Speed Marine Legacy: Jerry and Mitch Lembke

[Ron Hill]

I was look through a 1968 Powerboat Magazine...and saw an article about Speed Marine. Dave Severson was riding with Jerry Fitschen and Jerry Lemke.

Dave started Power Boat Magazine and really was never part of Speed Marine.

I don't know enough of Speed Marine's history to tell their story. I do know that Jerry Fitschen and Jerry Lemke were close friends. I know Mitch Lemke was Jerry's son. Mitch won Parker with an ET tunnel.Speed Marine did a lot of racing and winning. I know that Jerry Fitschen passed away with cancer. And that Jerry and Mitch Lemke were killed in an auto accident on the way to Walker Lake, Nevada....

Mitch had designed the Silver Wing Tunnel hull and several Deep Vee Offshore hulls.

For many years Richard Berg, from Newport Beach, California, sponosred Speed and marine....Yosemite Sam was one of their boats. Richard's company, Seagrams Liquors, sponsored the Miamai GN Race that paid $100,000 cash in prizes. Maybe, the richest race in APBA's history!!!

Mitch had the ET Kilo record witha Jaguar powerd, Mercruiser of somewhere around 138...

Jerry Fitschen is survived by his wife and son, Todd. Todd was scheduled to drive with Greg Foster at the Parker Enduro...Greg's daughter was elkected Homecoming Queen, so Greg did not attend the boat race...

I hope some of you will add to the Speed & Marine Legacy!!!!

Here are some pictures from 1968 POWERBOAT....(When Dave Severson was at Powerboat, racing was NUMBER ONE.....Dave made all the Havasu City Outboard World Championship programs....and they were cool!!!!

More Speed Marine: http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forum...m-Mitch-Lembke