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Thread: Jackie Wilson..

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Hill View Post
    As I RECALL, the Cosworth ran all day and was not disqualified at all. It placed about 7th. I called Karon May today and asked her to get a hold of Brett, as I told her on her voicemail...we wanted to "DISCUSS" the Cosworth and other items...

    My brother was the President of Drake Engineering at this time and they were trying to build a V-8 Offy to compete with Keith Duckworth's Cosworth...

    I was driving for Brad Miller, who owned Crazyhorse Campgrounds, The Del Taco Chain and a few other ventures, and I was trying to get Brad interested in buying a Drake V-8 to run in our Crazyhorse tunnel boat....

    I'm going to say this was 1979, but recall, like yesterday, that Keith and my brother got along very well and both agreed that the BEST racing would really be with one engine and one car....but both agreed that no one would ever go there....Hmmm...Seems NASCAR is getting closer...

    Anyway, at the 1970 Enduro, I talked Brad into having a party at his campgrounds and I invited everyone at the race...We had a seriouly wild party...Havasu wasn't the CITY it now is, and that is the night that Fred Hauenstein and I decided to see if Brad Miller's Turbo Charged Porsch would go 150....We found out it would, on the Havasu City run way....

    I remember talking to Keith Duckworth, that night, he was quite disappointed that my brother wasn't there...

    Bottom Line, the Cosworth didn't really have a lot of TORQUE and wasn't really a "BALL OF FIRE"...and Cosworth could see that they weren't going to be selling too many motors to BOAT RACERS.....

    The thing I remember, was at pit stops, they pulled the damn boat out of the water, drained the oil, or at least checked the oil and fooled around like it was lunch break...15 minut pit stops knocks hell out you when the other guys are making 1 minute stops...

    This was a Gary Garbrecht, Mercury Racing deal...and as I always accused Brett May, was this: I told Brett the only reason he was driving this MACHINE, was he had a damn good looking sister and Gary Garbrecht liked having her around.....Of course, Brett thought they liked his driving STYLE!!!! Not to MENTION, George May was Referee at all these races in those days....


    Ok, Brett...come after me!!!! Tell me where I've gone wrong!!!!

    ADD:

    When Bret was only about 18, Gary sent Bert Serra's Schutz with a T2X on it to California for Brett.....Brett didn't have enough money for gas or entry fees... I tell Brett, "Get off your ***, go to you local dealer, tell him you've got this Factory Ride and you need $1,000 for the next race..." Well, Brett goes to Nautal-Stryus (Mercury dealer in San Diego)...and gets $1,000... Brett shows up at the first race with this SPONSOR's name on the side...

    Brett says, "Hey, that was a good IDEA youy had..." The dealer sponsored him for several years...

    Gary sent Brett a new Molinari...and I happened to be talking to Gary (I was Mercury's High Performance's biggest propeller dealer, at that time)...and said I could sell the T2X of Brett's ...Gary said, anything over $2,000, keep it...I said the guy offered me $5,000.... Gary said, "WELL, sell it and send me 2..."

    So, I sold it and sent him $2,000... Gary Garbrecht was always fair with me!!!
    Ronald my boy---------What on earth made you think that GG had ANYTHING to do with the Cosworth. Let me tell you categorically i paid for that trip myself and Bedford Davy paid the air freight, Cosworth paid for Duckworth, and Mercury NEVER EVER had anything to do with that project. I never ever got a bloody washer for free out of mercury and i had been a mercury dealer for over 20 years.
    Introduced GG to Duckworth at Bristol in '78, but there was nothing before that going on, but a hell of a lot took place after.
    Introduced Bedford to GG and he sponsored a lot of the Cosworth development with Mercury and also the very expensive V8 world record attempt.
    Can't imagine where you got the idea the Cosworth had no torque---------the clever bit was to stop the thing corkscrewing when you got lead in the foot.
    Agree with you there never was going to be too many boating lads with the dosh to run a full blooded formula one motor---------that was never the idea-------Duckworth was testing the American legal system on foreign motors. Car racing was always the prize factor in the USA and this was a back door testing.
    I had a choice of co-driver from a host of top notchers, but i was wary of picking a hero. The boat needed to finish and Brett did exactly what he was supposed to do-----he brought it home after each stint, I made the choice------Not GG.
    Also agree he has a damn good looking sister.

    Still get pissed off when somebody comes up with a stupid statement like "This was a Garbrecht deal". GG and me had been at loggerheads ever since the idea of the "Cossie" was born.
    Unlike you i "WAS SCREWED" by Garbrecht a number of times. But don't anybody ever think he had anything at all to do with the Cosworth----------he didn't.

  2. #32
    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    Very interesting pieces of history Jackie. Unfortunately, I never got a program from Valleyfield in 1976, but I got a bunch of photos. We you driving an inboard hydro? If so...what number. I'm going to look up my notes and photos right now to see what I can find. I remember some tunnels running also, but I didn't think Larry Lauterback and Joe Gimbrone drive tunnels. There was also a gentleman there with an old looking inboard from Switzerland named Joseph Ulrich. I had taken pictures of him only a few months earlier driving that same boat in a marathon on the Weser River in Karlshaven, West Germany. I always was interested in his boat racing history.



  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Master Oil Racing Team View Post
    Very interesting pieces of history Jackie. Unfortunately, I never got a program from Valleyfield in 1976, but I got a bunch of photos. We you driving an inboard hydro? If so...what number. I'm going to look up my notes and photos right now to see what I can find. I remember some tunnels running also, but I didn't think Larry Lauterback and Joe Gimbrone drive tunnels. There was also a gentleman there with an old looking inboard from Switzerland named Joseph Ulrich. I had taken pictures of him only a few months earlier driving that same boat in a marathon on the Weser River in Karlshaven, West Germany. I always was interested in his boat racing history.
    The boat i ran was a 2 litre Cosworth Hodges pickle with about 275 hp which was always good for keeping up with the factory boys
    Sorry to have to tell you-----the only class the committee would let me run in was the GP class, was not allowed to race with the tunnel boats. World wide paperwork was not recognised in Canada, and if i had not been with such a great bunch of people i would have been well pissed. You ever get to meet Jim and Louise Thompson, they took care of the three of us from the minute we got there-----wonderful folk !!!!!!!!

    I didn't fare as badly as the Mexican teams that travelled thousands of miles -------only to be told "you are late for drivers meeting ----your out------park your boats outside the compound --in the street.

    Joseph Ulricht had a beautiful rig ----but it was all show and no go------he always finished last wherever he turned up. He gave away thousands of flyers with him and his boat showing, had a bundle of dosh-----but that was it. Don't think he had a boat racing history-but he was a damn fine poser. He was probably good in marathons 'cos the Italians [who ran that class] were fast and furious but broke more often than not---------bit like the tortoise and the hare. JW.

  4. #34
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    Smile

    Jackie:
    Its great seeing your antimated personality on BRF. The guys here have missed you journalistic expertise. How many others can say they have there own thrd on a boat racing site? Glad your here chap.

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    where did you get the lower unit, was that one of those very old 3 shaft lowers?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Powerabout View Post
    where did you get the lower unit, was that one of those very old 3 shaft lowers?

    Probably was---------there is a host of spare bits we are trying to locate-but 35 years on and nobody seems to know where Keith kept the bits.
    My old mechanic Chas Shooter has a bunch of BP gearcases in his loft.
    When i closed the garage i had 50 stainless BP props i bought from SWMF for £5 apiece .
    Were neither use nor ornament and as my sainted mother used to say.
    Always ran a little quickie gear case in England----never had a problem with it but Keith was a natural born worrier and used to fret about it being ---"a fragile piece of kit".
    I had a pressure guage and temperature guage to tell me if it was getting near terminal time on every gear case we ever ran-------even Parker.
    Loved getting up GG's left nostril------------Was great to see him throw a wobbly every so often-----if i was the cause ------i was happy.

  7. #37
    Team Member Powercat's Avatar
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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFRIGh8t45I

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0FkLKphIME

    To get to know Jackie better, you have to listen to him
    tell a story.. Nobody does it better,
    The YouTube interviews linked above were
    done about a year ago..

  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Powercat View Post
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFRIGh8t45I

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0FkLKphIME

    To get to know Jackie better, you have to listen to him
    tell a story.. Nobody does it better,
    The YouTube interviews linked above were
    done about a year ago..
    Funny thing is---------i expected to be challenged on these matters, but nearly a year on and nobody has disagreed with my views.

    Omc and Mercury between them screwed up boat racing for the next 20 years.

    If half a dozen responsible people want copies of the 4 FONDA newsletters to see the way the sport was heading under David Parkinson' guidance. I will gladly send you them.
    Have promised a copy to Nick Springate, but cannot send them to individual enthusiasts

    Suppose some one who knows what they are doing could post them on here for all to see.
    there's some great historical sh-t in those items, concerning some big names like Renato M> who threatened to sue my asse off if i didn't send him a written apology------------that was dead in the water from the start.
    I should keep quiet---------i only get into trouble -------and to think young Timmy thinks he's a smart mouth.!!!!!!!!

  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by jackie wilson View Post
    Funny thing is---------i expected to be challenged on these matters, but nearly a year on and nobody has disagreed with my views.

    Omc and Mercury between them screwed up boat racing for the next 20 years.

    If half a dozen responsible people want copies of the 4 FONDA newsletters to see the way the sport was heading under David Parkinson' guidance. I will gladly send you them.
    Have promised a copy to Nick Springate, but cannot send them to individual enthusiasts

    Suppose some one who knows what they are doing could post them on here for all to see.
    there's some great historical sh-t in those items, concerning some big names like Renato M> who threatened to sue my asse off if i didn't send him a written apology------------that was dead in the water from the start.
    I should keep quiet---------i only get into trouble -------and to think young Timmy thinks he's a smart mouth.!!!!!!!!

    Hi Jackie, It's been a long time since we have talked. It's been fun reading your posts and seeing your videos. I agree 100% with your observation of what happened and what caused the demise of F-1 Outboard Tunnel Boat Racing. It's always amazed me that the factories did not even want to race against each other on a level playing field. I think they could have co-existed and thrived on a world tour with a 2 liter limit. And, they would have saved millions on new product development.
    I hope you are doing well.
    Regards,
    Lee

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Sutter View Post
    Hi Jackie, It's been a long time since we have talked. It's been fun reading your posts and seeing your videos. I agree 100% with your observation of what happened and what caused the demise of F-1 Outboard Tunnel Boat Racing. It's always amazed me that the factories did not even want to race against each other on a level playing field. I think they could have co-existed and thrived on a world tour with a 2 liter limit. And, they would have saved millions on new product development.
    I hope you are doing well.
    Regards,
    Lee
    WELL_____SOD MY OLD BRITCHES-----if it's not the boy himself. The last time i saw you was at the Seebold house in St Louis about 15 years ago.

    You used to race with Percy in the european Marathons, ie, Paris 6 hours.

    Why the hell didn't the 2 factories listen to the racers instead of the accountants and pen pushers who knew bugger all about anything except product and profit margins.

    Bed time now----turned 11 pm so will comment more tomorrow when the little grey cells are rested-------great to hear from you again Lee, how's the golf coming along------but you could always give Mr Bill a thrashing with one hand tied behind your back [on a golf course]

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