Jimmy "Freeway" Ablott

[Ron Hill]

Jim "Freeway" Ablott

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Jim Ablott is a name I almost forgot. When Ted and started Boatracingfacts we had a sincere desire to have every boat racer, living and dead, to be listed on BRF.

The sport of boat racing has had many colorful people over the years. I met "Freeway" at a P.R.O.P Tour Formula One race. But may have known himf from some other racing besides Formula One.

He was from Seattle area, and as I heard the story, Seattle being like Southern California, has freeways in all directions. I heard that "Freeway" carried his boat on top of his Corvette and had little onr no help to get his boat off the roof, so, he just left it on. Boat racers would report to each other where they saw "FREEWAY", like on the 55 or the 91.

I was told by "Freeway" that that story was bull****, that he pulled his boat with a Corvette and when he left one race he had wet clothes, and he drove to the drove banquet, non stop, but changed his clothes on the freeway, in his car, when he got to the trophy banquet, he got out with a tuxedo on!

After that he was called "Freeway". I liked my story better but, I never let facts get in the way of a good story!.

add:

Ted May was kind of a SoCal "FREEWAY" as many people would see Ted with his Ranchero and Scotti racer boat on the back all over Southern California. Many thought Ted's boat trailer was actually welded to his Rancero! As no one every saw Ted without his boat...Ted loved boat racing!

[brichter]

Did he run Formula 100 in the late 80's with a merc in-line, rough looking white boat????

I think he was at Kankakee maybe 87 or 88.

[comprecbrkr]

yes he did , cheers lee .

[boater42071]

I raced against Jimmy Ablott in the late 80's - met him at Kankakee in 1988. He DID pull his boat to the races with a Vette; slept in his car; etc. One of the nicest guys I've ever met. Good PR guy for grass roots boat racing.

[MN1]

Would this be his boat and girlfriend? Both were real nice.
Mark

[boater42071]

Never met a girlfriend, but I wouldn't be surprised if she'd look like that:-). Not much of the boat is pictured, but it was white, kind of ragged, and seems like he had a 3 digit number. I want to say when I raced him, he ran an XS or even an older 115 "clamshell" type cowling. I remember he easily lived up to his "freeway" name. Wild and loose, Charles Manson like:-)....sorry Freeway:-). Good times.

[smittythewelder]

Until two or three years ago, I used to run into Freeway, usually at the local pizza place in Burien, a southern 'burb of Seattle. Never had known him or known of him before, but maybe twelve years ago I was standing next to a big guy with wild curly hair who had some sort of racing jacket on, and we got to yakking. Drives an older red Jag V-12 sedan, would like to get into racing again if he could find some sponsor money. A character, fun to talk with.