?? About Wings.

[Rick Connolly]

BUNKER:

The real story on the second DeSilva Wing was that Mac McCune had given DeSilva a grand deposit to build a wing...Jack Leek flew out from Waukegan and Mac flew from Denver and we all met at DeSilva. The "Wing" was just that a WING...Mac and Leek looked at it and DECLARED IT NO GOOD....and basically left DeSilva's shop saying they could keep the $1,000 DEPOSIT.

Grandpa Hill (My dad) wasn't one to listen to Jack Leek, considering some 15 years earlier, Jack Leek was writing him letters asking him how to "HOP UP" motors...He also liked "The Kids" (Bill and Ralph DeSilva), so he asked Ralph what they wanted for the boat...as is? They said, "1,000 would make us happy."

Well, we had the 18" DeSilva runabout that Fred Miller had blow the bottom out of at Parker, I had helped repair the boat at DeSilva's and raced it in COBRA, but I'd sold it for $1,000 and kept the trailer....and the motors...

We went home and got the trailer, Jimbo and his dad happened to be at the house picking up one of Jimbo's motors...Jimbo's dad said, "He'd go half on the DeSilva...and wrote my dad a check for $500 on the spot...

We went back to DeSilva's and picked up the boat and paid them $1,000.

Rod Zapf had just left the Navy to fly for TWA and had time to burn. We were hanging out and such, he told the OLD MAN he'd help...Rod worked with my dad for about 30 days straight. They built cowlings both front and rear, my dad painted the red and ROD painted every black and white check....Though it seems maybe Phil Nichols may have given us advice on the checkers...

I told Leek we had the boat "Totally Tits" and I needed some motors for Parker...I had added aluminum angles for air traps on the runners and sponsons...(Like the Berghauers had on their Sid Crafts). We tested the boat on a rainy day at Elsinore with the two engine (89.9 Inchers) off the 18 foot DeSilva...I saw 85 on your DAD's Keller......as it only went to 85 but it wrapped around to where I felt it was going over 90 MPH...(Nobody went 90 with two 89.9 inchers)...

We headed to Parker, where Leek gave us two new engines... I remember clearly, warming them up and slowly heading up to the dam and I made a wide "WING TURN" and then I got on the gas.....There may have been ten to fifteen boats on the river testing, big mother flat bottoms and all....I came whistling down past the pits at 110 on OMC's Keller....Actually, maybe 107...OMC's fastest twin was going 91 MPH at the time...Just as I started to back her down I broke a crank....

We replaced the motor and Freddy Hauenstein took her for a ride...It looked like a little D Alky Hydro....."PRANCING" down the river...

Everyone saw it and realized it didn't "HOP" like a Switzer, it just went around the corner and hauled ***..

We lead Parker that year, first outboard to every lead, and Ann Strang "sold" (Offered it to Carl and he took the offer)... the boat to Carl for $8,000, that same day........When Jack Leek heard that Mac McConnell and Russ were selling the boat to Mercury, he bought it...Jimbo drove the wing the next year, when I drove the Hallett...

That's the rest of the story!

If you sold it for big $$$ and it ran great why didn't you build another one ??

[Ron Hill]

One word....MOLINARI. Once you drove one, saw one or touched one, you knew that was the BOAT of NOW and the future...

We did have Rich Hallett build a twin for the next season and I along with Dewey Berghauer finished second at Parker the next year....second by one foot to the OLD DeSilva Wing that Jerry Waylin and Alan Stinson drove...

Before I could get my hands on a twin Molinari, I got a 20 foot Ron Jones...

When I said turned good, turned good for a WING, but you still needed forty acres to turn one.

[Rick Connolly]

One word....MOLINARI. Once you drove one, saw one or touched one, you knew that was the BOAT of NOW and the future...

We did have Rich Hallett build a twin for the next season and I along with Dewey Berghauer finished second at Parker the next year....second by one foot to the OLD DeSilva Wing that Jerry Waylin and Alan Stinson drove...

Before I could get my hands on a twin Molinari, I got a 20 foot Ron Jones...

When I said turned good, turned good for a WING, but you still needed forty acres to turn one.

Was the Hallet an outboard....what did it look like ??

[T2x]

Was the Hallet an outboard....what did it look like ??

It's the boat in his avatar......

[Judi Cable]

Rick- The Parker Enduro began in 1963 & was 9 hrs. until 1975 when it was reduced to 7 hrs. Inboards ruled for 7 years until Alan Stinson & Jerry Walin won in a 21 ft. De Silva with dual OMC's in '70. Single Outboards have ruled except in '85 when Mitch Lembke won a v-12 Jaguar in a 24ft Molinari with a Mercury IB/OB. The race continued to be run nearly every year with a few years of NO-RACE until 2007. They still run Parker to this day but they run a shorter course & for less hours with unlimited 45 ci. with safety capsules. Boy things have changed since you used to see dual & triple stackers on big tunnels!

[Fast Fred]

[bowman]

Judi they still run Parker enduro but it is similer to the old days. You have Inboard and outboard with 7 classes. It is a 300 mile race on a 5 mile loop. The racing stopped in the late 90s or early 2000 and restarted in 2005. Chad Hill drove to a victory in 2006, with no help by me driving the middle leg. I have raced the enduro for the last 4 years and it is great fun.

[Judi Cable]

Dear Bowman- If you watch the Videos of "In Memory of Dave Potter # 226 " & " Parker 1975 Pre-race testing", you will get the idea of how the race was in the '70's. Triple stackers- dual stackers - anything goes - any kind of boat & motor combination to win the 9 Hour Enduro! Those were the days! Inboarders & Outboarders going head to head! It doesn't get any better than that!

[Rick Connolly]

Interesting talking to folks the bits and pieces of things you can learn. I was told the yellow 140 Bob Massey wing was raced one last time as a tribute to him in the 70's. This was when the tunnels were in and twins were out. Glen Schiad (sp ??) borrowed the wing from Bobby's wife. The wing had some mods done to the bottom and was running at it's best handling wise. It was unknown exactly what year this happened. Looks like from the 1975 pre race video that was the year....it was a dinosaur by then. Story goes it was running in up front for a good part of the race until it broke down due to engine troubles. Curious to see the entire 1975 race footage to see if that is true. Anyone remember this ??

Picture of the same wing when Jan Schoonover raced it at the Salton Sea in 1967....it was brand new and metallic red. It was on loan to Jan from Mercury before Bobby Massey got it.

[Judi Cable]

Rick- Parker !975 was the year that Bobby Massey's Boat was run as a tribute. But believe you me, it was not running up front with the big boys before mechanical difficulties. Hering-Molinari averaged over 100 mph for 7 hours & they had to stop for fuel. I would say they were cruising at up to 120 mph all day long. That's an average faster than a wing ever went! Still impressive to this day