Ron Hill Family: Hill Marine and Signature Propellers

[Ron Hill]

My brother had just finished a 115 mile Needles Marathon, he was third. Carl Meyers and his brother, Kenny, are telling my brother I had won. In those days, you really never knew what was going on until it was over. Lake Havasu was big, wide and rough.

The young man looks like Mike Jackson (Old Alky), but don't know why an Alky racer would have been at a stock race.

[Ron Hill]

This is a twin engine "DeSilva Sled" that I ran at Parker, 1967. Didn't last too long. Most notable, we were broken down and on the trailer in the pits when Red Adair's Mandells broke a steering and ran a shore and right through this boat.

[Ron Hill]

I had won the Marathon Nationals at Needles in 1966 in both C and D Runabout. So, for 1967, I built a new boat and went to Bay City, where they told me it was smooth. Hell, I flipped on the way to the first turn and blew part of the bottom off. Fred Miller loaned me his DeSilva for Sunday, and I won the second heat. Damn nice of Fred really, he let me keep all the prize money.

[Ron Hill]

I was kind of out of Stock Racing at this time, but I'd managed to win the Divisionals in D Runabout using my Marathon Boat. Keith Stippich was living in Uath and he called me and asked me to come. My dad had accepted the Motor Inspector Job. So, my dad and I decided to build a new boat for the race. I managed a second the first heat and in the second heat I managed to get in a first turn wreck after Dave Jenkin's gearcase locked up.

I sold the boat as soon as I got back to the pits.

This is a picture of my dad and me, 1973. I was 29, my dad was 64.

[Tim Weber]

Ron Hill, is one of my boat racing hero's.

I was a snot nosed kid of 10 at the race and Ron was the guy to beat in DSR. Well, he got in a crash and was out of the final.

One of my memories was a meal that we had with Harold and Orella Berghauer. It was a restaurant named the Red Baron. It had a deep dish cherry pie that was baked in the serving dish.
Vern Kargus, Harolds' son in law told us to order the cherry pie as it was just the best. We all had the pie and yes it was great.

My Grandpa wanted to bring Vern a pie of his own for the next day. The server told us we can't do that, we'll lose the dish.

Well, there is no can't in the Leutner vocabulary. He bough the dish and the pie!

I don't remember how Vern finished but team Leutner finished 2nd to Hank Menzies.

At the banquet, it was at a ski lodge and that was the first time I had a Cornish Game hen.

Tim

[Ron Hill]

Tim, funny you mentioned the Deep Dish Cherry pie...Carl Myers, Mike Richardson and myself got to Utah a few days early. The first day, heading to our motel, we stopped at a fruit stand, it was like 6:00 PM. Well, we ate and we ate and we ate.

The fruit was just so good....no Metamucil needed, though! We ate dinner at the fruit stand every night til the final dinner at the ski lodge.

I've been through UTAH a half dozen times since 1973, but never saw Willard Bay again....Willard Bay is connected to the Great Salt Lake, but is a fresh water reservoir. (At least I think this is true).

[Ron Hill]

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79444...Sky/notes.html

My brother and John Drake pretty much dated Phyllis Winger at the same time, 1953. She was the only female in John Wayne's movie, Island in the Sky.

My brother went to Long Beach State where he got the name "Russ Thrill".

[Ron Hill]

This is at Hart Park in Bakersfield, 1956. It was such a cool place to race, we went around an island, the first turn had no buoys. The second turn was a single pin. I watch 12 two man F Runabout race there and a mother duck and her 12 ducklings swam across the starting lint to the island, right in the middle of 12 F Runabouts. To everyone's relief, they made it to the island unharmed. But then, the damn fools decided to come back to shore. Everyone of them made it, why they didn't get run over was a miracle.

Bob Parrish of Bakersfield is in 2-C, DeSilva hull and KG-4, me, at 12 years old in my Morehouse.

[Ron Hill]

OMC asked me to drive at the Havasu World Championships, 1966. A 16 footer seemed big, til I stood on the gas. In 1967, I ran a 17 foot Glastron and it handled better. I won the Chicago to Milwaukee to Chicago Marathon and the Havasu, Outboard World Championships (Twin Engine).

[jackie wilson]

Hey Ron-----finally found my password after two or three years.
Been a long time since I was able to mouth off on the "Facts" site and me, Being me , I've always got lots to say.
Always thought that twin engined rig on your admin site was a Jones, Schubert tells me it was a HALLETT!
Tried to send you a piccie of a concept------but was not allowed by the facts site.