Autograph Collection

[mintominto]

Thanks once again Wayne, you are a true gentleman for going to all that trouble.

I remember Roger running that set up here in England during the mid 1970's but never got to see it up against the propriders.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The best I can remember Sam, is that they were very competitive. I only watched them run only a half dozen times though, so maybe others can give more of a perspective. Maybe Mike Ward may have some stats on them. It seems most of the top drivers at this race were running them.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The World Championship races attracted a lot of the former races I had taken pictures of in the past and had hope to secure autographs from. As in the past I grabbed some discarded photos to take with me, because the autographs were the most important. The first one here was signed by Cindy with her maiden name Hosler. It was taken at Alexandria, Louisiana in where she won a national championship. This photo of Cindy was published in Powerboat.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Lowell Schumacher got a kick out of this one. He was down at Gary Pugh's pits. They had just spent a couple of weeks putting together a very fine new boat going over to Europe. James Aderholdt drove it at Florida. Lowell was still working with Tim Butts when this pic was taken at Winona in 1975.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Another boat builder. I got to introduce my son Andrew to Rich Krier. Rich explained to us the circumstances that led to the designs and trials in developing the new style runabout. Rich had a laugh out of the college days "hippie" get up, but he couldn't indentify the rider. It was taken at the Eastern Divisionals at Springfield in 1977 and I don't have a roster of drivers.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I had been carrying these three photos around since I first started my autograph collection. I finally was able to get Todd Brinkman, Jr. to sign them. The first was from Alex around 1977, & maybe the second also. The third was was taken at Hinton in 1977. It was great to see Todd again, and despite all that he had on his plate at Lake Alfred, we did get to visit for a little bit.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This one of Bob Rusnak was taken when he won the 250 hydro nationals at Hinton, West Virginia in 1977. I didn't know Bob when I took the picture back then. I have gotten to know him better....especially since his daughter Lorraine married Sean McKean. In February Bob will have a Texan grandbaby.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

It was great to see Pete Voss again, and especially back in a boat after his accident at the Nationals last year in DePue. Pete was with me at the last race I ever drove in Berlin. It was a laugh a minute back then, and Pete still hasn't changed.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Here's a couple of Bill and Eileen Van Steenwyk. There is a puzzle to the first pic because it doesn't exactly look like Bill Van in the boat.....but then I don't remember what he used to look like in a hydro. For the most part I was racing in the same heats he was. Then after I took up my camera, I snapped this pic at DePue in 1972 of him in C hydro. He said it was Eileen driving, but Eileen never drove C hydro and surely didn't race in 1972. Within a little more than a year, Bill Van blew over one of Billy Seebold's tunnels and was in the hospital for awhile, then many months on crutches and therapy. Seems to me that it was 4 years before he was back in a boat, and then.....not in a C hydro. As I explained to Bill Van..."This has to be you in the boat. After what you went through, you could never have set this way in a boat again and we forgot what you looked like in a boat before." So we agreed it was him....hence the comment. Thanks BVS.

The next one is one of my favorite girl racers...Eileen. After going through all that stuff about Bill Van she asked what she should write. I think Bill Van must have been jealous about his belated photo because I got one of my very first autographed photos from Eileen in 1980 and I told her that she wrote on the first one something about a good looking guy....hence her comment. All in all we had a great time and I smile every time I think about the times we had together.

[Allen J. Lang]

Hi Wayne- I see that you have met over the years many of the Long Island Eastern Outboard Racing Club. Our Little club ( I still belong) have over the years produced many national champs. I see you got the autographs of Bob Rusnak and Pete Voss. Have you pictures of any others from Long Island?
Unfortunatly several have passed on such as Bill Fales, Dick Scopinich Bob Hooghkirk, George Scudder among others.
Always ENJOY your postings.
Ye Olde Desert Geezer