An Amazing Story

[epugh66]

Great story Wayne!
I'll not deviate from the story line too much, but I do have a few thinks to add if that OK.

The Tennessee Three's third member was W.S. "Fluke" Holland. As the drummer since 1960, he set the beat for the band. He also was a boat racer in NOA's pleasure boat division. My dad built two tunnels for him, not sure which one this was. The Mercury experts may be able to date the year by the engine. He and Marshall came by the house many times. We also were able to see many shows the band played.

I wanted to edit that last paragraph, this is boat racing FACTS after all. The photo is of Fluke, but the boat was one built by someone else than my dad. Dad built some earlier that were full nose boats. Sorry for the mis information.

Don Woods was mentioned. He and his dad had a OMC dealership in Fairmont WVA. After excepting a job with the OMC sales division, he moved to Knoxville, TN because it was central to his region. After that, he moved to Arkansas taking a job with one of OMC's boat company's.

[epugh66]

Wayne,
I think you mentioned something about Alexandria, Marshall Grant and Carl Perkins. I think this is a pic from '71-'73 or about. My moms notes say Marshall is standing and Carl is facing us. WOW!

I think it was '76 that we hauled one of your boats to Knoxville after Alex so someone else could pic it up in early '77. Does that ring a bell?

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'm glad you're sharing some of stories and pics with us Eric. When I have time I'm going to look for a pic of the pointed cowling boat that later became trashed. I also found a story that Gary wrote on a trip racing in Cuba. I think it would be good if Gary would tell us about that. As far a Marshall and Fluke go, if you could find any more pics and for sure some stories, they would go great with a thread Joe Rome started about Marshall. If you haven't seen it yet you need to. Go to search and type in Marshall Grant and it should come up.

On the boat in Alexandria, I have a real strong clue, but I am not positive. I have forgotten too much, but one of the things I have been trying to recall is what ever happened to Ruthless II AKA The Loaner. It was a historic Butts Aerowing that we sold after the 1976 season. It had belonged to Tim and he loaned it to me to race and after we bought it we loaned it to him. When I get caught up on some stuff it will make an interesting thread because in my opinion, that boat was the start of the revolution. After I won the nationals with it we sold it and I never ran A again. If someone came to our house to pick it up, I would have remembered that so I'm thinking that must be the boat you guys picked up. Sure would like to know. Whoever got it, I sent all our test sheets with it. The A test sheets are the only ones I don't have in my book.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I made another perfect start on the inside at full speed. This time though there would be no holding back. I was going for the win, not second or third so if I broke something that's just the way it would end. I didn't care about the $2,000.00 prize money. I would give that up for a repeat world title.

All I knew that I had to beat Tim by more than 5.7 seconds, and as fast as he was that meant I had to put all my concentration on getting around the course as fast as I could. The water was only slightly rougher. We could still run wide open down the straights, but we had to really watch the turns for holes.

I didn't look around where anyone else was, I didn't look over in the pits, I just concentrated on keeping the boat on the water down the straights and blowing through the turns as hard as I could without tripping. I don't know when it happened but somewhere behind me Austrian Wilfried Weiland had a spectacular blowover as Dan M mentioned earlier. It looked so bad that Kurt Mischke stopped to check on him. UIM doesn't stop racing for accidents unless it is bad like that of David Westbrook. Wilfried was uninjured so the heat continued.

The boat and motor combo was handling good. We had the Grant Konig on the larger boat Shadowfax and it worked good on this type of course. I gained on everyone each lap, but I didn't look around to see what kind of a lead I had. I was running too close to the edge to be sightseeing. What I didn't know was that Tim never made it off the bank. The float in his bottom carb had apparently slipped at the end of the previous heat. Probably right after the finish and the pressures pushed the float up, but as he was not running full tilt, any bubbling of the motor as he came back to the pits didn't draw any attention.

As I was gaining on the field each lap, Tim stood on the shore watching his second World Championship slip away. It's one thing to lose in the heat of the battle, and it had been a great one so far. But just imagine the heartbreak of losing it in the pits without being able to put up any challenge whatsoever.

After I set up for the final turn prior to the start of the final lap, my motor blubbered momentarily. After I got back on it the motor accelerated hard through the turn and ran quick down the front straight. As I was approaching turn one on the final lap I was catching up to Dennis McClellan very quickly. I thought I could pass him before the turn, but at the last second I realized I couldn't. I had thought he would move over for a boat lapping him, but he never looked around and didn't know I was coming up quick. In order to make the turn, I had to back way off to slow quickly so that I could cross his wake far enough behind and not take any water from his rooster tail. Then I had to bend it a little more than normal to get back on a good track to make the turn. When I got back on the throttle there was no response. WHAT! Oh Man! It was all over. My heart sunk down to my wet tennies.

I came out of that turn so slow it seemed that I was walking. I was so bummed out down that back straight it felt like my sponsons were plowing permanent furrows in the water. Two days of fantastic racing, and lots of mental planning and it all came down to this. I never asked Tim how he felt when he saw me go down because it wouldn't be right. And I would have preferred one final challenge with him chasing me. But this is the way racing is. My top carb float had slipped and flooded the engine. I think the pressures had already slipped the wires from its groove, but when I had to back off too long it popped it all the way up. Had I not had to back off as long as I had, I might have been able to keep the rpm's up enough that the motor could swallow the fuel. The same thing that kept Tim off the water, got me in the end. (go back and look at the previous post on the fuel and the test sheets.)

I was surprised when it took so long for the boat behind me to catch up and pass. It was 10 to 15 seconds. And I was doubly surprised that it was Jerry Kirts rather than Tim. Another surprise when a second later Dan Kirts blew by. When Jerry passed, Tim took the points lead that I would have had, and Jerry went ahead of me with three seconds. Then in an ironic twist of fate, Dan pulled the same last turn trick on Jerry that Jerry had done to Tim and I. Dan pulled ahead for the win which put me back in second place overall and Jerry for a bronze medal. I had enough of a lead that I was still able to finish third that final heat.

[Jeff Lytle]

I made another perfect start on the inside at full speed.

I remember seeing your article in Powerboat about this race and remember your writing "Tim's heart sank as Wayne Baldwin's red, white, and blue Aerowing hit the line and was gone".

Although this part of "An Amazing Story" is drawing to a close, I really hope there is more to come. I looked forward to the pics and stories everyday, and missed them when you didn't. Looks like we have Eric Pugh hooked on this thread now as well.

I would love to hear Tim's version on this story, perhaps one day.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I could have just posted my article I did for Powerboat, but it wouldn't have all the inside stories or the photos. But there is still some more pics of the boats and of the podium to come, plus some quotes from the Dayton Daily News, then on the the PRO Nationals. Then 1978. That motor was still kickin'. Glad you're enjoying it Jeff. And I am like you... glad to have Eric here posting pictures and stories.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The final heat took its toll. Dan won at a pace 10 seconds off the previous heat with his brother Jerrry 4 1/2 seconds behind. I was third another 18 seconds behind Jerry with Don Wood bringing up forth and Dennis McClellan fifth. Erwin Zimmerman, Tim Crimmons, Kurt Mischke, and Wilfried Weiland DNF. Kurt lost his chance at overall 5th when he stopped to check on Wilfried. Mike Dertinger never came back out after his flip in heat two. Tim Butts, Rex Hall and Steve Jones DNS.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Jerry Kirts had three seconds. The heat he threw out was the one he was DSQ'd in for hitting a bouy in the final turn while running third.

I have a few shots to post that missed the earlier heat racing posts. I think this series was from the second heat when he received the DSQ. The water was laid down then. I think Debbie took these.

This man knows how to fly an Aerowing. The unflappable Jerry Kirts didn't so much as flinch as he was beginning to rotate off the liquid runway. Just a little action from his left hand and a couple of fingers on the throttle and pipes got him back to the flight level he wanted.

[Jeff Lytle]

This man knows how to fly an Aerowing. The unflappable Jerry Kirts didn't so much as flinch as he was beginning to rotate off the liquid runway. Just a little action from his left hand and a couple of fingers on the throttle and pipes got him back to the flight level he wanted.

Poetry in motion man...............poetry in motion.

[Jeff Lytle]

Someone should grab the bull by da' horns and contact Jerry, Tom, and Dan and get them on here. I knew them to say hi at the races, but perhaps someone who raced against them alot should do the honors.


Wayne.........You in?

Kirts Specialties, Inc. 21744 Beck Drive Elkhart IN (219) 293-0974