Konig vs. Quincy Flatheads

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

The following are pages from APBA and NOA publications, including ads.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

John Ward Trophy Race / Valleyfield/Quebec, Canada 1967

Ron Hill drove equipment owned by Harry Bartolomei. The boat was a Schultz European Proprider design, powered by one of the first VC Rotary Valve Konigs to make it to the US. The VC Model had a "tin can" silencer, and had been approved by NOA in 1967 but had not yet been approved by APBA. That would take place in time for the 1968 racing season for APBA Sanctioned racing. Since the John Ward Trophy race was a UIM race the approval by US sanctioning bodies was a non-issue. Some of the drivers competing were Ron Hill, Fred Hauenstein, Bill Seebold driving equipment owned by Dick O'Dea, and Jerry Waldman with a Quincy Flathead.

Ron Hill won one heat and Hauenstein won the other. Hill won the trophy based on a better finish in his other heat than Hauenstein. Seebold was 3rd, and Waldman either 4th or 5th. The boat driven by Hill was brand new, had just been picked up before the race, and not tested before arriving at Valleyfield. The boat was a kneeler but Hill laydown in it part of the second heat, after being thrown back into a lay down position in a corner, and stayed that way for the balance of the race.



Some competition results from 1966 have been made available a short time ago, and the results there are as follows"

1966 APBA Nationals
Out of 8 classes contested A, B, C, and D Hydro and Runabout, Quincy won 4, Konig won 2, and 2 do not have information available to me to post.

1967 APBA Nationals
Konig won 3, B and C Hydro, and D Runabout, (Konig VC Model not yet approved)
Do not have won records of Flatheads at this race.

1967 NOA World Championship
Konig won A, C, and D Hydro, and B, C, and D Runabout
Konig won 6 out of 8 Championships

1968 APBA National Championships (1st year V model Konig legaql in APBA)
A and D Hydro Konig, D Runabout Konig
B and C Hydro Flathead, A, B, C, Runabout Flathead

Recap of APBA Nationals 3 Konig, 5 Quincy

1968 NOA World Championship

I have no results available for this race. Anyone who has these documented results, please forward to me and I will post here.

1968 NOA Hi Point Winners

Overall High Point Driver (Bill Seebold) Konig
B, C, and D Hydro Konig, D Runabout Konig
A Hydro, Flathead, A Runabout, Flathead

I have winners for the other runabout classes but am not sure of the motors, as all drove both Konigs and Flatheads in this time frame.

Recap of Hi Points Overall Konig
1 Runabout Class Konig, 1 Runabout Class Flathead, rest UNK
3 Hydro Classes Konig, 1 Hydro Class Flathead


I thank all who helped in supplying copies of information and other documents from this time era.

Next to come is 1969

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

I have just been furnished information on records, both competition and straightaway, and 1968 winners of World Championships at Alexandria, La. I will post this info when next posting information/documents from 1969.

Thanks again to all who are helping with this history.

[Gene East]

Bill,

You obviously have put a lot of time and effort into this subject.

I feel compelled to address one issue, "Rumours" or as we say here in most of the USA "Rumors".

Hopefully you will agree that I was closer to the situation you mentioned than any other regular contributor to this forum including Paul Christner. He was still a kid in school at the time.

I have never seen an invoice with Charlie Strang's name on it, nor have I ever seen an invoice with Johnny Cash's name on it. (Another rumor that was once popular)

There have always been rumors about the ownership of engines of other makes that I cannot address, but as far as I am concerned that's all they are, just rumors.

The name of this forum is "Boat Racing Facts" and to your credit you have listed a great many facts. Some I am not happy with, but they are facts!

There have always been rumors that the more successful Quincy customers had access to special engines that were not available to the general public.

I can honestly tell everyone, "That is simply NOT TRUE"!

Please, let's all stick to the facts and leave the rumors to the gossip columns!

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

I appreciate your comments Gene, and that is the type of information I was looking for. This rumour about possible ownership of the equipment has been around in several forms (or at least I have heard it) since Waldman's accident, and I have heard it from a number of different folks over the years. I am glad to have you and others that were active in the sport AT THAT TIME contribute to this thread, and it is appreciated.

As previously stated, if anyone has contributions to make to this information that is correct and can be documented, it is welcomed. 1969 Depue Nationals is the one area I still don't have complete information on. I wish now I had not given away all the info I had from that era. Anything you or anyone else has would be appreciated for inclusion in this thread.

Everyone has the right to be proud of what they or their family has accomplished in any endevour, but others have a right to their memories also, especially if they are factual. As you so aptly put it, that is what BRF is all about.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Posted below are results and also some documents pertaining to 68 and 69 APBA National and NOA World Championship races. As an interesting side note about Ted May, the winner of B Runabout in 1969 at Depue, Ron Hill related the following story. Both the boat (borrowed SeeJay from Carl Meyer) and the motor (VB Konig borrowed from Dave Mayer) had never been driven before the qualification heat attempt by Ted May. He won his qualification heat and then proceeded to win the Championship with all borrowed equipment. Ron did not say where the prop came from, but perhaps that was furnished by him. After seeing Ted win the Championship with this combination, he decided he should have driven it himself!! According to Ron, even though Ted May had a long and varied boat racing career, he believes this to be the only Championship Ted ever won, and he did it with borrowed equipment thrown together at the last moment.

Winners at DePue 69 are as follows:

AR Ralph Donald Konig
BR Ted May Konig
CR Jerry Simison Konig
DR Bill Seebold Konig

AH J. Waldman Flathead
BH Bob Hering Flathead
CH John Schubert Konig (his own equpment, not Dick Odea's)
DH J. Waldman Flathead

Results 5 Konig wins, 3 Flathead wins

Results of 1968 NOA World Championships that were missing from the first post are included in the first document. Also on that document are competition speed records set at Alex along with 1/2 mile Straightaway Records. I do not have documentation stating when these records were set. If anyone has this I will be happy to include it. The documents will be added later this evening.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Programs and Carl Rylee letters