1972 DePue PRO Nationals

[Gene East]

I remember that downpour during F-Runabout very well. I was in it riding deck for Wayne Walgrave!

We were leading on the last lap coming into the final turn. Visibility was a minus 10. Wayne for taking his bearings on a boat we were about to lap. Unfortunately that boat was dead in the water and had drifted past the turn.
As we blew by the first bouy, I caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye. I beat on wayne's shoulder to get his attention and pointed back to the bouy. Wayne cranked as hard a left turn as has ever been done in 2-man F, but too late.

Two "Kraut Eatin Sob's" got inside of us and there went our championship.

I don't remember who the other teams were and I mean no disrespect in calling them by their middle names; but hey guys,cut me some slack, that's as close as I ever came to getting my name in the record books!

[Mike Schmidt]

Could one of them been Doug Bindram ? He won FRR with a Konig in ithe early to mid 70's.

Michael D-1

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Well Gene.....you're in my record book. I don't remember when I wrote this stuff down, but you see I filled your name in the blank and to the left are results of the first five places. Man, that was a tough bunch to run against. No wonder it still sticks in your craw. That championship would have been something anybody would have been proud to hang on his wall.

And you remembered correctly Mike.