Howard Thompson

Picture from Needles being the first boat back, which I believe was 1958.

Scanned the BU, reduced it to 459K but it be larger for detail.. Picture from Needles being the first boat back, which I believe was 1958.

OK on your Bio, Here married to Betty Job 2/18/1956. Have 2 sons Howard Jr. and David and a daughter Julie now with 8 grand children and one great on the way.

Bob married my wife's younger sister and they moved to Australia in 1967. You should have the facts on Dutch Job and his family.


Have worked for Hughes, General Dynamics, Sprague Electric, Aladdin Electronics. Then started our own electronics corporation in 1969. Thompson Magnetics Inc. Howard Jr. and I ran it till the need for Delay Line Cores ran out in 2002. Main Hobby is Ham Radio for the early 70's with friend all over the world.

Started the Auto Doctor for David in 1987, which he still runs. Plus Dave's Performance which is a supplier of Birel Racing Karts which Dutch had one along with Richard. Acquired Thompson Discount Tire in 2002 Howard Jr. runs. Both sons were active in NHRA, Stock and Super stock but now mostly tending to the business with their kids doing some racing.

As I remember 4 Hydro's, 1 C and 3 D's and never a B for sale. Would have built a B but ran out of time with the family and work needs.

Our home in Oregon has 210 feet frontage on the Rough River which is at least 100 MPH water on a fair day. Sure would like to have something other a Jet Sky to play with there.

Later, Howard Sr.

2-C is Johnny Craven at the 1952 Stock Nationals in Oakland, Howard is in the Swift...
Results of 1955 Stock Nationals from Speed and Spray Magazine,

Howard had his helmet painted white and maroon...always a CLASS ACT.

When we raced at Kemper Campbell Lake, before California bought it and made us quit racing there...Roger would frequently come to the races and invite us to his Apple Valley Inn...

Howard Thompson was the man to beat in D STOCK HYDRO in REGION 12..

Quote from Howard: "Found this on an APBA site, must be in the 50's for the motor is a KG-9 which was produced in that era. Very similar to the one I used in D Hydro in stock outboard racing but with a shorter lower unit. Plus pictures of myself and the Swift D Hydro 2US with a similar 2 cycle motor, 1955 also."

Later, 73 Howard

Howard Thompson was a phenom of domination, like I’ve never known in boat racing. He wasn’t more than 4 or 5 years older than me, but he was great. He got a little BU Runabout in about ‘53. I don’t think it had a 20H, probably a KG7. The picture doesn’t show. He only raced it a few times, and won the Needles Marathon.

Winning the Needles Marathon in BU then was like no comparable win today. There were probably 200 BU entries. (Maybe only 190). But Howard won, as he always did.

By 1954 he got into D-Stock Hydro with a KG9. It was a tough class, with many graduate BU drivers. Eliminations, down to 12 boats, were common place, but Howard always won—with straight heats.

When I got un-drafted in ’55, I got a new C-D-F-X Swift, and won the first alky race 3 days later. My dad had 2 D engines, a KG9 and a Mark 40H. My job, of which I’d been told for about a year was to show Howard Thompson what we “Big-Time” Alky drivers could do.

Everybody welcomed me back home. I really never was that popular and Howard wasn’t that unpopular, but somebody needed to beat him. Well, I didn’t do it. I seldom showed him anything but my bow handle as he looked over his shoulder. I beat him maybe one time for every four or five times he beat me.

He only raced a few years and quit. He ran his own show. He didn’t have a father, uncle, or any kind of mentor to guide him. The above picture shows 2-US on his boat. That number was not available in those days to just anybody who went to a lot of races. It was not for a class but for all Stock Outboards—Hydro and Runabouts, meaning about 2,000 contestants.

His bio looks like he has achieved some pretty good success in his life, which doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m just glad he doesn’t have a grand daughter who races Js and As now.

This had to be 1955 or 1956. Howard was still running his KG-9. He had re-decked his Swift. Howard was always fast.... Second place is Bill Dollar, I think and my brother is third...

Howard and the Job family were close. Howard married one of the two Job daughters...Bobby Parish married the other...Charles Job had a Rope Start KG-9 that Carl Myers had brought out here from Iowa, and my dad had gone through it and it was a ROCKET....While Howard was dating his future wife, he talked Charles out of the KG-9....That was always a fast motor. (A picture of it is on the front of an old Boat Sport Magazine)...Bob Davidson bought from Howard, and then Danny Morehouse needed up with it...

Think we could race there today???