An Amazing Story: Part 2

[Master Oil Racing Team]

It's so great to be able to put pieces of the puzzle together. I am continually surprised at how different people in different places connect the dots to fill in parts of boat racing history. Here you have inboard and outboard racers working together as well as U.S., Canadian and Mexican ties to our sport. This "Amazing Story" continues to amaze me.

Here is a page from the March 1980 edition of the UIM newsletter. Dates of April 12 and 13 were previously published on the calendar. This is just a reminder of what's coming up next month.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

On March 7 the paint job on my new Butt's laydown was complete. I had the American flag decals for it and lined up the signpainter to do the lettering. It was painted in our own shop by Frank Moreno.

While getting all this stuff ready for Laredo, my Dad, Tim and I were corresponding with lead man Tom Bates for the Pro 700 hydro nationals at DePue as well as Fred Schletty on the North American Championships at La Crosse. In addition I was putting together photos and bios of all that I thought would be coming to Laredo as well as sending out press releases and stories. And I had letters and phone calls going out all over the U.S. as well as Europe. It was a busy time. The oilfield was booming so I had that stuff to contend with as well.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

March 11 Tim called to talk about the setup on Vibora de Cascabel. He said not to go deeper than 1 1/2" or less than 1".

The following Monday I tried to call Manfred Richter in Dusselforf. Things were getting in a little bit of a tizzy. Eight drivers were coming from Germany. David Westbrook had a proprider that Hans Krage left over here that he would bring.

I have an incomplete note from a phone call from Rheinhart Schultz that he would not pay the whole ticket for a 3 cylinder motor. He would come at Easter and their holidays begin March 22.

Two days later I have notes that say Dieter is coming with a B powerhead and also bringing a 3 cylinder radial Konig built for an airplane. He was going to test the B with Elmer Grade in Florida.

That same day Steve Jones told me that Katie Billiter had the stopwatches and that Elmer would talk to her about bringing them. Dieter was supposed to be at Elmer's to test on Saturday.

March 17th I talked to McKesson Chemical and Van Waters and Rodgers both about supplying methanol. I don't remember who ended up shipping the methanol...both had good tech grades, but we always bought our Baker's AA Grade castor oil from McKesson, and I think that's what they supplied.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'm reading my journal and posting this stuff as I go along. It was on March 24 that Jack Chance called and said he would send some oil seal rings, NM mics (whatever that was) & etc. for spacing the motor. That came from my notes. At the time I knew what that meant, but now looking back I can say that this was the time that Jack Chance cashed it in as far as being our mechanic. My earlier post was premature about the timing. I had remembered something about the horsepower Ron Anderson had wrung out of Tim's motor and Jack had told us there was nothing else he knew how to do to make motors that powerful.

[Joe Silvestri 36-S]

On March 7 the paint job on my new Butt's laydown was complete. I had the American flag decals for it and lined up the signpainter to do the lettering. It was painted in our own shop by Frank Moreno.

While getting all this stuff ready for Laredo, my Dad, Tim and I were corresponding with lead man Tom Bates for the Pro 700 hydro nationals at DePue as well as Fred Schletty on the North American Championships at La Crosse. In addition I was putting together photos and bios of all that I thought would be coming to Laredo as well as sending out press releases and stories. And I had letters and phone calls going out all over the U.S. as well as Europe. It was a busy time. The oilfield was booming so I had that stuff to contend with as well.

Great paint job and I love the lines of that boat! Any idea where that boat is today? Do you still have any of your old race boats? Keep up the great stories, I enjoy reading them.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks Joe. No, I don't know where any of them are but one. It was called "Eradicator" and is in a boarded up old boat shop close to the dam on Lake Corpus Christi. After we retired the first CDF Butts Aerowing "Hookin' Bull', my Dad kept it down in his bar with a bunch of trophies stacked inside. After we quit racing, he gave it to Jack Chance. I have E mailed both of Jack's nephews, but they don't remember what happened to it.

This boat,"Vibora de Cascabel", "Shadowfax", and "Quien Sabe" were all sold to Harry Bartolomei. Right about the time I was going to call Harry and ask him about Marshall Grants old "D" and "F" motors and the boats, Harry died in an apparent suicide. Harry had been around boat racing so long, he would have been a wealth of history for BRF. What a tragic waste to lose Harry like that. I don't really know Lee very well, so I never followed up. I have been very curious about what happened to those boats though. Each one of those three boats held competion or kilo records or both.

[wboxell]

Wayne, What did you think about driving laying down after years in a kneeler?

I always get a chuckle thinking about my dad telling my granddad the first time he saw my boat that kneeling allowed for lots of praying bill

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Not to mention that the cockpit was more or less coffin sized>

I had already had some time in a laydown in Germany Bill. In 1976 and 1977 I drove several classes with a Danisch proprider. The biggest difference was those races were single pin turns and fairly rough so the sponsons were usually pounding the water. With the Butts Aerowing, we would spend a lot of the time flying the sponsons. The least part I like about the laydowns is not being able to see what's behind you as well as a kneeler. The mirrors worked only to see that something was there, but not much detail, and they weren't like seeing with your own eyes. The best part was letting your body drift up against the right side during turns. You didn't have to hold on to keep from being slung over the starboard side. You still get bruised up, but you could really blow down a turn. The low center of gravity offset not being able to lean into a corner. At high speed courses the low cog was much more important. Then when Tim added the plexiglass bubble shields later it helped you concentrate more on racing. I had to start wearing elbow pads and a jock strap though. Didn't like that.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

On the 24th I called Jack Chance and asked him to send brass rings for oil seals, nm mic (whatever that is) & etc. and the stuff for spacing the crank. I sent out some kind of a press release on fuel. I guess we were still fighting public opposition over racing while there were gas lines.

Next Day I talked to Ralph Donald, Elmer Buckley made reservations for some drivers and crew and talked to McKesson & Robbins, and Van Waters & Rogers about tech grade methanol. Scott Smith called about the fuel and I told him arrangements were being made.

On the 26th I talked to Harry Splettstosser in Berlin about how many were coming from Germany and what hotel reservations I needed to take care of. I had been trying to contact Manfred Richter for several days with no success. After that I talked to Greg Hall.

Then I had a list made of American drivers that would be participating in OB and OC. This is what I had at this point.

OB...Bob McGinty, Charlie Blackwood, Jr., Bob Crumly, John Gosman, Tim Small, Jim Stone, Mike Meglatta, HP Shakeshaft II, Stanley Henderson, Dan Kirts and Neil Bauknight.

OC...Buddy Aylor, Artie Lund, Bruce Mariouneaux, Bob McGinty, Tim Small, Rex Hall, Jr., H.P. Shakeshaft, III, and Dan Kirts.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

On the 27th and 28th we tested "Vibora de Cascabel" with Marshall Grants old D Konig...D41994. Tim Butts said don't go deeper than 1 1/2" or less than 1" on depth. In addition to testing the new laydown set up, we ran samples from the two fuel suppliers to make sure it was all good. We had some trouble with fouling, but we changed to Beru spark plugs and the motor ran good. The D had a lot of time on it after 10 years of racing and so it was more temperamental. It still had the original sleeves.

The German consulate in Houston contacted Joe Rome regarding picking up Ernst Kozienski. His boat would arrive by Ludwigshaven Express at the port of Houston.

Steve Jones talked with local NBC affiliate sports director Bob Tucker about supplying previous racing footage to their sister station in Laredo.

These were the last two test sheets we ever completed from our test runs for any of our boats and motors. I never made any for the 48mm carb D Konig.