An Amazing Story

[Master Oil Racing Team]

It's been a little time consuming tracking down what Marshall was doing during his final years of racing. I have to piece it together through my photos, my files, my Dad's files & old articles. This was during the time the Johnny Cash show was on TV so Marshall was very busy with rehearsals, TV, and being on the road. During the Pro Nationals at DePue in 1972 Marshall was shuttling from the pits to Washington D.C. and back every day. Nixon had wanted Johnny Cash to perform at the White House, so Marshall was really burning the fire at both ends. That was the last time Marshall had any boats in an APBA National Championship. He did not come to DePue in 1973.

My Dad, Tim Butts and Marshall Grant had been promoting a fast moving, entertaining, professional boat racing show so Marshall continued to support this event. In 1973, Dan Kirts drove for him at Hot Springs. This was the second invitational race there and was billed as the "Diamondhead Second Annual Jerry Waldman Cup", although Jerry had been killed there just the previous year.

Charlie Bailey was able to hold off Dan Kirts in D hydro, beating him by a split second. It's extrememly difficult to pass at the course on Lake Catherine, and if you've raced against Charlie Bailey, you know he will start on the inside. It was a great show for spectators.

[David_L6]

http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forum...ead.php?t=1899

[David_L6]

Look at the air under that boat in the bottom picture!

Where is Charley Bailey from? Name is familiar, but I can't place a face or a boat.

[Roy Hodges]

How bout ROY ROGERS winning the long beach (or where ever) to CATALINA RACE in a yellow Jacket molded plywood boat with 2 mark 55 h's on it ? And Guy Lombardo in his (Tempo ? ) unlimited hydro ?

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Charlie Bailey is from Houston. He is one of those rare double edged swords--championship caliber in both a hydro or runabout. He didn't travel outside of LSBRA until the mid 70's. I plan on putting up a thread on him in the encyclopedia one of these days. He was at the LSBRA reunion. Charlie is up next in the D41994 saga.

An interesting side note. Louis Williams bought Charlie's old "C" Konig and had it shipped up to Steve Litzell to go through it. Steve was supposed to bring it to DePue and Ray Yates would take it home to Louis. As it turned out, Steve only had enough room to bring the motor he was going to race so he left the "C" home.

A couple of weeks ago Joe Rome and I were talking, trying to get something straight timewise and I said "We quit racing C hydro in 1979. I locked my C up at Alexandria and we sold it to Charlie Bailey as is". Joe said, "What?....You sold your "C" to Charlie?" "Yeah!" sez me. "Do you think that's the one Louis bought?" Joe asked. I laughed and told him it probably was and that I had the serial number if he wanted to confirm it. He phoned Louis, but Louis didn't know. So I asked Joe if he wanted the number and he said "No, we'll just wait until Louis gets his motor".

Here is a pic of Charlie at Alexandria in 1973

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Lakeland 1974.

The wind and cold came down with Canadians Vice Pede, Hank Engles and Steve Allision to Lake Hollingsworth and threatened another blowout like the first round in 1973. Unlike the previous year, it calmed down enough to get all but D stock hydro and D racing runabout in.

Dieter Konig came over from Germany to help Marshall Grant sort out his 8 cylinder back to back 500cc blocks that made up a brute of an "F" motor. Charlie Bailey was driving for Marshall this time.

Bill Rypkema from Schaumberg, Illinois was down on his honeymoon and hitting on all cylinders as he won D Hydro. Wayne Walgrave came in second and I followed in third place. Charlie had motor problems with the "D". The same problem that had always haunted Marshall, and that we didn't get sorted out until the World Championships in Phoenix two years later.

When Marshall got home, he found that the post holding one set of points down had loosened up. He threadlocked it in after that, but it didn't solve the underlying problem as the post was very slightly crooked, and the high speed miss persisted.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Joe talked to Marshall today to find out whether or not the third and final Invitational race at Hot Springs in 1974 was his last one. Marshall thinks it was. He told Joe that if he did field equipment in a race after that it was "a little bitty one". The Hot Springs race was June 8 & 9, 1974.

Dan Kirts did the driving for Marshall at this race. For those who never saw Dan drive a runabout, he did here. Unfortunately he had a DNF in 700 runabout. He fared a little better in 700 hydro, finishing third behind Charlie Bailey and Artie Lund.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I had originally thought we picked up the motor on the way to Gadsden, Alabama, but it was actually on the way to Winona for the 1974 PRO Eastern Divisionals. It would have been probably July 4 or July 5 that we stopped at Marshall's ranch in Hernando, Mississippi to get the D and F motors.

I don't think we tried to run it at Winona. The first test sheet I have is dated 7-17-74. I was also in error about the first race I ran it in. It was DePue. That was the year of low water and we ran one heat finals winner take all. All boats but Mel Kirts and Bill Rucker, Jr. jumped the gun in D hydro and Mel won the championship. The final race of the year, the Pan American Regatta, was September 29 in my Dad's front yard. I won with a 3rd and 1st ahead of Jim McKean's 1st and 4th.

The first race of 1975, I could do no better than 3rd, chasing Charlie Bailey and Jim McKean. Three weeks later, I was hauling down the back straight in the first heat with this D when I stuffed. That was the end of the season for me except for the final race of the year at my Dad's house.

In the first pic D41994 is next to the last motor on the right. This photo was taken right after we got back from Winona. The 2nd pic is the Pan Am Regatta.

[Ron Hill]

That is you with the blond hair??? Oh, to be young again...

I just reread your thread here....it was an enjoyable read...It makes me think "What if"....

What if:

1. When the Konig came out, Bill France (not really him, but someone with his power) would have required a transom height to keep the Konig at the Quincy speeds????

2. Boats had been required to be safer, IE, three inch tunnel in hydros, boat lengths. weight requirements???

3. We'd have had capsules???

I have no answers here...I do know that I believe that most people quit racing boats because of injuries or fear of injuries...Having said that, I don't know if people would have wanted to race if the boats were slower, safer, heavier....

I do know that I quit "PROP" (Alky) racing for many reasons....I do know that watching Bryan McDougal blowing over in C Racing Runabout at DePue, in front of my bride to be, was a sight I never wanted her to see again...especially if the blow over might be me....Bryan wasn't hurt, but never really raced again...

At 235, I knew when they went to UIM type rules with no weight, I would be up against the eight ball to win...I always ran 50 pounds over weight in most classes, but with no weight, I knew I'd be giving away a hundred pounds..I was also being paid by OMC to drive for them....but in my mind, after Jerry Waldman's death, I knew I'd never go back to that kind of racing...but I had sold all my Pro equipment by 1972....I raced Stock kneelers until 1977, and I realy quit then because I thought D Hydro was too dangerous...MOD VP was safer then, and that is where I went...21 foot boat, electric starter, 80 MPH.

Master Oil, your pictures are WONDERFUL....God, I think of all the work to keep those Konigs going...it is hard to believe how much we must have loved racing...

Jimbo and I were talking last weekend, about how many years we raced at least 27 times, some two day races, but still, that is a lot of racing....I figure I've driven a hundred thousand miles with wet boat race pants on...

Times and people have changed...Keep posting, I read every word, sometimes, several times....

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That's me! Not as blonde as the surfing days, but it was during the time when we didn't wear caps or hats. Not good. Seeing the pic of your face lift makes me think of what else those "sharp knives" want to do to our faces after several decades of fun in the sun.

I need to respond to your "What Ifs" but no time right now. Maybe tommorrow if I'm here. I had planned on talking to Tim Butts today. He is next up on the D41994 saga, but Debbie and I spent the latter part of the day with a neighbor's wife waiting out a successful bypass surgery. Alls Good.