5 Attachment(s)
Russ Hill's Epiphany on Boat Racing's Future
My brother wrote this EPIPHANY several years back, and made me promise to only show it to the Hill Family. Well, my brother has passed on, but I feel his words need to be spread the future boat racers. Tana Moore felt this Epiphany might be more of an EPITAPH, both are about the same.
Recently Ade Bloomfield bought two Ever Crafts from Australia. These boat are class 6 Liter and are an approved UIM Class. State of the art boats, with DODGE Penske NASCAR motors and capsules. This is a class my brother would have embraced. There is a least one electric motor company actively supporting boat racing.
Here it is:
Russ Hill's Wisdom and even more reforms needed
I only spoke to Russ a few times and that was during the last year of his life. He had encyclopedic knowledge about all aspects of our sport. He was helpful, a clear thinker and a friendly person. Some of what Ron shared of his notes is what he told me. I was of the same mind years before before I started to talk with Russ and many of my BRF posts make many of the same points. I have some additional thoughts as well.
When I quit racing the main reason was infighting and acrimony that persisted for many years and got progressively worse amongst the driver groups in region 11 where I was living at the time. I think that the infighting took a big toll causing my quitting because when I quit I was racing three classes, mentoring 3 new drivers, was an APBA referee and race organiser and the past vice commodore of the local club. The kind of persistent infighting that turned me off still goes on in APBA and its clubs, no matter what the cause. For example it grieves me to see the ranks of the Crackers so splintered.
I tried to return to racing and still consider it and although I remain an avid spectator I still have some resistance about a return. Part of it is due to my age, I admit. Here is my list for outboards: infighting, no electric starting, no seats, too few competitors, antiquated technology, expense, to many remote race locations, courses are too long and wide and not close to spectators in many cases, excessive speeds in the larger classes and safety.
My attempt to return to racing a few years ago was to my mind a fiasco. For my tastes and concerns it seemed like Sport C was perfect. Several region 11 drivers recommended one rig as an available fairly priced and competitive. I purchased it. I tried to compete at Cooperopolis. Folks were very helpful. Ron loaned me a great wheel, RJ helped me with setup and someone else loaned me a helmet. Darryl helped by storing my rig. The first heat I did not get started because I failed to know or remember to open a gas tank vent. By the second heat I was unconscious from sunstroke with some longer term health problems from the 105 degree heat.
I was prepared to continue my return to racing in Sport C irrespective of my flawed re-debut. Then I learned the truth: the rig that everybody had recommended to me was not legal. It had been ported beyond APBA specs and everyone that recommended it to me knew it but never told me. Then I learned that they all had done the same thing to be competitive but some had truly stock power-heads just to go to races where they were sure to be inspected. The leader in the class had sent his motor back east for $5,000 of legal rebuilding in this supposedly "stock" class. It was the lack of honesty of the drivers particularly from those who encouraged me to buy the rig, the sham of calling it a stock class and finally the fact that all Sport C races were in Norcal and I lived in SoCal that prompted me to withdraw from racing a second time. After that I strongly considered reentry again in COR but there were problems for me in that class. I was not comfortable for what seemed to be dangerously high straightaway speeds for open cockpits. I also noted that the winning rigs required an investment north of $12,000. Finally to win, one could not buy a whole motor but had to find and piece together a professionally prepared 120 competition motor to a club foot.
I have a few more notes to share.
I enjoyed old alky racer's post very much. It takes me back to those great old alky races. I agree about the thrilling noise. I loved watching the FRRs that were so very exciting. Their deep-throated growl. One point of disagreement about his comments about M hydro. In the early days, as slow as they were spectators loved the class because it was populated by a rarity in those days: women drivers. THe races in the 50s and 60s were fun for the social and camping aspects despite the infighting aspects.
I like the 6 litre boats that Marlee helped bring to Long Beach. I agree that they could be the future for big inboards for those who can afford the price. Their engines are big bore and they are not a big bore in competition. Like everyone else I love seeing the K boats in action and the 6 litre class seems almost as exciting and a bit safer when I consider that half the K boats are flat bottoms and many still don't have capsules. I thrill and cringe every time the un-capsuled Ks are in a heat.
For safety and good looks I like the idea of fiberglass factory-built v shaped like the aussies small displacement outboard and inboard jet classes. Sorry about that, Ron.
Although his post has focused upon many things that need changing in boat racing I point to one bright spot. Here in region 12 many races are well run and a spectators dream. They surpass most of the events that I have spectated at or participated in since I was a lad in 1955. Although good heats well populated by enough drivers are rare, very few people across the US and for all of racing history have been witness to the thrill of the Crackerboxes and the modern K boats.
Even though they were too fast and hard to put together for me the COR racing has been superb bright spot in outboards right up until the accident. The Long Beach course has excellent spectator attendance and is wonderful and exciting for spectators to view. San Diego is from time to time racing nirvana. Where else in the US, the entire world or throughout history can you see outboards, inboards, unlimiteds, pwcs, drags and ocean racers at one event on a course in a major city next to a beautiful 2500 acre park next to the ocean with 30 to 50 thousand spectators?
I still am waiting to drive in that truly stock, out of the box, affordable, easy to buy new, sit-down, electric starting, not too fast, well populated, inboard or outboard racing class in a club with sellers that do not deceive with a sanctioning body and club that is not in constant turmoil and conflict. That is a tall order and expecting too much, I know. Never-the-less I hope it comes in my lifetime for me to drive in or at least to watch if age catches up with me.