1975

[racingfan1]

Time to get back to this , I don't have January 1975 so I will start with February this week.

[racingfan1]

Since I don't have a January issue I will start with the February 1975 edition , here are pages 1-8

[racingfan1]

and pages 9-16

[racingfan1]

Here is the March 1975 edition pages 1-8

[racingfan1]

Pages 9-16

[racnbns]

Time to get back to this , I don't have January 1975 so I will start with February this week.
I will send you a Jan. prop. mag for your collection.

Bruce

[racingfan1]

Here is the April edition pages 1-8

[racingfan1]

Pages 9-16

[racingfan1]

Time to get back to this after the USTS speedweeks. A thank you to Bruce Summers for sending me this January 1975 edition.

[racingfan1]

Pages 9-15

[racingfan1]

and finally 16-20

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thank you Bruce for sending this edition to Dale for posting. I have a complete copy except for the cover which is in one of my albums. Until recently there was no way to scan and get a good reproduction of a photo, magazine cover etc., so when I was putting my "museum" and compilation of photos and articles I had written for different publications I had to cut them out of the magazines. I really regret that now, but that was why I couldn't send my copy to Dale....and besides it was the only one I had.

1975 was a very special year for a number of reasons, and I will add comments as we go along.

[racingfan1]

Here is the May 1975 edition pages 1-10

[racingfan1]

Pages 11-20. While skimming through this I noticed an item circled on the last page , looks like Johnny may have been interested in some equipment.

[racingfan1]

Here are pages 1-8 of the june 1975 edition

[racingfan1]

Pages 9 - 16

[racingfan1]

While reading through this edition i read the story on Firebird Lake south of Phoenix , is this still existence and does it get used ??

[Master Oil Racing Team]

While in Phoenix in the mid 90's it was still in use Steve and had expanded a lot according to original plans. While I visiting the lake there was a big motorcycle grand prix race going on across the lake on a road course. On the front side was where Bob Bondurant had schools on evasive and other kinds of car driving skills. It was March or April and some champ cars were there preparing for the Indy 500. That was a long time ago, and I don't recall hearing anything about it except about 10 or so years ago a girl joined BRF and said she had become marketing or publicity director for Firebird Lake. Don't remember her name, and don't think she ever really posted much more.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I said I would have some comments regarding 1975, so here goes. This was the year that the PRO category got the name it goes by now. Previously it had gone by the name Outboard. It was confusing to some people because the OPC category had grown a lot in the last ten years and they looked like the regular stock outboards that the public bought rather than our highly modified motors with no cowling. It looked like they should be named Outboard instead of us. Hence, APBA requested our division submit names and my Dad's entry was chosen. See page 7 of the January issue. OPC also soon modified it's category name. It was still OPC, but instead of Outboard Pleasure Craft, it was changed to Outboard Performance Class more in line with what the motors were all about now. I was chosen at the 1974 Meeting at New Orleans to be on the 1975 Pro Racing Commission. My Dad had been elected to the APBA Council at Cincinatti the previous year, and was again on the council for 1975.

On page 13 of the January issue I wrote a story about an OPC race in Texas which ended up causing a little ruckus of which I am not proud, but I found out I had a lot of friends. There are just a few lines in the middle column about a third of the way down about an SK and Jet boat heat. It doesn't make sense really because I didn't reference the class in which I wrote, but the guys in the race knew what it was about. It was about the merry-go-round. I was being flippant when I wrote it and I never was that way. Guess I thought I could be cute, but I ended up getting a letter from APBA General Counsel Al Smith. What happened at the race was there were two SK boats and two Jet boats. They were milling around after the five minute gun, and they were running the full course. When the 1 minute gun fired they did not all go back up the chute and come around to bear down in a line for a start, they just continued on like they were on the course and they were basically scattered all around the race course. Two of the guys had ostrich feathers somehow attached to their helmets. They went round and round and round. It was hard to figure out who the leader was because at the time of the start, there was no clear leader that broke out, and the boats remained about in the same place as when they first started milling. One had probably jumped the gun, but anyway the scorers lost count of the laps because it started out so confusing. They ran an extra lap or two just to make sure. So I wrote the story in a belittling way that I never should have.

Fast forward to January and the Houston Boat Show. Joe Rome and I were standing around talking to Darrell Beaulier and a couple of other OPC guys when three people I didn't know came up and said they were going to whip my A$$. I didn't know why, but one of them had the January 1975 propeller in his hand and shaking it in my face and yelling about what I had written. I was confused at first as to what I wrote. Then the guy told me who he was and the race, then I figured it was probably the two jet boat guys with the ostrich feathers and an SK guy. It was really getting hot when a crowd surrounded us. Me, Joe, Darrell, and then Charlie Baily stepped in. Then a tall guy behind me said "Is there some trouble Wayne?" I turned around and saw that it was Jim Foreman a Houston boat builder and OPC driver, then looked all around and we were all surrounded by my OPC friends. There were maybe twenty. They all stepped up and the three guys that came to bust my head shut up. The leader later attended our District 15 annual meeting and as the only inboard guy there my Dad appointed him District 15 Inboard Chairman. A few years later Joe Rome called me and told me to turn the news on the TV quick. I did and that guy with the Propeller Magazine was the Grand Dragon leading a KKK march in Austin protesting something.

[Ketzer]

Great story, Wayne. You should have fought the guy. Then your kids could have told stories about how their daddy fought a dragon. It wouldn't have made any difference if you won or lost--you fought a dragon! Kind of like me racing against you.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'm a chicken Steve. If I would have fought the dragon I would have been a roasted chicken.;)

On Memorial Day 1975 we were racing at Baytown, Texas. The five minute gun sounded for D hydro. At three minutes we went to fire it off, but it was a complete dud. Jack Chance started to troubleshoot and the red hot wire from the coil to the battery fell off. The pit crew got into action and got the tool and a terminal, stripped the wire and just finished tightening the nut when the one minute gun fired. I stayed in the boat. Soon at the boats crossed the starting line I stuck my index finger in the air and made circles while looking at the referee. He gave me the OK so my Dad cranked the engine and I took off toward the safety bouy, hung a left and headed for the first turn. When I came out of the turn I saw the pack only just now getting to the bottom turn. Little did I know that they bump bump bumped past some heavy rollers. It was a short course so we ran an accelerating wheel. Man that D hit 95 in nothing flat. It took me five or six years to even remember that part, and that's all I have been able to remember until I was cold, in extreme dark and felt like I was the only person alive in the world. Very lonely. Then warmth and sunshine. Denny Henderson and everyone on the bank saw what was going to happen and he hollered NOOOOO! Denny said I was flying along then me and the boat just disappeared. No splash or anything. Just like I was beamed to someplace else in midflight. So that was the end of most of our racing season with me in the cockpit. I did get in the last race of the year at my Dad's house, but that's for later. The boat "Texas Tornado" only had some testing and four heats on it. It was a new design by Tim. Tim took it back and replaced the stringers, some of which were crooked, and we sold Texas Tornado to Jim McKean.

[Steve Litzell]

If I were at that boat show Wayne, I would of backed you up. Back in them days I liked a bar room dancing ✌️

[1100r]

Steve- You still could do some bar room dancing. I would bet I couldn't get one Tennessee Tea down and it would be over. Hope all is well amigo. And Wayne love the stories can't wait for more

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I can't dance guys....or I should say ya'll.

In the May issue Region 7 News Ann Strang reported a number of people showed up to the Johnson Factory for an inspector and referee seminar including Mr. and Mrs. Corky Callahan. Mrs. Callahan's name is Sue and was the subject of the cover of the January 1975 issue of Propeller. In Region 8 Judy Smith reported that my Dad had secured UIM World Championship races for classes A, B and C hydro to be held in Missouri later that year. I'm not sure what happened in that communication, but my Dad did get the UIM OA, OD and OF Championships for 1976 to be held in Phoenix, Arizona at Firebird Lake. The championships are awarded a year in advance, and it may be that my Dad and the Smiths had talked about a central location for them previously. Bob and Judy Smith did an excellent job of putting together the Eastern Divisionals at Winona in 1974, and this year would be the first year away from DePue because of the shallow water in 1974. So Judy's predictions were probably premature, because I know my Dad would have preferred something closer to the center of boat racing in America. Firebird Lake though was a course that would not be blown out.

In the June issue Ann Strang mentioned that UIM accepted all APBA classes to be accepted for World Championship status. This was a result of my Dad's application for the successful 1973 UIM races at Alexandria, Louisiana. It has been mentioned previously, and Ann repeated it here.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I can't dance guys....or I should say ya'll.

In the May issue Region 7 News Ann Strang reported a number of people showed up to the Johnson Factory for an inspector and referee seminar including Mr. and Mrs. Corky Callahan. Mrs. Callahan's name is Sue and was the subject of the cover of the January 1975 issue of Propeller. In Region 8 Judy Smith reported that my Dad had secured UIM World Championship races for classes A, B and C hydro to be held in Missouri later that year. I'm not sure what happened in that communication, but my Dad did get the UIM OA, OD and OF Championships for 1976 to be held in Phoenix, Arizona at Firebird Lake. The championships are awarded a year in advance, and it may be that my Dad and the Smiths had talked about a central location for them previously. Bob and Judy Smith did an excellent job of putting together the Eastern Divisionals at Winona in 1974, and this year would be the first year away from DePue because of the shallow water in 1974. So Judy's predictions were probably premature, because I know my Dad would have preferred something closer to the center of boat racing in America. Firebird Lake though was a course that would not be blown out.

In the June issue Ann Strang mentioned that UIM accepted all APBA classes to be accepted for World Championship status. This was a result of my Dad's application for the successful 1973 UIM races at Alexandria, Louisiana. It has been mentioned previously, and Ann repeated it here.

[racingfan1]

Here is the July 1975 issue pages 1 - 8.

[racingfan1]

Pages 9 - 16.

[racingfan1]

Add finally pages 17-20

[FurnalFlyer]

I'm in the process of moving to FL. and going through all my propeller magazine{I have a lot} I found a extra January 1975 if you would like it. Let me know what other ones you are missing.
[Flyer] Leigh

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

I'm in the process of moving to FL. and going through all my propeller magazine{I have a lot} I found a extra January 1975 if you would like it. Let me know what other ones you are missing.
[Flyer] Leigh
So, you sold the NY house & becoming a permanent Floridian?

[FurnalFlyer]

So, you sold the NY house & becoming a permanent Floridian?

We sold the house have to be out the 31 of Oct. I still have all my parts and engines and they are going to Craig's in Mich.
Do you need anything I'm boxing every thing up.
Leigh

[zul8tr]

I'm in the process of moving to FL. and going through all my propeller magazine{I have a lot} I found a extra January 1975 if you would like it. Let me know what other ones you are missing.
[Flyer] Leigh

Here is what he posted he had back in May 9, scroll down for table

http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forums/showthread.php?18076-Propeller-magazine/page3

[FurnalFlyer]

I'm in the process of moving to FL. and going through all my propeller magazine{I have a lot} I found a extra January 1975 if you would like it. Let me know what other ones you are missing.
[Flyer] Leigh

If you would send me your email address I will send you a picture of all the ones I have for you.[written out by hand] I just counted them there are 102 .
flyerboats@@gmail.com
Thanks Leigh,

[zul8tr]

If you would send me your email address I will send you a picture of all the ones I have for you.[written out by hand] I just counted them there are 102 .
flyerboats@@gmail.com
Thanks Leigh,

Leigh

It's not me who would need your list but the person who started putting the Propeller mags online. He is

http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forums/member.php?3459-racingfan1

Pete

[FurnalFlyer]

Leigh

It's not me who would need your list but the person who started putting the Propeller mags online. He is

http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forums/member.php?3459-racingfan1

Pete

I'm sorry I taught I SENT IT TO HIM
Leigh

[FurnalFlyer]

sorry I thought I sent it to him

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

I'm sorry I taught I SENT IT TO HIM
Leigh

Leigh, his name is Dale Hoffert & Depue historian. He helped me with the last reunion. Earlier I gave him a quick bio on you & our relationship as well as your e-mail address. You should be hearing from him if you haven't already

[FurnalFlyer]

Leigh, his name is Dale Hoffert & Depue historian. He helped me with the last reunion. Earlier I gave him a quick bio on you & our relationship as well as your e-mail address. You should be hearing from him if you haven't already

Thanks John
Leigh

[Ron Hill]

We sold the house have to be out the 31 of Oct. I still have all my parts and engines and they are going to Craig's in Mich.
Do you need anything I'm boxing every thing up.
Leigh

I have three motors in our office showroom, my brother's 1949, "A" Pumper, my 1956, KG-4 and Mark 30-H. Got anything that might be fun to display?

[racingfan1]

Leigh , I sent you a PM and an email as well.

Dale

[racingfan1]

Here is the the August 1975 issue pages 1 - 8 , I apologize for the cover , i promise i did not do it , i would not deface such an iconic , in my opinion , boat !!

[racingfan1]

Here are pages 9 - 16.

[racingfan1]

Here is the September 1975 edition pages 1 - 8 .

[racingfan1]

Here are pages 9 - 16.

[racingfan1]

Here is the October 1975 issue of Propeller , inside you will find plenty of information on the 1975 Stock Nationals which were held at Dayton.

[racingfan1]

Here are pages 9 - 16

[racingfan1]

Here are the last 4 pages.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I said earlier I had a lot to say about this year, but between business and the Hurricane, I have been too busy. So I will briefly mention some of the things that happened regarding earlier issues of Propeller.

Since I was out of racing from Memorial Day, I could not compete. My Dad, Jack and I had talked it over and decided that motors and boats were developing so rapidly, that if I was going to be able to compete again after I recovered, we needed to continue to go to the "national events" and have a driver to keep our stuff out there and see how it stacked up. We went to the Eastern Divisionals at Gadsden, Alabama. It was a beautiful race course with perfect pits. Tim Butts drove for us. I think it was the first time he ever competed in C and D hydro. I don't think he drove F. It was a good learning experience for Tim. It helped him get an idea of the faster speeds, but also the power and acceleration coming off the turns. As a consequence, he designed a new boat for us, plus also gave him a heads up for what he was up against for winning the 1977 OD UIM World Championships in Dayton, Ohio.

We went to the Western Divisionals at Fort Worth, Texas where we didn't have a driver, but we wanted to keep in the mix. Homer Kincaid was there along with our Honorary Texans Johnny Dortch and Alan Ishii. Jim McKean took a local TV station reporter for a ride in his D Hydro for some publicity shots for the races to be held over the next two days.

In between these races Joe Rome, my girlfriend Debbie and I made as many OPC races as we could. Donna Buczo was Region 15 publicity chairman and did an excellent job along with her photographer husband and driver Pete. We went to most of the races Donna wrote about. The biggest was the Clear Lake race put on by Red Adair. Most of the big names in OPC and Inboard racing were there, and the OMC rotaries were there. Debbie and I had a wonderful time and got to see Billy Seebold, Ted May, Bob Nordskog and take pictures of some legends I had only read about.

Went to the Nationals at Winona, Minnesota. Bob and Judy Smith Spearheaded the effort from Minneapolis and other Minnesota boat racers, and I was maybe the finest first time Pro Nationals ever. The water was perfect as were the pits, with even shade trees to go with shallow launching. Bucky Makofski was referee and it was almost perfect with the crew. Only problem I heard about was from Joe Rome. I didn't pay attention, but Joe recalled the "Only" food in the pits was a hot dog stand. When I was racing, I didn't pay attention to food. I only ate a little bit to make sure my stomach wouldn't growl, but if there was a lot of action....food didn't catch my attention. To this day, Joe will not eat hot dogs.

Bob, Judy and the guys put on a fantastic 1974 Eastern Divisionals, which they had submitted to APBA earlier to "practice" for their winning bid of the 1975 Grain Belt Pro Nationals. That was also a great race and the first and only time I have ever seen the Aurora Borealis. The Nationals were fantastic though. We took our trailer there. Tim ran our A and B hydros, but didn't want to run the C,D, and F rigs. We tried to get Charlie Bailey to run our C Hydro. He didn't sign up for D or F. Charlie decided though that he wanted to run his own C hydro. It was a Butts, brand new to Charlie and built either before or after Tim build our current C hydro. He finished second the first heat, and decided to run our rig the second heat. He won and set a new record.

[racingfan1]

Here are the first 8 pages of the November issue.

[racingfan1]

Pages 9-16

[racingfan1]

Pages 17-20

[racingfan1]

The two pictures on page 16 of the November issue 1) Does the Colonel Green Star Island trophy still exist or has it been destroyed and 2) the picture of Bill Rucker in the runabout , I'm sure is an optical illusion but he sure looks like he is barely in the boat.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Don't know about the trophy Dale, but although it might look like an optical illusion, Bill Rucker, Jr. is in a position that when the keel slaps the water his knees will slap the bottom of the cockpit and he will be bounced back up in the same position into the turn as he was the instant this photo was taken. Bill will continue his position as he maneuvers around to the straight. That's the fun of still photography Dale, to be able to capture a perfect moment of suspense. Not saying that Bill didn't catch a wave wrong right after this pic, but looks to me like a good hard drive through a turn.

[1100r]

Dale-The picture of Rucker says Sparks Nevada. You could probably fit 2 Sparks races inside of Depue. It was very small and very rough. The ran what they called Grand Prix runabout moons ago. All runabouts combined. Frank Zorkin had his bad wreck there from what I remember Frank telling me

[oldalkydriver]

Sometime in the late 50's, (I think 58 or 59) that was my first real cold bath. If I remember correctly at the drivers meeting, it was decided since they were small white caps, the 'A' Hydro's would be the judge if the races were going to be held or not. Stupid me, I couldn't figure out why I was leading the pack to the first corner, then I found out! Fillinger hydros did not like rough water so in their revenge, they decided to give me a bath. Scary as it was my first out of boat experience.

[1100r]

Yes Sparks was small and rough. Never thought I would see a smaller course than Lodi and Lodi was tiny.

[oldalkydriver]

The 'Puddle' in Los Angeles. Alkies raced there usually 2 times a year. Stocks and Ron Hill, NIGHTLY! Second bath, but just plain stupidity on my part. Tried to beat the 1 minute gun after forgetting to turn on my fuel!

[Ron Hill]

The 'Puddle' in Los Angeles. Alkies raced there usually 2 times a year. Stocks and Ron Hill, NIGHTLY! Second bath, but just plain stupidity on my part. Tried to beat the 1 minute gun after forgetting to turn on my fuel!

Speedboat Rodeo, on KTLA, Sunday from 1-3 for 39 weeks.

19-C was me. The guy smiling behind the scale is my dad, Russ Hill, Sr.

[zul8tr]

Received email that Dec 75 was posted, none here?

[racingfan1]

Received email that Dec 75 was posted, none here?

Had to take it down as all the pages were mixed up and not in order , hopefully have it up soon.

[zul8tr]

Not here but just received another email that Dec 75 was posted?

[racingfan1]

Still having the same issue as pages will not post in order , I have sent Ron and email and hopefully we can get this resolved.

[Ron Hill]

The truth is, all us "OLDER GENTLEMEN", will read every page, word for word anyway, So, who cares what order? I read them AND I always look for my name!

[rumleyfips]

I have been enjoying these threads and agree with Ron. If they pages won't behave just publish them and we will work the order out. Thanks in advance

[zul8tr]

Agreed just post what ever the page order we can do simple math :)

[racingfan1]

Here is the December 1975 Issue

[racingfan1]

Here is the rest of December 1975

[Ron Hill]

Interesting, in 1974, at Dayton, I had won D Runabout. In 1975, had sold my boat to a school teacher in Massachusetts named John Grant before the race. In testing, my boat was so much faster than my 1974 winning boat, I planned to win with no trouble. I ran 10th, with water in my gas.

Dick Fickett had bought a bunch of Model 80 Yamato props from me, and for payment, I had taken in several of his gas tanks on trade.

Little did I notice, that when I started my motor and "took off" my vent line sucked up the water on top of the tanks.


So, 1975, has a Super C Class. Reed Riddle from Utah says, "Why don't you run my SUPER C?" After I make one test lap, I come in and tell Reid, this 'Sumbitch' is like a "C" Konig." I know Reid like a brother, I say, "Reed, let me drive your hydro. I can win Super C Hydro." Anyway, they run Super C Runabout, I win with little a do. Super C Hydro comes up and Reed doesn't trophy. After this, Red, becomes an owner, not a driver.

I think I was the first and LAST Super C Runabout Champion.

[Ron Hill]

When put on the BAKERSFIELD NATIONALS, 1977, we wanted an east coast Referee. Phil Charland's name came up. So, we hired him. He did a GREAT JOB. I never heard his name after the 1977 Bakersfield Nationals.

[Ron Hill]

I made rocky props for his GN, and at 1979's APBA Convention which I put on, we had a two hour "Cocktail Hour" at Benihana's in Las Vegas. Rocky was a great host to us boat racers. So, 1975, til 1979 he was an APBA member and supporter.

[Ron Hill]

Mickey is still racing and so is his daughter. Mickey misses 36 runabout.

[Steven Curry]

Hey Ron, great picture! But I'm pretty sure that's my dad, taken during the marathon. I have the 8x10 of this hanging in my office.

[Ron Hill]

I thought I had a picture of Danny somewhere and I can't seem to find it...and I don't have any pictures of Mickey driving.