Wayne Baldwin, Remember This one?

Composite Specialties · 04-06-2005

Hey Wayne, I watched you test this one at Alexandria in the late 70's. It sure did look like a handful. I remember seeing you hanging over the front cowl of the Butts boat to hold the nose down.

**Jeff Lytle** · 04-06-2005

Nuts man, absolutley nuts !!

**Master Oil Racing Team** · 04-07-2005

You got me there MJR. I saw that picture earlier and at first I thought "What is Marshall Grant's OF doing on my boat?" It's hard to tell from the picture, but the fuel tank is wrong and the trim is wrong, and blue a little off. I see a Kirts trailer to the right which could explain the motor but not the boat. I'm not sure who you were watching, but that motor WILL push I hydro. I remember how fast Dan Kirts looked testing down the back straight at Fort Worth.

I know it wasn't me though because I never hung out over the cowling. Too much wind resistance and my body weight wouldn't do any good at those speeds. Better to tuck down behind the cowling and watch that it doesn't lift to the point of takeoff. It reminds me though of Dick Pond at Alexandria in '66 or '67 doing just that, hanging out over a canvas deck of an old conventional hydro. He could really drive.

Composite Specialties · 04-07-2005

Oh well, the boat was Blue and Red with the Master Oil logo on the front cowl. The real tall guy from your team was starting it and your dad was standing about 10 feet from me when I took another picture of someone driving it in Alexandria, La. I remember watching the kirts group there and I suppose that it could have been Jerry Kirts testing it but it was not Dan.

That was a long time ago. How many others drove your Master Oil boats with you? I had more pictures of it running and some of it sitting on the stands in the water, but I can't seem to find them.

**Joe J** · 04-07-2005

So how in the hell do you start that thing? I see 2 rope pulleys, are they tied together somehow?

Joe

**Master Oil Racing Team** · 04-07-2005

I talked with Joe Rome about this also. It looks like Marshall Grant's OF Konig. Joe was going to call Marshall and find out what he knows.

I have photos of Marshall with this motor? at a lake near Lakeland, Fla. where we would test prior to racing. At first he tried two people cranking with ropes in unison, but that wasn't working out well. Then he installed a starter. I took various angles of the motor because it was so unique. It has to be Marshall's.

As far as a tall guy starting it, the only person who started my motors was me or my dad. No one else ever drove my boats except Clayton Elmer when Jack Chance still had his team and we sometimes swapped out. The only other time was 1975 and I was seriously injured at our first race in Texas. I missed the whole year except the last race at my Dad's house in October.

To make sure we were staying competitive, we hauled our stuff to the major races and Tim Butts drove his A (& maybe B) and drove our C & D. Then at Winona Charlie Bailey drove our C one heat.

I hope you can find the pictures or narrow down the date & place so I could look through my stuff because I was curious about the photo too when I first saw it. Hopefully, Joe Rome can get Marshall Grant to take a look & give us the real story.

Composite Specialties · 04-07-2005

It was definently Alexandria, La., and I do remember seeing Tim Butts right there as well. Maybe it was Tim Driving the boat? Interesting.

It also could have been around 1975, I know for sure it was in the mid to late 70's.

I also remember seeing Gary Pugh there running his 125cc boat that he had just built.

I know it was Alexandria because we drove there from North Carolina just to see that race, man was that a long trip.

I hope we can figure it out Wayne, it sure was a nice ride on the water.

Composite Specialties · 04-08-2005

Thats the same race David and Wayne. The boat is sitting in the same place that I took my picture as well, right beside the Kirts trailer.

Wayne, does that help any with who was driving the boat?

**Master Oil Racing Team** · 04-08-2005

Marc--When I saw David's picture I knew that was the same boat, same time, same place. When he posted that picture shortly after I signed up with BRF something about the pit area confused me but now the mystery is solved.

Joe Rome just got off the phone with Marshall Grant and here is the story.

Tim Butts was always tweaking the designs a little and we would get a first shot. We Bought that boat and had it painted, but it was too much boat for our D. Didn't run good. Wouldn't fly like an Aerowing. My dad was going to sell it to Marshall, the according to Marshall, just gave it to him. Dan Kirts took it home with him, and this picture was taken before it was repainted. I never raced it or even named it. When you mentioned how fast it looked on the water, you were right. Marshall thinks that 1000cc dual motor F would run 130 on a bigger boat and I think he's right. That boat ran flat with my D on it, but it was too small for Marshall's F. The only problem was cornering. There was a lot of weight hanging on that transom with two C powerheads, a starter, two driveshafts and 4 pipes.

You guys really got me thinking, & I thank David for posting that other picture again. I'm going to try to find a photo of that other boat and some other shots of Marshall's engine. There is one of him a Dieter Konig looking at it in one of the "Random shots from the pits" series.

Incidentally, Joe Rome corrected me again. Guiseppe Landini (Italy) ran one of my boats and finished 2nd in OB at UIM World Championships at Dayton< Ohio in 1978. Wilhelm Dickoff (West Germany) ran one of my boats at Laredo, Texas, and I think Erwin Zimmerman (Austria) ran one at Dayton.