Dan Pigott

**Popa Sam** · 01-29-2010

Danny, that's Dr Chuck Rutherford. Very nice person. This is the first pictures I've seen of this. Joe abandoned ship too quick to get hurt. Do you know what year it was?

**Danny Pigott** · 01-29-2010

Sam, this was 1979 an you are right, Joe didn't waste any time getting out . The boat had a full load of gas an no one wanted to go near it. This class was hot at that time, people loved to see them run even if there were only a few running. What do you think would happen if they came out with twin engine Champboats. Very few people have ever seen the old twin engine stackers run. I read somewhere that Merc. Tested the Tiwster 1 with the stacker to show that the Twister was faster with little noise. After the test most of the fans went to look at the stacker an not the Twister. I guess this shows fans still like the noise even if it is not as fast.

**Master Oil Racing Team** · 01-29-2010

Danny...you continue to pull some good stuff out of your archives. Thanks for the pics and the stories behind them.

**Ron Hill** · 01-29-2010

Tehy wrote a song about the Day the Music Died, but I was racing in Galvston, Texas the Day Outboard Racing Died!.

Galveston had twin 100's. The first 100 was for Single Engines and the second one was for Multi Engines. Jimbo won the single engine race while spectators pour suntan oil on their women. Guys took naps waiting for the MULTI ENGINES Race....

Jimbo came out of the water as Single Engine Winner and few took notice...as the MULTI's were lining up. The MULTI's had two or three engines, BIG, ****ING NOISY ENGINES. The spectators were worked up to see these MULTI's RACE...They got so excited they knocked the fence down between the spectators and the boats.

I finished a solid third or solid fourt, but JimmY Mertens witha triple Mercury cleaned our CLOCKS. Three MOTHER MERCS with stacks on the back of a 22 foot tunnel. As he lapped me, my heart stopped, as it was so spectatular.

That same day, Gary Garbrecht and Charlie Strang made deal at the HOT DOG STAND, to only run single engines....I never saw crowds at OUTBOARD RACES after Galveston.

Fans pay money to watch things THEY CAN'T do!!!! Any JACK *** can drive a single engine boat, but you need to be KING KONG to drive a triple engine boat....Mercury and OMC were run by engineers, not marketing people....

Do you know why a QUICKSILVER gearcase has a point????Not becasue it was faster than a round nose, it had a point because Carl K wanted it to have apoint...IT LOOKED FAST!!!!! Of course, Carl built Mercury Marine and at one time required his dealers to race a boat......

Thanks, Danny for the memories...Joe Burgess was a great person and a great driver...Chuck Ruthford, is and was a true gentleman.....

**Danny Pigott** · 02-18-2010

Floyd Hopkin's brown shirt at Kingston Tn 1978. I had never met Floyd until this day, but had run his prop's from about 1971. When I drove up to the pit he was standing there an said Danny, I came to this race to meet you, this made me really feel good. He spent the rest of the week with us, gave me some prop's to test an worked on some on the trailer hitch of my truck ,he an dad really hit it off, must have been the Old Mil. in the back of the trailer LOL. The guy in the orange shirt is Spot Kennedy our neighbor, when he was real young he lived in N.C. and raced some back in the 50's. He said he was alway's getting lapped. Then one day this guy walked up to him an said son why don't you let me help you, because right now you are just in the way and messing up the races. The guy that offered to help was Doug Creech. He said after that he did run a lot better but never knew if Doug helped him so he was out of his way, or to make him a better racer.

**Popa Sam** · 02-18-2010

I still miss Floyd. Surprised he didn't have a bucket of Kentucky Fried under his arm when he arrived. He loved KFC.

Funny story about Floyd: We were in Panama city for a race and staying in the same motel. The rooms were in individual 2 story buildings. I got up pretty early Sunday morning and went outside. Floyd was sitting on the porch of the adjoining building. I walked over and ask if he slept okay. He said no, in fact hardly slept at all. Said the people up stairs above him were making bump, bump, bump sounds all night. Said he thought at first "they were frigging, but it lasted way too long for that". After I got up off the ground we went for breakfast.

He built many winning V bottom props for me.

**Mark75H** · 02-18-2010

Danny, this is great. I don't comment on every picture and post, but I love them all. I am sure many more people are enjoying this as much as I am. There are almost 7,000 views of your thread!

Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts

**Danny Pigott** · 02-19-2010

Thank's Sam ,Glad you enjoy them . I hope other's do also. I am not very good with a computer or wording the post; but do the best I can. Most of what I post is what I remember I have no notes to go by. The pic's were just taken over the year's I never thought i would ever use them like this. I was fortunate to have raced in all four outboard divisons, some times all four in the same time period ,this gave me a lot of history about each one.

Allen J. Lang · 02-21-2010

Hi Danny- I really enjoy your postings. Our phone conversations are great with the information not posted and bringing back memories of SEBA and NOA. My wife said that our conversations are longer than any she has, and that says something as I tell her she has the phone glued to her ear.

**David Mason** · 02-24-2010

Dan,

Your stories and pics are priceless. It is the era I grew up in and most likley was at a lot of the races the pics are of, for the Mod stuff anyway. I can't remember a race in TN that you guys were not at back in the day. Kingston, Soddy Daisy, and a few others. Lots of memories there. One of my fondest is of Mrs. Picket and the catfish stew at Soddy. Dal, I and the normal kid crew were bothering you guys at the campsite about some catsish stew. Well, there were some I think home grown jalpenos hanging as well. We grabbed a couple of those and broke them up and put them in my cousins stew when he was not looking. I have to say, y'all know how to grow some hot jalapenos. I think he breathed fire all the way down to the lake. I sampled one after that and it was not long before I hit the lake. Ahh the days.

And thank you for keeping all these memories alive. Some day I will have to get Mom & Dad to sit down and go through the thousands of pictures we all took back in the day and see about posting them with some references.