to prefocus or how to follow the action and squeeze off a shot, so the pictures she took of my boat are usually very far away.

I was getting unusually bad starts this weekend. Since I got the Heuer stop watch with a 10 second sweep five years earlier, my starts were generally pretty good. I guess Dan Kirts and I were paying too much attention to each other rather than the clock. The first heat of 1100 hydro we both jumped. Same thing in the second heat of 500 hydro...Dan and I were over. You can't win ANYTHING that way no matter how fast your rig is.

Rex Hall finished second behind me that first heat in his Konig powered R&D hydro. He was followed by Don Nichols Konig/Butts and Jeff Hutchins Konig/Yale.

I played it safe in the second heat recalling how I had won the first heat last year only to blow it in the first turn trying to force my way past a bunch of boats in the crowded first turn. I was running third and good enough for the win when Dan Kirts stuffed and the race stopped with one lap remaining.

On the restart I was careful not to jump and got in behind Don Nichols. Rex Hall was behind me and as long as he couldn't get by me early on he wouldn't have a chance at getting past Don for the win. If he did get by me, my first and third would beat his two seconds, but I was able to keep him behind me all the way "with plenty of power left" according to my notes. The one thing I didn't need to do was push hard and take a chance of blowing the unit. Order of finish of the second heat was Don Nichols, Wayne Baldwin, Steve Jones Konig/Butts, and Artie Lund Konig/DeSilva

Overall results top three
1 Wayne Baldwin Denton,TX
2 Don Nichols Baton Rouge, LA
3 Rex Hall, Jr Liberty, MO

[deanwilson]

Well Eric, I have to admit I was biased too. Just think of many of the drivers in 125 hydro and formula 350 that came from racing families. I figured there was a high probability that with an upcoming crop like that, there would be champions and nobody would have pictures of them when they started out. Names like Pugh, Nydahl, Hellsten, Eldredge, Kurps, Kirts, Henderson, Wilson to name a few.

Wayne, you posted a great start to that thread on page 12 of "Where the action is", including this shot. Tremendous foresight on your part. This was also my first Nationals. This is a Bell Craft, originally a 125 boat. I got 2nd in one heat but don't remember overall.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Hey Dean...I accept your acknowledgement of my tremendous foresight.;):D I am not a betting man, but even I understand odds of picking future champions in a group like this.:D I wish I had a roster of the young drivers from 77-79. That was a bumper crop.:cool:

[Master Oil Racing Team]

If you recall at the beginning of the part about the 1978 Nationals I mentioned I was bummed out. As anyone who has been following this thread knows, it is a series of loosley structured stories around the history of the D motor we bought from Marshall Grant. Along the way a bunch of you have added to it with other tales that come to mind at certain events and have made this thread a fun and enjoyable trip to the past. Now comes a part that almost made me quit boat racing. This is in no way intended to hurt anyone or be an insult to anyone or have any derogatory or defaming comments on any person. It just happens to be a part of this history and had a very profound effect on me and I thought about it a long time before deciding to include it. It is because there were suttle consequences that showed up later.

The incident involved a Yamato and the Formula 350 class. I didn't write down what exactly the problem was, and I cannot remember because it was something that to me was not important. The argument over reinstating the driver was important.

The driver involved was Chaney Street. He was from Snohomish, Washington (is that spelling right?) I don't think he himself ever did anything to bend the rules or do anything illegal. I think it was more like a little league game when the kid gets caught between the coach or parents and the umpire. But, something was not right and the motor was to be impounded. That was one of the parts that was very foggy in my memory.

Harry Pasturczack was the motor inspector and he found something not up to snuff on the motor. For some reason, the measurements or whatever needed to be done did not occur right then. Instead, the motor was to be impounded overnight. The problem was, Pete Hellsten put the motor in his trailer and locked it up. I don't think the motor was Pete's and I do not think he had any direct involvement with Chaney Street so I couldn't figure out why Pete wanted to keep the motor in his own trailer overnight. It didn't make sense why Pete did what he did. But, as I said, this part is very foggy and I didn't have any notes about it. Possibly Bill Van might remember as he was very involved with getting Formula 350 started.

Pete and my Dad Baldy got into an argument. Pete said he was ill advised by Hal Tolford and Ralph Taylor. That's in my notes, but there is no reference as to what the advise given was about, or what Pete thought it meant. In any case a commission meeting was held and Chaney Street's Formula 350 entry was reinstated. This made my Dad very angry because he felt whatever had been going on was not right and referee Jack Waite's authority was undermined by reinstatement from the Pro Commission. I can't remember what all the arguments were on either side, but in my mind it seems like the majority of the commissioners just folded and let it go, not wanting to heat up the controversy. My Dad felt very embarassed by what he considered to be a slap in the face to Jack Waite.

My Dad had seen how Jack had been a very professional and knowledgeable referee in major OPC and Inboard events and asked him to join us with the National and World events that we put on. He agreed and in short order,they became fast friends. Jack flew missions in a bomber over Europe during World War II and at the time we met he was the chief laison officer for the joint U.S./Soviet Union space activities. Our astronaughts and their cosmonaughts went on some joint mission during the early to mid 70's. Jack was the go between while they were training, so he had some very good diplomatic experience behind him. That is one of the reasons my Dad wanted Jack to referee our events. In all the UIM World Championships our group put on, there was at least one major controversy and generally some other situations come up. Jack helped settle all of them to every country's satisfaction, and that is not easy. It cost championships, and some were because of "Rules of the Day" and not standard UIM rules. Sometimes this was a result of language barrier, but the rules were always upheld. And the decisions made by the jury were much tougher than what happened at San Antonio. That is why my Dad was so upset. He felt that the commission should have had the guts to back the decision of the referee and had failed.

It must have been right after the decision of the Pro Commission and a bunch of us were standing next to a motor home up the rise from the pits. My Dad and Pete Hellsten had some words then they started yelling at each other. Then Pete called my Dad a pig. He hollered "Baldy...you are a pig. You're a g**d*** pig you s** of a b****!" They came face to face, my Dad yelling "You are a s** of a b**** and I ought to take you behind the trailer and whip you." Pete hollered back, "You want to whip me? Come on and hit me." Pete was egging him on "Come on. Hit me. You s** of a b****." My Dad's face was glowing red. "No one ever called me a s** of a b*****" he screamed as he lunged toward Pete to give him a punch. Pete was not expecting my Dad to actually go for him and got a surprised look on his face as he started to step back. Just as my Dad landed a blow Pete tripped over root and fell backwards on the ground. My Dad was madder than I had ever seen him and was extremely emotional. I was afraid he was going to have a heart attack or maybe a stroke as red as his face was.

As Pete was struggling to get up a bunch of us held my Dad back. He was very strong and four or five of us couldn't stop him. It took another two or three holding him then surrounding him and telling him to calm down, that this was not worth fighting over. I was pleading for him to stop, but he didn't hear anything. I think if he could have gotten to Pete he would have ripped him apart. Pete certainly didn't have any intention of provoking the fight any further and kept quiet. It took several minutes of us holding my Dad and talking very calmly for him to get back into our world and settle down. It was only then we could relax our grip.

I took no more notes for the rest of the day. I was very, very bummed out. I really felt sorry for my Dad. None of this should have ever happened and it really put a cloud over everything. I won the 700 hydro nationals shortly after this and very nearly the 350 hydro, but none of that mattered. There was no joy or celebrating at all. I just wanted to get it all past us and go on down the road. The last entry in my book from this race was "Almost quit racing after this one."

[geodavid]

Wayne,
I am sorry you had to address this here. Of course. I remember the incident very well. I was almost in tears (call me crybaby) to see your Dad so upset. He treated each and every one of us like we were his own family. Every time we came to a race in Texas, we felt welcome because of Baldy. He treated everyone like they were his best friend. I called him years after I had quit racing with a question about oil, which he answered in his usual gracious way. I was torn because I was also friends with Pete. Many nights, we sat together in the campground drinking and talking. I was so sad when I heard that Pete was ill. I know in my heart that if Pete and Baldy would have been at the reunion they would have shaken hands like old friends should. Time would have been the healer. There were people at the reunion that I know could not stand me when I was racing. I hugged each and every one of them, and you know what? They hugged me back! Guys I had run over with irreverance shook my hand in friendship. As we get older, we hit the middle ground. Learn how to blend our lives. For me, this is a non issue. Baldy and Pete were both smiling as they looked down at DePue 2007.
It was great to see you Wayne. I'm ready top join the next Wayne and Joe road trip. I really enjoyed talking to Chris and his family. Pete would be so proud of all of you. Missed your Mom. (Go Bruins!) Hope I get to see all of you soon. From my days in TX, as Bob Wills says, "Time Changes Everything.' Or is it "Big Balls in Cowtown?"

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

As Wayne was recounting his recollections of this incident, it brought back a lot of memories. As he said I and several other PRO people were very involved in getting the Formula 350 class started and writing the rules so as to level the playing field as much as possible. Because the Yamato 80 was basically a stock motor, the committee charged with writing the rules for the class wanted to try to assure that it stayed that way and fulfilled it's premise as a starter class in the PRO division by having rules that would eliminate or at least strongly discourage cheating in the class, such as a claiming rule for the motor, and limiting the participation of a driver to five years and then they had to go on to another class. Because the rest of the PRO divisiion was a "run what you brung" bore and stroke division, we knew there were a lot of "unfair advantages" that could be had if the PRO mentality were applied to modifications on the Model 80. A few modifications that had already become common knowledge and were hard for inspectors to pickup because the motor was new to them were slightly shortening the megaphone in the tower housing and blocking the water "pee hole" that expelled water into the tower housing on to the pipe.

The first time most of us from other parts of the country had seen the young man mentioned by Wayne, was at the race in San Antonio. He was really flying in Formula 350 and won most if not all the heats he participated in by a large margin, being several MPH faster than the rest of the competitors. When this happened again and again, a protest was filed by two competitors in the class, requesting the inspector look closely at his engine to be sure it was legal, as it is almost impossible to come out of nowhere as this young man did and absolutely dominate and run away with the class. The protest was filed along with a protest fee, and when the inspector tried to inspect the engine, it was nowhere to be found. It was finally located locked up in a trailer belonging to Hal Tolford, who in addition to being the person who I remember bringing the young man to the race along with his mother and perhaps a younger brother, (long time ago and my CRS is bad today about some finer details of the situation) was somewhat a mentor to him as far as boat racing was concerned, and I believe was on the PRO Commission if not at that exact time, before and/or afterward. In short, he knew the rules, or should have.

I really didn't remember Harry ZAK being the inspector,but that is very probable as he served in that capacity many times at races Baldy was responsible for promoting. Short and to the point, the inspector was denied access to the motor until at least the next day by it being locked up in Tolford's trailer and not being made available for inspection when a protest had been filed. The young mans mother was VERY upset, accusing all involved of picking on her son. Many tried to explain to her that this (the inspection process) was something that a competitor could legally call for with the filing of a protest and putting up the protest fee, but she did not want to listen. Her son was being persecuted and that was that. Add all that uproar to the previously mention fact that the motor was not presented for inspection until the next day and it left a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouths.

I was not privy to the commission discussion process as to reinstating the young man, and I would be the first to agree he was probably the most innocent party of the whole affair. He was badly served by adults who should have known better, and especially a elected official of the PRO division/commission, Hal Tolford. I did not understand at the time and do not now, how someone in that type of position can deny inspection of an engine that a protest has been filed on until the next day, without some type of penalty. If such a penalty was assesed I never heard about it. Those decisions IMHO made a mockery out of the PRO Division rule book. and if it was done because of a "good old boy, one of us" mentality, then shame on the rest of the commission at that time, and I don't blame Baldy one bit for being incensed about it.

Agree of disagree with him, like him or not, (and I did) one thing you could be assured of when you attended a race he promoted, it would be run by the book.

As to what precipitated the actual argument between he and Pete, I wasn't privy to that, but I did get in on the result and was one of the persons that had hold of him trying to get him away from Pete. There were a lot of hard feelings about that incident, including trying to have Baldy thrown out of APBA, but luckily cooler heads prevailed, including Mel Kirts, PRO VP at the time, and he got the antagonists together at the next annual meeting and got cooler heads to prevail.

I knew Baldy pretty well and was a great fan of his. You always knew where you stood with him, there was no BS. If he didn't agree with you about something, he would tell you so in no uncertain terms, but I never saw him hold a grudge. He was not happy with me or the others that broke up the fight, but that is another story for another time.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Alan you are right on the money. My Dad could get angry very quickly over something he didn't like, but he also cooled down quickly and never held a grudge. He would have had a special time talking to Pete. When I got back from the 1993 UIM World Championships I told my Dad that Pete was in charge of the event and making sure everything was done according to UIM policies and procedures. He was very pleased. I could tell that he was happy to see that all the time and money we spent did pay off with more Americans racing overseas and that other countries were participating in events here. The fact that none of the original players involved were still in the game and yet American participation had increased meant a lot to him. The fact that Pete spent the time and dedication it took to organize such a race was very gratifying to my Dad.

I myself always got along with Pete. That incident never interfered with my dealing with him or his family. In fact, at the 1980 Pro Nationals at LaCrosse Pete and Carol had a table next to us at the club within our hotel and we had a great time. Pete spent most of his time I think talking racing with Ralph Donald and some others and I seem to remember taking a couple of tours around the dance floor with Carol. She is a very nice person.

And Bill Van....I had forgotten about the motor being in Hal Tolford's trailer. As far as his winning all the heats, this is what I found and what I have is limited in scope. I am guessing that there must have been qualifying heats and Chaney Street's time must have been exceptional. The incident occurred before the finals and this is what happened during the finals.

In the first heat Chaney Street led for 3 3/4 laps then was overtaken by Jeff Eaton from Yorba Linda, California. Jeff got a better start the second heat and led flag to flag. Chaney Street moved up to 2nd place in the first lap of the second heat and finished in that position. Jeff had two firsts and Chaney two seconds.

Hal Tolford was not on the Pro Commission at that time but you were Bill Van. In fact, Pete Hellsten and myself were also. What you actually are not privy to now is remembering why there should have been a reinstatement, and that is my position too.:confused::D As mentioned, Pete says he was misinformed by Hal Tolford and Ralph Taylor, but not how and I can't remember. Apparently most of the commission must have felt that the suspension or disqualification was not the fault of Chaney Street and he should not be punished for what others did, so was allowed to race. I don't remember the motor being inspected that evening after all the hullaballoo so if there was something not right, it may have been corrected, but that is only speculation. No other protests were forthcoming that I can remember and so no more was said.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Wayne:

I didn't remember that was one of the years I was on the commission. That was probably the reason I don't remember any discussions by the commission about the locking the motor in the trailer incident and refusing an inspection until the next day.
I would not have been present at such an appeal meeting if in fact he was disqualified from racing for not allowing the motor to be presented for inspection, because I am sure I disqualified myself from any decision regards him as Eileen was participating in the Formula 350 class at that race. I don't remember specifically taking that action, but I know I would have done so because of her participation. As a member of the commission at that time, that would have been the only reason I would have missed a meeting of that importance.

It is unfortionate that some people who thought your Dad was only what he appeared to be at a boat race he was promoting, never had the opportunity to get to know him away from boat racing. He could be the most fun to be around of almost anyone I ever knew, and I would not take anything for the times with he, Ray Hardy, and other boat racers of that time he invited to his home.
He was one of a kind, and Eileen and I both miss him greatly. I guess its time to post some more stories about him on the BS thread.

When the motor was released by Tolford and inspected the next morning it was found to be legal. Guess there is only a person or two who knows whether that was the case on race day.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Bill Van...when I was writing about this incident, I was thinking that there were commissioners who may have had a vested interest or some tie that they backed out of the meeting. I was not sure, but I had a nagging feeling that it was the case and I think there was more than just you. Ray Nydahl and Bill Hosler may have also stood aside. I don't remember any official report, but I could look in my Pro Commission file to see if there is anything. Anyway, I do seem to remember that whatever commissioners that were involved with Formula 350, as you and Eileen were, stepped aside.

And Hey Bill Van......I have decided that when I finish this thread...I plan to start one about my Dad...his house...his guests with all the racing stories (photos included) and comments from as many as possible that remember those days.:cool:

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Here is a pic of that Yamato 80. Left to right are Jim McKean, Harry Pasturczak (striped shirt with head behind the powerhead), Dean Wilson, Pete Hellsten and I think that's Chaney Street on the far right.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

It was the end of an era. For the first time in a decade we didn't end the season with a race at my Dad's place at Barbon in South Texas. The first race he put on there was the 2nd half of the NOA World Championships in 1968 which was blown out in Forest Lake, Minnesota. We had also run an NOA Southern Championship there as well as Pan American Championship. In the past several years the Lone Star Boat Racing Association Texas State Championships were held there on a one mile course. It was surveyed for records in 1972 and 1974. That is when the last LSBRA records were broken.

In the spring of 1978 my Dad installed an underground sprinkler system on his lawn and planted half a dozen of already big oak trees in his yard. He had grass right around the house, but most of the 10 acres was caliche. His house had been built on a caliche hill overlooking the southwestern most part of Lake Corpus Christi. What little topsoil he had was hauled in. Away from the house all that would grow was sparse outcrops of native grass, blackbrush, some stunted little yellow flowers and ceniza, known in other places as purple sage. After he put in the water system, St Augustine grass began to creep up the hill. With the trees blocking the view and the new lawn, my Dad not wqnt to put on any more races there. The last one in 1977 only had about 30 drivers attend. My Dad was tired from the hectic pace of the last three years, Jack Chance was tired, and I was up at Denton while Debbie worked on her master's degree. I didn't make it down often enough now to keep up the equipment like we should have. We didn't know it at the time, but after San Antonio it was all downhill.

[shenders]

Happy birthday Wayne. Many more to come. I remember that last race your dad put on. I think that was the first I had went south from Del Rio. A friend went with me and we were running along some where around Encinal Tx.. It was right a sundown and I never had seen so many old rattlesnakes out on the highway. That sandy brush country was loaded with them. They were laid out on the highway sunning themself. My buddy said “I hope the hell we don’t have a flat” I said if we do your changing it. I’m staying in the truck...

I have to agree with you on the decline of the pro racing in Texas about that time. I had just bought a new 350 yamato in 77 and new hydro from Tim in78. By 1980 it was just about over in Texas. I switched over to gas and oil with AOF in 85 so my son could start racing.
We had about 15 years of good racing here in Texas and then it finally died. I can’t understand how a state this size, that had so many racer’s and racing clubs in the 50's,60's and parts of the 70's could just shut down. Just a damn shame. I’m just glad my son was able to have the fun
and enjoyment of it before it ended..
Stan Heenderson

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I was referring specificially to our team regarding the beginning of the end Stan, but you are right. We were heading full steam into the end of Pro racing in Texas. The spiral down actually took off in 1979 and I have plans to address that soon. When you hosted a pro race in Del Rio in 1980, we still thought we had a chance to revive Pro racing in Texas. If I remember right there were also OPC classes at that race with Tom Posey and some others coming down.

[carl lewis]

Here is a pic of that Yamato 80. Left to right are Jim McKean, Harry Pasturczak (striped shirt with head behind the powerhead), Dean Wilson, Pete Hellsten and I think that's Chaney Street on the far right.

This was the first of MANY times over the years that the Street brothers had issues with A.P.B.A sanctioned races

If I didnt know better I would say the kid in the background in the white shirt looks just like my son Kyle ( what do you think Ron???) , however he was not born until '89

Happy Birthday Wayne....

Carl
94-R

[deanwilson]

...If I didnt know better I would say the kid in the background in the white shirt looks just like my son Kyle ( what do you think Ron???) , however he was not born until '89

If I had to guess...I'd say Pete Nydahl...but man that's a tough one.
Also a guess but the arm on the motor stand with the blue shirt sleeve is probably Henry Wagner.

Yes Wayne, you were right, there were qualification heats. I took second to Cheney in my qualifier and I think the first 3 or 4 each heat had motors impounded before the final. Kinda similar to C-Service inspection in those days. Henry Wagner asked for one of our spare motors, I have no idea why except that it was one of the few with the 14mm spark plug head. That is NOT our motor they are looking at though. The way I know is that the water outlet tube on that motor is strictly non-stock.

To this day I don't know what the fuss was all about. Neither dad or Larry Latta ever said a word about that commission meeting. Maybe like you they defered because of me and my brother Jeff were in the class.

What I do remember is a big drivers party. Great time and greater food and Lone Star beer (had to sneak that:cool:).

BTW, Happy B-Day from a fellow December person.

Dean

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

I remember specifically what the fuss was about, although as previously stated I did not attend the commission meeting about it. The fuss was because the motor the Street youngster was running was protested by two different drivers and as already brought out, the motor inspection was refused and the motor was locked in Hal Tolfords trailer. The Street youngster was poorly served by any number of adults who brought him to the race and were mentoring him, and by refusing to abide by the rules and let the motor be inspected, were in violation of one of the most basic rules in the book. If you are protested, the inspector looks at the motor and decides whether it is legal or not. Although I don't remember the exact sequence of events, they probably went like this: Inspection refused, driver disqualified. Then that decision was probably appealed to the PRO Commission where the decision was made to reinstate him, more than likely for the reasons Wayne put forth in a previous post, i.e not to penalize him for the actions of others, specifically the adults who brought him and were responsible for the equipment he was driving.

Somewhere, and I am not sure if it is still a rule or not, or maybe not an APBA rule, but normally the driver is responsible for seeing that any equipment he participates in is legal. If not he is disqualified. This of course has the effect of eliminating the excuse "I don't own it , I didn't know anything about it being too big, etc., etc.,". I personally think that is a good rule because it teaches a young driver to pay attention and make sure he obeys all the rules.

I would be interested in hearing more about the comment regards "the Street brothers and APBA racing issues" or the similar sentence in a previous post.

As to the legality of the motor all these years after, all I can say when reminded of the situation that occured there is, if it was legal, why lock it up in a trailer overnite and refuse inspection until the next day. Not too much to say after that.


P.S. I think the young man in the white shirt looking on from the back of the photo is Ray Hardy's stepson at the time. He was a participant in Formula 350 at that race.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Bill Van---that is not J C McDonough in the photo, but I can see why you thought that.

The final race of the 1978 season was held at Alexandria, Louisiana on October 14 and 15....a long two months after the Nationals at San Antonio. I don't recall ever having such a gap as that before.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

For the first and only time I didn't drive to Alexandria. Debbie and I drove down to DFW and flew in. Since San Antonio I didn't go back home to do any testing. In fact, there are only a couple of test sheets for D41994 after the 1978 Pro Nationals and they were both in 1980. I was not testing or keeping in shape and it showed in Alexandria.

Billed as the North South Championships, the races drew a number of drivers including Roy Alexander and Greg Hall from Canada. Roy was one of the entries in 725 hydro.

While Debbie was going to school, I was mostly goofing off. Reading, working on some environmental and regulatory matters regarding Alice Specialty Co, and developing negatives and prints. Being that Denton had two colleges, I found a darkroom run by an afro haired rock & roll dude that was into photography. He charged by the hour and provided a multi enlarger darkroom with all chemicals, a drying cabinet for negatives and a couple of different types of print dryers. I had taken my weights along, but for some reason had quit working out.

I don't have much info from the race at Alex. I have qualifying sheets and roster of drivers for the finals, but I don't have results. I didn't record them and I didn't clip any newspaper articles from the Alexandria Town Talk. I checked the Propeller, because Carl Rylee always sent in lengthy articles about his races. The January issue of Propeller was the first one I had seen that was not a true magazine format. It was a tabloid, and a pitiful one at that. Not much room for any info at all and no photos. It was a time period in our nation that Jimmy Carter fostered and fed what he called "malaise". And it hit APBA. No article from Carl.

This is all I wrote down in my notebook about the 725 Hydro race. "Worn to a frazzle & could not drive effectively. Out of shape or possibly would have had 2 wins. One for sure."

I don't remember who won. It might have been Jeff Hutchins, but I think it was Jerry Kirts. They were both running good. Jeff was driving Elmer Grade's stuff at Alex. I can remember though being just on the outside of the lead boat all the way around. I had a lot of power and good acceleration, but my right shoulder was just aching from fighting the torque. I could not blow through the turns as I was really fighting the boat instead of being a part of it. I don't know if I can describe it correctly, but if you are not familiar with a kneeler, you tend to be too tight because you are holding in to the left side of the cockpit to keep from being slung to the right and possibly dipping a sponson. When you are comfortable and know the boat, you can be loose and let the sponsons do their dance while the boat slips through the turn. Even though I knew SHADOWFAX extremely well, my right shoulder was too fatigued to push the wheel to the left in the turn, so I was very rigid in the cockpit. You can't put in a top performance like that, but I managed to finish a close second.

The second heat however, it was my throttle hand giving up. I still had the problem with my shoulder, but it mostly affected driving through the corners. I had also quit squeezing my hand excerciser like I did while driving to a from work every day. Now I was just a lazy bum hanging around the house. The drive to the lab was only three minutes. So beginning the final lap, I couldn't even squeeze the throttle wide open. Coming off a turn I had to push my hand with my left arm until the throttle handle stopped against the front stationary grip, then struggle to reach my fingers around the pipe lever to bring them up, then clamp my hand shut. What a pitiful way to race. I did manage to finish second again, but this time about 20 boat lengths behind.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Wayne:

You are being WAY too hard on yourself. If the average boat racer could have accomplished just 10% as much as you did in your racing career, most would be estatic. And even if there had been absolutely no wins or championships, the folks reading your posts and seeing the pictures from years past would say you had a great career. It is not often that a person can participate in a sport that gave him so much pleasure as boat racing did you and your family, and also has given such a large group as the readers of BRF the good times and memories of times past you have over the last couple of years.

Besides, I remember the first year after Eileen and I got married. It is a natural thing that happens to every newly married male. Most outdoor sports loose their fascination for awhile.

Bill Van

[Master Oil Racing Team]

.....I was going to tell about the rest of our honeymoon adventure (with pics) throughout the rest of Germany, Austria and Switzerland and about when I came home with pnuemonia and no strength when the whole topic was zapped.;):D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

So now we are out of B Hydro as well since the beginning of our racing career. I ran this rig only once after everything from the hull, to the powerhead, to the prop were perfect. Now it belonged to Neil Bauknight. His first race with it at Alex he got in a bind in the first turn and got crossways in front of Dan Kirts. The cockpit got crunched, and he knocked Dan out of the competition as well.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The 75th APBA Annual Meeting was held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on November 13-18, 1978. It was at this meeting that the airfoil "lift" restrictions on hydros was eliminated. We also were in the process of trying to do something about factories influence peddling in our racing. It was also at this time that the Professional Powerboat Association was being put together. Billy Seebold and Lee Sutter were the two main players getting it kicked off, but my notes also list a Pearl and a Greene. No first names and I can't figure out who they were. They were concerned as well as us about OMC's powerful influence regarding UIM and we discussed combining with them to help control our own destinies. Pro would have a say over OA through OD and OPC over classes OI through OZ, and joint control over OE and OF.

I had been talking to Gary Garbrecht for several months and he was supporting our efforts to get the fuel rule changed back. Paul Kalb, and for some reason Stan Fitts were opposed. Stan had a proxy vote from Mike Jones and either abstained or voted against the reinstatement. It did pass 15-4, but it would not be effective until 2 years, which is the way the rule for making changes always was. We argued before the World Championships, that even though the fuel restriction passed it should have been two years before the change was implemented, but it didn't happen. They claimed it was put into immediate effect because of environmental reasons.

There was no support among the Pro division to align ourselves with PPA on international racing, but Seebold, Sutter and others did put the Association together and ran under APBA sanction. I think it was more or less similar to the way the U.S. Title Series group was organized as an association within APBA. Billy Seebold looks around BRF every now an then, but he doesn't comment, but maybe Lee Sutter might explain it if he reads this. I'm not sure how long PPA lasted, but they put on some good races for awhile.

[Mark75H]

I think Mr Pearl's first name was Doug

[MN1]

Pearl and a Greene. No first names and I can't figure out who they were. They were concerned as well as us about OMC's powerful influence regarding UIM and we discussed combining with them to help control our own destinies.

Yes that would be Doug Pearl - OPC SJ Class and Homer Green - SJ and other OPC classes, both from FL.
Both ran Mercurys.

Mark N

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Yes Mark...the name Homer Green clicks, and Doug Pearl is kind of fuzzy. I could kick myself for just scratching out partial notes for jogging the memory about things to take care of right then back at home, and not for recalling what may happen at some distant point in the future. At that particular point in APBA history there was some turmoil. A younger group (the" Young Turks " as they billed themselves) ran for and won the top posts, OMC and Mercury were starting to run separate events, offshore pretty much took over the headquarters, and membership overall dropped drastically. The Propeller went to a folded tabloid published every three weeks. PPA was formed because many of the OPC racers felt that they were being short changed and had more to offer than they were getting in return. They wanted boat racing to be more like NASCAR, USAC and FIA in racing, promotion, publicity, appearance and prize money.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

While going back over my notes to check out the beginning of 1979 I left out the fact that we also got out of 500 hydro at that time. We blew the powerhead in testing and sold the motor "as is" to Bill Troyer from Florida. I don't know that we really intended to get completely out of that class as it was one I really enjoyed also. Fast with lots of competition. Some earlier notes I had mentioned the next 500cc Konig Deiter built would not have a complete rotory valve housing as currently existed. The front housing with the shaft and gear would be the same, and it would be bolted directly to the block which served as the backside housing the valve itself. We ended up never getting one, and I don't recall ever seeing one of those. In any case, after 1978 we were out of that class as well.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

1979 started off bad with the Dallas Cowboys Superbowl loss to the Steelers 35-31 and continued to get worse. In February, thanks to Jimmy Carter, the Shah of Iran was ousted, in March the meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor occurred, in May the Soviets invaded Afgahnistan and John Wayne died in 1979. That was also the year Jimmy Carter was attacked by a swamp rabbit and hip hop music had its first commercial song.:mad: The Ixtoc I blew out in the southern Gulf of Mexico and to date is the largest oil spill that has ever occurred. Our beaches a little over an hour away were covered with oil and of course, as reported in the news at the time, we have never recovered from that disaster. There has never been another tourist seen on the beaches, another fish caught and no birds. The "South Padre Island Spring Break" is all a hoax and "Big "Oil" filmed all the action on some other beach.;):D That same year we had a radioactive spill in the ditch between our company, "Alice Specialty", and our neighbor which had a ruptured radioactive logging tool. Those same guys from 3 Mile Island came to our place to clean it up. Because we didn't have to go outside for any help, no news of the spill ever got out, but the spokesman said there was actually a greater quantity of radioactive material released into the environment at Alice, Texas than at 3 mile Island. Their stuff was mostly contained within the reactor. Maybe some day I will post the photos of that incident.

Debbie and I were still living in Denton while she continued her studies. The first race I went to was a Professional Powerboat Association race at Lake Charles. For some reason I don't think I did an article for Powerboat.

For the first time since it started in 1969 we missed the Joe Bowdler race in Baytown, which always kicked off the Lone Star season. We also skipped the Neches River Festival in Beaumont which follows a few weeks later. We were in the middle of promoting our first race to be held in Laredo, Texas at Lake Casablance. Steve Jones and I had made several trips there, including one in February during the George Washington celebration.

I had never heard of this event, but it was one of the biggest get togethers between Mexico and Texas and had gone on for decades. Big parties, unbelievable banquets, all topped off with an extravaganza of beauties in their expensive gowns. These evening gowns cost 10 to 20 thousand dollars each and after the event, they are put on display around Texas and Mexico. I guess some may be found at places like Neiman Marcus in Dallas. All the top officials from the Governor of Texas on down, and Governors of several Mexican states, Generals from the U.S. and Mexico, Ambassadors, ...and the list goes on. We attended these functions as guest of the Mayor of Laredo.

.......to be continued.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I realized too much time was running off the clock and tried to take a time out, but I was flagged.;):D

The first race of the year we headed out for was the Eastern Divisionals in Acworth, Georgia in early June. We never began racing at that late of a date before. We intended to start out at 8 am then discovered the license plate on our trailer had expired. After a quick run to Alice and back we took off, only to discover all the hydraulic fluid had leaked out of our surge brakes and the trailer would slam back and pull when we took off, and slam into the hitch and push when we slowed down. So we went back to the house and spot welded it. We weren't loaded with all the boats and motors like we used to be so we decided we could make it OK.

After our first stop, it took us 15 minutes to get the Suburban going. There were again gas shortages all around the country and we decided to turn back. There were too many potential problems facing us and we decided it wasn't worth the hassle. We had a new set up for the rotary valve advance on the "D" that was not tested and Harry Pasturczak had built us an experimental "crossover manifold" that was untested. I can't for the life of me remember what that looked like, or how it was supposed to work. I think I must have misnamed it in the notes because we never actually had a crossover system built that was supposed to work with the venturi my Dad had invented. In any case, whatever it was had not yet been tested and it was a long drive for finding out whether or not something worked and if not go back to the regular setup and still be competitive. At that point we turned around and went home....yet to make our first race of the season.

[ProHydroRacer]

We had a new set up for the rotary valve advance on the "D" that was not tested and Harry Pasturczak had built us an experimental "crossover manifold" that was untested. I can't for the life of me remember what that looked like, or how it was supposed to work. I think I must have misnamed it in the notes because we never actually had a crossover system built that was supposed to work with the venturi my Dad had invented. In any case, whatever it was had not yet been tested and it was a long drive for finding out whether or not something worked and if not go back to the regular setup and still be competitive. At that point we turned around and went home....yet to make our first race of the season.

The Crossover was an aluminum casting between the base of the "small bore" Carbs and the Rotary Valve outer Housing. It was about 3" tall and connected the Carbs together. I had one for my late '60 500 Konig. The holes in the Rotary Valve where opened up and squared some to increase Air flow. Didn't work very well for me!

Kurps

[Master Oil Racing Team]

It didn't work for us either Bill. Thanks for refreshing my memory. The crossover had me going because I forgot the manifold had a passageway connecting both carbs. At that same time we were working on a different type of fuel system that would actually boost air intake without any mechanical moving devices or "canned air" and part of it was based on a crossover link. We were going to pipe crankcase pressure from the bottom cylinders to the top carb assembly and vice versa with checkvalves in between. There was more to it than that, but that was the crossover portion of it.

I think I still have the front section of the rotary valve housing that matches up with the squared off part of the manifold. Unfortunately I don't have any test sheets to show what results we got, but I know we never raced with it. It is a little longer than you remembered Bill, but your description is accurate.

[epugh66]

Wayne,
You got mud dobbers! Bad for water cooled engines :)

[geodavid]

Eric,
Had a great time visiting with your family. Your Mom and Dad are just the same, especially your Mom's voice. Where were you and Nina? It could have been like old times with us picking on you!

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That's right Eric. Konigs originally came with red rubber or black rubber water discharges hoses. Just imagine how it feels when you get on a plane, start looking back for that tell tale of water coming from the hoses...nothing yet....nothing yet....then water comes out of the front hose??? You continue on, the motor is good, getting some good speed but no water from the rear hose. You are ready to race, the butterflys are gone as the speed gets fresh air under your bubble shield. Still no water from the rear hose. You ease off the throttle so as not to create heat too fast. Still no water. Aaaaggghhh! Can't go any more.:mad: Have to kill the engine before it sticks. Back in the pits you pull the hose off and try to blow through it. Nothing doing. You poke a piece of wire up inside to break up that damn mud dauber nest. No more solid rubber hoses.......from now on use clear plastic fuel hose....problem solved.

This is my question. Have you ever run across mud dauber nests by the thousands on trees, bushes and other things of nature? No. They are all on man made stuff. Under the eaves, under tarps, on brake handles of unused bikes, inside motor parts...........:( What did they do for a living before man came along? Especially racing man (and woman)!;):D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Two days after the Eastern Divisionals at Acworth Tim Butts had a new hydro design at our house for testing. It was bought by Don Nichols and as far as I know, he was the first to drive a Butts laydown and the first to own one. I don't know if they came straight from Acworth or didn't attend. Along with Tim and Don were Bill Bede Sr. and Jr. and Gary Williams, "Instigator" here on BRF. Don took it easy at first, gradually increasing speed until he got used to the new feel of laying down. Those first laydowns didn't have the plexiglass bubble shield. It seemed to do well in a little bit of rough water.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I forgot that I was going to post a pic of the crossover passage. I have seen an example of the pulse wave from the exhaust working it's way all the way thru the carb so I'm guessing that probably interfered with the theory of what this crossover manifold could accomplish.

[wboxell]

wayne,
i want to thank you again and again for your posts. your pictures and commentary. i had a small window into pro racing, and enjoyed every minute of it. to see a picture of the first aerowing laydown. cool!
bill

[epugh66]

Not claiming to be an entomologist, or even an expert on mud daubers, but they will still find the holes on the front of the lower unit. Also, go in an old barn looking for VW parts(or your car/boat/engine of passion) and you will find dauber nest. They look like rows of little cigars about six inches long. Always on the verticle side of beams, rafters and othe surfaces. They are usually "nested" in parrallel rows. And of course, made out of mud.

Alan, I wanted to make it to Depue, I've been recently and will make it again. Nina had a grand dauters birthday to attend.

[stewjrfan]

Here is a photo at the start of a runabout race at Depue 2007

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Back to the race at Laredo......

I found these pics when I was looking for something else. I don't know what I was doing here, but I had everyone facing the mirror and Debbie is in the pic twice. Her back is to us, then facing is Debbie, and Judy and Steve Jones from Corpus Christi. We had earlier been to a banquet at the La Posada by the Rio Grande with all the diplomats, generals, politicians etc. sponsored by Tequila Sauza and now we were dressed up for the Dinner, Ball, Extravaganza at another place. I told Debbie to take the 2nd pic while I jumped up in the air.:confused:

A little bit about this race beforehand. It was sponsored by the Elks Club of Laredo. Proceeds were to benefit the Texas Elks Foundation of Crippled Children. The Exalted Leader of Elks Lodge 1018 was Elmer Buckley who was also Special Assistant to the Mayor of Laredo....Aldo Tatangelo. Special Assistant was his title and Elmer was the one that made sure things got done.

Here's the strange part. Aldo Tantangelo was originally from Philadelphia I think or maybe Pittsburg.......one of those big PA. towns. He dressed, talked and looked like a mobster. He was a Republican.........in a South Texas border town.....strange! In the 80's he sold one of Laredo's city streets to a private concern. Don't really know what that was all about, but he claimed the city needed money. But Elmer really took good care of us and we had a great time. The race was the first part of July and a lot of people in the city worked hard to see it become a success. Quite a few of the locals helped us a lot and we got good media coverage.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

So now it's only 6 days before our first race of the year. Hydroplanes International is the club and the races are APBA sanction. There is so much buzz among the locals that we are anxious to have this venue as one of the annual races and as we have done every year, we applied for all the UIM outboard categories OA-OE for a world championship event.

As part of the promotional effort I had my favorite rig, "Shadowfax" with our "D" Konig fixed to the transom, on display at the Del Norte Mall in Laredo. My co-conspirator on race promotion Steve Jones was there with his family. We enjoyed talking about the races, but it's different when you are trying to explain the basics over and over again to people who didn't even know such boats existed. We were glad when it was over. We left the boat in the Mall for a few dayor two before we took it down to Lake Casablanca.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

My Dad, Steve Jones and myself had made a number of trips to meet with Elmer Buckley to work out all the details. On our first trip Elmer had the kitchen at the Elks Lodge serve us lobster tails. We were more interested in a good steak, but he insisted their lobster was good. Here is an Elks Lodge a few miles northeast of Laredo overlooking a man made lake surrounded by a semi arid landscape...almost desert. And Elmer says "Get the lobster". We found it to be as good as the best in any big coastal city anywhere...including the Bahamas. So we ate a lot of lobster during those trips.

I had forgotten that three of the classes were World Championships. Charlie Strang had advised my Dad that APBA only classes could also hold World Championship races by filing the correct paperwork and fees to UIM. So 500 Runabout, 700 runabout and 1100 Hydro were World Championship events. Hydroplanes International had a goal of paying higher prize money than the average national race and we did here as well.

The night before the race there was an auction of donated merchandise to benefit the Elks Crippled Children fund. One of the Elks members had a business that made the most unusual candles I have ever seen. He called them "water candles and every one was unique. They were very beautiful. He donated some of those, I guess we probably donated some gallons and cases of Master Oil, but the donation I remember the most was a catfish weighing thirty or forty pounds. Someone had caught it just down the hill from the Elks Lodge. As the bidding got up around $70 people started dropping out. The beer was flowing freely and the oilfield was booming and my Dad wanted to get the most money for the Elks so he stayed in it. He knew the oilfield guy out of Laredo that he was bidding against and so my Dad got it up somewhere over $100 then let the guy have it. Neither one really wanted the fish, but there was a lot of laughing, joking and prodding going on during the bidding and the other guy thought my Dad would go a little more before he hung it to him. A fun time was had by all.:D

The following page came from the Elks newsletter.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Oops! Got distracted by a phone call and punched the wrong button. The post was following at a distance.;):D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I was looking through my negatives and came across two that were very, very underexposed. This is an extremely rare pic of Bruce Nicholson in a hydro. I think it might be a Yale. I had never seen Bruce drive a hydro before. When I started racing, Bruce won the first race I ever entered. That was B runabout. Runabouts were very strong then in Texas and at many races A&B hydro were run together and CDF hydros were run together. Now in 1979 the tables had reversed. We didn't combine runabout classes, but hydros were by far more numerous by now. We had been putting on some good hydro races and I think it was Ray Yates who finally talked Bruce into getting back into a hydro after many years absence.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The starting clock was on a barge a good distance from the banks of Lake Casablanca. The VFW Lodge overlooked the pits and the pits were exactly perpendicular to the race course. The horizontal base would be the pits and the race course would be the vertical line. It was the same set up as we had at Diamondhead in Arkansas for the initial Invitational North, south, East, West Challenge Race and the two following Waldman Memorial Cups. The boats would be coming head on to the bulk of spectators on a hill overlooking the lake. The first turn would be the closest the boats would get to the pits and the crowd while scrubbing off speed and bending the turn to head away in the opposite direction.

The LSBRA Safety Crew can be seen on standby in the second pic. They had their motor runing every time a heat was up. They were not just watching races, but during the whole time they were at a race course these guys would spot potential trouble areas. Additionally, if there were new drivers or some that they were not familiar with that came from out of state, they would observe how the boat handled. If it looked loose, they would keep an eye out. These guys weren't paid professionals, but they loved boat racing.....and they were good.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

You can see by the start of a heat of Formula 350 that some took a wide approach. There was plenty of milling room.

As we approached the start of the first heat of 700 hydro we were running around 100 mph. Not airing it out, but everyone had the throttle on "GO" and not backing off because of an early approach. I think someone was to the inside of me where I wanted to be, maybe Bruce Marionaneaux, and I was close to Bruce Nicholson who was to my outside. I'm not sure where Artie Lund or Steve Jones were along with the others, but we were all within a few boats lengths at the start except for Don Nichols. He was way outside and had a line to the pin.

I was looking to my right and ready to grab the rest of the motor's power when the collision occured. There was a big explosion of water and Don Nichols rocketed skyward in his brand new Butts laydown Aerowing. Don had gone back in a pocket to start on the outside and when he saw our roostertails show we were going for the start, he went as well. He was further behind and so he had a full head of steam when he got to the line with the rest of us. Don had probably 10mph or more and ran up Bruce Nicholson's tailpipes before anyone knew what happened.........expecially poor Bruce.

Bruce was going probably faster than any of his runabouts would run and suddenly his chest smashed against the steering wheel breaking it. He skipped across the water and finally came to a rest and confused as to what had happened.

When Don Nichols ran into the back of Bruce's hydro, he was launched straight up into the sky. I was looking at the clock to my right when I saw the collision and I didn't watch Bruce. Don started up so quickly I kept my eye on him because I wasn't sure where he was going to come down. As I watched him gain altitude I checked over my left shoulder, then when I saw it was clear, I turned into the infield to keep out of the way. All this was in split seconds, but it seemed an eternity before Don fell out of his boat then the boat started to fall.

The Lone Star Rescue Team saw the impending collision just seconds before impact and immediately gassed the idling 75hp OMC motor. The got to Bruce first. Pec Christiansen grabbed him by the life jacket collar and pulled Bruce up to his face to gaze into his eyes. Although Bruce's eyes had a pleading, but confused look, they were clear and Pec hollered to Burl McBride in the driver's seat to go the the other driver. As it turned out, although bruised and shooken up, neither had serious injuries. They had to drag the lake with a grappling hook to recover Bruce's Konig. I don't know what happened to Bruce's hydro, but as far as I know he never got into another one again. Don repaired his laydown Butts to run it again shortly.

Don had been driving for years before I started and continued to race after I quit. I would never hesitate to go into a high speed corner with Don on the inside or outside. I don't know why he so misjudged his start and place and I never asked. I'm just thinking that his first race in a laydown had probably played a factor in what happened.

Here are a couple of pics taken by the newspaper photographer. He was watching the start and quickly snapped the first frame. I don't know how many frames he was able to squeeze off, but the second one was way after Don reached his zenith and was well past his boat on the way back down.:eek:

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'll try this a second time. The satellite is giving me fits.

[denny henderson]

WOW!!! It was the most frighting boat racing accident I have ever seen. Bruce said he was certain he was going at least 100mph, and Don was quite a bit faster than that. It is amazing that neither one was hurt seriously.
There is a video of this crash. I can't remember who has it, but I have seen it and it is chilling to watch. The day it happened, I was watching Don as they came around for the start. I could see the crash coming just before it happened. I believe that Don was lined up on the center buoy and was not on the same line as the rest of the field. The collision caused Bruces boat to nose in, sending him into the streering wheel and launching him forward into a very high speed cartwheel. I still can't believe that a human body could experience what Bruce did that day and not be seriously injured. He said every part of his body hurt for the next few days.
Bruce lived in Louisiana and worked for Exxon, and somehow he made it back to work on Tuesday after the accident. That picture and story that was in the Laredo newspaper also made it back to Louisiana and into his bosses hands. I think Bruce had to promise his boss that he would quit racing.
From 1992 through 2000, Bruce and I teamed up and ran 250 hydro. During that time we did a lot of testing and we had a really good safe boat. I lost track of how many times I tried to get Bruce to take a ride in that 250 hydro, mainly so I could see it from the bank and critique the set-up. He always said "NO", I made the Good Lord a promise down in Laredo when I was flippin through the air, that if he would just get me out of this alive I will never get back in another hydro. He kept that promise.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

For me it ranks up there with watching Bob Hering blow over at 130 and skipping forever across the water. The difference in this one was that I was just inside the boats when the accident occured. You can see the MX logo on the cowling. I had backed off and started turning a little bit left because Don came in at an angle and when he shot up, it was hard to tell where he was going to land.

In the first pic, that column of water shooting up above the tree line is what I think came from the first impact when Bruce's bow struck the water sending up that massive plume of water. In the second pic I think most of the water behind my boat came from Bruce ploughing through the water. It looks like Don actually must have landed not too far from where Bruce stopped skidding.

Someone from Artie Lund's crew shot that film Denny, and they sent me a copy. About 5 or 6 years ago I had it transferred to VHS. Now I need to get it made into a DVD so it can be posted on BRF. I showed it to the neighborhood kids a few years ago and they couldn't believe Don or Bruce weren't seriously hurt.

[shenders]

Yes sir that was some weekend. I was cat fishing on that lake about 2 years ago when my son lived in Laredo. That little lake was great for racing. If I remember when they pull Don’s boat on the bank the only thing left was the bottom. I have picture somewhere if I can find it. It’s seems like both race’s at Laredo started out so good but turn bad so fast. If you remember there was a young man with a 500 hydro that had blown over on Saturday and had to go to the hospital. He pit next to me and I think his name was Bill Walkord out of Oklahoma. I never saw or heard from him after Laredo. He was hurt pretty bad with 7-8 crack ribs and a busted shoulder. I didn’t get to
run because I started have engine trouble Saturday morning. Later found out the bottom bearing was coming apart.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That's right Stan. That was the only time I remember Bill Walkord as well. It's a shame because he drove a long way to support our race, then got busted up like that. You're also right about the way both races started out and ended in disasters. (1980 meet will follow later). The pit area was good. Spectators had almost a bowl type view, the city of Laredo gave us great backing, very good press coverage, and for the first time we got interest from across our southern border.

[wboxell]

wow:eek: can't wait for the video:) although i'm still waiting for my 77 OD video:D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Believe it or not Bill I actually burned one for you, but it doesn't work. It has all the indications of receiving the info, but no DVD players will accept it. Out of three DVD's I burned for Debbie only two work. My Son in Law Will said sometimes the discs just aren't any good. He gave me some different ones to try, but I haven't gotten back to that project yet.:o

After the ambulance got back and the course was clear we were ready for the continuation of the program. With two top contenders out and an already small field, it was decided to run just one heat of 700 hydro.

We had tested for the first time since the previous season just before heading to Laredo. Our "D" ran good, and seemed to be OK after rigging up at Laredo and making a quick pass around the course. During the race though it showed its age on the piston rings. It had been too long since the last overhaul, and the rings were too worn. The motor had speed, but no acceleration. Also the upper seal started leaking and we were getting water in #4 cylinder.

I got a late start, a little behind Artie Lund, but I came out of the turn on the inside and picklefork to picklefork with Artie. We went through the bottom turn about even, but he went wide and was able to out accelerate me. It was all over then. Artie won and I finished second. Don't have results for any of the others.

A number of us drivers donated our prize money to the Elks Crippled Children's fund, and we had a great party afterwards. We already had started planning on next years events with the blessings of the Elk's Lodge and the city of Laredo.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I received an offer to race in the 1979 UIM OD World Championships to be held on the Danube River in Linz, Austria. Debbie was still working on her master's degree at TWU so she couldn't go. I talked to Deiter on August 13 and he said he would build us a new "D" Konig with 48mm carbs. We would use my Butts Aerowing "TEX" we had shipped over the previous year along with the Leavendusky tower, our Konig lower unit, pipes, etc. that we had left. I replied to Motor Yacht Club Nibelungen Linz that we accepted their offer and would be coming from Berlin with some of those guys. My notes state that I was coming along with the South Africans, but we would find transportation. Dieter was going to let Hans Krage know. Apparently, Tom Jones and Rheinhardt Schultz also had made previous arrangements with Hans.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Arrived in Berlin on September third. It was only the second time I had ever gone to a race without my Master Oil Team or Debbie. The first time was in 1976 when Debbie and I were still engaged.

That same day I went with Hans Krage to his shop to prepare things for the race. Hans had a custom car shop specializing in all things to do with Porche's, which he himself drove. While we were working there Tom Jones and a man named Bryan whose last name I never wrote down arrived. They were working with Berliner racer Jurgen Kuhne. I underlined the name of a person named Arnow Schinelewski in my notes, but don't remember why. We must have met Tom at the airport, because after that we went back to Hans' to finish working. I Wish I would have taken pics. Hans had a 25' or so two masted sailboat he was restoring to sail on the North Sea. His family had property around Berlin and also in the north that was taken when the communists took over Eastern Europe. At Lakeland, Florida in 1993 Hans was pleased to tell me that his family had gotten back the property in Northern Germany, which I am guessing must be on the Baltic.

That evening we had a meeting in Gatow (in West Berlin) about a strategy to deal with problems we may encounter during the world championship races. At the meeting were Hans, Kuhne, Siegfried Lubnow, Sigfried Sneph, Harry Splettstosser, Tom Jones, Bryan ? Rheinhard Schultz (last three from South Africa). I stayed with my friend Jenny at her mansion on Gustav Freytag Strasse in the Grunewald. We left for Linz. Austria on September 6 and spent that night at Regensburg.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The race in Linz was to be held on the beautiful blue Danube River (Danau in Austrian). So this time we would get to run the Butts Aerowing we had shipped over last year. I mean.......how rough could the beautiful blue Danube be....right? You've all seen Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd and heard the Waltz of the Blue Danube haven't you? Da..Da..Da..Dah......Dahhhhh! Tweet,tweet.........tweet,tweet.:D There would not be any barge traffic during the races. Besides the OD World Championships, there would be European Championships for OB and OC. Drivers came from all over, including the Eastern Bloc countries of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Hungary.

There were 19 entries, including myself for OD. I never had a roster, but this is some I remember. Tom Jones and Rheinhard Schultz-South Africa. Jerry Drake was there, but not racing and I believe he had emigrated to the US by then. Pierre Diesertienne-France, Hans Krage, Peter Komol, Wilhelm Dickoff, Jorge Lipinski, Jurgen Kuhne, Werner Zappe-West Germany, Erwin Zimmerman, Wilfried Weiland-Austria, Perko Drago-Yugoslavia, Douglas "Pip" Willy, Chris Applebee-England, and I can't remember others.

The host club was Motor Yacht Club Nibelungen from Linz. They had a place to keep boats and a clubhouse for meetings and banquets up the hill overlooking the Danube. According to the drawing there was a little right hand curve in the race course, but I don't recall really having to drive to the right. I guess we drove it more or less like it was straight.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

We stayed at the Wirtschaftfurderunginstitut ("Wifi" for short) in Linz. Yeah, thats one long name and it took some practice to say it right. It is kind of a combined classroom/dormitory building for training people. It was all stainless steel, chrome and tile. Easy to keep clean. It wasn't fancy, but it was a nice and modern place to stay. And it was free.:D

We went down the next day for testing , or "training", as they say. I learned that even though the Danube was not rough like the 1978 OD World Championships in Berlin, there were still rollers. It wasn't so bad on the front straight, but the back straight where I'm thinking the current was strongest had some tricky spots. I could drive "TEX" in this water, but it was nothing like the rough water I tested it in back in Texas. The rollers here were spaced further apart and I think my Butts must have gotten into a harmonic rythym with the waves to cause it to rebound hard at certain times.:eek:;)

Of all the props we tested, only one was three bladed, and it was a Record cleaver prop. It fit very loose on the prop shaft, but we decided to go ahead and test it anyway. It was by far the superior prop. The reason we decided to go with it was because it made the boat handle so much better. That tail lift caused the boat to run much more stable in the water. The attitude kept it from slapping the water in the way that would launch the boat more violently. It was a little tough to hang on in a kneeler with the two bladed props. So we put the Record 3 blade back on and tightened the prop nut as hard as we thought we could without starting the pin to shear. Then it was out for an easy night to be ready for the next day.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The pit area along the Danube was green and luxurious with tall shade trees and the steep enbankment behind us. In front was the wide flowing river with a teeming city on both sides. Deiter and I were walking above the pits and did a little exploring in some abandoned houses near the top. They were one room stone affairs all connected together but at different levels according to the fall of the land. The floors were earthen. We expected them to be trashed with drug leftovers...but no. There was not much there. We figured they were old enough to have been inhabited when the several black plagues ravaged Europe.

Not far above the pits was a castle that was now a museum. What a find. I wish I could have taken pictures to remember what I saw, but a couple of things that stand out are these. I had posted earlier about Dieter with his hands about to crank a three inch thick piece of glass about 5 feet in diameter connected to some Frankenstein brass receptors. That was at this museum in Linz. Then I remember suits of armour that dated back to the crusades, before and after. What struck me was that I would have been able to fit in them. Most of them were my size or smaller. I always figured the knights to be much bigger.

Here are the pit pictures.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Sorry:(...I had 8 pics & maybe it was too much for the satellite today. I wrote the story 4 different times, then managed the attachments and after a wait it said there was a satellite outage. The last time, the narrative came through. Have to go to bed now to head out for Big Wells in the morning. Tomorrow I will resize the pics.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

So here they are. One thing I noticed was that they seemed a little out of focus. I used the sharpener on the scanner and now they are like they ought to since they were taken with a 24mm lens. All this time I thought it was my eyes, but it must be the scanner.:o:D

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I got an average start and was just running with the pack until lap three when the shear pin came out. At first I thought I blew a lower unit, but when we got back to the pits we found the loose 3 blade record just spinning on the prop shaft. So much for that Idea. Now it was back to the standard two blade cupped wheel. Pip Willey blew his engine in the first heat and Tom Jones crashed into a rescue boat on lap two. I didn't see it and I forgot what Tom said about it. He wasn't hurt, but the Butts Aerowing was out of action. These were the first two Butts Aerowings to race overseas. The previous year I only got on the water for some test runs, so it was here at Linz where Aerowings answered the starting flag for the first time. I don't think Tom's boat had the same sponson design as mine. It would have probably been worse handling, and maybe that caused him to lose control and run into the boat.

First pic is Pip Willey working on his motor. Second is Tom Jones' damaged Aerowing. That is Tom with the banded hat standing behind Dieter.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The second heat I finished either 6th or 7th. My notes from the pits say 6th, but wrote in my journal on the way home 7th. I didn't do a story for Powerboat so I didn't pick up any official results. West German Werner Zappe won both heats easily.

I finally made a good start in the third heat. I got to turn 1 in second place and was third after the first lap. I just couldn't keep up that pace though. It was a handful trying to stay in that boat we named TEX. It just wasn't built properly for European water. Lap after lap I fell back and finally finished 7th.

I was doing fairly well in the final heat when I hit a swell on lap two just before coming into turn 1. My body flew in the air and my left leg knocked all the slack out of the lanyard for the kill switch and pulled it. Before I landed back in the cockpit the engine was dead. I didn't even bother to try and restart the motor.

Here is some OB and OC action. The first color pic is Gerhard Pahl in a Konig powered Danisch Proprider, No 16, and Willi Absenger is driving the Weiland kneeler. Both are Austrian. Perko Drago from Yugoslavia is in the No 104 boat.

In the first B & W is Manfred Loth in a Danisch Proprider and Ekkehard Knappe in the Rukna cat powered by a Yamato. I think every motor in every class at this race was a Konig except for Ekkehard's Yamato and Heike Grunewaldt ran an Archimedes in the OD World. I don't know who No. 91 is in the last pic.

[F-12]

For some reason that last black and white looks like someone is going to get very wet. The prop is out of the water and the outside sponson is starting to dig in a bit. Did you happen to get a sequence shot of this? Let me know if you remember what happened.