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We slowed down again after the last election, but mainly I was missing some key photos and notes that I needed to keep things in order. I don't have everything I need, but I called some people and I have to get this thing back on track. I need to edit the previous thread because of somethings I found, and when I find the missing pictures, I will add them later, but I hope to be able to find them in the next few days to continue without having to backup.
Baldy, Jack and Velma were entertaining guests in whatever room they set up camp in. Velma had known Jack Chance, Clayton and Doris Elmer for more than a year, and so she had no trouble mixing in with the crowd. She had a gift of gab and an uncanny way of knowing what we would be up to as well. So she didn't have to be with us to know we would be O.K. I'm sure she probably met Johnny and Liz Dortch that night, and maybe a couple of others because she would come by Baldy's to see them whenever they came down for races. Velma also knew a number of the Lone Star boat racers that came to visit Baldy including pit men like Possum McGinnis and Clayton Elmer's Mom and Dad Ouita and Slim Elmer.
I don't remember what we did that first night. Probably got some supper and caught a movie. I do remember Friday night though....the night before the finals.
Baldy, Jack, Clayton and Doris stayed and ate at the Holiday Inn, and hung around with friends, or whatever they did....I don't know or remember. Us kids as were were thought of loaded up and drove to the famous Herbie K's. I say kids because our pit crew ranged in age from 14 to 19 years old. We probably all piled into Baldy's Chrysler Newport station wagon and filled it up. I don't remember if it had seat belts, but I know if it did, we didn't use them.
It was dark when we got to Herbie K's and the parking lot was full to the hilt. We got there at the peak...or maybe just a little before. We parked somewhere on the left, and as we approached the front, someone in our party read the red neon slogan beneath the larger Neon sign signaling that we found Herbie K's. I don't remember who made the comment or read it out, but it simply stated in neon script "World's worst service." We were all laughing, joking and having a great time, so we jounced in and stood in line to be seated. When the hostess asked "How many?" and I said "Ten", she realized the whole bunch of of us were young, and not an adult with us I guess who looked like he could pay. They were very busy, so she motioned for us to follow her while couples, and fourples ahead of us stood around. We followed her toward the back, but in the middle on the right was a private room for meetings, private parties, civic group luncheons, etc. She motioned us to a long table in the middle with one end facing the temporary door. It was one of those rooms that had accordion like doors that could be pulled back to open it up completly, or closed altogether for privacy. The hostess seated us then left with the dual sliding accordian curtain doors about a foot apart. She said she would send a waitress to take our orders.
We sat patiently talking to one another for about ten minutes. Then we began to get figety about ordering our food. Waitress after waitress passed the opening to our room within a few feet, but no one came forth. It was extremely busy now, and people were coming in, leaving, waitresses were going back and forth, bus boys were clearing plates and glasses, then coming back and wiping the tables off to seat the newly situated guests. We sat there growing hungry, and started to joke that the neon sign was right. It was terrible service. We figured they were trying to get the two's three's and four's out of the way quickly so they could do us a really great meal, all together at the same time. Finally, it was getting ridiculous. We were starting to get mad, and crazy at the same time. Someone, I don't remember who, said "Let's dance on the tables."
I was the oldest in our group at nineteen. Just behind me was Betsy Turcotte at a younger nineteen. Her brother Bud was eighteen. The next several were all seventeen or so. My brother Mark, Susan Turcotte, Jean Marie Huff, Mary Jane Sanford, and fifteen or less were Andy Turcotte, my youngest sister Jan and the youngest Turcotte...Marie. It was probably Marie who jumped up on the table and started dancing. The rest of us were on our feet whooping and hollering when a waitress passed by the opening and either hearing the noise, seeing the action or both, stopped in midstride and looked in. When she pulled the door panels open she had her mouth open and a very surprised look on her face. She stepped in and noticed right away as a waitress that there was not one glass of water on the table, no silverware, no plates, no menus, no nothing except a group of young people under semi control. She asked "Has anyone helped you?" I said "No...we've been here a long time, and we're hungry!" She said "How long have to been here?" I said "About half an hour." "And no one has taken your order?" And I told her we didn't even get menus or water yet. She asked "Why didn't you say anything?" I told her "Well...the sign said you had the world's worst service." She said "I'll send somebody with menus."
Right away we had two waitresses come in and pass out menus, then we got some water. Shortly after that, while we were looking over the menus, we got some appetizers. Then, before our meal came, we got two bottles of champagne, and glasses all around. The drinking age was eighteen in Louisiana and Betsy and I were the only ones of legal age, but that didn't matter to them. We split the two bottles up between the older of the pit crew which left out those below 16, but they didn't care.
I had eaten at Herbie K's before and after that time, but that's the only meal I remember.
CB Racing Team had secured our place in the pits. The next morning us guys were up early rigging up. Jack and Clayton liked the extra help too, especially since Charlie Bailey was pitting with us as well. The girls showed up a little bit later, but not too late. We were all there early waiting for the elimination heats to begin.
There was still some early time to be testing, and that we did. Floyd Hopkins had been working diligently on props for us just for Alex. Floyd lived close by, he had come down to Baldy's several times already since we got the rotary valve engines, and he had a good idea what we needed.
We tested, and Floyd checked props. I don't remember Charlie Bailey's part, but as far as CB Racing Team....whatever Baldy said....Floyd did.
It was billed as the "Southern Championships" but everyone that showed up knew it was the same as if it were the NOA World Championships. The NOA World Championships were not far off. Only in a month. No one held off at the chance of racing at Alex a month before however, not only to see how they stacked up, but also because this was the greatest all out alky racing venue of all time. Regardless of how the weather, or the course lay out was, or other factors came into play at other race sites.....at Alex you could hang it our for all to see, and figure out for yourself if you needed to go back into the shop, or work on props.
I had intended to talk to Clayton Elmer a couple of weeks ago to see what he remembered about the Southern Championships, but for sickness and other matters our main field hand was out for over two weeks. I know the outcome of what I wanted to ask Clayton, but I want to talk to Clayton first for his recollections to add some body and spice to what I remember. We got a big directional hole job going under a bay of salt water coming up tommorrow, but if it goes smooth, I may be able to talk to Clayton while I'm waiting. I do that with Joe all the time. When you're stuck out in the boonies two hours or more from a town, and you're waiting for hours on a service company....it's a cool thing to find that there is a cell tower close enough to get in contact with a boat racing buddy that can fill you in on the latest Boatracingfacts info.
I don't have complete results, but CB Racing Team did pretty good. We finished in the top three in six races and two members of the team finished in the top three in three classes. I won my heat of B hydro and Bob Hering won his heat of B Hydro. Bob held the previous record set the year before, and he and I both exceeded it, but Bob's time was the quickest. There were another couple of qualifying heats as well. In the finals Bob won the first heat and I finished third. Don't know who finished second, but it could have been Jerry Waldman. I won the second heat and Bob Hering finished second. My time was faster than the old record, so we figured I set the new B Hydro NOA competition record at 66.790. Bob won the championship followed by me then Earl Godcheaux from Opelousas, Louisiana with two fourth place finishes.
Next up for our team as far as finishes was Charlie Bailey in F Hydro. Jerry Waldman won convincingly with a 2-1 record and Charlie came in second with a 4-2 finish. John Griffin, form Tupelo, Mississippi won the first heat but was scored 0 for the second. Do not know if he jumped the gun, crapped out or was a DNS.
In A runabout Clayton Elmer drove my DeSilva. It was the best runabout, and first runabout we ever owned, and it was a good one. I won my first race with it, but I was never able to be a good runabout driver. Maybe if I started racing somewhere besides Texas, I might have stuck with it. Anyway, Clayton challenged Jerry Simison all the way around the race course both heats. Jerry had two firsts, Clayton a second and a third to finish second overall, and third overall was the great Bobby Olsen from Milan, Illinois with a 0-2 record. He was one of the ones to recon with with A Konigs. His were the fastest at the time.
I don't have the schedule in front of me but I'm looking at the Roostertail results. And I show B Runabout went to Jerry Simison with a perfect 1-1. This race I remember very well, and so did Clayton. The wind had picked up a lot in the afternoon, and it became overcast. It was very typical at Alex for thundercloads to build and move in around 1:30 or 2:00 in the afternoon and have a brief rainshower. It cooled things off for a half hour until the sun came out and the humidity drained the racers from up north. This time though it was a full blown event with dark skies and small whitecaps. No way was I going to run the 4 cylinder rotary valve B Konig on our 11-6 DeSilva, but Clayton liked that boat and he put his 4 cylinder rotary valve B Konig on it. I was even glad to be in the finals given the amount of competition, so I wanted to compete in B Runabout no matter what. Against all odds, we stuck our rotary valve B Konig on Clayton's CDF Morton runabout. It was very light compared to what I expected....but the length would prove to be invaluable. This was Baldy's idea. I did not want to drive in that rough water, but having qualified, Baldy figured out a way to keep us in
It may be that if runabouts in those days had high and narrow cockpits like hydros I could have learned to drive one. My biggest challenge in a runabout was to stay in a position where I could control it. The cockpits were so wide and low that I was always hanging on to the throttle and steering wheel to keep from sliding back, bouncing between the sides, and just being all over the place. Many times we had to replace the kneeling pad because the pad tore loose from the anchor screws with washers. So just to be in the B Runabout finals with all the top of the line drivers, we put the motor on Clayton's runabout.
It was a very rough ride to the starting line for everyone but me. That was the smoothest runabout ride I ever took. I wasn't as fast as Jerry Simison and Clayton Elmer who got to the turn first, but I didn't have to slow down either. Clayton was just outside of Jerry when they hit the first turn. They were side by side with Jerry on the inside when Clayton hit a hole. The DeSilva did not do any gyrations or anything strange...the bottom just hit what Clayton felt was solid bottom. The impact was so strong that it popped the stringers keeping the carbuerator float pins in place. It popped the floats on both carbs and Clayton flubbed out dead in the water.
I found myself chasing Jerry Simison. I couldn't believe it. It was such a smooth ride in such bad water. I wasn't being bounced around, although I had time to realize the cockpit of this boat was much bigger than mine. The difference was that it ran across the waves without bouncing so much because of the extra length. It was heavier than the guys behind me, but they could not handle the water. I don't remember what size boat Jerry was driving, but there was no way I could beat him because of his skills. I did however finish ahead of Bruce Nicholson, Freddie Goehl, Ralph Donald and others.
The second heat Jerry won again and Clayton finished second and this time I came in third for a second overall. Clayton finished third overall, and I think the rough water took it's toll I can still remember that ride in that Morton runabout. I have a picture in my mind of running down the front straightaway and no one close and Jerry Simison a good length ahead, approaching the judges stand and the boat being just so stable and smooth The next year, the B runabouts were all longer.
The final heat for a big finish for our CB racing team was F Runabout where Texans took the top three places. P.G. Stepleton from Baytown, Texas was first overall with a second and fourth, Charlie Bailey also from Baytown finished second with two thirds, and Bruce Nicholson newly transplanted to New Orleans was third with a 0 and first.
These results are published in the September 1968 issue of Roostertail on which Johnnie Sanders is featured on the cover in a runabout with a marathon fuel tank behind his seat.
From the Baytown newspaper. Ouita Elmer, Clayton's Mom was our press agent.
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