A small example of the Kirts family personality
In the early 70's, before Mel died, Jerry Kirts and the rest of the family attended a race, I believe in Ackworth, Ga. Eileen and I were walking through the pit area and came to where the Kirts clan was pitted and saw Jerry laying down in a new hydro that had just been purchased. He was rigging it out and had his arm completely through a hole in the cockpit side into the lefthand sponson clear up to the armpit. He also had somewhat of a pained expression on his face, and I asked him if I could help. "Nope, I've got it", he replied. After we exchanged a little conversation, we walked on through the pits for about another hour. Whe we finally came back by the Kirts pit area, Jerry was still in the same position he was in when we were there before. I again asked if I could help with something and he said again, "No, I'm fine". Later on some months or even years later, he told me that he had been stuck in that position for a while before I got there, while I was gone, and then for a while after I came by a second time, because of the convoluted passage his arm had to take to get to the back of the sponson fin bracket bolts, to put nuts on. After he finally worked his arm, clear up to the armpit, to where he needed to be, he found he was stuck and couldn't get back out. He was in that position for over an hour before he finally managed to work himself back loose.
Whe he finally told me the story, I asked him why he just didn't say something while I was there either time, and I would have attempted to help him.What he told me explains a lot about the family and the way they were raised. I don't remember the exact words, but something to the effect that Mel told him and the rest of the kids, "What you get yourself into, you get yourself out of, without any help." Some folks might call that just plain stubborness, but that attitude won him a lot of boat races, both with the Kirts family equipment, and later with Elmer Grade. In addition to the attitude, I always thought he was the best driver of the family, not just for his driving ability, but he knew when to sometimes back off and save the equipment or not take a chance on busting his butt for nothing.
What a lot of folks don't realize is their Mother, Mary, was just as much, and perhaps the most competitive of the whole family. I wouldn't doubt that they got just as much of their personalties from her as from Mel.
I went to the first turn several times in the early 70's in C and D Hydro with Mel, Danny, and Jerry, and none of them was easy, especially all three in the same heat. I always thought they would rather beat each other than anyone else.