Lake Saguaro, Phoenix, Arizona: Russ Hill Led Hugh Entrop
I wasn't old enough to drive "Alkies" in '57, but I went with my brother and John Drake to the race at Lake Saguaro. The Arizona Navy always paid good money to race and many a top driver showed up as a result. Also, "Step Up's were legal. So, my brother "Stepped Up" with his C Hydro into F Hydro. There was no D Hydro in those days. My brother got a good start, for once, and was leading Hugh on the first lap. I think Hugh had held back as I think he was on his way home to Washington after setting a record, because Jack Leek was there with his Cabover C Mercury (Alky burning). Jack didn't "Step Up". Anyway Hugh's throttle wire broke and he never passed my brother in this heat. My brother won F Hydro but ran second to Leek in C Hydro. Fun weekend.
I decided I wanted to build a "GLASS" C Runabout. So, I had my dad build a 12 foot runabout, my dad worked on the boat for many days. A friend, Ben Ellerman, filmed his every movement, saying, "Someday this film will be valuable". Ben also helped him build this boat.The sad part, my dad is gone and I've lost track of Ben Ellerman, but I do have the boat. My dad and I built, maybe 25 boats, this was the last one. I designed all the boats, my dad and I built them.
I guess I've had a "LOVE HATE" relationship with Charlie for many years. I won't go into details our fights, but I will say this: When my brother's first wife died, Charlie was one of the first to call my brother. When Charlie was informed that my brother was dying, he contacted Russ and he had Edgar Rose call also.
Bunker, Charlie and Marlee, APBA Convention 2013!
I've lost track of time, but Hill Marine owned the RED and the White Sleeks. My dad kept 5---235's running all the time. A spare each boat and a spare for the spare, as the 235's didn't like to turn too many RPM's. I've forgotten the years, but have not forgotten the fun!
The Well Oiled Machine Than Is.....Chad Hill Racing
Well, we went to Lake Irvine yesterday and tested......
Let's see we had three powerheads, three gearcases, and lots of props.....
What we DIDN'T have was oil in one of the gearcases, a generator to charge the boat's batteries or...
Well, let's see...
First run out was with the Chowchilla set up...After a lap or two, we decided that that motor needed to be changed....no wonder 14 were faster..
On goes the Bakersfield powerhead....But, it won't run...So, we follow Hill Rules closely and only change one thing at a time.....Well, NOT..We change carbs and powerpack. Motor runs like a MOTHER....
Cool, let's test a prop or two....OPPPS, oil coming out of loose tailcone...Chad says, "Let's run the Florida gearcase." I say, "No, let's run my new $1,500 one and get sometime on it...." Chad says, "Be sure and check the oil."...
So, Bunker Hill, my nephew, and I change the gearcase......Chad does something. We back her in and run two cool laps....Then, she acts like she sheared a pin....It was right then that Bunker and I knew we'd left the foils on the subway...If you ever read Catcher In the Rye...You'd know that Holden Caulfield left the foils on the subway....How could we be so stupid.....??
Who do we blame???
Kind of ruined a nice day at Irvine Lake...and damn, gearcase run so much better with oil in them........
This Is Valleyfield, Canada 1967: John Ward Trophy Race
This picture is of Jerry Waldman, and myself. I'm in the blue sweat shirt. I had just won the 500 John Ward Trophy Race. Jerry was a great competitor. Today is 3/2/1014, Jerry has been gone since like 1972, boat racing still misses him.
Thanks, Wayne. I changed my post to 1972, as I knew that. Where did I get the picture, I don't know. Jerry was "Larger than Life", whoever sent me the picture pointed out how much larger I was than Jerry.
Jerry got hurt at the 1956 APBA Nationals at Long Beach. While he was in the hospital, my dad visited him everyday after work. We learned that Jerry's wife's maiden name was Hill. After, 1956, my dad and Jerry were great friends.
After Jerry's death, I interviewed for his job at AC Spark Plugs. I was offered the job, under one condition that I quit racing boats. I never went to work for AC Spark Plugs.
The last time I saw Jerry was 5:00 A.M. at Lake Havasu, November 1971. Jerry told me he'd be racing with the OMC Team soon. We joked about my dad disqualifying him after he'd won the Winnebagoland Marathon, 1954. He never blamed my dad.
Jerry was a real gentleman.
ADD: At the 1969 PRO Commission Meeting Jerry and I had a very heated argument re points. He wanted the National Champion to be the High Point driver...I wanted the high point driver to be the one who raced the most. We left the meeting friends.
Phil Nichols Ron... LOVE all the ol pics you post! Please ... Some of your dad also! What an icon!!! But all are so looked at!!! Xo Phil 8 hrs · Unlike · 1
Phil Nichols Ted .. One of a kind!!! He and bro Dave built a hydro ... No one could touch ... Per Ralph DeSilva! It was so fast ... Dave could sit down and win races! Ted was a character but amazing! Talked a million miles an hour & if you could catch the experienced brilliance... You benefit! Like dear Russ Sr s. slower drawall... Every word was a pearl! The trick was not to answer and talk ... But LISTEN to him !!! If he didn't think you had potential , Russ Sr would talk in circles and tell you nothing ... But if he believed in you he would tell us things we never thought of! How few of dear him are there in any field/ hobby! "TALK ABOUT ICONS!" ..... In all this naustalsia period .... Why isn't Russ Sr s name remembered more! When bro Dave and I first came to Calif in '63 he was the first one to welcome us to his HOME and talk about West Coast racing! What a sportsman and gentleman!!! I'm 72 and out of racing but I still model my life from dear Russ's class!! He was light years more than a boat racer! I try daily to convey his class to my kids and grand kids! That's what today's world needs .... More " Russ Hills!" .... Hugs to his family... You were blessed... Value & remember!!! Phil
My wonderful wife, Laurie, has been planning a birthday party for me. I have said I was going to Australia that day, but it doesn't look like that will work. I've decided, "What the hell" might as well have a good party, I always like good parties.
Looking back, I've had a great life. Great family, great friends and great luck. BRF has given me the opportunity to write about my life (I've enjoyed every minute of it). and hope others have enjoyed BRF as much as I have.
I was thinking about my mom, dad and brother today....actually I was thinking about my cousins Net and Harold Wick and their two kids Donny and Ginny.
We lived in Bellflower, California. Bellflower was a small town, nobody was really rich, but nobody was poor either. When my sister was in the hospital having her second child, my mom and dad baby sat my niece, Becky. The neighbor kid, Danny Clayton came over to play with my niece, Becky. Danny's dad, Whitey Clayton, did the body work on many Bill Stroppe race cars and the T Bird that Chuck Daigh set the land speed record at Daytona.
Danny and my niece, Becky, were playing in my parents yard swing. My mom came and sat down between Beck and Danny. Danny, was probably 7, Becky was probably 5. Danny said to my mom, "You just sat in the eggs, but if you don't care, I don't care either." This was 1955, but until my mom passed in 1995, when someone did something stupid, my mom would say, "Well, you just sat in the eggs".
Harold Wicks was a welder all his life. He was the SCOA's Patrol Boat Captain for many years. He stored the club boat at his house and we paid his gas and motel bill for the races. He was my cousin by marriage. He drove my C Runabout at the Blythe Marathon the year before I was old enough to drive C. Someone gave the Wick's two pine trees in gallon cans. Net wanted to plant them, but Harold was adamant that they'd be 40 feet high by Christmas. So, he gave them to my dad. I planted one at my grandmother's house in Lake Elsinore and it did get 40 feet high but not by Christmas. I'm no sure what happened to the other tree but the one I planted there is still there, 60 years later....To this day, when we plant something in the Hill Family we say, "Well, it will be 40 feet tall by Christmas."
In high school in my Speech II class I had to do an ORAL book report. MY brother told me the "Catcher in the Rye" would be a great book. So, I told the teacher I was going to do "The Catcher In the Rye", of course I had not read a word of the book when I told her I'd do the book report orally.
Once I started reading the "Catcher in The Rye" I panicked thinking I'd have to do the book report orally. Well, I "STARTED" when I did the book report and loved the lines about Richard Ackley leaving the "GODDAM FOILS" on the subway. If you haven't read this book go buy it and read it. To this day, everyone in the Hill Family says, "You left the foils on the subway when you do something stupid". EXAMPLE: You get to the boat race and say, "Where is the prop box?"
Now this isn't really a Hill Family saying, but Joe Yaloha, Chad's freshman football coach would say, "Don't '**** the farm'". We use that line sometime in the family....meaning "Don't 'CHOKE'.."
Once people are gone, their memories are important.......
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Lake Saguaro, Phoenix, Arizona: Russ Hill Led Hugh Entrop
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