Bowden Development.... Fred Bowden
Fred Bowden...
<HR style="COLOR: #000000" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Sometimes, I wonder if I get too personal...if I do, we can always delete it...
The first time I remember Fred was at Stockton, 1979...I had a "HIGH DOLLAR" sponsor...motorhome, good equipment....
Fred showed up at this race with an old red Taylor MOD VP with a Johnson 200...everyone knew you needed a 235...and they worked on his truck, in the parking lot, all weekend. I thought to myself, "How does this sport attract THOSES kind of people??? He's trying to race a boat and doesn't even have a truck to get home with...".
Fred was an electrician, and had been laid off about this time... He and his late brother Larry, decided they buy a triangle piece of property on a freeway off ramp and build several buildings....Larry was a sheriff, but Fred needed a job...
I guess, we could say the rest is history...last I heard Bowden Development was building 300 to 600 homes a year, plus a high rise here and there...
I do know that when Eliminator Boats was trying to get their building done, that they were having troubles....the season was coming, Fred needed a race boat or two...Bob Leach asked Fred to help...and in short order, the factory was open...Fred was/is a man who gets things done.
Fred has opened his wallet to many, many new and old drivers...Sergio Calva, Chris Bush, John Castelli, Chad Hill to name a few. He was great competitor in MOD VP.
He has brought Todd, his son, through the ranks...Sport C, SST 60, SST 120 and now Champboat. I should add, Todd is about the nicest young man in the world....
Fred and his wife, Diane, have been married for a long time, but it seems they are still very close. At San Diego, every year, Bowden Development...throws a Pit Party...and everyone is invited....and I mean everyone...
Fred has been very loyal to Grand Prix Boats and Bruce Borequin. Their team runs the best equipment money can buy and Todd and Fred feel Grand Prix boats are the best.....Their ChampBoat standings show they are right...
Todd says it isn't true, but Diane says it is....Diane says that Todd had an autographed picture of Ron Hill when he was just a little guy....I choose to believe his mom...
The Bowden's are very active in ChampBoat Racing today and they plan to stay. Boat racing is lucky to have "THOSE TYPE" of people...
Thanks, Fred!!!!!
From Ron's Posts on SAF...
<TABLE class=tborder id=post185516 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=thead> #28
<!-- status icon and date -->http://forums.screamandfly.com/forum...n/post_old.gif 01-12-2003, 09:07 PM <!-- / status icon and date -->
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=alt2 style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><!-- user info --><TABLE cellSpacing=6 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap>Ron Hill <!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: postbit_onlinestatus -->http://forums.screamandfly.com/forum...ser_online.gif <!-- END TEMPLATE: postbit_onlinestatus --><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_185516", true); </SCRIPT>
Freakin' Screamin'
</TD><TD width="100%"> </TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap>Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Posts: 1,032
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- / user info --></TD></TR><TR><TD class=alt1 id=td_post_185516><!-- message, attachments, sig --><!-- message -->Good point about where these guys came from:
Let me try with Todd Bowden: Fred Bowden was an Electrician in 1978, when he had a Taylor Hull with a Johnson and ran Mod VP. It was at about this time that Fred got layed off. His brother, Larry, was a sherrif in LA County and an executive with an insurance company. They decided to buy a small piece of dirt where a freeway off ramp had just been made. Basically, the idea was to make enough money, for Fred, until he could go back to work as an electrician. Well, they made more than wages and Bowden Development was born. Through the rumor mill, I heard they built more than 300 homes last year.
Todd had been a fan since 1978 when he was five or six. His mother says his first signed (Autographed) picture from a boat driver was signed Ron Hill.....Todd tells me, he doesn't know if that is true...
Anyway, Fred bought Todd a Gran Prix Sport C and Todd drove it flawlessly. At the time, I said, "Man that Gran Prix is a hell of a boat." Not giving Todd really any credit. Todd moved to SST 60 where he also had several Gran Prix hulls but I never saw one of them out of shape when Todd was at the wheel.
Todd co-drove several Parkers when he was 21 ish... The Bowden Development Team ran APR "The Super League" for two or three years. Where he basically dominated. At this same time he broke all kinds of KILO RECORDS in OPC.
He's won the Parker (Shortened) Enduro just about everytime the last 6-8 years.
He has won several Formual One races. He was second in PROP points this year. Through it all, I never heard him bad mouth anyone. I've never seen him get mad at his team. He is a very humble young man. They (Bowden Family) have used Gran Prix boat almost exclusivly.
Mother, Diane, comes to all the races and is always WONDERFUL to everyone. They are a famliy that know how to work. They know how to play. Developing your OWN DESIGN isn't easy.
Fred has helped many a young racer, including my son. Fred's passion for boat racing carries over to Todd.
I should add: Fred didn't always run an old boat in MOD VP He had some of the hottest MOD VP's to ever hit the race course.
Tood has paid his dues. He's come from the smallest OPC Class to the biggest, he has to be consdered one of the best.....
Brother Larry, Todd's uncle, died two seasons ago and it was difficult for the family. But they continue to be a close family and continue to be true friends to boat racing...
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