Sorry that it's taken so long....
...I only have to finish up 1980, then do 1981 with a few extra comments. I was sure Part 2 would be enough, but we got into some interesting sidebars.:cool:
To continue the race at Yelm quoting from my notes. "I had debated about changing the lower unit before the first heat, but knowing how a change untested can effect a racing boat, I left the (this) one on it. I didn't feel like switching between heats because of the miserable weather although I knew the failure rate would be very high because of the abuse in the first heat. I didn't change oil either." I could kick myself for not getting out there and changing it, but that's the way it was. The 1:1 lower units were the ones that gave us the most problems.
Dick Rautenberg broached his boat coming into the start of heat 2. Dick was a very good driver so I suspect something gave up. Normally the race would have been stopped so I slowed down looking for the black flags. They didn't come out and I didn't get on full power until after crossing the starting line.
I got to the first turn in a very vulnerable position to get wet down, but I checked the other boats out and stayed inside. I tip-toed through the turn and came out fourth or fifth. I accelerated out of the turn and passed most of the ones ahead of me. I overtook the second place boat just before turn three. My pipes got jammed while I was chasing the leader Howard Anderson. As hard as I had been pounding down those corners, the bracket or something moved to the point that I could not slide pipes anymore. I had figured on passing Howard on the back straight on lap three. I didn't know where "Fireball" de Souza was but I knew that a first and a third would beat two seconds. So I pressed hard to catch and pass Howard.
Just before entering the first turn on lap three something didn't feel right. A quarter way through the turn the motor revved up as if I sheared a pin. I immediately eased off the throttle and it felt as if the pressed on gear had spun on the drive shaft then welded itself to the drive shaft. The prop grabbed and the motor was again under a load. I applied more throttle and gingerly came out of the turn and made it down the back straight. I didn't know at the time that de Souza had lost a plug wire and was cruising in last place. Had I known that I would have not pushed so hard and would have been running just hard enough to keep everything together and enough points to win. I could have won the nationals with just a fifth place. The unit might have given up anyway but pushing hard just made it happen sooner. As I was coming up on the exit bouy of turn four and close to beginning the final lap, the unit gave up. It cost me a national championship, but I give that up for the ride I got in the first heat.:D
Debbie still cooks Richard....
....and it's good. Next time she stirs up some Johnsonville italian sausages with sauteed peppers and onions, I'll take pictures and give the recipe. Really good.
The next day we had the 48mm carb 700cc motor on Vibora de Cascabel for a record attempt. We still had Marshall Grant's D with us, which I think at that time was still the more powerful engine, but we could not shut off the water. I think it was coming between the sleeve and block at an exhaust port and not at one of the heads.
I got a good start this time but the motor wouldn't accelerate very good. Going into turn one on lap three the water hose came off the front cylinders and it lost power. I checked over my right shoulder to make sure I didn't cut in front of anyone and drove straight ahead into the pits where we began swapping back to Marshall's old "F". We had previously put on another 1:1 lower unit on it. We had just completed rigging it up in time for the record attempt.
We had our Kilo Seebold D wheel on it which worked good when the pipes could slide, but we weren't able to free the pipes enough to be assurred they would work underway. So we tied them all the way forward. It accelerated very slowly with this setup, but we had no choice as we needed top end. I got a great start and ended up with a new 1 1/4 mile record at 84.484. Had we been able to slide the pipes I estimated the record could have been 86-87. I noted further in my notes that "If I would have been well excercised & not have(ing) tired out & been able therefore to hold the boat on the bouys, I believe I could have averaged 88-89 mph". I used to excercise everyday and drive down the road squeezing a gripper tool to keep my throttle and steering wheel grip in shape. I had gotten away from the habit and it hurt our performance.