Autograph Collection

[Master Oil Racing Team]

About two years before I quit racing I started to collect autographs. I made up some prints and took them to the races to get signed. Unfortunately, I didn't race but less than a handful of races my last two years, and most of the autographs I got were of European drivers. I made great headway with my collection at DePue though. I tried to take prints of everyone I thought would be there. I ran out of time to get all of them though. And I had some of Gary Pugh, John Yale, Johnny Dortch, and others that were there that I was unable to get. At first I was going to put these on the reunion thread, but then I thought it might be better to post them on the encylopedia. So here they are.

The first is Wayne Walgrave in his Merc Quincy looper powered Chapparal. It was taken during testing for the 1100 hydro at the Pro Nationals in Hinton in 1977. As Gene East and I were talking at DePue, we used to take them for granted when there were 6 or 8 in a heat. Just imagine the sound of this bouncing off the mountains at Hinton. When Wayne shut the engine off, it echoed back for a while. I believe Wayne came out of LaVerne, Minnesota.

ADD: I am going to post one photo at a time and give people some time to add any stories or other photos about the particular person before moving on to the next one.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I missed getting autographs from a number of people, but I was fortunate enough to get all three of these. The battle of the Jr.'s Stanley Leavendusky, Jr., Paul Bogosian, Jr. and Fred Hauenstein, Jr.

This was taken at the Pro Nationals at DePue in 1974. I believe this is D Racing Runabout, allthough it could be CRR. I had thought at first that Fred won D, but it was actually C Racing Runabout that he won that year.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I tried to get mug shots autographed too if I had them.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This one was a prize get. It is DePue 1974, just starting to rig up, and we are just wandering around to see who's here.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I happened to be outside of the VFW Sunday morning and saw Bill Hoctor showing some of his photos to some guys. I walked over and started looking. I happened to mention that I wished I had had a photo of him that I could get autographed, but iunfortunately I didn't. Bill is like very many of the racers that I didn't get any photos of before either they quit or I did. Or sometimes because we were in the same heats I never had an opportunity.

A little while after I wandered off a short distance Bill came up to me with this photograph. He said it was the only one he had that he could part with. I was so pleased. He apologized for the crop marks on the photo and as he said it, he rubbed the upper right hand corner with his thumb and the marks came off. We were both surprised. I forgot to ask him how many years ago they ran that photo. I erased some more of it as an illustration to this story. But I am thinking I may keep some of the marks on it as it is really now a part of this tale.

The photo appeared in the "CN Sports" section (don't know the publication) and was 3 columns. This was a C hydro Bill was driving. The caption to the story was "Steady as she goes". It is a prize to my collection. Thanks again Bill.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This is another of those rare photos. When John Schubert was racing I didn't have any cameras. Then one day after he quit, he showed up at the nationals and I was able to get this pic of him and Jerry Simison together. John was one of the few greats from the past that I was able to get a photo of.

A side note about Jerry Simison. He is as competitive with making precision rifles and tuning them as he was in Pro racing. According to what Paul Simison told me he is in the top ten in the U.S. doing what he does. A lot of swat teams across the U.S. have Jerry make their rifles. Paul said you could read about Jerry in the American Rifleman in the section on precision tuning. I'm thinking of sending the photo of him and John together to get his signature added.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Speaking of Craig Lawrence on another thread, here is one from DePue 1974. Here Craig lands a new job with Hendricks Motor Sports and all he talks to Joe about is how he was so excited at the DePue reunion, that he wants to help Denny win a world championship next year.

Good luck Craig and tell Nataliya "zdrastvooeetye".

[jrome]

Wayne Like We Have Talked About Many Times It Is Because Of The People We Love Boat Racing So Much. The Boats Motors And The Races Are Great,but The People Is The Greatest Part For Us Andi Think Most If Not All Of Us.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

When I first met Jim he was still living in California, then about a year or so later he moved to Texas. It was because of Jim's efforts that Konig didn't go unchallenged as they began to overtake the once dominant Merc Quincy's. Jim's importing of Yamato engines beginning in the early 70's is a big part of alky racing's history. I am proud to have these photos in my collection. I don't know who took them, but I am glad that Jim sent them to me and I got them signed in the pits in DePue.

A little sidenote: Jim had run a few kilos and held the 500 hydro record that I broke in 1977. Some years later it was Sean that broke my 700 hydro kilo record I set in 1976. So these guys were special and I am glad to get their autographs.

ADD: Jim sent me a bunch of stuff relating to their racing careers that I want to put in the encyclopedia when I get some business stuff out of the way.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Hoz is one of the many greats that came out of Florida. I had already quit by the time he started running 500 hydro. But I remember him being one of the guys to beat in 250. Hoz was good at hitting the clock on time, and if he came out of the turn first....forget it.

ADD: I forget who asked him where the name Hoz comes from, and I believe he said it was derived from Hosmer. It is a family name that has been handed down from the time of the Revolutionary War. (Hoz please step in to add or correct, because there were too many tales to remember completely). My recollection was that Hosmer was THE GUY who fired the "Shot Heard 'Round the World".