Kay Harrison collection

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Brought back a lot of memories Dale 'We worked so hard on this race. This was supposed to be a "breakout race" where we deviated from the normal Pro format to a one heat per class winner take all format. The idea was to have a short, but solid action of performance where the spectators would know who exactly won. Get the boats out on the course for some heavy competition then back into the pits for the next class. Marshall Grant was the inspiration behind this idea. He said the public gets weary of sitting all day out in the hot sun and leaves before the fastest classes come up. There was no room or time to conduct elimination heats and each captain was to come up with his own method of selecting his team. Remember, this was an experiment that, if it worked, We might start to pick up some sponsors and that required sharp boats, team uniforms, and an attempt to look professional in the pits.

This was just the start, but it was very promising. The toughest thing was what drivers to select, and not to cause resentment among others. I never heard any gripes from anyone and a lot of racers came that would not be competing. But, I think they knew the stakes, and if this worked out, it could lead to some very exciting races in our future.

Unfortunately, the worst memory of my racing career also came during that race. The tragic death of Jerry Waldman hung a heavy pall over that race. The spirit and hope that race promised for the future was gone, and never fully recovered.

[racingfan1]

"Remember, this was an experiment that, if it worked, We might start to pick up some sponsors and that required sharp boats, team uniforms, and an attempt to look professional in the pits."

Even though this race was contested in 1972 , I believe this is what Kay Harrison , Todd Brinkman Sr and Tim Chance was shooting for 1982 when the United States Title Series was formed. The professional look was part of what they wanted. We have lost Todd and both Kay and Tim have had their medical issues, so perhaps the guys who were racing back in the early 80's may comment further, i just ask to keep the discussion civil. I do know it wasn't the most popular decision back them but here we are 40 years later and the USTS is still going.

[racingfan1]

This was the race that we lost Jerry Waldman. Just 9 months earlier, at DePue , he took home APBA National Champions in A, C, D, F and C service II hydro. I am missing a couple years of NOA results, but Jerry had won 17 APBA Nationals and 9 NOA Outboard championships. 26 titles in an era of great racers , awfully impressive. I know he also raced stock but I don't have those results.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The professional look was one of the primary assets we planned to work witn. In planning this event as a long term goal of picking up key sponsors Marshall told us a story. In 1965 ABC Wide World of Sports aired the NOA World Championships at Lake Spivey in Georgia. (I watched it on TV). In the late 60's or very early 70's A group of racers or maybe a racing commission asked Marshall if he could get them to cover a nationals or world championship again. Marshall knew Roone Arledge so he agreed to give it a try.

The answer was Arledge told him that his audience wasn't interested in watching a bunch of men with no shirts, junky hats, launching boats in classes that they didn't understand, and did not know the scoring system. That was when we in the APBA PRO Commission decided to go from ABCDF classes to CC because the public did watch motorcycle racing.

Kay Harrison was in the middle of all this when it was coming about and was part of our group promoting it. I thought that what we tried may have influenced Kay and his involvement in the USTS.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The pits were too small to accommodate a lot of boats. The ckubouse overlooked the race course and the elevated hill was great for spectators. you could see the whole course, and at the first turn boats were coming toward the spectatorss.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Reply from Rich Fuschlin after he took over from Harry Bartolomei and Letter from Fun Festival organizers

[Ketzer]

I still have my plaque from the second race, a "Memorial Race" for Jerry Waldman in 1973, that Wayne and his dad gave to all the racers. At night, up at the clubhouse, my dad sat in with the band and sang, "Gee, Baby, ain't I good to You," and brought down the house.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I would have liked to have heard that Steve.

These are the results published in Motorsport Magazine. It was the second issue and the first time I ever set about getting my boat racing pictures published. The pictures in the article are not mine. They are stock photos from Baytown Boat Club photographer Zambrini. The cover photo in Motorsport of Richard Petty is mine however. Neither Joe nor I wrote anything on this race, we just gave the info to editor Harry Echols and he did the rest. He put Joe and I on the masthead though because, as a start up, he needed names. The staff photographer HC Clyde was a pseudonym of Harry.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'm going to load these backward and see what happens. Note: didn't work. out of order. But it's okay for this work.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This was on page 17 of Motorsport Magazine