An Amazing Story: Part 2

[F-12]

I have to comment on your ability to pick your work apart, Wayne. With all your equipment and that 'eye for perfection', you are your worst critic. I don't believe I have seen a bad picture come out of your camera..........(at least they never made it this far). The shots you have called 'bad' have still been works of art to me. I will never have your talent in photography and hope you continue bringing all of us what you see through your lens. It doesn't get any better. Thanks again..............

[jrome]

Charlie, That Is Why I Told Wayne When We Were In College To Give Me Your Bad Ones. I Have To Take Alot Of Picks To Get One Close To The Bad Ones. I Want Wayne To Make A Disc Of Waynes Favorite 1000 Photos. The Top Ones He Likes For What Ever Reason. It Would Be Such A Treat To The Rest Of Us.

[epugh66]

My Dad and Mom went to Claudes "99" birthday party about a month ago, It was on short notice and I was working. His wife, Julie, was at the Louisville Boat meeting and invited everyone. The party was at the Knoxville Boat Club club house. That property is adjacent to Claudes house and the NOA grounds. The location is where many races were held and records set over the years.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks Charley and Joe, but I do have a lot of duds. There is one in particular that comes to mind. An out of focus head shot of Gerry Walin. He was an icon to me. I read about him and saw photos of his world record run at Havasu before I started racing. When I started taking pictures he showed up at the Nationals at one race. I was too shy to approach him and talk and take pictures. The couple of pics I took from a distance were blurry and no good. I later got to talk to him after his accident and he parked in our pits on his 4 wheeler. But I didn't take pictures of him then. He was paralyzed from the waist down and I didn't know him well enough to know whether or not that he woud care if pictures taken.

The reason I don't trust Joe's opinion is that when he found out I was trashing pics that were too dark, light or whatever...he told me to save them and send them to him. In those days I did a lot of work in the darkroom and didn't do a lot of analyzation before I started to print. I had a good enough idea that I would start on an 8X10 instead of a test print. So Joe got the lighter or darker views of the final print. So Joe always got a print that was not the best, but always one that I thought was fairly good. That's why Joe's opinion is skewed. But Thanks for the compliment Joe and Charley.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Now it was time for the PRO Nationals held in San Antonio...only a two hour drive north for us. The Alamo Boat Club was the lead club in spearheading all the action. But unfortunately, long time boat racing supporter Lone Star Brewing had been bought out a couple of years earlier by Olympia and were not able to fund racing to their previous levels. The headquarters of Lone Star, brewers of Lone Star Beer...the national beer of Texas, was in San Antonio. But they still provided Artie Lund and crew with samples to pass out. I think they pretty much tested each longneck to make sure it would pass though. So my Dad put up the money to get everything going and guarantee the prize money. I'm not sure he was ever repaid in full. It usually turned out that way, but he was a boat racing supporter and organizer all the way, and never backed down from helping.

When my Dad met J.C. "Jack" Waite an a combination OPC/Inboard marathon several years earlier, he was very impressed with the way he conducted his business. Since that time Jack was our referee or officer of the day at all events my Dad had anything to do with. In fact, he reached into other categories where he could find the best help. Such as JoAnne Ellis from the mods, Pete DeLackner from Stock and OPC, Gene Whipp from Limited Inboards and Offshore and of course, our great LSBRA personnel.

Here are some photos of Jack Waite conducting the drivers meeting.

[Jeff Lytle]

Pic #1

Front row: Vic Pede on the left chewin' on his thumb nail, Greg Hall to his left, and Roy Alexander beside him.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Elimination heats began on August 11 with the finals on the 12th and 13th on Braunig Lake about 20 miles southeast of downtown San Antonio. I don't know how many made the Riverwalk, but those who didn't missed a real treat. The Hemisphere Tower is still standing. Jean Dixon predicted it would fall during the World's Fair held 10 years earlier.

This, I believe, is the only APBA Pro Nationals ever held in Texas. There were several NOA World Championships in Texas, but I cannot think of any other national Pro races in Texas other than the Western Divisionals we held on a half dozen or so occasions.

The first pic shows a cross section of some of the attendees. Besides the Canadians from north of the border that Jeff mentioned you can see Harry Bartolomei and Henry Wagner from the west, sitting down is Jane Smith from the east, in the right middle is Rex Hall from the midwest and toward the left is Pett Hellsten from the northeast and back to us Trebor Billiter from the southeast. I am sure if we looked closer we could find someone from the northwest in this pic.

What a fine group that made the trek from the east in the second pic. L-R Henry Shakeshaft, Jane Smith, Pop Augustine, Ralph Smith and Tom Harden.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The front straight at San Antonio was excellent for getting right inside the cockpit with a camera. Unfortunately the western sun played havoc with lighting toward the end of the day. That's the main problem with trying to take photos and race at the same time. When the action starts you are stuck to a very small radius around your own pits. The good thing though is now with computers you can salvage otherwise washed out or poorly lit photos with backlighting or other effects to give a more dramatic look to otherwise dull pics. (Joe and Charley notwithstanding....it is still a true fact)

[Steve de Souza]

Great to see these old pictures. Folks from the Northwest that were in the picture

Robert Waite 1100 CC runaboput
Steve de Souza 1100 cc hydro/c service hydro
John Laird c service runabout
Barry Lewis 350 cc hydro
Mike Jones
Steve Straith
Howard Anderson may have been there
Also Howard Shaw

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I know Howard Anderson was there and I thought I recognized Mike Jones but I thought no, why would he be there? There were a bunch of you guys in San Antonio, but I never got a roster of drivers, boat numbers or anything like I normally did. All I ended up with was a bunch of three hole pages with blue lines like a school kid uses with hand written notes on the heat positions of the first five, and top three in points per class. I was bummed out at the time & never even wrote a story for Powerboat. I looked on your profile to get your boat number, but nothing there. Reply here on this thread or by PM and I'll see if I have some more pics of you to post.