Lake Mead 1948 APBA Race

[Ron Hill]

October 2-3, 1948 an APBA race at Lake Mead, Nevada...

[russhill]

The race was totally blown out. My dad and Jackie Maypole, after talking to many of the drivers, went to the sponsor and said we came to race and your weather wouldn't let us, so how about dividing the prize money amoung the drivers. I think each trailer got $26.

[russhill]

Just talked to Ron--We decided the $26 deal was 1946 (or maybe '47)

[bowman]

did anyone see the entry fee $1 per class:eek:wish it was still that way today.

[Mark75H]

A dollar went a lot farther back then. I don't think many regular folks even made a dollar an hour

[Skoontz]

If it was in fact '46, and even '47, that would settle the arguement over Cracker Boxes being the oldest running APBA class. Because, Jersey Speed Skiffs claimed a 1948 beginning....Yes or no?

[Mark75H]

If it was in fact '46, and even '47, that would settle the arguement over Cracker Boxes being the oldest running APBA class. Because, Jersey Speed Skiffs claimed a 1948 beginning....Yes or no?

No, because it does not give any clue as to whether this was the first year or tenth year Crackers Boxes ran; they would be tied at 1948 by the evidence it presents

[bowman]

well at entry fees of almost $200 at some events here...I dont make that an hour...wish I did:D I might be able to race more.:)

[russhill]

I think you need to look at all the numbers, not just the dollar signs.

It cost one money unit for entry fee, the same for a barbeque dinner. First place prize money was 40 times entry fee. Total prize money per class was 90 times entry fee. Now how does entry fee compare to one unit of dinner or one 90th of place prize money per class?

With those numbers, if we paid $100 entry, we could expect 9,000 prize money + nice trophies per class. So we need to evaluate why. It's not just inflation, or prize monies would be up in proportion to entry fees.

Have we lost our appeal to sponsors? Are we supporting expensive high point scoring bureaucratics? Are our safety requirements, including insurance, disproportionately expensive? Are we paying for the luxury of racing a boat?

PS, I raced A hydro in that '48 race and rode deck on an F Runabout. We got our F picture on the cover of the Speed and Spray magazine.

[Mark75H]

well at entry fees of almost $200 at some events here...I dont make that an hour...wish I did:D I might be able to race more.:)


For outboards per class or inboards? Inboards have the necessity of crane

[Skoontz]

Sam:

Back east and the midwest, all the inboarders use a crane. When I came here I was amazed to see all the inboarders back in just like the pleasure boats and launch.

Don't know if they used cranes in '46-'48...Russ can ya help out here? But found that little fact interesting.

[Ron Hill]

http://www.boatsport.org/BSC/c14.jpg

http://boatsport.org/theboatsportmagazines.html I got this magazine cover from the BoatSport Web page...

Russ Hill Jr. is riding deck on C-286....


Seems to me that in 1952, my dad got a very late start in the first heat, then won the second heat. He was 2nd overall and won 50 silver dollars. The 50 silver dollars were given to him in a silver painted "PEE POT". Russ Jr. had the pot in his room for years. At one time he had it clear full of speeding tickets, until he lost his license...Don't know what became of the pot, but do remember the race, I could be wrong on the year....I think the reason my brother was riding deck is this was a runabout only race, as Lake Mead was deemed too rough for hydros...

We didn't race at Mead again until the fall of 1955, and it was a Stock race sponsored by Sahara Hotel and Casino...

[bowman]

if you read there is a crane at this race so it is the same apples to apples