What Does "MOD-VP" Mean? Evolution/History Lesson

[Ron Hill]

Let me start with the name... APBA had a class called VP. V Production....

I wrote some rules for the Enduro....Division V was any Jet, Vee Drive or Outboard with full production gearcase. The outboards at this time were only 99 cubic inches...

Here is Al Stoker in 1978, winner Division V, Mod Vp was a class, but was not yet called MOD VP!!!

Boat was actually, a Witch Craft.

[march3stv]

I'll see Dad next week for the holidays and fire up the scanners...lot's of great photos and memories...hundreds and hundreds!

I have a few shoeboxes myself...

This was a great evolution in production hull racing...The V6 evolution that started with VP (not VP racing fuel...pay attention, damnit!)...Ron just fuel this thread...there's a lot there for you to share!

ps: I'm so lame that I'm uploading photos from my laptop on the road...HBO sucks tonight!

Photo: Alan Stoker - the first year running the capsule...

[Ron Hill]

and I ain't been drinking...

To do any justice to the HISTORY of MOD VP, a man needs to understand the HISTORY of the Parker 9 Hour...
Realisticly, when OMC had me race the Enduro in 1967 there were four FACTORY OMC BOATS and the rest of the 126 boats were INDEPENDENTS. Many were whiskey drinking, cigar smoking, men amoung men with plenty of money...

Red Adair...Texas Oil Well Fire Fighter, they made a movie of his life.
Vic Edelbrock....Edelbrock Speed Equipment.

Louis Unser racing Engines....brother of Bobby, Al and Jerry... Unser (Engien builder, not a racer)
Lou Brummett, Mandella Boats
Bob Nordskog, Nordskog Ovens (Long before Powerboat Magazine, something I doubt ever showed a profit)...
Schiada Boats
Eliminator Boats
Howard Boats
Aqua Craft Boats
Stevens Boats.
Ed Olsen, Bakery Owner...Boat Named "CREAM PUFF"

Bob Patterson, Patterson Boats, twin engine or allison power
Rudy Raymos, Rayson Craft Boats....Twin Ford Cobras or an Allison..
Tim Wallace

Several things all these guys had in common...ONE they were INBOARDERS and most sold boat to skier who might become a racer, in they didn't they could watch a boat like their's run up and down the river...

They had a lot of chrome. They were noisy. They were expensive...And as I was just looking at the 1966 Boat Racing Guide, it didn't even have OUTBOARDS listed ...

Keith Black, Halibrand, Moon Equipment, Casale, Kenny Harman Cams,Bell Auto Parts...Joe Hunt Magnetos...he owned an Indy Car.. These are the Who's Who in boating/cars during the 1960's...

Along come some kicks (Outdoor Motors)...these guys let them run...what, they go 50 MPH? Don't make any noise??? Just keep them out of ther acers way...

Well as the Outboards started adding motors, two, three and four, they drew some guys with money...

In 1969, my dad and Kenny Harman got into such an arguement, I thought they might fight. Kenny finally walked out of the restaurant. They arguement, the said my dad, who he'd know for 25 years was a CRAZY SOB....He had the NERVE to say he thought his kid would lead the race tomorow!!!!! The Parker 9 Hour is going to be lead by an OUTBOARD...Go to Hell Russ was Kenny's last words...(That night, they were friends forever...AND I did lead the Enduro the next day, only four laps, but 54 miles...

The Enduro was changed forever....

The next year, OMC twook 8-9 of the top spots, all twins...Of course, I thought it SO COOL to beat the fire out of INBOARDS....their noise, their chrome, their women....

But inthe next year or two, the entry list dropped, the Red Adair's wer gone, the Vic Edelbrock, Power Oil Company had gone Offshore Racing....Nordskog tried OUTBOARDS.... Rudy messed with Outboards... But now single engine FACTORU BOAT CONTROLLED PARKER...

About 1973, or 1974, I was Region Chairman of APBA and I wrote new rules for PArker...See APBA use to pay their Chairmen by the number of races a Region had....I din't want the enduro dying on my watch...

I created five Divisions... and One Division was Inboard and any VP Outboard under 100 cubic inches... Ron Hill Props offered trophies for all five Divisions and the Enduro had a growth in entries that year...

**** Keep in mind the boating world was changing an Flat Bottoms were no longer the fastest boat on the river...Outboard V-6's were beat the Jet Drives for sure and most flat bottoms, if you raced them more than 100 feet..

Scott, are you getting a feel of what happened???

More later...

[march3stv]

Get it off you chest, damnit! It's early on the West Coast!

[Gb821]

Hi guys, long time boat race brat here. I and my family are from region 11 APBA, northern california area. I posted a picture in MOD VP pictures of my father, Lynn Alan Harris. He ran MOD VP or Possably it was Family ski (J) class. I am looking for anyone who may have known and or raced with my father. I dont have much history of my dads racing a few articles and a few pictures thats it. I am in texas racing an E hydro and enjoying it, See pic in members rides. I would love to speek to those who may have spent time with my father, I have a lot of memories of racing and the times back then, the times frame would be 1965 to 1975 or so. This seems to be a great site, Ron is doing a great job bringing it all together here. Thanks all and have a great holliday. Glenn Bracy

[march3stv]

How much do you think fuel consumption (inboard vs. outboard) played into it (9 hours - overall) once the O/B's were turning competitive lap times with the iron heads...less stops!

[Ron Hill]

In 1967, I was running almost 70 on my 75 mph Keller. 1968, I saw 92 on OMC's Keller....1969 when I lead, I could see 110 on MY Keller... the inboards were still going 75...maybe 80, I was 30 mph faster...

Once PAndora's Bos was opened, the inboars, with their chrome, flash ans style, went Ski racing or Offshore racing......

Bottom Line: Where is the FLASH TODAY???????? Poker Runs!!! Flat Bottom racers were the Pker Runners of their era...

Most exited the sport, some stayed..Lou Brummet was killed at Elsinore...Bob Ellis, in a Hallett hydro, was decapitated in a first lap accident, where he hit a dock...Nordskog ran io AND AN OUTBOARD....Red Adair bought a WING....
Tiny Tim, Tim Wallace quit, but Mike bought an outboard... Bill Cooper died of cancer...Doug Fendler was killed in a flat bottom, his brother went Unlimited racing.

Boat Racing's History, is much like the world, change is ehat you can expect...but don't expect the government to help you!!!!!

Once the inboard we gone, the Outboard factories cut their support.....by then all the independents had left the sport...

[Ron Hill]

Dick Sherrer and I had known each other since 1957, when my brother had a 1957 Plymouth....My brother helped a guy named Johnny Cordes beat Dick Sherrer......My brother married his sister (Johnny's sister)..and was happily married for forty years until she died of cancer....

In the '50's Dick Sherrer raced Evinrudes in WOA (Western Outboard Association), I didn't like Evinrudes, even though my father had raced them.....I liked MERCURY MOTORS....

Well, by 1975-76 , Dick and I were friends...I was probably the only one that called him "SUPER DICK" to his face.... Dick didn't like FACTORY RACE TEAMS anymore than I did, even though he'd bought Bobby Massey's Mercury Dealership, after Bobby's death...

COBRA had their monthly meetings at Dick's shop...I'd go and tell them how good APBA was....even though, they had new members every month and seemed to have a cool plan...(One race a month, 12 races a year, Production Outboards)....

As Region 12 Chirman, I'd convinced COBRA to become part of APBA....

Dick and I discussed the Enduro and noted that the new Merc V-6 and Evinrude V-6 was selling and could out run the jets on the river..... Dick had put a V-6 powerhead on his T2X Leg and beat the fire out of the 100 ichers, until his sponson came off and he slid up into the parking lot...

We both decided that the FACTORIES looked out for themselves, and that not only did Mercury like to win, but they liked to say WHO WOULD WIN WITH A MERCURY...and I KNEW FIRST HAND THAT OMC HAD THE SAME BELIEFS.....

Dick and I wrote the rules, for MOD VP..... SIMPLE:

1. Production parts in WARRANTEEABLE CONDITION....
2. Nose cones
3. V-6 PRODUCTION PARTS ONLY
4. MOD VP bottom, center pod to be equal or lower than the outside runners.. we both knw outboard blew over...easily, mod vp bottom seemed to be the best of both worlds...

This would become Divison IV at Parker...

Al Stoker, young, handsome, family owned an Evinrude Dealership, won some of the early races.... Bob Brown, wrote article about Al.......He became a HERO....MOD V BALLOONED to almaost 40 boats at the Havasu Classic, not like the 120 boats when Ralph Evinrude put up $50,000 and sponsored 25 boats....but 40 independents, most with Evinrudes or Johnsons.....

Come 1980 ish...

[Ron Hill]

Once Havsu Single Engine World Championship collapsed..Tunnel boat racing, MArathon Racing was basically gone!!!

Havasu had sold all their land...Ralph Evinrude told me he was the largest stock holder in the Havasu Land Company and that he'd made more money selling land than he ever did selling outboard motors...

[Ron Hill]

77 Mike Wallace, 190 Billy Seebold..199 Bill Petty, 148 Dick Sherrer...

It wasn't long after this race that engines became hard to get, especially good ones...

It was 1974, that we started the Divisions at Parker...