1968 PRO Nationals

[racingfan1]

Here are the program pages from the 1968 PRO Nationals program.

[racingfan1]

Here are the some of the finals heat and finals sheets along with the article from Propeller and some other pictures. I re-typed the sheets in case they were hard to read. I'd like to thank John Schubert for the sheets and race Historian R.C. Hawie for thr Propeller article. Thanks guys.

[Ron Hill]

Here are the some of the finals heat and finals sheets along with the article from Propeller and some other pictures. I re-typed the sheets in case they were hard to read. I'd like to thank John Schubert for the sheets and race Historian R.C. Hawie for thr Propeller article. Thanks guys.

It has been 45 years since DePue 1968, but somethings never stop "HURTING". The way APBA points work is the one with the most points wins. DUH!!!! But when there is a tie in points the rule books says the fastest time wins.

In SoCal we always added the first heats time with the second heats time. The fastest time won. So, as my brother pointed out, you can tell who wins on time by looking to the boat that wins by the farthest distance. EXAMPLE: Two boats side by side, time is the same. Two boats, with one eight boat lengths ahead in one head and behind one boat lengths in the second heat....The boat that won by the farthest wins on time.

The reason you add both heats is because there could be a different size course from the first heat to the second...as a buoy could be moved or replaced.

Anyway, in D Racing Runabout, 1968, I won the first heat by a large margin. In the second heat. I started back to be safe, and by the fourth lap I was right on Seebold's ***. But, I figured I didn't need to beat him, just finish close and I'd win on time.

I finished less than a boat length behind Billy and came into the pits figuring I'd repeated my 1967 win. When I was told I lost on time I went crazy. I said, "No way."..

If you notice, they only put the winner's time on the results. I think they figured when there was a tie in points, they went by the fastest (heat) time. Billy got a clean start in the second heat and went like hell with me chasing him. His time could have been faster than my first heat win, but total time, I had been fastest, I sure.

Anyone up Region 7 way know how the scorers used to score the races? Seems, as I got into APBA politics, we made the scoring rule more clear. My brother refereed a race in Hawaii. One heat the course was about a half mile. In the second heat the wind came up and one buoy moved about a mile. That fall at the APBA National meeting, timing of two heat was decided that fastest time WAS the total of two heat. Not fastest heat.

I love BILL SEEBOLD LIKE A BROTHER, BUT, I THINK, I WON THE 1968 D RACING RUNABOUT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLE AT DePue!

[Ron Hill]

I won the John Ward Trophy race in 1967 and Fred Hauenstein won the John Ward Trophy Race in 1968....Both races were won with the same R. Allen "POP" Smith propeller owner by Harry Bartolomei.

This is the same prop that Art Pugh tried to bu from Harry at DePue 1967. Art was just getting into boat racing and he watched me change props from B Hydro, to D Runabout to F hydro. I think I won every qualifying heat with this prop. (I ran this prop on other boats too).

Art asked Harry if he'd sell that prop? Harry said, "No, but I have one just like it." Art said, "I don't know nothing about props, but I do know about hunting dogs. If a hunting dogs can "hunt", you don't buy his brother or his cousin."

Almost 50 years later, I tell people if the prop works, keep it!

[crewman060]

That is pure Mr Art.One of the most intelligent folks I have had the pleasure to meet.think he started boat racing before 1967.He would come down to ga and race.Dad retired in 1966 and Mr Art was around before then,As always Ron,thanks to you and Ted for starting this site.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This past weekend at Baytown Joe Rome and Glyn Matthews were talking about Art and Gary. I got to thinking about Art and the first boat he built. He showed it to me and my Dad Baldy at DePue in 1970. He called it a "Pughburger" and I''m not kidding...it had 2 X 4 air traps....at least on the left side that he showed us. Art said "I'm tired of losin' an air trap....so I built this one to stay!"

Ron...I had looked at the results and thought maybe you have the most second place finishes of all time at one National Championships, and thought to myself....how frustrating. But then I thought there must be some good stories about how all that came about. I never raced all out except if it was a record course and we thought we might have a chance. I too have lost just by holding back either to save a lower unit or motor and did not think about time. When it happened to me though, it was just a local race and not a nationals. We need to compare second place finishes at nationals some time.

[Ron Hill]

Here are the some of the finals heat and finals sheets along with the article from Propeller and some other pictures. I re-typed the sheets in case they were hard to read. I'd like to thank John Schubert for the sheets and race Historian R.C. Hawie for the Propeller article. Thanks guys.

I've gtried to copy it but failed. Or maybe someone could scan it and send it to me!

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The 1968 Pro Nationals at DePue was the first APBA race we ever intended. Actually, my Dad Baldy did not go. It was myself, my older sister Brenda and pit man Bud Turcotte. We did not go to race, but hauled our trailer up there to pick up three new cloth deck Marchetti's Nick built for us when he and Nick stilled lived in and built boats in Pennsylvania. We got an 11-4, a 12-2 and a 13-6 which was the biggest hydro we ever owned. Nick had painted the cloth deck white and light blue.

I told my Dad when we got back that we knew about half of the racers there. They ran NOA also. That, and the prize money was the reason we went to our first APBA race to run in....the 1969 Golden Shores Winternationals at Needles, California.

[racingfan1]

Ron - I do not have the entire Propeller magazine , just the article about DePue. I received my Propeller stuff from Bruce Summers from Illinois and RC Hawie , a racer and race historian in Florida , who has a library of most Propeller magazines. You may need to contact Ralph Donald or Bill Hostler to contact RC. If you just want the article I will scan it and email it to you - Dale