Tom Percival Bob Spalding

[Ron Hill]

Tom Percival...

[Mike Ward]

Sorry Ron, this not Tom Percival but his team mate Bob Spalding !!

[Ron Hill]

When I saw this picture, at Jack Leek's Memorial. I said, "Oh what a good picture of Bob Spalding." (I had not seen Bob since 1972.... or 35 years...).

Jimbo and Margarite woods both said, "No that's Tom Percival." I then said, "Well they usually teamed, and it has been awhile."...Jimbo even said you could Percival on the driver's suit....


So, Mike...You are probably correct, but do you want me to CROSS JIMBO and Margarite Woods???

Thanks for the post...

I originally posted "Phil Percival" until I realize Phil was the designer, mold maker for Sleek Craft, GMT Tunnels, Hallett and now works for Karl Koster.Phil was President of Betty Cook's Kaama Drive business.

[Arias9]

Ron, when you were out of earshot Jimbo and I agreed that it wasn't Percival but Spalding. Sometimes those two English guys seemed interchangable. :)

[Ron Hill]

Look at the name on the driver's suit...You and Jimbo both said, "See the L, it is Percival..." I admit when I'm wrong, I'm just not wrong...You and Jimbo caused this "Clercial Error"...

[Arias9]

You were right, we were wrong... :eek: :D

[paul jillings]

The photo is of Bob, the overalls were Toms!!!!

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Check this out. From the June 1978 Powerboat & Waterskiing. This publication also served as the Official Programme for the Embassy Grand Prix held at Bristol. This page is from part of that program.

[Arias9]

How interesting! Those were the days....

As I recall, Spalding left Mercury for OMC at some point and that is how I came to know him.

[Watermark11]

I'm guessing, but it looks as though Ken Stevenson is standing behind Bob in Ron's photo. Both look very happy.. probably just won a major race!

[jackie wilson]

Tom Percival...

HIYA RON, NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT,THATS BOB SPALDING. TOM AND BOB WERE GREAT FRIENDS. IN FACT SOME TIME AFTER TOM DIED. BOB MARRIED HIS WIFE, JILLY . DAMN IT, ONE DAY I WILL SIT DOWN AND TELL YOU SOME OF THE CAPERS THOSE TWO GOT UP TO. THERE CAN'T BE ANYBODY LEFT OUT THERE TO SUE ME, AND IT WOULD BE A GOOD INSIGHT TO SHOW PRESENT DAY WANABEES HOW THE GOOD GUYS WORKED AND PLAYED JACKE W.

[Ron Hill]

We had been "Hanging" with Bob and Tom and then we headed back to the hotel to go to dinner. I got lost following them and could NOT find the hotel. I flagged down a taxi and made my wife get in the taxi and followed the taxi to our hotel...

Only thing I remember of Bob's wife was that she was seriously BEAUTIFUL!!! And English (NICE) as hell!!!

JAckie, tell us some stories...Like how long did you guys take at Parker's pit stops...Seems you chnaged the "EARL" each stop...Was that Cosworth a fun ride???

I loved the "HIGH RIDER" Molinari's and even Jimbo agreed those were the GREATEST boats to drive....The 2 liter Merc's scared me. When they came on their power, they came on faster than I could think...Maybe, that is why I liked Evinrudes.....They were like me...slow to move....

[jackie wilson]

We had been "Hanging" with Bob and Tom and then we headed back to the hotel to go to dinner. I got lost following them and could NOT find the hotel. I flagged down a taxi and made my wife get in the taxi and followed the taxi to our hotel...

Only thing I remember of Bob's wife was that she was seriously BEAUTIFUL!!! And English (NICE) as hell!!!

JAckie, tell us some stories...Like how long did you guys take at Parker's pit stops...Seems you chnaged the "EARL" each stop...Was that Cosworth a fun ride???

I loved the "HIGH RIDER" Molinari's and even Jimbo agreed those were the GREATEST boats to drive....The 2 liter Merc's scared me. When they came on their power, they came on faster than I could think...Maybe, that is why I liked Evinrudes.....They were like me...slow to move....
That was part of the fun for B&T to leave you in the middle of berlin, while they headed back to the hotel, either that or they had a couple of hot birds waiting close by, whatever country we were in those two had the towns hottest properties on their arms. Tom with his english gentlemans accent and bob with the looks. They could even charm the pants off hard nosed hookers like 'LILO LILL AND COMO CLARA', and any racer who ever went to Como will remember those two. We were all staying at THE VILLA D'ESTA actually on the lake in como, when things got a little out of hand so bob tom chas shooter and self did a runner and hid in the bottom of a pleasure type rowboat moored just of the pier, only tom was the one who didn't make it. The carribinieri grabbed tom who yelled accross the lake ER BOB!!! JACKIE !!!! I DONT KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR ME BUT I'M BEING ARRESTED AND TAKEN TO THE POLICE STATION , IF YOU GET A CHANCE WOULD YOU BE GOOD ENOUGH TO COME AND BAIL ME OUT. Some thing always happened when those two were around. Yes Ron, to this day Jilly Percival is a gorgeous looking lady, and as you say VERY english. Did not marry again after bob died, but i think bob was still up to his old tricks and Jilly kicked him out and divorced him. The Cosworth was the most exciting boat i ever stepped into-----centrifugal clutch that you could blip the throttle to 4,000 r.p.m. before flooring it to 8,500 when that mother just reached for the sky and sent you into powerboat heaven. Poor old Brett May was given the job of 2nd driver at Parker and given an impossible brief-------dont turn it over-----dont go above 8,500 rpm-------watch the gearcase temperature------watch for the red light left of the dash, and a whole bunch of NAF instructions, and he did a great job and brought the boat back in one piece after each stint. The only down side to the race was,-----Duckworth was convinced the gearcase would not do the whole race, so, he decided we would change about the half way mark. So i came into the pits and the motley crew i had with me made a real pigs arse of doing the change, the gearcase would not come off. Jerry Gilbreath gets in the water and lifts the whole boat clear,out of nowhere a bunch of american race -boat fans appear with hammers and jemmy'sand did the buisiness. After 35 mins we were racing again, The boat never missed a beat and Malcolm Tyrrel from Cosworth Wiped the boat down and said to no one in particular, she's ready for the next race. just love the way americans give things a name 'HIGH RIDER' sounds like clint eastwood or at least Jack Pallance. Don't think Molly made too many of those in wood, other than the plug for Glastrons to produce enough for the whole U.S. navy and army, seems like half the field in Parker and Havasu consisted of these galloping Glastrons. when the 2 litres got into their stride ,not even mercury realized because of their wieght you could put them on a much smaller lighter hull. I first found this out when i bought a 16' schultze for a Konig, the enjine was late so we put a 2liter on its back and racing changed yet again. Off to look at the news to see how the rouen 24 hrs is doing, heavy thunderstorms during the night, just what you don't need in a 24 hr race Jackie W

[mojorisin577]

Does anybody know if any footage exist of his fatal crash?

[jackie wilson]

Does anybody know if any footage exist of his fatal crash?

Chris Hodges probably has that piece of footage, Tom was running one of his boats.
Wife Jilly held the annual remembrance day celebrations last Thursday at Oulton Broad. Just happens to be 25 years since Tom died.

[jackie wilson]

Chris Hodges probably has that piece of footage, Tom was running one of his boats.
Wife Jilly held the annual remembrance day celebrations last Thursday at Oulton Broad. Just happens to be 25 years since Tom died.

Hey Ron, My mechanic Chas Shooter went to the remembrance and he told me Jilly looks exactly the same as she did 25 years ago---beautiful. Jackie.

[peterse90]

I'm guessing, but it looks as though Ken Stevenson is standing behind Bob in Ron's photo. Both look very happy.. probably just won a major race!

Mark, your right on!
In 1980 Bob Spalding and Ken Stevenson teamed to win both the Parker Enduro and the Paris Six Hour Enduro. Here is a picture that was probably taken either just before or just after the picture Ron posted.

Here are some Tom Percival pictures;
His Percival Hodges 1984 boat.
Tom with Chris Hodges.
Tom and his wife Gilly

[carl lewis]

Hi,
found this on the U.K. powerboat list. just a bit more history on a great racer.

Tom Percival
1943-1984


Tom Percival's accident happened during the 5th lap of the first heat of the Grand Prix de Belgique, on the Meuse River boat course, Liège, Belgium, 7th round of the 1984 F.1 Powerboat World Championship.

Some 400 meters after the upstream buoy the Italian boat driver Fabrizio Bocca suddenly made leeway and overturned, passing in front of the confluence of the hydroelectric power plant. Tom Percival, who followed close Bocca tried to avoid him but hit the wreckage, lost control of his boat landing on the river bank going up into the road beside the river. Both the injured drivers were taken immediately to Liège hospital, Fabrizio Bocca was operated during the night. Tom Percival who had received severe head injuries, then lapsed into a coma and died some hours later on Monday 20 August 1984 morning.

After the accident the race was immediately stopped and the event abandoned. Previously, in the supporting race for F.3 class, in another huge crash driver Rochel, former World Champion, was seriously injured. On Sunday afternoon the F.1 drivers decided to make just an exhibition run, and Renato Molinari was the winner, from François Salabert and Cees van der Velden.

This was the fourth fatality happened during 1984 F.1 Powerboat season. Before Tom Percival, Luigi Valdano was killed on 27 May during the Netherlands Grand Prix, Gérard Barthelemy died one week later in Paris G.P. and in August Saverio Roberto was also killed during private test before the Grand Prix de Belgique.

40 year-old Tom Percival was a Norfolk boat dealer, he was married to Gilly, and they had two children, son Guy (16 years old at the time) and daughter Katie (then 14).

Tom had his racing debut in 1964. He won several National titles, and was twice the the Canon European Series champion (in 1976 and 1978), this series was contested mainly by Europeans, but also by some American competitors and went on to become the World series in the 80s.

Percival raced in the UIM top classes OZ and ON, that became respectively F1 and F2 in 1981. Tom was runner-up three times in the UIM World Championship (1974, 1975 and 1976). He also came third four times (1973, 1977, 1982 and 1983). During the 1970s and early 1980s Percival was recognized as one of the world's top powerboat drivers, along with his compatriot and team mate Bob Spalding. Percival and Spalding raced together in the Mercury factory race team (ON class) and the Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) race team (OZ). After Tom's death Gilly Percival married Bob Spalding. Bob's career was also cut short by a racing accident in 1985 in which he sustained brain injuries. He passed away in 1997.

A leaflet to be handed to spectators at Tom's Memorial Race Meeting, on 13 August 2009,
at Toms' home club The Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club (LOBMBC).
Powerboat racers and fans will gather for a memorial event this week to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of a Norfolk racing champion.

Tom Percival, who learned his powerboat skills at the Lowestoft and Oulton Broad motorboat club during the 1960s, died 25 years ago after a racing accident in Belgium.

On Thursday evening, the power-boat meeting at Oulton Broad is being dedicated to his memory and a special exhibition will be in place showcasing Mr Percival's racing achievements.

Mr Percival, who lived in Horning, took part in his debut race in 1966. He went on to win national titles and was twice crowned Canon European Series Champion in 1976 and 1978.

Although his racing took him all over Europe, he continued to ride test laps around Oulton Broad with his race partner Bob Spalding when he could.

Mr Percival was involved in an accident during the fifth lap of the Grand Prix de Belgique on the River Meuse in Liege, Belgium, on August 19, 1984. He suffered severe head injuries, slipped into a coma and died the following morning in hospital.

His widow Gilly Percival has arranged a special exhibition which will be displayed in a marquee on Thursday at Oulton Broad, where Mr Percival is still something of a club legend

She said: “Tom was a club member at Oulton Broad - he learned his skills there and then did lots of testing there later. Powerboats ran in his family; his grandfather was the Brooke of the Brooke Marine boatyard.

“He still holds the lap record, which he set in 1984 after going all the way round the broad in 27.78 seconds.”

She added: “Tom won some 300 trophies during his career, which have all been in storage. We've cleaned lots of them up to put on display and they will be there alongside films being shown of some of his races.

“A lot his old friends and some of the people he used to travel around with will also be there.”

The Lowestoft and Oulton Broad motorboat club's memorial race night starts at 5.30pm on Thursday at Nicholas Everitt Park in Oulton Broad.

source motorsportmemorials and edp

[Lake X Kid]

Tom Percival...

This is a picture of the real Tom Percival, and his fellow Brit Bob Spaulding.
This photo a copied from Lars Strom post.

Bob Spaulding - Top photo.
Tom Percival - Second photo from top.

[Mike Ward]

This is Bob Spalding and Tim Percival at the 1970 Rouen 24 Hour race were they finished 2nd overall.

Photo is taken from the new book "The Club on the Park", the history of motorboat racing on Oulton Broad, which is available on-line at www.lobmbc.org.uk


50009

[Lars Strom]

#10 Tom Percival in Liege, Belgium 1984.

[Lars Strom]

Drivers meeting Stockholm GP 1984.

Yellow = Tom Percival, Grey = Roger Jenkins, Blue = Cees Van Der Velden, Green = Lars Strom, Orange = Bob Spalding, Purple = Andy Bullen and White = Rick Frost.