John Landon C and D Hydro Racer

[Ron Hill]

I bought a 30H almost a year ago from a guy who knew nothing about it. It had been repainted white sometime during it's earlier days. It appeared that it hadn't been run in years and needed some internal work due to some rusting of rings etc. It was also apparently raced at some time as there were remnants of a number, illegible, followed by a C which indicates Region 12 in the earlier days. The name John Landon is stamped in the block as well as the initials JL on various other pieces. Steve Wilde said he recognized the name and Ron Hill will probably know. I was at Darrell Sorensen's yesterday and we looked up the name in an old APBA book. John Landon was listed as living in Pasadena.

Just out of curiosity, do you or anyone out there know the history of this driver and or motor. The motor suffered damage at one time as the front case has been welded in front of crank pins 3 & 4. It runs well now, I tried to sell it on ebay a month or so ago but didn't generate much interest. Thanks
Karl 88-C

Karl:

You asked about John Landon....John was a neighbor or Bob Martin and Ted May. I don't reallyknow how he got into boat racing, but he built his first boat in his garage. John was a "Door Hanger" by trade and quite a craftsman.

Seems he must have worked with Gale Adams on his boat design as the boat looked like an Adams Craft. I think Gale only built three boats, two D Hydro and a Jones Copy Cab Over. Biff Parker was quite successful witht he first ADams C Hydro, Biff ran it in D Hydro. Larry Adams ran the other Hydro that was like Jonh's and Biff's in both C and D.

As I recall, Johns boat was painted eith more than 50 coats of lacquer. It was black and white and call Le Sabre.

Gale Adams had come up with the "ROCKER" Bottom concept...in the last foot of the bottom he had an 1/8. This made the boats want to blow over backwards, so Ted May came up with the idea of REVERSE AIR TRAPS... (One inch deep at the sponson and 2 1/4 deep, a foot from the transom where they ended). Many of us KNEELDOWERS used to Test at Tin Can Beach (Now Bolsa Chica State Beach and Bird Watching Area).

Ted May helped John learn to drive and to try to get himgoing faster he loans John a 7 1/4 X 12 D Hydro Cary prop....Ted and Joh ended up jacking the motor way, way up and kicking it way, way under. And with the D Cary prop he absolutely "HAULED THE MAIL..."

John got started in late 1959 but by August of 1960, he was ready to go to the Nationals in Beloit. By this time he had a D Motor and he'd built a trailer that was pretty as his boat.

John was a little short of "BREAD" for the trip, so my dad told John he'd buy his gas, if he'd take me and my C-D Runabout. John, his brother Steve and I all headed for Beloit , Wisconsin, August, 1960...We got to Riverside had his '59 El Camino over heated...Took about 12 hours to get to Las Vegas.

My aunt lived in Vegas in those days, as it was dark, hot and all I told John, "Let's just stop at Aunt Georgie's for the night and head out tomorrow." So, we stopped at my Aunt's and took showers and cooled off and cleaned up...My aunt fed us, and gave John a couple of beers, John decide we should just drive while it was cool, in case his El Camino over heated again...

He wanted to buy a ice chest and my aunt said, there was a liquor store right on the corner of Okie Blvd and the strip...She said, "If you play that HORSE RACE MACHINE, bet the 100:1...Only win about three times an leave..."

So, off we go to the liquor store and John buys an ice chest and some beers....and plays the horse race machine and bet 10:1....25 cent bet, $25 winner... We hit that mother three times in a row and got the hell out of there.....as $75 bucks in 1960 was pretty good winnings...

I made about 15 trips to over the next six years, graduated from Flagstaff in 1966...Everytime I'd go, I'd go right to that liquor and bet the 100:1, three times and get the hell out of there...Most people probably didn't bet 100:1 and we never tried to hurt the machine, just get some beer money, and split!!!!

We made it to Beloit with no car trouble. When we got there I qualifed my C and D runabout. John really struggled with the corner with tose reverse air traps. He turned over testing on the first turn. John really didn't have much driving experience except on single bouy turn that we ran in California. He's watch the Sid Craft blast through the turns and think he should turn that way too. I told him to just drive like he was at home...

I don't think John qualified either class. At the Friday Night's driver's party, my dad, Joh, Roger Steermand and I think, John Van Epps, decided to steal the dessert cake... John Van Epps and Roger wer eeblocking the door and my dad and John took the cake...

They were putting the cake in John's El Camino, when someone said, "Hey, what are you guys doing?" My dad were stealing the cake....and they don't know who we are, do they John?" John said, "Hell no, they don't know who we are, Russ." Hello, California car license, John and Russ....

My dad had to fly home Sunday, but John returned the cake at trophies and everyone got a big laugh out of it....

In April of 1961, at Needles, I remember John and Mel Colby driving around Needles in Mel's T Bird...They had the top down, their helmets and jackets on, smoking cigars and driving a bit wild...

Seems John and Mel went to Gunterville, Alabama in 1961. John again didn't qualify...

John and his wife, Marlene, divored right after that...John was a very good looking man, but was a beautiful woman. After the divorece, I ended up with the boat and think, Mel Cloby got the engines. Neither engine was ever touched by my dad and I often felt John could have won with my dad's engines...

In JUne, 1962, I graduated High School, my dad had broken his leg pulling a painted scaffold down the street and I had decide I could win D Hydro with John Landon's boat.

The weather was so hot out gas boiled in the tank...Everytime I'd try to get on the plane, the engine would quit...I got no test time before D Hydro, and after about three laps and managed to run into some one and turn them over and bang up the boat a little. My dad's leg had swelled up like a water mellon in the heat....and he basically told me, "If was going to drive that DAMN HYDRO, he was parking my runabouts.

I sold John's Le Sabre and made $150, that day..I don't recall who I sold it to...and quit hyrdros forever....until 1964, anyway!!!

John Lando was very nice guy, and may have been Valley Sppedboat and United Speedboat High Point in 1960-61...

ADD: Seems Bob Martin, Ted may and John Landon all lived on Shipley Avenue in Long Beach and the 405 freeway went through Bob's house is why he moved to Anaheim...