Originally Posted by
Ron Hill
I ran the DeSilva at 74 MPH on my Keller. Jack out his Keller in the boat and he drove it. I said he saw 74 MPH, maybe 75. I said, "MY Glastron goes 67 MPH and I want to run it at Havasu. Jack wasn't happy with my decision. On the way back to my dad's house and on to LAX, I kept telling Jack that "Freddy Hauenstein, his dadn and brother, Jim, had been at Parker in the spring and that Freddy was a great driver, why don't you have Freddy drive the DeSilva and I can drive the Glastron.
Just as Jack was getting out of the car at LAX, he said, "Call Freddy and have him drive the DeSilva."
My "OLD MAN" wasn't sure why I'd drive a 67 MPH boat when I could run a 74 MPH boat. Havasu was about a month away and my dad worked on the DeSilva daily, getting it ready for Freddy.
When Thanksgiving weekend rolled around, it was decided that Jimmy would ride out with me and my dad with the DeSilva. Well, Jimmy and I weren't too "JIGGY" going to Havasu for four days with my mom and dad. So we told my dad we'd take Jimmy truck and follow them.
In those days, I dated a bar tender whose dad owned Mandel Shoes. She seemed to liek me and the drinks were always free. So, Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, Thursday, Jimmy and I went to "THE BAR" near SC (Where jimmy had actually been stabbed one time)....and had too much to drink, but the price was right.
Thursday morning my dad had us up a 7:00 A.M., though I wasn't to meet Jack Leek until Friday. So, we head out about 7:30 and had for my uncle's in San Bernardino. My uncle, in a "Festive Mood" offered us WHISKEY and sardines, it was 8;45 A.M. But it was Thanksgiving. After a few sardines.....and whiskies we head out for Havasu.
My dad is leading pulling the 20 foot DeSilva and Jimmy and I are following. Between free drinks the night before and whiskey for breakfast, I'm hoping for a good "NAP".....We are just getting to the desert, about 50 miles from my uncle's, we start seeing wheel nuts fly off. The trailer tire and wheel come off and pass up my OLD MAN.
Jimmy is out in the street finding some lug nuts, we get the wheel back on by hammering the nuts on the threads, but the wheel is back on and we are "COOL".
We get about 50 miles from Amboy and there is a car was smoke pouring out of it, so we stop to help the guy. We get the fire out and tell him we are leaving.....as my dad pulls back on the road, he runs over some cactus and blows the tire out on the trailer.
We have a "HELL OF A TIME" getting the wheel off because the thread are so screwed up for the wheel coming off, but we get it. The "OLD MAN" and jimmy say they'll go get a new tire in Amboy and I was to try to get the treads "Smoothed Out"...I pull a lug nut off the good tire and try to clean the threads. I have by now a 200 PROOF HANG OVER....Jimmy and my dad are gone about two hours, but they come back with a "PATCHED" tire. And we get the tire on.
We finally pull in to Havasu, dark, tired, hung over. We check into the Havasu city Hotel. Then, we head for "Crazy Ed's" the old bar in Havasu at the time. Jimmy and I notice we have a big room at the Hotel. I say, "Great I have some of my fraternity brother coming to stay with us."
We drink a few beers with Ray Nydahl, Mouse, Mac McDonald, maybe Bruce Summers and enjoy the evening.
The next day, several of my "FRAT BROS" show up and I tell them, we have the "COOL" hotel room. Freddy and his wife fly in and without me knowing it, are in my room.
Also, I don't know it, but this is Freddy and Linda's "HONEY MOON".....Linda still laughs about it, she says, "I spent my Honey Moon with Ron Hill and his Fraternity Brothers at Havasu...in the same hotel room". Little did I know that Jack Leek had booked Freddy and me in the same room.
The 1967 Havasu Outboard World Championship at Havasu was not sanctioned by UIM. My brother talked Bob McCullough about applying for a UIM World Championship. My brother was Region 12 Chairman of APBA. it wasn't until 1968 that Havsu became a UIM World Championships.
The race started with 126 boat crossing the starting line. About 30 minutes in, Ted may's Switzer Wing sank. About 45 minutes in to the 4 hours fo the two tday 8 hour race, my Glastron blew a hole in the side and bottom. I pulled into the pits figuring I was "DONE"....Ted May jumped into the boat and said, "It just has a hole in the side.....If it fils with wat just go wide and let it drain."
I went back out and rove for the first four hours with my Ray Nydahl motors and ended up one lap ahead. Jimbo, with a Ray Nydahl motor was leading the Single engine class. I won the Tin Engone class, Jimbo and Ted Msay won the Single engine class.
Fred had been in the pits and out of the its all day. No one could figure why the DeSilva wasn't running better. Freddy, 20 years later admitted, the waves from 126 boats were crazy and the DeSilva didn't handle that well...He said, I'd go run about two laps, and come in, ready to quit...Everyone would say, what is wrong??? and send me out again."
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