J and AX Categories

[pav225]

Why so angry?

I'll bet you're a joy to pit next to.

- Mike

[G Stillwill]

I pretty much was going to stay out of this but if you think its sad that I race the class maybe you sould be filled in on the history of the class. First of all the Mercury motor was supposed to be the replacement motor for A Stock till it was found it wouldnt run as fast as the OMC. The J Division took it over not as a stepping stone to A Stock but for a place for the Mercury motor. At some point it was perceived to be a stepping stone. I bought two Mercurys in 2004 when I came back to the sport before I found it wasnt competitive in A Stock. So I raced them in AX and worked with the motors till they are what they are today. I put alot of time and effort in the program as you couldnt give a Mercury away even in the J an AX classes and APBA had a basement full of them at the time. I started building motors for others at next to nothing and all were built just the same as mine and most of them ran just as fast as mine as I got beat many times by them. I have loaned my motors out to many and got beat by them and also they won four Nationals with them plus many Nationals were won with motors that I built for them. There is not a race that I go to that someone isnt using one of my motors or props just so there kid can race or go faster and I have to race against them but when they beat me Im the first one to go up to them and shake there hand and tell them how good a job they did. I have done more to promote the class then any ten people have Fred but you havent been around that long to see it. All you seem to worry about is points and not that the kids are having fun doing what they are doing. As far as experiance goes when a kid goes to school is there another kid in front of the class teaching them no its a teacher with a lot of learning and in that respect I think I have made some pretty good drivers out of a lot of the kids just by racing with them. I tell them when they get it right and also when they do something wrong. If you think this is sad so be it Fred and that is the last I have to say.

[Shep]

George
My kid races one of your motors - and wins AXH THANK YOU!
THANK YOU and ALL THE ADULTS who run the class and have shown my kid how to race. He's developed into a pretty good racer.

Keep running the class.

Fred you're barking up the wrong tree.
You're right the the mission statement says "young drivers". That needs to be changed.

IF you think we're going to allow an age limit on one of the largest classes in APBA you're freakin' nuts!

Get over it.

[PAUL PRICE]

George
Thanks for your help over the years building my motors. All of Austin's accomplishments last season and this season were with motors you built. I thank you for your help and all you have done for the sport. I stand behind your statement .

[Mark.Wheeler]

George,

Thanks for all you have done for the J/AX kids and for APBA.

Regards,

Mark

[Jim Sweeney]

Ax

When my son Michael ran AX he loved racing against george, It was a huge challenge to try to beat him but also he trusted george completely, he knew he would race him clean and not do somthing dangerous on the course.

Now my younger son Logan is moving to the AX class and I hope george is still on the water so he can compete with him in the future. I trust some of the older, more experenced racers way more than the 12 year olds that just graduated from the J class.

The ax class is the best thing apba has going lets not mess it up.

[GarE-12]

George is sixty?????

I thought he was just the cool kid that smoked!

[mercguy]

haha!!

I'll bet you're a joy to pit next to.

- Mike

I am sure of it!!! LOL!!

well, off to the water we go..................more winter TESTING.............


****, that CMH Pavlick of Guido's is big............compared to my little Arltralite.............LOL.............

PS: since I am SO much older than Guido, I should be kiccking his ass on the race course right?????????? **** George, how do you do it???

[swheeler]

I see nothing in the rules for ax that would bar anyone from racing because they are too old.
To George, thanks for all the help and advice you have given me, my family and your fellow racers. I hope you race another 60 years!
To the author of this post, please don't take this as an insult because I don't intend it to be but one of the goals listed in the mission statement is to promote sportsmanship. Good sportsmanship means that you show some respect to your fellow racers if you win or if you lose. It sounds like your son had a good year and you both should be proud. Take the experience your both have gained and build on it. Good luck next year.

[RFR_Aero]

I'll bet you're a joy to pit next to.

- Mike

Mike,
Fred is indeed a good pit neighbor. Both he and his family exemplify the family nature of the pit area; always willing to help you any way they can. Fred is an extremely hard worker on race weekends, setting up equipment and sitting in patrol boats so us in region 4 can race. He also works hard off the weekend, towing club equipment to and from many race sites. If you plan on racing in Hinton in early June, you may wish to introduce yourself as he is the reason we are back racing in Hinton; I am sure he would enjoy meeting you. Fred is very passionate about racing, as evidenced by this thread, and he is allowed his opinions. While I think a lot of Fred, I don’t believe this thread shows him in the proper light. Meet him, talk to him and you decide.

Fred,
Buddy, I hope we can agree to disagree on this one. Noah races AXH regularly in region 4, he is 13 and only has a little more than a year of experience. We enjoy racing Sam in JSH and the camaraderie of all the kids in the pits. It really is a great experience. As for racing George… I agree with what Jim Sweeny said. When George is out there, I tell Noah to follow him (but try to get inside of him ) as George is a better teacher than the kids in J due to his experience. I also trust George to race clean and not to make a scene when Noah does something wrong. Simply pointing out the transgression, offering some advice on what Noah should have done, a friendly handshake and we are all good. I know that on the rare occasion when we beat George (doesn’t happen often), that victory is just a bit sweeter as we have beaten one of the best. In my humble opinion, I enjoy having George out there mentoring Noah and providing a high level of competition, but not so high it can’t be reached.

Kurt Romberg
Father of Noah Romberg 48Z, JSH & AXH

[sam]

I think the solution would be that you can only score points in the J Division for a certain number of years regardless of class or age. I also think that J is not just for kids, but for kids that are starting out.

Teenagers that have won a J Nats should be graduated off future High Points and Nats ... you have achieved ... you then have the option to move on or lay back and get more seat time, without being a roadblock to the next wave of racers.

Same for AX ... after maybe 5 years you can race in the class and be counted as a legal entry only, but not take winning or points away from newbies.

[Ron Hill]

Titles are good!

Let me say that when I first Emailed with Geroge Stillwell, Jr., I assumed it was his dad. I remember watching his dad win the Guntersville Nationals, either 1961 or 62. George's dad was a gentleman, and so is George Jr. He has build us two great running Mercs, and I also have KT Schwab's that George build. A great motor.

I loaned KT's Mercury 15 to Larry Herman's son to race at Parker. He race AXS and A Hydro. Larry's son had not raced in 22 year, I was told.

Sam, rather than no points, why not a Senior Division, 45 and over?

Ted May was probably the most loved driver in Region 12 history. He raced A-B and D Hydro at every race, until he started racing OPC. He raced every race. He loaned boats to everyone. Ted was National High Point in ASH, about 1964....he was 44 years old, he's race 23 A Hydro races, without a wreck.

If Ted was with us today, if someone offered him a ride in an AXS, he's take it....Ted was 21 years old in 1941. Ted never grew up, he thought he was 21 until he died!

[42M]

"I don't give a crap what APBA says....Wayne Adams is 1-E for J Hydro!"

Don't become one of those parents that starts fights in the bleachers at your kids little league games.

[Ron Hill]

"Turtle Express"

When I was racing AU, Harold Woodruff was a vice president of Home Saving and Loan. He had a very nice house in Arcadia, California and a nice beach house in Huntington Beach. Harold's wife, Mary, got really mad at a Little League Game, where a fight had broken out, and said they would find another sport.

Harold and Mary's son wasn't a "JOCK". They got in their car a drove down Lakewood Blvd and saw Hubbell Motors. They stopped and "PEP" Hubbell told them to go see Russ Hill.

Harold bought their son, Jack, a boat that same day. Jack was in 8th grade. He race AU and BU for the next five years. Jack never beat me, but we were best friends. We surfed together, we were buds...

Jack quit racing to go to college. He graduated from Cal Poly, Suma *** lade, June of 1962, and was killed in a car accident the week before graduation,

Harold and mary stayed in touch with my family for years. The LOVED boat racing. They never saw a fight at a boat race. They wished they could have raced boats forever.

ADD:

Jack's boats were named "Turtle Express"... After his death, I called my 36 Runabout, "Turtle Express"...in his honor.

[16JBilly]

yo after 30 years retirement i came back the only class i can run and test with jane is asr and axr i will **** can axr and in all our races you will not have a class thats the only reason i ran it it easey same boat change change motor and go i wish i was younger and stronger like years ago but im not so i schould just retire again and you will not have any classes if we all do that im sorry i old and and not in good shape like years ago or we could settle this very easy again i dont care about this class but dont expect that any of us to help you fill the class so take your 2 boats and stay home