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Thread: Byrne/George Taylor Family Racing History -- 1948 to 1963

  1. #21
    Sam Cullis Mark75H's Avatar
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    We are having fun too ... this is great!

    I think you've got the scan and post thing down pretty well ... they look great now
    Since 1925, about 150 different racing outboards have been made.


  2. #22
    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    Default Looking good George

    I agree with Sam wholeheartedly. I've been doing some research in old magazines for info that Mike Ward needs regarding John Ward Trophy races from back in the 50's and while carefully thumbing through those crumbling mags I found a couple of articles mentioning your wins and one with a pic of you accepting a trophy. When I get the computer fixed I will post it here.



  3. #23
    Allen J. Lang
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    George, keep the posting coming as they are great, especially us old timers.

  4. #24
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    EZ here again -- with some more memory's of my "misspent" youth!

    How about this really "old" program!
    When I discovered it, I wondered "why would this be in my dad's collection" ?
    Then I opened it up and realized why. My dad and others in our boat club organized a lot of races back in the day. And he used this program as a way to "block out" how they wanted to organize the ads for the program that they were preparing.

    You can see some of his ink marks on the front.
    I copied one of the inside pages (see below). You can see his handwriting all over it, blocking out the areas and sizes of the ads they had sold. It was marked like this on every page of the program.

    Look at the page and note the name Ralph Hagood on the entry list.
    Ralph is the guy that maintained my dad's racing Johnsons until Dad started using Walt Blankenstein, when he moved to
    Florida.

    Ralph Hagood was one of two of the three Hagood Brothers that were involved in racing.
    Tommy Hagood was the B Stock Hydro champion in 1951, if my recall is correct.
    The three brothers were named Ralph, Jerome and Tommy.
    Their dad started the first Mercury Motor Dealership in Orlando, I believe in 1949 or 1950.

    They rented a space from Bob Lester's Welding Shop. Bob is the guy that built up my Dad's short track stock car racers.
    (Yes, my dad was a "racing" nut!)
    He didn't drive them. My mom wouldn't let him. But he had a good friend, Phil Orr, who was a great driver, and won a lot of races for my dad.
    I also raced the stock cars from time to time after I turned
    14 -- but my mom never knew about that. Or my dad would have been "dead meat", believe me!

    That's it for now -- enjoy,
    EZ
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  5. #25
    Team Member Danny Pigott's Avatar
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    Default Seba

    I remember George an Doc. as most people called his Dad.They raced some SEBA races tn SC an Ga.they did very well at the races i saw. I hope George can tell more History of SEBA very few people seem to know much about it.

  6. #26
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    Hi Danny and everyone else following this thread.
    A few more musings from EZ --

    "I remember George an Doc. as most people called his Dad".

    I laughed when I read your comment Danny! My dad HATED being called "Doc" at the races. But he was stuck with it! He never complained to anyone but my mom and I. He wanted to be known as Byrne when he was at the races. When he went racing he wanted to leave his MD badge behind. But he was never able to.

    As I got older I understood why. He wanted to separate his being an MD during the week from his status as a boat racer on the weekends. Racing was his "safety valve".
    A place where he could blow off all the steam that built up during the week.
    And he was a totally different person at the races that what he was like as a doctor.
    At the races his language was a lot like a "sailor" when things didn't go his way. At home that was a TOTAL "no/no". Decorum was the rule!

    When I was a youngster I didn't understand this, as I was a racer "all" the time. That's all I did -- except go to school. My life consisted of going to school, coming home and dealing with preparing all our equipment for the next weekend of racing.
    I was living in my "dream" world 24/7. But Dad was having to live in the "real" world - except on the weekends. Then he was able to slip into his "alternative universe" as a racer until he got back home on Monday morning.

    I imagine everyone reading this thread understands the "alternative universe" you move into as soon as you pack everything up and head out for your next racing challenge.
    I know I sure did!
    As I reached adulthood, from the time I would leave for an event I was no longer George -- I was "Ezryder" -- and I was in the "Ezryder time warp".

    You can't imagine how many friends I "pissed off" temporarily when it was getting time to go racing.
    My concentration level was so high that I could be walking through the pits, have friends acknowledge me, and never even realize they were addressing me.

    But the best part of all was after the race starts and you get into the "zone" where everything that's happening turns into "slow motion". When that happens, your in business!
    You can do "no wrong". At least "most" of the time! However I do have numerous broken bones to prove your not always successful at reaching the "zone"!

    Superstars get into the "zone" every time out. That's why their Superstars.
    Mortals like me don't get there every time out -- but we DO
    get to the "Emergency Room" more ofter!!

    Enough musings for now ..

    I've attached some more clipping from my youth--

    For the life of me I can't remember what boat that was that I was driving with the Merc Hurricane w/ standard unit? "CRAFT" disease I guess!

    The other clippings cover the only boat race ever ran on Lake Faraview. We lived on that lake. And I did a lot of "testing" there. But mostly stock outboard stuff. When we tried to test our alky's we usually attracted the Gendarmes and had to cease and desist!

    Oh, by the way -- The clipping that has the headline "Orr Captures" is the results from the stock car races that weekend. Phil Orr drove my dad's stock car. That was one
    "way kool" race car! It was a '34 Ford with a flat head Ford
    V8 with Eddlebrock heads installed.
    Enjoy!
    EZ
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  7. #27
    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    You have a very good way with words in telling us of your youth George. All of us kids growing up at sometime yearn to drive a car, then when it comes....we get into the hot rod stage. But boats are different. There's something about the sensation of speed on the water, and I can tell that from your story...you felt it as a youngster. That drove you to become the racer that you were "all the time". I'll bet that most boat racers have felt the Zone you accurately describe. I have seen, and have photos of, the top drivers who shouldn't be too worried.....zoned out like they were trying to sleep before a heat. Once you get on a plane and start looking for which bouy you want to pass before milling ahead of the start, that zone you mention kicks in.

    The thing about your Dad is most true. My Dad could get away, and did, but his name didn't bring up his occupation. It just goes to show the character of your Dad that even though he didn't like it...he never mentioned it to anyone other than you guys. Their generation was like that. For you to tell us makes for all the more interesting story George.



  8. #28
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    Hi Wayne,
    Thanks for the kind words about my musings! I hope everyone is enjoying them. Lots of the details are coming from memory's reborn when I started reviewing all the notes, clippings, and photos that I have not reviewed in MANY years!

    My Dad and I were always very close. I was never as close to my mother as I was with my Dad. As I progress with my story, everyone will come to understand why.

    My Dad and I were very strong willed individuals. And this led to many confrontations between us at races.
    Dad was "always right" and I thought I was "always right".
    So we would have these heated exchanges at the races. And I'm sure a lot of our racing friends truly thought we hated each other. That was not the case!!!
    Dad usually "was" right and I was wrong. But every once in a while I would be "right". It was sure cool when THAT happened -- cuz it didn't happen often!
    Whatever the case, even though we would go head to toe, then turn around and just walk away, within five or ten minutes, all was forgotten, like it never happened, and things were "back to normal".

    As a side note --- How many females do you know that can do that? --- But that's a story for another time
    Humm !! Do I detect a "brickbat" headed my way??

    That's it for EZ's musings for tonight.
    More later,
    EZ

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    Hi to everyone from Ezryder.
    Just wanted to let everyone know that for the next month I will not have time to post on a regular basis.

    I'm currently spending a lot of time in my race shop getting my Yamaha GP bike all set up to race at Daytona on March the 1st and 2nd.
    I've retired from riding myself, but will be sponsoring a young friend of mine that will be able to hold up the banner of 2Old Racing.
    I'm looking forward to playing the roll of team manager rather than rider.

    Stay tuned! After Daytona I'll get back on track with my musings.

    For now, I'll write up some updates on my preparations for Daytona.
    And I'll also post my annual "Daytona Reports" that I've been doing for the last 15 years during the course of "Bike Week".
    Enjoy!
    EZ

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    Default First "Daytona Report for 2010"

    Hi Everyone,
    Here's my first report, as promised earlier.
    Boy, I've been in a Tizzy for the last week, for sure!

    2010 Daytona Report #1

    Hi Everyone!
    Well, it's Daytona time again -- and I'm "pumped"!! As most of you know, this is my 51st year of racing at Daytona International Speedway.

    I'm no longer riding -- I retired after my 50th year, but my trusty Yamaha TD3 250cc GP bike will still be in the F250 races come the first and second of March. My close friend, Chris Spargo, will be handling the riding duties.

    This will be my first experience at being an "owner". I always said that if I wasn't capable of riding the bike, most likely I'd "quit" cold turkey! Didn't work! I still LOVE tuning the bike to go racing, even though I'm no longer riding!
    Once a racer, ALWAYS a racer, even if your "over the hill" !! hehe

    I've been busy getting the bike ready over the last couple of weeks. And all the work is just about finished. And it will
    be finished by tomorrow!

    Then on Saturday, Hooterville will "host" a bunch of my racing friends that are down to go racing at Daytona. Gonna "treat"
    them to "George's Custom Chili". And it's a "Texas Chili" that will melt your gonads!! hehe
    Hope they enjoy it.

    Then on Sunday morning we head out for Daytona and Tech Inspection time. The Monday and Tuesday are RACE days!!
    HALLALULIA !! I "LOVE" Daytona race time!
    Been do'n it now for 51 of the 71 years I've been around!!!

    Stay tuned -- more later.

    The "Grey Fox" of Daytona

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