This race was considered historically as an OFFSHORE RACE, but it was an all outboard race with LEGAL OPC Classes.
I had raced for OMC at Parker in the spring of 1967 with a twin engine DeSilva. We didn't finish as we had gearcase problems, but I really enjoyed the race.
DeSilva's had build me a new 17" runabout for twin X-115, which were just coming out. I had never raced a closed course OPC race in my life, but my dad took the boat to Waukegan to get two motors installed, so we could race the OPC Nationals at Canton, Ohio (Before there was a football hall of fame)...
I was already in the Midwest with Harry Bartolomei's boats.
It was Saturday night, late at DePue, and I just had showered and was thinking of going back to bed, when I decided I hadn't eaten all day, so I slipped down to the Holiday Inn restaurant, barefooted, to just grab a snack.....from the kitchen... Well, I ran into Charlie Strang, his mother, Ann, and Jack Leek...Charlie was the motor inspector and Leek was just helping out...
I was like totally embarrassed, barefoot....an all...but I started talking like I was dressed for the occasion... Seems, the next week Jost had put together a Marathon from Chicago to Milwaukee to Chicago...Sponsored by Jim Moran, World's Largest Ford dealer and if I wanted to race in it, I'd have to go to the plant Monday morning and help rig the new 17' Glastron the Bob West of Evinrude had bought for me, for HAVASU (to run in November)...
I said my dad, mom and me we going to Waukegan to rig the DeSilva for Canton anyway...So, we'd be there with bells on...
Monday we got to Waukegan, and Harold Nauss told me I'd better run one motor on that DeSilva....as he figured I would probably kill myself with twins...
We had back seat steering, so I sat where you would if she was a kneel down runabout....So, we agreed to put one motor...
OMC said they could do the rest, on that boat, and my dad and mom left for my grandpa's in Arkasas....said they'd be back in a week and a half...
Burt and me started rigging the Glastron..Don't remember Burt's last name...
Tuesday morning I woke up sick with a burning fever. I went to the emergency room and told them I thought I was going to die.
The doctor gave me HORSE PILLS, at this time, I didn't care if I raced or nit, I just wanted to live. I had no clue if the boat got rigged or not...
I get to the plant about closing time and Mouse tells me to go to Chicago, to the Holiday Inn...I go back to my hotel and go to bed...Saturday, I drive down to Chicago...hardly able to move, but check in and maybe attend the driver's meeting...but don't recall, they may have let me miss because I was sick...
Sunday, I get to Navy Pier and all the boats are in the water...Leek asks if I'm going to race or stand there???? I tell him I'm not sure... Leeks looks at me like only Leek can look... I put on my jacket and helmet. I honestly didn't know how to get the motors started. Jack gets in and gets one going, tells me to get the other one going and jumps out on the dock, I head out toward other boats on one engine...not able to fire the other....
Finally, I say...Now wait, if one runs, so should the other. So, I shut off the one that runs...I can hear the starter isn't kicking it over... So, I put it in neutral, he she fires up, I drop her in gear and the other won't start...I see, I figure they need to be in neutral to start, finally, both engines are running and I put them both in gear..
She roars up on plane and I notice that all the boats are heading toward Milwaukee... So, I follow, it is so rough and I'm so weak, after about the third nose dive, and the second time I'm out of the seat I realize the waves are about 5 feet high....So, rather than cross the waves I decided I'd go down the troughs....I didn't know if I could get to Milwaukee that way, but was getting a good ride....I go about a mile offshore, then cross about a block of waves then go a mile offshore...about the third time I did this, I realized i was in second place...so I pulled in behind the leader for fear I'd get lost, it didn't seem long that a helicopter was over us....so we started following that, we came to a turn boat, and guys were waving flags, I had never seen Milwaukee by water, but the lead boat went right by the turn boat, I turned on the boat and started back to Chicago, the other Glastron with twin Merc turned as soon as they saw me, but now I was leading...
At this point my brain was thinking, I caught these guys and we are half way...I can win this...Well, I kept looking over my shoulder and they were coming but they were in catching me...I'd nosed in about every mile and fly out of the seat...After awhile I noticed that the deck went up when the bottom went down, til sometimes I couldn't see (The deck and bottom had delaminated.
I made it back to Chicago in 3 hours and one minute.... Charlie Strang still says this was the day Ron Hill carried the deck around his neck like a big collar.....
This was the first win for Strang's X-115...The first OMC win since Charlie had left Mercury....(A story in its self)...Carl protested the motors saying they had "RACING RINGS"...
Carl built the Merc BP because of this win...Carl called my brother the next morning at 5 A.M. and wanted know why his kid won a race with an Evinrude??? My brother told Carl his son was 3 and upstairs sleeping....(Carl thought he'd called my dad, the oldest Mercury Dealer in California)....Carl never spoke to my brother again....
Because of the medication I was on, the sun burned my arms and hands to second degree burns......I slept all day Monday and Tuesday....Then got ready to go to Canton to the OPC Nationals... I won a new Evinrude and 1/2 a year's teaching salary in the Offshore Race...I even got mentioned in John Crouse's book because of the win.
Sometimes, you get lucky when you get a late night snack!!!
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