Outboard HEROES...

[Ron Hill]

We need heroes...


We need living heroes for outboard racing...

Let me start the list..

Gary Lewis...

Fred Hauenstein

J. Michael Kelly

J.W. Meyers


Please add your "HERO"....
but tell us why!!!!

[B VALACHOVIC]

Living Heroes ---- Billy Seebold one of the most succesfull tunnel boat racers of all time for still taking the time to build boats that a good part of outboard tunnel racers still use to this day and even being retired ---still active promoting the sport himself. Kenny Kitson --- Past performances ,multi record holder , World Champion a boat builder that many purchased (Kitson craft Miles Master) and raced over the years, and now coming back to vintage events to show and go the Switzer wing. I will also add Ronnie Hill .So many photos and stories that he needed his own web site. A dedication to the sport of boat racing that is truly genuine and continuing.

[Mark75H]

Marshall Eldredge Jr. - saw the need for improved racing lower units for small classes; second step in a dynasty of outboard racing

DeSilva - built a few boats

Art Pugh - built some boats

Frank Zorkan - built some boats

Dave Switzer - built some famous boats

Ken Rosado - dominated the classes he raced for 40 years

Charlie Strang - raced boats, dreamed boats & motors, built outboard companies and the motors they sold, sold motors, APBA grand poobah, NASCAR grand poobah

Craig DeWald - banged a few props

Jack Leek - assembled a few motors, managed a few racers & equipment for both camps

Tom Ige - brought us some easy to start motors

Charlie Alexander - father of the Super Speedmaster lower unit

Lon Stevens - figured out how to get the most out of the original 6 cylinder Mercs

[Ron Hill]

Stout Marketing in St. Louis (John Riner Wood's Company) makes License plates...but what about an AUTOGRAPHED PICTURES of each living hero...Given out to anyone who would want them....? Maybe, charge enough to cover postage...and on the back of the picture, their biography!!!!

Everyone on that list has ups and downs in their lives...To have people come to our sport and stay, they need to associate with our HEROES...

Well, tomorrow, when I get organized, I'll start this project...

Thanks for including me as a HERO....Charlie Strang once told my mom, '"Ronnie Hill draws a croud, win or lose.".....But then again, Ronnie Hill aways loved boat racing and loved the people around it...Ron Hill was the first OPC driver to hand out autographed 8 X 10 glossy pictures, autographed, to all the kids at the races....Diane Bowden remembers this well!!!

[Peter Crowley]

When I was a kid....and had just started racing (1963), my Hero was Larry Castagneto. He lived in my town. Later on, I added Ken Rosado to that list. At that time, Region1 (New England) had a lot of great racers. I thought that the Unlimiteds were pretty cool too... not Miss Budweiser of today, but Miss Bardahl! As I got older, my Heros started to reach beyond the bounds of our "local" races. Of course re-reading the propeller magazine several times each month brought me into what was going on in the rest of the country. It was when I started racing at the Nationals (1972) that I saw the real fast guys! Many of these men became my heros.... I raced ASR for many-many years, so I thought that anyone who could make a KG4H go like lightening was my Hero! These guys at that time were Hutchens, Hansen, Nelson, McPeek, Dewald... and the record King- Craig Selvidge. When I switched to PRO boats, I gained a whole new series of Heros... Many of these guys weren't the drivers anymore, but the "know-how" guys. Perhaps the number one guy who knew "how" to make things perform AND could drive perhaps better than anyone that I have ever raced against was Dan Kirts! Another Hero was Harry Pasterzak. He was a great guy and had an unbelievable knowledge of racing engines as did another Hero-Deiter Konig. I look back at PRO racing before I got involved, and I wish that I knew Tim Butts.....
It isn't like I've ever been anyones Hero, but there are many people that I have admired. When you think about your Heros, they were able to do what you were unable to do... and you admire them for it.

[T2x]

Bill Sirois......... The "other" Bill.....probably equally talented

Dick O'dea........ The Godfather of East Coast Outboard racing

Jon Culver........ On so many levels he set a great example

Uncle Carl...... Without him...we'd all be racing model airplanes

Billy Don Pruett........ you need bigger than life people when you name heros

Earl Bentz......... short but stunning career.. qualifies as the Gale Sayers of Tunnel boat racing

Larry Lauterbach....arguably the best Inboard hydro driver of all time

Alan Yaw........ Showed the world how to create a great team

Gary Garbrecht........ manipulated every one of us into some form of contribution

Richie Sutphen........ arguably the most exciting (and insane) inboard hydro driver of all time

How am I doing? More to follow

T2x

[Big Orange 17W]

Andy Anderson- Runabout Driving Machine, he's pretty smart too.

Brian & John Palmquist- Great All-Around Drivers, Brian is an awesome babysitter also- my 4yr old daughter loves to hang w/ "Silly Brian"

"POP" Trolian- great builder, has helped me tremendously.

"Pistol Pete" Nydahl- "My brother from another mother"

[MJR]

Tim Butts
Wayne Baldwin
Bill Seebold
Jeff Hutchins
Jerry Kirts
Mal Harden

Just a few...

[Joe J]

Now this is a good thread, my 2 heroes:

My dad, Roger Johnson, for teaching me about boats, and just cause he is my dad.

Jimbo McConnell, as a kid hanging around Parker and Havasu, he always took the time to say hi to me. My dad and he were friends, so that helped. Plus, he took on the Merc guys and won his share of races with a blue engine.

Joe

[Kyle Lewis 93R]

J. Michael Kelly - He worked his way to being an unlimited driver. Plus he's taken me to a few races :)

[O-49]

I'm new to all this, but I gotta put Dudley Malone of Oklahoma City in as a hero of mine.

Dudley was racing when I was a kid, distinguished himself in the sport, is still putting new racers on the water (me for instance), doing all he can to keep folks going fast on the water and turning left, and always has time to answer questions.

I feel like I've been treated to the Golden Era of boat racing just by knowing and working with Dudley.

Dan Crummett
NBRA President
O-49

[Pop990]

jimmy johnson one of the best mini tunnel boat driver of all times
ed lang just for being ed
form kevin

[Steve Wilde]

When my brother Chris and I were struggling to start racing some of our heroes were:

Carl Stippich, for advising us NOT to buy that Speedliner A/B at Hahn & Walters boat store, and then selling us Carols' boat.

Nate Walters, for running the coolest boat store we could imagine!

Jerry Waldman, for befriending our Dad and showing him that racing was ok.

[Miss BK]

jimmy johnson one of the best mini tunnel boat driver of all times

form kevin


I have a few pics of Jimmy from those days. He was tough to beat. I'll have to dig them out and post them here later. (Seems I have a LOT of pics I need to scan)

That's his blue boat in the background of this pic from the '88 APBA OPC Nationals in Kankakee. He, of course, won the MOD C championships, along with setting a record, was APBA high point champ, and was inducted into the Hall of Champions that year.

But what is really remarkable is that this boat was in BAAAAD shape at the time of the OPC Sprint Nat's. A month earlier in WV at the Marathon Nat'ls, this boat sunk to the bottom of the Ohio River and it took a few days to find it. When they found it, most of the stringers were broken and it nearly snapped in half when lifted up on the scales! It was a real mess.

Despite the "floppy" boat, he still went out and won the race!

[kampenracing]

All old AOF drivers, Art Kampen, Kenny Bayer, Burt Hoefs(still racing), Dudley Malone, Freddy Hebert, Doc Miller, Tab Buford, too many others to list.

Keith Kampen

[Ron Hill]

I'm the one who started this thread....maybe Role Models would have been better...

Under Hill Faimly, that I just deleted by accident...I was going to post a picture of Charlie Slough....I'm hoping Sam or Jeff will bring the Hill Family back to life...becasue I want to tell several stories about Charles Slough.

We need to BRAG UP the PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE LOVED IN OUR SPORT and NOT LET PEOPLE FORGET THEM!!

[B VALACHOVIC]

Back when I was a kid there was such a thing as Heroes. Sports heroes like Babe Ruth, Mickie Mantle etc was commonplace for Baseball. Richard Petty,Bobby Issacs etc in Nascar and all the other sports have them --- Why not Boat racing . I knew exactly what Ron was talking about when he started this thread and I posted "some" of my Boat Racing Sports Heroes. Bob

[Doug Hall Y51]

My hero would have to be my dad, Rex Hall. He is the reason that I am racing today. I remember going to races when I was a kid and what great memories they were. My dad has spent so much of his time and money to give me the best motors on the water, and he has succeded very well at that. I consider him the best engine builder in the Pro division. I know that there have been many great builders but I would put dad up against any one of them. Just my thoughts. Thanks dad.

[Dr. Thunder]

that has stepped up to the plate to take on the responsibility and role of US distributor for Rossi Pro engines ... that's a committment that needs to be recognized and appreciated. I don't know your dad but I've heard nothing but great things about him.

[Duke Johnson]

I pitted for Bill Seebold Jr. & was mentored by Bill Seebold Sr. in Midland, Mi., & at Depue when I was 13. A few years later pitted again for Bill Seebold Jr. and was mentored by Bill Seebold Sr. & Marshall Grant. Being around them, learning, and watching them taught me a lot about racing, driving, and life. Thanks guys!

[Doug Hall Y51]

My dad took over the Rossi distributorship about one year ago. He is not in it to just sell motors but to make the Rossi the best motor out there. He has always had a passion to make the best motor in the Pro division. He also wants to see anybody who runs one of his motors to be the best one on the race course. I believe that in the next year or two you will see the Rossi become the dominate motor in the Pro division. Maybe I am bias but my dad knows motors.

[Ron Hill]

Doug....are you the "KID" that lived near us in Irvine???

Why not write up some stuff about your family in the Encyclopedia...

No doubt, that your dad knows engines....Region 12 lost a great member when he moved back your way...

Remember when Howard Pipkorn gave us a Hydrostream MOD VP with one of the first capsules???? Your dad and I looked at that "THING" and said, "Naw...not me driving that or my friends".... Within six months, capsule had mandated head protection....for the very reason your dad and I would get in a capsule, buckeled in, with no head support...

Your old man was a pretty good driver...too, as I recall..but then, I forget somethings!!!!

[Dan M]

Harry was one of the more influential people in getting the US Title Series together. Although he never actually raced, his dedication to the sport was legendary. I was proud to have called him my mentor and friend. :) The picture is from the early 70's. Marie & Harry Pasturczak, "Young" Dan M., John Winzeler.

[Doug Hall Y51]

Ron, that was me that lived out there. When my dad moved out there I was 12. I moved back to Kansas after a couple of years. I have to say not only was it great to get dad back here where we get to see him more but man was it getting costly to send motors UPS back and forth. Since he is the brains behind the organization we would ship our motors to him so he could work on them and then he would mail them back. Thanks again for this web site. It is great to hear all the old stories of pro racing.

[randy grant]

We need heroes...


We need living heroes for outboard racing...

Let me start the list..

Gary Lewis...

Fred Hauenstein

J. Michael Kelly

J.W. Meyers


Please add you "HERO"....
but tell us why!!!!


I would like to add to this list of outboard heros my dad, Marshall Grant. My dad was one of the greatest outboard mechanics of anyone I have ever known. He did some of the most amazing things to his racing engines and was constantly thinking of new ways to get the most out of any engine.

He set several straight away records while racing as well as several other competition records; some of which still stand. His desire to always get the most of his racing engines and be the best at what he was doing has always been with me.

I admire and love my dad very much and I feel he should be added to this list of distinguished racers.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

You're both right. I don't know who drove for Marshall before Dick Pond, but I know when I started Marshall's boats were out front, and when he quit, they were still out front. We bought a D and F from Marshall and won a lot of races and set records with them. An example of Marshall's mechanical ability was the D Konig we bought from him. It was the last D motor Billy Seebold ran for Marshall before he went to OPC. He won many races with it.

After I missed the 75 racing season we were determined to get a good start on 76. The UIM OD World Championships were coming up that spring in Phoenix and we started testing that winter. Marshall's D had a lot of bottom end power and ran strong up until around 9800 rpm's then it had a dead spot. Kind of ran funny. We tried everything. Changed all the electrical system, went through the fuel system. Tore the engine down several times looking for something odd in the casting or problem with the sleeves at the ports and never found anything. We were running out of time, and too late to get a new engine from Scott Smith, so we rented a brand new D from Jim McKean. We tested it and even with the high speed miss, Marshall's engine outperformed Jim's all the way around. No time left to test, we just replaced the statter (sp?} plate off of Marshalls engine with the one from Jim's and took off for Phoenix. I won the world championship with that engine and the same year set competion and Kilo records. Harry Bartolomei ended up with it and if my memory is correct ran it on the first runabout to officially crack the 100 mph mark. We found the problem to be one of the holes for the brass post that the points were fitted on was drilled at a very slight angle. When the points were a little loose to set the timing, there was good spring tension. When the timing was correct and you tighten down the points, they cocked ever so slightly and reduced tension. The engine was very strong up until around 9800 then that one set of points starting floating and the engine kind of had a surge. When I was talking to Marshall a couple of years ago, we talked about that and he remembered it running that way with him. Billy Seebold was still outrunning everyone with it so he never got around to figuring what was wrong.

Yeah, Marshall Grant is one of the heroes and one of the best mechanics. Tell us some more stories Randy.

[Hooten Racing]

F-88 Tommy Hooten :cool: