Finger Lakes

[raceright]

This is a request to all outboard racers that have Knowledge of past racing on the finger lakes New York. There is a Boat Museum being developed in the finger lakes and they have a budget and a building that will be dedicated to out boards. They have asked me to seek out information about racing on the finger lakes. Classes whether stock mod or pro is what they are presently interested in the older the better. They would also like OPC or what ever other type of outboards raced in the finger lake region. Please contact me VIA email or any way you can. raceright@yahoo.com. Thanks Pat Wright

[Dew1us]

Are they looking specifically for the finger lakes or the Finger Lakes Region?

[raceright]

Region,they are loctated on keuka but will be more than happy to take what ever I provide them. I live very close to them in Hammondsport right off , Keuka.

[David Weaver]

We had a mixed PRO and Inboard race at Canadaigua maybe around 1982 or 1983 sponsored in part by the winery. Great race, but the water could get rough!! I recall elimination heats in many classes. I raced in a mixed, 125, RB Hydro and Formula 350 event with what seemed like 20 boats. This was the first time I saw a K Boat running in a flat bottom shootout.

[dwhitford]

That might've been the regatta in AUG 1981, David, set up largely by Joe Stager, who was then working in Canandaigua for the winery. It was also Gibby Petermann's first -- or very early -- return to the cockpit. We both raced 250 ccH.

I remember the date because it was when IBM, for whom I worked then, announced the availability of their 1st PC. Bill Walker & I dragged the CVRA trailer up there from Pop Augustine's with my Ford truck.

[Flyer]

I have all the paper work and photos from the Rochester Power Boat and racing club which put most of the races on around the finger lakes.
Pat Davids has a Fay Bowen outboard race boat ( built in Geneva ) I also have the motor for it. Pats grandfather worked for Fay Bowen at the time
this boat was built.
I also have alot of things that I have collected over 30 years of racing and building boats.I grew up on Canandaigua Lake.
I'm in Fla. now and will get ahold of someone when I get home.
Furnal Flyer
Leigh,

[bill van steenwyk]

Thought I remembered a USTS race there in the early days of the club. May be mistaken. Todd would probably know for sure.

ADD: Like David Weaver I seem to remember it was rough there but not the same race as he is talking about.

[hydroid]

TORC is located in Toronto. Aside from all hydro classes we also have 8-10 T850 Fiberglass 13-14' Critchfeild/Voodoo/Delta, 68-72mph boats we race on oval .75-1.0mi course. Might want to contact TORC if you're wanting to get something going.

[Scott Deware]

Dave Packer did a couple of OPC events just outside Rome NY in the early 80's. Dave passed away a few years ago. I'm not sure if his family or wife Cindy is still up there or not.

[3autility]

I remember watching a race in the 1960s on Honeoye Lake and on Long Pond near Rochester in the late 60s. There was also a race on Caroga Lake (may be out of the Finger Lakes region, although not by far) in the 80s.

[John Schubert]

I remember watching a race in the 1960s on Honeoye Lake and on Long Pond near Rochester in the late 60s. There was also a race on Caroga Lake (may be out of the Finger Lakes region, although not by far) in the 80s.

Yup raced at Long Pond in 1970

[raceright]

Maybe you should be stuffed and we can have a superstar on display. lolololoo
Thanks John

[raceright]

Several of you have tried to PM me , well thats stuck for some reason. So please resend to my Email very interested in any info raceright@yahoo.com

Thanks Pat

[Bob Rusnak]

I believe the big race in Canadaigua, NY (finger lakes) was pre USTS. It was one of the first all PRO race I attended except for the Nationals. Joe Stager and Paul O, both marketing personal, had an personal interest in PR racing. They added the inboards to help sponsor the event. I know the worked on this well in advance had a plan that worked. Almost everyone of importance was there. Drivers traveled quite a distance to race here. I have a video of this event and the drivers meeting had some great names being called out. I was not racing this year but had equipment and brought it up to get it on the course. I was so impressed with the race I ordered a new Pugh 500 Hydro from Gary. I could be wrong but I think this might have led to concept the USTS has taken. Just my thoughts.

[David Weaver]

I think Dave Whitford's race north of Charlotte was the same year, again a combination of PRO's and inboards that drew a large turnout. The USTS formed soon afterwards, but may have already been in the planning stages. I have a number of photo's from Canadaigua, but the quality is not good. I remember seeing Voss, LaRose, Augustine's, Shakeshafts, Dortch family, Mike Schmidt, Jane Smith (retired from racing), Hellstens, The Happy Valley trailer and Elmer Grade's crew, just to name a few.

[roperz111]

David,

The race north of Charlotte was at Lake Norman (before all the NASCAR big-wings moved in there) and it was in 1980.
Chris Johnson

[dwhitford]

Actually I ran 3 regattas on Lake Norman about 20 miles north of Charlotte in a reasonably well-protected inlet on the east shore of the lake. The Optimist Club of Charlotte -- the oldest of the Charlotte-area's umpteen Optimist Clubs -- was the nominal sponsor.

The combo Inboard-PRO Outboard regatta was only in the 1st year. I modeled it on the Saint Lawrence Valley Boating and Racing Association's and Hydro Club de Quebec's format with decent prize money paid by the heat. Inboards were only at the 1st regatta. One ol' Inboard guy had a rotten boat that parted ways from the crane about 30 feet in the air and fell to destruction on the pavement. This soured Ann Fitzgerald and the rest of the Inboarders, who blamed our race for the accident.

So in succeeding years, the Inboarders and I mutually agreed that they need not return.

I forgot that we ran those regattas as early as 1980. I still have a poster from (probably) the 2nd Lake Norman regatta, but it has no date on it.

The USTS was not in operation yet during the 1st Lake Norman regatta.

[Bob Rusnak]

I have a complete VSH of the event sound included. It is well over two hours long. If I can ever find time to convert it to a DVD it would be a great piece of PRO racing. I will look for it and see what I can do. If I remember they ran 125, 250, 250, 500 C service and a GPHydro. Runabouts run were 500 and C service. Not sure if 700 or 1100 runabout. I do not remember any 250 or 350 runabouts.

[rumleyfips]

We ran Region 2 stocks there in the 70's. Memories are dim, but there was a big house, turned into a restaurant with a broad lawn leading down to the lake. It was a really long course. Saturday night , Fred Curtis said " come on, I know this place ". He grabbed a candle off a table and we went down into the cellar. This was a stop on the Underground Railway and I saw grave stones inset into the floor, a tunnel entrance down to the lake and a hideyhole designed to be blocked up with stones to look like a cellar wall ; all by candlelight. Spooky but great !

Too bad I can't remember the name of the lake.