Dan Pigott

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

I made the trip to Lakeland, and other locations for the late winter and spring races in Florida, from 1970 until they drained Lake Hollingworth in Lakeland and racing ceased there for several years, altogether some 30+ years of the ride from Missouri to Florida to either race myself or watch and get some sun, although there were many cold blow outs during that time in the months of Feb/March also. Because of Eileens job as a Flight Attendant, and the passes, we were able to go a lot even when we did not go to race ourselves.

We always felt if you got too disappointed if you didn't get to race, you should probably stay home, as it was always somewhat uncertain weather wise at that time of year. If you didn't get to race, at least it broke up the cold winter and you got to see your Florida friends for a while, before they made the trek north for the summer races in the Midwest and other places when it was too hot to race in Florida. When Phil and Jeanie Howard and Eileen and I were going together in the late 70's and 80's before he retired from driving, we usually tried to make two races on consecutive weekends, just in case of a "blowout" one place or another.

During all those years, I heard it called BOTH the Grapefruit and Citrus Circuit, and one just as much as another, so sounds like everybody is right on this one. Just like you had several different words or descriptions for that good engine when it went "blooey", there were several different names or titles for the series or circuits/races in Florida in the springtime.

We all had fun, whatever it was called. Too bad so many of the great race sites in Florida have been lost for various reasons.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Like John, I always heard it called the Grapfruit Circuit. It must have changed sometime in the early 60's. People such as Buddy Smith might have still referred to it as the Citrus Circuit, but until I saw that posted on this site I always thought it was the Grapefruit Circuit. One thing that always puzzled me though is why they call that "Salty Dog" fruit a grapefruit. Maybe Russ might have a clue. As long as he has worn those socks, he might have some insight back into that history.

Joe Rome and I share some historical moments among ourselves of our first trip to Lakeland via numerous airports there and back. I think it was 1970. It was the grapefruit circuit then. It was also when Tim Butts showed up with his second, and more daring picklefork hydro.

[ezryder]

Humm!! I "thought" I remembered correctly. But then I've had a "setback" over the last 10 years or so. It's called "CRAFT" disease!
So take your choice. Most likely, from all the comments, NONE of us old timers knew the correct name! hehe!!!

As far as the "blowouts" comment --- well ---
You had a choice in most cases -- sit in the pits because you were a "pussy", or install your large "gonads" and go racing. What can I say! In my time there were very few cancelled events in the Citrus/Grapefruit Circuit series.
For me, being in my teens, I pulled out my "brassballs" and continued on. The prize money was way too tempting!

Oh MY, What GREAT memory's I have of those days!!

To enjoy eating grapefruit you have to understand how to eat it. First off, for me, you NEVER drink grapefruit juice! That is a HUGE NoNo!!
What you do is you only buy "pink" grapefruit. Then you cut them in half. Then you slice all the sections with a sharp knife.
Then you sprinkle sugar on top of the halves, dig out the sections and ENJOY!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!
EZ

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

I was not trying to indicate in my post about the "blow outs" of the Citrus or Grapefruit Circuit races, that there was anything wrong with a drivers attitude about running in rough water. Exactly the opposite. The problem in driving that far was you ran the risk of sitting on the bank because of the race being blown out and NOBODY getting to run because of cancellation or postponement by the sponsor or officials that made a determination the water was too rough. There is also some difference in the time frame from the 50's to the 70's and beyond when speeds of the normal PRO category boats were regularly approaching and exceeding the 100 MPH mark with even an "A" (now 250CC) approaching 75-80 MPH in the early 70's. Lower speeds earlier (40's/50's) would make it a little easier to run in rough water, even though the boats were a little smaller. I raced some then (50's) also, so had that experience with a Big Bee Swift and a 20H and 30H.

The main point I was making was a 24 hour/1200 mile drive was a long way to go for one race weekend and put all your eggs in one basket, and if you got blown out, you had basically spent all that time and money for nothing. Going for a two race weekend made your odds a little better to get a boat ride, especially if you lived up north where you did not have the opportunity to test during the winter/early spring months.

Regards the "brass balls": as Ralph Donald says, the throttle works both ways, especially if the officials decide to go on with the race and not cancel it because of wind/rough water. The decision to run, and how hard to compete if rough, I always thought was a personal one, with a lot of factors entering into it. When you get a little older, and have made several trips to the hospital, and have trouble getting thru the metal detector at the airport, your perspective changes somewhat from when you are young, brave, and stupid.

[ezryder]

Hi Bill,
Please don't take my comments as being critical. They were not meant to be. All I was doing was expressing my memorys of my days racing the Citrus/Grapefruit Circuin. And those days were in the early 50's to the
late '50s.
As you pointed out, things were a LOT different as time progressed. But my "forced retirement" from the alky racing came to an end in 1959, after my dad's death at Daytona.
After that I only "sneaked" around doing B stock hydro races under an assumed name due to my mother's objection to my racing.

During my last racing for Deter Konig and Walt Blankenstein, we were up to over 80mph with Deter's new 500cc motor. And we were running it on a Sid Craft D hydro. And believe me! It was NOT enough boat!

Oh, by the way -- most of you know that I ended up roadracing motorcycles for most of my racing days. And let me tell you, when your riding the "walls" of Daytona at over 160mph, the wind plays a HUGE roll in how "brass" your balls actually are. And one of the things that "bike week" in March always produced was high winds!

EZ

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

but after reading it again several times I can see how my reply might be taken that way.

What I was trying to get across, and I know you understand, is sometimes you did not have any choice about "sitting in the pits' because you had no input into the decision to race or not. It was made for you by others if deemed too rough to carry on with the races. That's why I mentioned we always tried to go for two race weekends instead of one.

Hope to maybe see you at the Bike Museum during the shindig this year. I sure do want to get to the basement so I can see those outboards close up.

[Gene East]

Humm!! I "thought" I remembered correctly. But then I've had a "setback" over the last 10 years or so. It's called "CRAFT" disease!
So take your choice. Most likely, from all the comments, NONE of us old timers knew the correct name! hehe!!!

As far as the "blowouts" comment --- well ---
You had a choice in most cases -- sit in the pits because you were a "pussy", or install your large "gonads" and go racing. What can I say! In my time there were very few cancelled events in the Citrus/Grapefruit Circuit series.
For me, being in my teens, I pulled out my "brassballs" and continued on. The prize money was way too tempting!

Oh MY, What GREAT memory's I have of those days!!

To enjoy eating grapefruit you have to understand how to eat it. First off, for me, you NEVER drink grapefruit juice! That is a HUGE NoNo!!
What you do is you only buy "pink" grapefruit. Then you cut them in half. Then you slice all the sections with a sharp knife.
Then you sprinkle sugar on top of the halves, dig out the sections and ENJOY!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!
EZ

George,

The only grapefruits worth eating are TEXAS REDS. You don't need any sugar for those.

Oh I guess an Indian River pink is better than no grape fruit

[ezryder]

Oh MY, Gene!
You mean to tell me there were grapefruits grown in Texas!
Shows what I know
EZ

[ezryder]

I fully understand your position. A long trip for no racing really sucks.

I'm assuming that in later years, after my "forced retirement", that there were a lot more officially canceled races than in my era.
Back in my day there were a few canceled races, but not many.

At the Alky championships in 1958, we were all looking forward to setting records. But, alas, didn't happen. Both days were so rough that no records were set.
But I won the A Hydro championship anyway. At seventeen, my attitude was quite simple --- win or crash trying!

I most likely had that attitude way longer than I should have had it because during my motorcycle road racing days I did manage to do
a lot of damage to my body. Damage that I'm now paying a price for
every morning when I get out of bed

Would I have had it any other way? Nope! I got to "live" my dream
life and even got lucky and lived to write about it!
EZ

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

the Anacin or some other kind of pain reliever commercial. Not sure now just what it was and it doesn't make any difference.

Scene opens with an old guy crawling out of bed complaining about how stiff and sore he is. His wife says "why don't you try some of that Anacin or whatever, supposed to work wonders and relieve your problem".

The scene fades out and then fades back in again, and it is the next morning and the old fart bounces right out of bed, jumping around the bedroom, telling everybody that wants to listen how great he feels, all the while proclaiming " My morning stiffness is gone, I don't have it anymore, what a great product that is".

Eileen was reading the paper when this commercial came on, and when it was over she turned to me and very calmly said, "You take any of that, your'e dead and out of here".

True Story!