1976 Mod 50 winner @OPC nats

**Ron Hill** · 03-13-2009

Sutter's Gold Jr. mention his dad's boat running "ROUGH"...Seems I recall this now...Lee's prop was WAy too small. He could "PUNCH" off the corners like Jack the Bear....but had to throttle it back as the engine would way over rev....

I do wish Lee would post a little more here. I'm betting, his first heat at Dayton was the first time this boat was wet with a Mod 50 set up...just a WILD GUESS...

Talking to Jimbo, not long ago. He said he ran OMC's BIG BOATS but ran his own MOD 50 at the local races. Tom Ireland's boat with Jeff Brown driving, would beat the fire out of Jimbo...(Jim Nerstrom might have been helping Tom and Jeff). Jimbo said he learned so much by racing "LOCALLY". He took the knowledge to the big boats and that is when he really started winning. He told me he took ever bolt and nut on his MOD 50 that wasn't really important and replaced it with aluminum nuts and bolts...10 pounds per foot off the corner was Jimbo's rule...Ever ten pounds you could save was one foot off the corner per lap...He also started fooling with his own props....

A and H Hydro...Anderson and Herring?????

I don't recall Jimbo even being at Dayton, 1976.

**E-tec1** · 03-13-2009

in EVERYTHING, guys would call him swiss cheese,

**Roy Hodges** · 03-13-2009

[QUOTE=Ron Hill;69730]Sutter's Gold Jr. mention his dad's boat running "ROUGH"...Seems I recall this now...Lee's prop was WAy too small. He could "PUNCH" off the corners like Jack the Bear....but had to throttle it back as the engine would way over rev....

I do wish Lee would post a little more here. I'm betting, his first heat at Dayton was the first time this boat was wet with a Mod 50 set up...just a WILD GUESS...

Talking to Jimbo, not long ago. He said he ran OMC's BIG BOATS but ran his own MOD 50 at the local races. Tom Ireland's boat with Jeff Brown driving, would beat the fire out of Jimbo...(Jim Nerstrom might have been helping Tom and Jeff). Jimbo said he learned so much by racing "LOCALLY". He took the knowledge to the big boats and that is when he really started winning. He told me he took ever bolt and nut on his MOD 50 that wasn't really important and replaced it with aluminum nuts and bolts...10 pounds per foot off the corner was Jimbo's rule...Ever ten pounds you could save was one foot off the corner per lap...He also started fooling with his own props....

A and H Hydro...Anderson and Herring?????

I don't recall Jimbo even being at Dayton, 1976.............................................. ................
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There's lots more intrigue happened there at Dayton. OMC won the 2 liter class , what ever they called it . A euro(?) omc 2 litre looper ! won over merc. Omc had a couple 2&1/2 liter cross flows entered as "Rabbits". I guess they weren't necessary ,as it turned out. What was surprising was that the OZ(?) class was won by Herring, i think, with a T2X! All the big V-6's conked out in that race . Merc was very embarrased, but put on a brave face , bragging how the T2X had won. Renato had given that boat to Hering and the Merc factory not happy about that .

**Sutter's Gold Jr.** · 03-16-2009

Thanks for the kind words about my dad. We both have so many fond memories of those years and you all. Wayne I would love to see those pictures and Lee told me that he had a great bond with your dad (Baldy) and you. He is traveling this week...still selling pot's and pan's. Still full of s%*t. But wanted me to respond. He wanted to talk to Ron Anderson about some details before having me post.

This was a merc project run by Garbrecht as he was pissed they couldn't beat OMC. M. Seebold and Curt Todd were getting beat by Jimbo and Jeff consistently.

Lee thinks it was not 1976, but 1975?

A&H was Anderson and Herring. Although this boat was mostly Ron although Bobby was very involved in project.

**Master Oil Racing Team** · 03-16-2009

It's been great to hear these stories from you and your Dad Chris. I feel so fortunate to have crossed paths with Lee and Ron Anderson, among many others during our racing days. I was also very fortunate that my Dad wasn't content just to race in our backyard. One of the local racers asked us why we went to Alexandria and Knoxville during our first year. My Dad told him that's the only way we could learn. We had to see what the others were doing. As I look back, less than a handful of drivers went west of the Rockies and Cascades during the time I raced. But it was you guys, Howard Anderson, and Ron Hill, Frank and Wanda Zorkan on the southern part that brought us out there. Plus there was some fast record setting water. We were lucky to be able to come home with a record in all our trips. But it was the people that always made the racing memorable. I look forward to more of you and your Dad's posts, and I hope Lee can get Ron to get on here too.

I had a computer guy fix some of the problems in the boat racing room on that computer. That's where the almost new scanner and printer have been for the past year and a half trying to find someone that could fix it. I'm waiting on a part, but I am going to see if I can get the computer to talk to the scanner again, and if I can, I will scan those pics tonight or Thursday.

**MarkD** · 03-16-2009

We had an old timer's night at the local boat racing club meeting a few weeks back - Seattle Outboard Assn. Lee was there, so were Craig Selvidge, Janis, Dennis and Ray Lee, Howard Anderson, Ralph Hildebrand, Mike Jones and many others. We had a great time - that is how I heard about this site.

I was asking Ron about some of the things you guys raised - he is in Italy this week at a race I think, but we can probably get him to answer some questions here. As is the case with many of you guys, boat racing is and was kind of a family thing for me - although they are not related except by marriage, Howard Anderson and Ron Anderson are both my brother's in law. I still do some work for and talk to Craig and Greg Selvidge pretty regularly, see Ron and Dewey Anderson and Howard Anderson at most family gatherings. I grew up down the street from Bill Rankin, my brother and I worked for Leonard Keller. Some great stories when we get together.

I remember you and your dad Wayne at the D-Lake kilos and at Lawrence Lake when you came out our way in the late 70's. Your dad was a hoot - I recall the very sudden rainy day at D-Lake when most of us got caught off guard without rain coats - undeterred, your dad poked a coupel of holes in a hefty garbage bag to stick his head and arms thru. Pretty soon, half the guys on the beach were doing the same thing. What a fashion trend setter he was.......

Mark

**Master Oil Racing Team** · 03-17-2009

That's right about the "raincoat" Mark.

I'll dig up a photo somewhere. I would have loved to have been at that Seattle Outboard Association meeting. I would have known a bunch of people there.

Speaking of D Lake---I can never remember the last name of this guy, but he was in a patrol boat there. His first name was Tom and I think his last name may have started with a P. He had blonde hair. He and another friend came to see my Dad and I in the late 70's. Had one of my Dad's fabulous meals and spent the night. He was a jeweler, and he made me a 3 blade gold cleaver prop with a small diamond in the hub, that was a tie pin. He did after I sent him a carousel of slides to show at one of the meetings. Do you know who I am talking about? Sure would be good if he would come on board. The last I heard about him was in the mid 80's when he was fishing for marlin off of Acapulco. One of our oilfield customers was talking to him and they got on the subject of boat racing. When our customer got back, he told me all about meeting him.

**Lee Sutter** · 03-17-2009

Drew Thompson?

**Bill Van Steenwyk** · 03-17-2009

Wayne:

I have a mental block right now and can't come up with the last name, but if it is the person I'm thinking about, he was a jeweler from Ca. Ron Hill and he were good friends and his daughter has posted a number of times about her memories of her childhood and her Dad's boat racing buddies. Bill Rucker drove for him for a while in the mid/late 80's I believe. He had one of the first big trailers pulled by a over the road tractor. Just as soon as I hit the submit button on this post I will probably remember his last name. Very nice person.
I remember he used to wear several pieces of jewelry like you described on a chain.