Janet Herrick or Harrison

[oldalkydriver]

I remember Hart Park in the 50's where Janet H?? used to give Pep Hubbell, Tommy Ingalls, Orlando Torgiani, Elmo Belomity, Bob Parrish and the rest of the men all they could handle in B Racing Hydro. What a driver. Just can't remember her last name however I believe it was Herrick! Ron needs to look in some old APBA Rule books. Probably 1955 or so.

[Ron Hill]

I remember them at Bakersfield, 1957...How, well, only time I went to hart Park with my brother was then. My parents were in McKeesport, PA for the ALKY Nationals...

The dad's name was Orville and her sister's name was Julie. Julie was the looker, Janet could drive... Konigs, with one horn one way and the other the other, yellow boats...

They raced for several years, but Bakersfield, I remember them well...it was a North/South race... Ted May lost his foot off his 30-H three times. Mercury had a bad batch on studs... We all got together and held hands and walked across the lake until we found his foot...twice he lost it close to the shore and found it himself...

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

Eleanor Shakeshaft & Dotty Meyer 2 very staunch Midget class racers in the late 40's & early 50's members of the New Jersey Outboard Association with the Jacoby family as members, Vic Scott, Gibby Peterman, George Andrews Sr., John Coval, John Wehrle, Don Whitfield and Charles Strang.

Don't forget Kristi Hellsten Ellison. Past national pro champion, I believe "C" Service Hydro, currently racing 125 hydro with 2 sons racing and current President US Title Series.

[Peter Crowley]

Barbara Eldredge won the Nationals in 125ccH over Buddy Tennel and John McCorvey in 1994...as well as deck rider with Jim Kirts when he won 1100ccR on the same day!

Honorable mention should go out to Barbara's little sister Debra Eldredge-Galletta, who ran 125ccH and 250ccH for many years until a racing related accident forced her to retire.....

Bud Wiget has told me many times that his late wife was a better race driver than he was... seems hard to believe that ANYONE could have been better than Bud.

[Mike Schmidt]

Ron and Peter, you got me thinking when you mentioned Dick Fickett. His wife Micky was a great driver. She was much better than Dick. She ran ASH and 20 SSH. The real reason they got out of boat racing was that Dick was worried that she was going to get hurt, because she drove so HARD in the 20. I started hanging out at their house in West Haven when I was 16. Spent a lot of late nights there. Learned a ton from both of them. Micky was like a big sister to me back then. One time at a race in East Hartford, Dick forgot the prop he wanted to run. It was a good hour ride to their house. Micky driving the '62 Impala made the round trip in just over and hour. She just liked to drive fast.

I talked to her just before Christmas and she had sold the shop in Rhode Island and was moving to a farm in Vermont.

Michael

[Peter Crowley]

Along with "Mickey Fickett" we had Mike Marvonek's wife! She ran an O'Conner ASH back in the later 60's.
Before that (earlier 60's), Dave Kieser's wife Sue ran ASH.

[Peter Crowley]

All of you "West Coast" guys should have remembered one of the most famous of women racers! Loretta Turnbull. She was the wealthy daughter of a California judge. She was young and very pretty. Her equipment was tops and she was a very capable driver. She ran in the mid-20s (when they steered with tillers and had no crash throttles either) and into the mid-30s. She had a series of "Sunkist Kid" boats. She even raced in Europe.....

[Master Oil Racing Team]

When I raced at the Winternationals at Topock Arizona in 1969 I met a young girl by the name of Rachael. I don't remember here last name but I think it was of Dutch descent. Van something I believe. I think her dad had something to do with race organization at one of the famous venues like Havasu. She drove hard. One race that was a little rough she got hooked up with something in her boat and ripped a big tear out of the right side of her jeans and never slowed down. Don't remember what the drove. I'm sure Ron knows her. Maybe he can fill in the details.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This is Bill Hosler's daughter. I think her name is Cindy.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I don't know if Mama Smith ever raced, but I remember seeing this photo published somewhere when I first started racing. I figure that entitles her to be included in this fine group of women. In case some of the younger crowd doesn't know what Mama Smith is up to, the car floats. It has a propeller, but I am not sure about how the steering works. Front tires? N.O.A Photo