Dayton, 1975 D Runabout

[DeanFHobart]

Jeff Hutchins

You had to do better than win the elimination heat to qualify. The fastest winner on time qualified. Any one know who won? I do, see if anyone else knows....

1975 Dayton ASH National Champion..... Jeff Hutchins...... 3rd - Dean Hobart.

Good Luck,

Dean Hobart...........

[trapper]

sarnac lake ,loved it 5 laps!!what a show.

[Ron Hill]

I'm Not Calling.... I Want To See It In Print!!!!

Ron
Gary US Pond owns that engine and it is on his motor rack in Richmond............his uncle, Robert e. Lee bought it from Defeo and Gary wound up with it.

The engine has a interesting history part of which involved a fistfight at Dayton which Harold Barnes had to break up..............

For more interesting details call Gary. He knows the actual sales price and the history.

Matt

1964 Modesto Champions:

1977 Bakersfield Champions:

ADD: I hear stories all the time...I like to read about them!

If you push Control + you can enlarge this post...

[1977 ASH]

Ron

Not that it matters, but just to be accurate, your newspaper story above about 1977 Bakersfield in not quite correct. In ASH, Jan Christ did indeed win the first heat of the finals (using Craig Selvidge's pumper Mark 15 "Goldie" motor and Craig's best ASR prop by the way) - but he was not leading the second heat when he flipped. I started first and was in first place all the way in that second heat - Jan was in second place and no one would have caught him as Chuck Zolkoske (who was 2nd in heat one) filpped in the first turn - all Jan had to do was stay in second and he would have won the race as I finished 3rd in the first heat. But Jan dumped in the place on Lake Ming that Bob Martin and many of the SoCal folks used to call "Flipper's Spot" - about 2/3 of the way down the backstrech just approaching the 2nd turn.

As both you and I said above, it always took a bit of luck to win the Nationals in addition to having the speed to win........

Mark

[Ron Hill]

"Barndoor Crankcase"

Ron:
I searched BRF and found posts by Dean Hobart and Mark Demaray about KG4's. They both used barndoor cases with 506 blocks. Maybe one of them has a theory on crankcase compression ratios.

Bob;
I probably got the year wrong.

John McManus

My best "A" had a "Barndoor" case, we never owned a 505 type block when I raced "A". We always used 43 and 44 blocks. I out grew "A" in 1957.

Talking numbers....This is the Havasu Mini Boat races, 1984. C-Nod, O-Nod and U-Nod, like 75 entries. We won C-Nod.

Oh, I forgot, you can't race "FISHING" gearcases!

[Ron Hill]

Powerboat Magazine Article

Ron

Not that it matters, but just to be accurate, your newspaper story above about 1977 Bakersfield in not quite correct. In ASH, Jan Christ did indeed win the first heat of the finals (using Craig Selvidge's pumper Mark 15 "Goldie" motor and Craig's best ASR prop by the way) - but he was not leading the second heat when he flipped. I started first and was in first place all the way in that second heat - Jan was in second place and no one would have caught him as Chuck Zolkoske (who was 2nd in heat one) filpped in the first turn - all Jan had to do was stay in second and he would have won the race as I finished 3rd in the first heat. But Jan dumped in the place on Lake Ming that Bob Martin and many of the SoCal folks used to call "Flipper's Spot" - about 2/3 of the way down the backstrech just approaching the 2nd turn.


As both you and I said above, it always took a bit of luck to win the Nationals in addition to having the speed to win........

Mark

This article was written about the time Bob Nordskog wanted to be APBA President. He actually raced B Hydro at one Bakersfield race.

I'm pretty sure that **** near everyone who has raced very often at Bakersfield has gone on their head where you speak. I tried it twice at the 1977 Nationals, myself...

[mercguy]

This article was written about the time Bob Nordskog wanted to be APBA President. He actually raced B Hydro at one Bakersfield race.

I pretty sure that **** near everyone who has raced very often at Bakersfield has gone on their head where you speak. I tried it twice at the 1977 Nationals, myself...

Ron says "I pretty sure that **** near everyone who has raced very often at Bakersfield has gone on their head where you speak"

......put me on that list!!!

[David_L6]

Kinda funny.... Lake Buhlow (Pineville, LA) has a spot that, sooner or later, puts just about everyone that races there in the water. It's about 3/4 to 7/8 of the way down the back straight - just before you go into the turn. It gets ROUGH there! The very last heat of C Mod Hydro that I raced I got pitched there (2003 Nationals).

There's a picture of Paul Christner floating around the internet of him getting wet in a B Pro runabout in that spot. Boat is completely upside down but up in the air. Paul is skipping across the water I believe. I witnessed that wreck before I started racing (I was about 12 or 13 years old at the time).

Joe Rome can tell plenty of stories about that spot.

[Ron Hill]

I Watched J. MIchael Kelly Stuff A C Runabout

Kinda funny.... Lake Buhlow (Pineville, LA) has a spot that, sooner or later, puts just about everyone that races there in the water. It's about 3/4 to 7/8 of the way down the back straight - just before you go into the turn. It gets ROUGH there! The very last heat of C Mod Hydro that I raced I got pitched there (2003 Nationals).

There's a picture of Paul Christner floating around the internet of him getting wet in a B Pro runabout in that spot. Boat is completely upside down but up in the air. Paul is skipping across the water I believe. I witnessed that wreck before I started racing (I was about 12 or 13 years old at the time).

Joe Rome can tell plenty of stories about that spot.

I think anyone who knows me know I consider J. MIchael Kelly the best driver of this half century. But, even the great ones go "Splat". I was watching J. Michael at the Winter Nationals about six years ago, he semed to have the heat well in hand, when the bow went up a little, and he pushed it down. It went down, like straight down...a total "Stuff" of a runabout is hard to imagine, let alone see.

J. Michael cold hardly walk afterwards, of course, he got into a LAY DOWN D Hydro and won the heat!

I've heard, there is a large "Covert" or flood control pipe there.... At Bakersfield, the wind always "PUSHES" even if it doesn't blow down the back straight away.

This wind of air flow, causes boats t lift, so, the driver moves forward to hold them down...As soon as you turn, the air slips out from under the boat, and "ASS over teakettle" you go....I've really only done it about four times at Bakersfield.

[bill boyes]

Been there Ron. I took a real nasty dumb in my CU while out front. A two hopper then gone.

[G Stillwill]

I blew over at Pineville in that very spot the only time that boat was ever up side down.

[DeanFHobart]

KG4, 506879, Barndoor

Ron:
I searched BRF and found posts by Dean Hobart and Mark Demaray about KG4's. They both used barndoor cases with 506 blocks. Maybe one of them has a theory on crancase compression ratios.

Bob;
I probably got the year wrong.

John McManus

John,

My best motor was a KG4, 506879 Serial Number, Barndoor or Square Hole case original motor. The motor had the factory seal on it when we (my dad and I) bought it. We just rebuilt it with new bearings, seals, .015" OS pistons with two dead aluminum rings on the bottom, and a sand case reed cage with .010" thick thin reeds. The motor was fast right "out of the box", and just kept getting better "with age".

I also ran a Bendix mag on this motor.... not many people did this. The Bendix flywheel was a lot lighter.

I set 4 world records with this motor..... I ran this motor for at least 15 years. The only thing I would do is put a new top ring on every once in awhile.

I still have the motor as I ran it..... except I put back on the original green tank and belly pan.

Best Regards,

Dean Hobart.........................................

[rumleyfips]

Dean:

A Bendix mag is interesting. I never liked them: maybe I should have worked harder.

Does anyone have any comments on why the 506 blocks were fast. If memory serves (40 years back) the ports in my 595220H block were very close to the nominal measuremnts. All I could have gained by porting was a biy over 20 thou.

John

[ronronx]

1964 Champions List

When I saw the 1964 list, I sent a copy to my dad as I knew he would be interested as well as recognize at least one of the names. DSH - Louie Wheeler. Dad has a ton of great memories about racing with him back in the day and just about every time we talk racing , his name comes up. Dad dug out the picture, wish he would have had one we could have actually identified Mr. Wheeler in.

Also, Congratulations 1964 DU Champ "Ronnie" Hill. Grandma always called me Ronnie.

Cheers,
Ron