An Amazing Story

[David Weaver]

I.

I do like your boats Marc, and I think $8,000.00 is very reasonable for what it takes to put something like that together.

Is that an odrer Wayne?

[Master Oil Racing Team]

....Hmmmm---not that much more than a jet ski.

David, your comment on a brain being useful reminds me of a story of my insurance agent. Every time I saw him he would say "Wayne...you know if you quit racing...we could drop your premiums." I would just laugh and tell him one thing or another. I don't know why he thought that would stop a 20year old kid (yeah, I was far from growing up then) from the excitement of racing a hydro. Then one day I chanced upon him on a street in Corpus Christi. He had his right arm in a cast resting in a sling. He was limping until our eyes met. I walked up and said, "Hey Joe. What happened to you?" He replied "You're the last guy I wanted to see. I was hoping I would'nt run into to you."

He was at the lake with a bunch of their friends. He was pulling a friend's daughter on waterskiis and the girl's mom was the observer. Joe, the insurance agent was also observing. The only one watching where the boat was headed was the daughter. When she threw the rope up, Joe and the mom exchanged puzzled glances. Then when he looked ahead to circle around, there....straight ahead...unavoidably ahead..was the cliff that broke Joe's arm among other things and the Mom's ribs, leg and whatever bruises, etc. that went with the sudden stop. I didn't even ask about the boat and whose insurance covered that, if any.

[Ron Hill]

When Ted May got hurt at Parker....He told me and Dave Mayer the worst part of getting hurt was losing his house....Ted was like a Dad/Brother to me and many other young racers in California.... But when you hear something like that, it makes you want to make sure you have your numbers covered....

I quit racing in 1985.. Chad was 8... I had blown my Sleek over at Havasu. Bruce Nescher, of Sleek Craft Boats had built me a new one (FREE)...and re decked the one I blew over... At Parker, we had three Mod VP Sleek Crafts running out of the Hill Marine pits....(My Red Sleek, My White Sleek and Kim Howard's Black Sleek)plus Tim Soares in a Baker... On the first lap, Kim Howard and a MOD U got together...I think the MOD U was driven by Benny Robertson, but it doesn't matter...Kim was hurt very badly and lost an arm...Needless to say, he never raced again...

John Castelli AND TED BRAVO WERE DRIVING MY RED SLEEK AND ROD ZAPF AND I WERE DRIVING MY WHITE SLEEK...

Tuesday night, after the race, I was reading Chad a story before he went to sleep....He was 8 as I said...before. He looked me in the eyes and said, "Dad what would happen to us if you were killed racing boats???" I said, "I don't know....but how would you feel if I quit racing and just had John Castelli drive our boats?" He said, "I'd like that, and rolled over and went to sleep..."

I called Castelli the next day and said I was "DONE"...I have not raced a boat since...Chad has raced J, A, 45, Mod VP and Formula One... I plan to run Fat "C" and "C" Stock this year...but 31 years changes things...

I may run our 45 Kilo boat in Formula E....as a Capsuled hydro, with a three hole Evinrude seems like it could be a kick in the ***... Seems like it could be fun with a 350 Konig, too......or whatever they run in 350...

You tell of Seebold blowing over...Billy tells about Parker when he blew over twice in one weekend......and it is funny as hell...The story, as I recall, goes like this:

About 1980 or 81, OMC and Mercury both had about ten single engine boats running the Parker Nine Hour...Mercury had several problems, a very torquie motor, and props that would blow out before people knew what blow out was... (To get the Merc humming you had to kick them out like hell to get the engine to rev, and with a big propeller they'd go like hell and lift the transom until the prop blew out, the transom would drop and over she'd go...9 of 10 Merc boat blew over the worst was Bill Scroisis, he ended up in the Phoenix hospital...

Billy blew over Friday testing and didn't figure to race..(Gary) Garbrecht had different guys covering differnt boats and Billy, being sore and all wasn't scheduled to drive was standing around...About 4 and a half hours into the race, Gary was out of drivers from blow overs, and he yells at Seebold to get his jacket and helmet on and drive some boat...Seebold really doesn't want get n the mother, he is limping like hell and hurting like hell, but he gets in the damn thing...and he doesn't make a lap a blows over again...knocks hell out of him again..Billy almost quits Mercury after this weekend...

Look at the Chilli Bowl, midget auto racing, racing inside a building, in Oklahoma...what a 1,000 plus cars...can you get hurt in a Midget???Well Tony Stewart did...but the average guy can't ..a thousand cars at one race...Why, because it is safe!!!!

Safer is better!!!

Wayne, borrow Jim McKean's kilo boat, put that "D" Konig on it and race it a DePue....The boat has a capsule..It is an MJR boat I think..I tried to buy it but could never quite get a hold of Jim...I hafve a new Kilo boat being built by Ernie Dawe for 45 SS and SST 45....we could use my boat at DePue!!!!! I'll drive her in 1100 CC Hydro....NOT!!!!

[Master Oil Racing Team]

How would that work on a course like DePue? Sure wish we could get Sean McKean on here and tell us what it's like to take a "D" through the traps at over 120.

[Composite Specialties]

There was actually a pass made at over 130 mph. That kilo boat that I built is strictly for kilo's. It is not setup to turn and it was about 15' long. It also had adjustable and removeable rear pads and adjustable and removeable air traps. The bottom pics are from the film crew from the discovery channel that was there for a TV special that aired later that year, back in 1997.

[Miss BK]

Wow - I didn't know that was your boat, Marc! Nice!

Also - when we first started building capsules back in the 1980s for Mod-VP, the trend was to retrofit existing hulls with capsules that bolted into the old boats. 15 years ago these would sell for $1,500 to 2,000. They did the same for the smaller OPC classes too. This way a guy didn't have to purchase an entire new hull.

I don't know how PRO/Mod/SO capsules work, but is this something they do too? Do you build solitary capsules that can be fitted to an existing hull?

I didn't think about how the carbon fiber shortage would be putting a hurt on capsule builders.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I didn't figure a kilo boat would be what you wanted to dive off into a first turn in. That is one fine hydro. Marc, do you have a copy of those runs? Or is there any way you could get your hands on one. I would love to have a copy to show friends that have never seen an alky run.

[Composite Specialties]

Wayne,

I can look to see if I still have that video from the discovery channel. I was on the rock shoreline beside Jim listening on the radio when Sean made several test passes, that was awesome watching that boat come thru those traps that day. It really looked fast from the shore. We also had Bob Wartinger helping us between runs, we would all go into Jim's hauler and watch the runs on video and discuss what to change for the next run. It was very cool to be a part of that and is something I'll never forget.

Also, I have attached the records that were set with that boat so far to the original post with the pics..

[David_L6]

My mother was a physical therapist. I was not allowed to play football, as she took care of all the collage football players in our town!! They were lucky, because the football team picked-up all those expensive bills, I guess. No matter who paid the bills, their knees were ruined for life....

The only major surgery I've ever had was on my left knee from playing high school football. My knee never has been the same since, but I'd do it again. Now they have better methods than they did in the late '70's.

One should absolutely understand the risks in any sport and be comfortable with insurance or lack of insurance that they carry. And the consequences of having or not having adequate insurance or assets in the event that......

By the way, this goes for anything bicyles, motorcycles, jet skis, water skiing, snow skiing, snow mobiling, skate boarding, race cars, karts, planes, scuba or anything else that has elements of risk to it. I played water polo for a season in college (D1 even)and loved it. I do not know that I would allow my child to play water polo, if I had children. Concussions, busted spleens, ruptured testicles (not kidding).....perhaps they could just swim.

Mark's ideas (and others) will probably become requirements in the future. I would like to see them phased in over a period of time that will not materially damage participation. But this is the direction to head. Capsules have been great in accidents for the PRO's. Only one or two really scarey moments that I recall. Of course, there is only 1 capsule heat for every 12-15 open class heats run, so the chances of any accident occuring are statistcally less.

At the end of the day, there is no better safety device than one's brain and left hand (or foot for capsules).

I agree completely Dave!

[Miss BK]

And the consequences of having or not having adequate insurance or assets in the event that......

I wanted to tell a little health insurance story I heard the other day...

My friend just got a $9,000 bill from the hospital. And that was just for all the diagnostic tests to look for kidney stones.

But it's okay - because she has great insurance from her work - one of those fabulous 80/20 PPO plans with $1,000 deductible.

So that means she only has to pay $2,600.00 out of her own pocket !


So people have to remember that health insurance doesn't mean you're not going to have any bills to pay!

Unless you are playing school sports like water polo or live in Europe Then they cover it all for you.

Val