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Thread: Ron Hill Has Not Left The Building 2005-2017

  1. #121
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    Default Scotti`s racing accident in the Paris race.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Hill View Post
    Scotti carried his prop with him at the Miami 225 that he won, and the 1970 Havasu Outboard World Championships when he finished third, I think with a single engine. The night before the 1970 and 1971 I had dinner with Scotti, at Havasu, and he had his prop with him. 20:20 hind sight, I should have kept my OMC props in my hands...

    Scotti "Spoke" boat race, and so did I. I didn't speak Italian. Life was good for Scotti, none of us expected that he'd be killed racing in Paris. In the early days when we raced Paris, we ran 70 MPH, when Scotti was killed 100 plus MPH was the norm.

    It was a new world in those days...hard to blame anyone for the deaths and destruction.
    I was in that race and new where the accident had taken place when I finished driving my boat and returned to the pits I was told it was Scottis outfit that had hit the wall at high speed I can`t remember if we had been told he had been killed at that time I remember being told about the accident by Freddi Miles who happened to be spectating on the Isle of Swans down the centre of the circuit he was with another british driver Peter Inwood who was a Harley st dentist they managed to get to Scotti who had been thrown out of his boat and had landed high up on a wall they went to help him. Freddi said he was alive but was struggling to breath so they removed his helmet and made sure he didn`t choke they waited for the ambulance to arrive after 15 minutes Freddi was worried no medical help had arrived so he had a movie camera with him and took pictures of the scene showing the time on his wristwatch Freddi was very upset it took such a long time for any help to arrive.I think they later said they could not get near because of the crowds I never new what the inquest said or how bad he was injured.
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  2. #122
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
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    Default We bought a new trailer for our pro buggie

    OUR NEW PRO BUGGIE RACE TRAILER... We have been having fun racing our Pro Buggie. She'll haul three cars.
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    Last edited by Ron Hill; 06-01-2015 at 05:38 PM.

  3. #123
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    Default The Tail Lights Went Down the Road

    Well we sold our old trailer...and the tail lights went down the road.
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  4. #124
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    Default Glen Helen Saturday Night, July 9th at 5 P.M. Signature Propeller's Pro Buggy

    Well, Lucas Regional Races will be on TV, Saturday night and I will try to remember what the name is...Lucas Oil Regional Off Road races. 12 classes, races start at 5:00.

    Gunner Kenndy will driving our Mod Kart and Chad will be driving our Funco Pro Buggy.
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  5. #125
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    Default Pro Buggy at Glen Helen July 22-23, 2016


  6. #126
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    Default Pro Buggy Costs

    We made a conscience decision to quit boat racing. We'd had about five deaths in five years, we lost Puddingstone (30 minutes from home). And we could only race at the river between October and April 1. And we always seem to race from dawn to dark. So, Greg Foster had a Pro Buggy, and Chad started doing his home work.

    We found that they use a Eco Tech Chevy, four banger. With the required fuel injection and header, a sealed motor is $4,000. We ruined one by hooking the oil lines on backward. So, we bought a Junk Yard motor for $800, and got it sealed from the price of a prop.

    Chad bought an Alumi Craft with no motor or transmission and a bunch of extra tires. ($16,000).

    Then, we bought Greg Foster's for $24,000, because it looked too complicated to hook everything up. As it turned out Foster's car wasn't very good. So, we put the engine and Transmission in the Alumi Craft and sold the Foster car down New Zealand way and we made a profit on it.

    The Alumi Craft ran really well but Chad wanted a Funco. So he called Funco and they didn't want to build him a car, and besides they charge $110,000 for a "Race Ready" car. As it turned out Funco needed some casting and three months later we had a Funco.

    We solded the Alumi Craft for some undisclosed amount of cash and we took in a $50,000 Mod Kart as part of the deal.

    A transmission is $30,000 new but like gearcases a good one with good parts show up now and then.

    An Alumi Craft is also $110,000.

    Chad rolled the Funco three times, and had he not gotten out of the Buggy (He was thinking boat race) he could have finished.

    So, how much does a Pro Buggy cost? I'm not sure. Foster had owed me 6 grand for almost four years.......no big deal but.

    We've raced 17 times I think, race before last we had 15 kids in our pit crew under 5. We really had some much fun and met so many people it is cool. We traded props for close to $4,000 worth of work. 50 miles from home, races run from noon to 5, (Day races) Night Races 7-11.

    And after making the fastest laps of last weekend PRO RACE, we could sell that FUNCO for $110,000 today. There are only six of them.
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 07-28-2016 at 05:08 PM.

  7. #127
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    Default Why We Quit Boat Racing

    Dean, watch this video and ask yourself how close to being run over was the driver who spilled? No capsule. No seat belts. This video tells me we made the right move to Off Road Racing.\. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKRKFLbdaIY NASCAR type roll cage, seat belts, on board fire extinguishers, Hans Device, window netting.
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 07-31-2016 at 08:05 PM.

  8. #128
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    Default A Note from Ken Boyd in Hawaii

    Hi Ron,
    This is Ken Boyd in Hawaii. I don't know if you remember me. I sent
    you a video of my modified class C tunnel hull, powered by a stock 70hp
    Evinrude, with you four blade clever (a beautiful prop).
    In 2011 I had a moped accident, resulting in a compound fracture of my
    right tibia and fibula. I am finally (after several botched surgeries,
    and two and a half years of pain, misery, disillusion, and the
    introduction of various forms and shapes of metal into my body), I am
    85% healed.
    My boat has been out of the water from 2010 till now. More than six
    years! It pains me to realize that. I also haven't been to the BRF
    website in some years now.
    On a good note, while I was convalescing, I located and bought a 75hp
    Johnson Stinger. The plan is to replace the Evinrude with this engine.
    What is holding me up now is a lack of knowledge, on my part, of how to
    replace the Teleflex steering system with a conventional and racing
    style cable steering system. I have all of the parts except for the
    helm. I don't know how to make a helm or how to set the system up
    properly. Any help would be appreciated. I'm a Porsche mechanic, so
    building that should be no big deal, but the fear of the unknown is
    holding me in check.
    We (my wife and myself) have moved to a house, that is less than a
    mile from a boat ramp. I'm wasting a great opportunity.
    If you had not sent this email, it might have been more years before I
    got back into this project. Thanks for the inadvertent wake up call! I'm
    going to visit the BRF website as soon as I finish this email. I reached
    70 years of life in May this year. I appreciate the happy birthday
    emails from BRF.
    Thanks Ron. Hopefully we will meet in person one day.
    PS. I'm also still hang gliding.

    Ken, I'm 72 3/4 (11/12/2016). Like my dad said, "Flying is for the birds." Or like I say, "I don't care how high I get as long as I can keep one foot on the ground."

  9. #129
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    Default January 1, 1961: Valley Speedboat Association Presents Boat Races at Long Beach, CA

    Because January 1st came on Sunday, my brother had the idea to put on a boat race that day, as the Rose Bowl, Rose Parade and other events were scheduled for Monday.

    Valley Speedboat Association had come about because when Lenny Newman and his partner Frank Priess got the contract for TV races they didn't want to go through the expense of using the United Speedboat Association (1955-56). With 39 weeks of TV racing the VSA had a pretty large bank account. Even though, boat racing in SoCal continued to draw many boats at each race after 1956, 1956 was the high in boat counts.

    By 1960, VSA was kind of down on their luck. The USA, with Bob Martin as Race Chairman, was working with Salton City and getting sponsored races.

    Other than the fact my brother wrote the VSA's By-Laws, I'm not sure why he ran for Commodore.

    So, he VSA scheduled a race January 1, 1961 and most people thought he was crazy. But SoCal weather has funny ways, especially in the winter and the weather turned out to be in the 80's, like the Rose Parade usually is. In those days, races didn't start til noon for noise. Many racers who hadn't really planned to race, woke up to a sunny day and hauled out to the race.

    VSA had 1961 club cards ready, and everyone that raced had to be a member of an APBA club. The VSA made money on the race and they got almost every racer in SoCal to join VSA.

    Well, this race was fun, Jimbo, Ernie Dawe, maybe Ted Hartley and myself went to Disneyland for New Year's Eve, we bought red top hats and wore them at the race. We thought we were COOL.

    But the USA wasn't happy, because when they put on their first race, everyone was a VSA member.

    So, my brother suggested a merger between the VSA and the USA. He suggested the name Southern California Outboard Association. My brother also, suggested electing Danny Schwarzenbach as Commodore. Danny was popular with all the drivers. With Danny as Commodore, "The Hills" wouldn't be running the races.
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 12-30-2016 at 07:38 PM.

  10. #130
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    Default John Rinker and Ron Hill

    I first met John Rinker, I think at the Winnebagoland Marathon, 1954. He was driving a Famous Craft, I think. He'd go up some little channel wide open and make and "U" turn without ever cracking the throttle. John would have been 14-15 years old, I was ten. Jerry Rinker says there is a good chance I did meet John there.


    Over the next 20 years or so, I saw John now and then at the boat races.


    In 1976, i raced the Stock Nationals in Hinton, West Virginia and then went to Dayton, Ohio for the OPC Nationals. Over the years when I had seen John he didn't look like he had much money and I knew little of Rinker Boats. At Dayton, John was racing Sport E with a "HOME MADE" Boat and an Evinrude 75 HP. He was driving an OPC boat, but he was kneeling like a Stock Outboard Boat. I started talking to him, he didn't seem to have much of a crew, so I started helping him. I had been selling quite a few OPC propellers, but John had not bought any.



    Anyway, John ran the first heat and got a solid second and looked to have a little speed on the winner. I said, "John, if you'd get a good start and be on the inside, you can win this thing."


    Well, John gets a great start, on the inside and just as he gets to the first turn buoy, he blows over backwards and breaks his back.


    As I'm driving back to California, I keep saying to myself, "If you'd have kept your mouth shut, John wouldn't have broken his back.


    I don't see John til Havasu, 2 1/2 years later. I kind of "Run Up" to him and says, "Wow, I'm so glad you are walking and all. I've felt bad for two years thinking I caused you to break your back." John looks at me and says, "Best thing that ever happened to me." I just stand there and stare at him.


    John says, "Well, I was in production and after I got hurt, I went around and talked to me y dealers. They wanted new boats. I came home and made them new boats. I never went back into being production manager. We built 3,500 boats last year." John's handball buddy who was always with John, said, "No, John you built 3,700 boats." I about "CRAPPED" as I figured Rinker boats built about a boat a week.


    Last Add John Rinker:


    So, John calls me and asked me to work on a Jet impeller for Kankakee, Illinois Nationals. He says he has a V-6 Merc on a jet. John next day air's me the impeller, I work on it and next day air it back. He sends me another one, next day air. I work on it, not knowing if I helped the last one. I send it back next day air. I never considered charging him but I don't hear anything from him. About a year later, I see him and ask, "How'd you do in that Jet class?" He says, "Oh, I never told you? I won easy."


    LAST, Last ADD: Jerry Rinker is going to Christ College in Costa Mesa, California, 1965 or so. I'm going to college in Arizona. My mom and dad become friends with Jerry as Costa Mesa is 10 miles from Garden Grove.

























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