Dieter Schulze passed away

[stingray240cs]

Dear friends of powerboating,

I have to share a sad news with you.
Our friend, many times World Champ, World Class boat builder and Winner of the Lake Havasu race Dieter Schulze passed away last week in his home town Attnang in Austria.
Dieter, You will remain in our memories...

Roman

[Mark75H]

Sad news

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I never met him,but I have a number of friends who did and raced with him. I have read a lot more of his history here at BRF and learned what an accomplished racer and boat pioneer he was. My condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.

[Rick]

Very sad, I owned 2 of his race boats long ago. Just talking with a friend about him today.

[Ron Hill]

I first raced the Outboard World Championships at Lake Havasu, 1966. I ran a 16 foot Glastron with twin Johnsons. I didn't last too long.....busted stuff pretty fast. While sitting on th beach watching the race, after I had "BROKE", I was amazed at how Dieter's Schulze Boote handled the rough water. I just "FLOATED" over the water and was shaped like a "WEDGE"....

As we were leaving Havasu, I saw Dieter's boat on his trailer. I stopped my mom's 1966 Chevy, to look at the design. (That same weekend, I had broken the A RACING RUNABOUT kilo record of 71 MPH..with a 15 cubic inch Quincy on a boat I had designed and my dad and I had built....My twin Glastron ran 67 MPH). An FYI: The kilos were at Parker, but there was no road between Parker and Havasu in those days.

Anyway, I was sure Dieter had a wide assed flat bottom on this "WEDGED SHAPED" FLOATER.......To my surprise, there WAS NO BOTTOM....There was a tunnel with two little runners on each side of the tunnel.....I talked to myself all the way home....How did this boat work? There is was no bottom!!!

[Lars Strom]

I drove a SE class Schulte in a few races 1973.

R.I.P.

[stingray240cs]

Yes Ron,
Dieter did a great job at Lake Havasu where he raced a boat built by him self a few days before the race in a friends workshop. He was travelling to the States with some wood and his special glue. He has showed his excellence in boat building and driving on rough water.
Attached a picture taken from Dieter just after he has won Lake Havasu...

[racnbns]

Rest In Peace Dieter.

I have one of your ALKY otbd. hydro's with a Hubbell looper PR on it. It will be on display at the USTS race in Winter Haven FL. and also at the racers reunion in DePue.

I'll catch ya later.

Bruce

P.S. See the rest of ya at Winter Haven and DePue.

[T2x]

We have lost a true innovator......

T2x

[Ron Hill]

When Jack Leek called Ted May and asked I wanted to drive a "RACE BOAT" at the Havasu Outboard World Championships, I was thrilled. I had visions of big hydroplanes, and racing lower units. When I saw the 16 foot Glastron with "CLUB FEET" on the motors I was disappointed.

That same weekend, I went 70 PLUS MPH with my Quincy "A" (15 cubic inches) and this Glastron with twin engines would only go 66 MPH.


The coolest part of the race, there really wan't much "RACE" stuff, a few Switzer Wings, but mostly pleasure boats.

Dieter won "S" class with a motor he bought on the way to the race, as I recall. He build the boat, I think, in Dick O'Dea shop or yard.

In the spring of 1967, Harry Bartolomei, asked me to drive his 500 CC Hydro at the John Ward Trophy Race (500 CC World Championships) in Valleyfield, Juy 1967.

Harry said, "He'd pay my expenses but I had to leave a little early to pick up our NEW 13' 6" Schulze Hydro, and rig it, at Dick O'Dea's Shop in Patterson, New Jersey.

At the time most 500 CC boats were 12 foot and under. I qualified 7th. At the qualifier's party Dieter asks Harry, "Why we no use the MUFFLAR?" As the Dieter says, "The MUFFLAR is faster and you can also run a bigger propeller." Harry asked Dieter what size Smith wheel did he suggest with the "MUFFLAR"? Dieter showed Harry the prop his boat had qualified with and gave Harry the numbers off the prop.

I took the prop numbers down to Harry's trailer and found a Smith wheel with the same numbers. AS HARRY HAD MORE THAN 50 SMITH WHEELS.

For the finals we ran the MUFFLER, and the UNTESTED SMITH wheel with Harry's "NITRO FUEL". The boat handled so well and went so fast I could not kneel down, I had to drive it laying down. with my feet on the transom to keep me from sliding out over the transom.

I won the first heat, and finished second to Fred Hauenstein the second heat, to win the 500 CC World Championships in a Schulze Boote.

That's Harry in the red hat, and me in the black shirt. This was Valleyfield, 1967, Schulze Boat.

This was not my last Schulze Boat ride.

[T2x]

Ron was that a 16 foot Glastron.....or a 17 footer? I always remember you driving a 17 footer...

T2x

[Ron Hill]

With a hundred and twenty plus boats on Lake Havasu it seemed like a ten footer.

In August of 1967, after leaving Valleyfield, I went to DePue driving most of Harry's equipment and some of mine.

Thursday night, at about 9 o'clock I realized I had worked on boats ALL DAY and tested props on every boat I was racing, which was A, B, C, D, And F Hydro, A, B, C and D Runabout.

Then, I spent a little time with a very beautiful young lady from the U of A (Arizona) that I had met a few weeks earlier. And I had not eaten anything ALL DAY.

So, I slipped into some shorts and through on a velour shirt and went in the back door of the Holiday Inn kitchen. There was nobody in the kitchen, but I heard some people talking in the restaurant.

It was Jim Jost and his wife, Charlie Strang and his mother, Jack Leek and Charlsee. I'm standing there barefoot and I also most go into shock. It was dark enough so they couldn't see I was barefoot, and they asked me to sit down.

Well, I found out that the Chicago to Milwaukee to Chicago Marathon was the next week. And there was a brand new 17 foot Glastron at the OMC plant in Waukegan. I convinced, Charlie, Jimmy and Jack that I could rig that boat in a week, if they'd let me.

I left the restaurant without eating anything..............but a man can live with race boats and SEX!!!!

That was the beginning of my 17 foot Glastron racing..