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View Full Version : OPC The good old days :)



wild child2
05-20-2002, 02:53 PM
Hey guys remember the late 70's and early 80's in OPC :)
WOW! you guys have got me started by looking at all the old pics. Looks like i will have to fire up the old scanner and upload some of my old pics like Buck Thorton, Earl Bentz, Reggie Fountain, Art Kennedy. The link below will take you to a few of my vintage OPC pics, I used to race Sport-J Mod-UJ Formula 100 Guys like Ron Hill will remember the good old Sport-J class.

Man!!! those were the days :)

Dan ( Web Master HydroRacer.Net )

http://www.dwl17.addr.com/MyOPChome.htm

BK
05-20-2002, 04:11 PM
Dan! I had no idea you ran OPC! And I think I've seen your boat race. Did you ever race further west?

Was your Champ boat a Velden? I think I may have some pictures of you!

KG4
05-20-2002, 05:39 PM
Ya they shoud bring back the sport j class i would run it for sure.What do you think BK a new seebold hull with an inline 150 how cool would that be.

wild child2
05-20-2002, 05:41 PM
Hey BK yep it was probably me :) yes it was a Velden and God!! did we have a ball back then :) I have un hooked my scanner but wait until i get my scanner back online and share some of my vintage OPC photos with you guys. Hey Ron remember Lee Sutter. I think i may even be able to dig up few pitures of Earl Bentz, John Sherlock, Paul Heathman, Harley Wilson, Don Jenkinson. I may even have a few rare Art Kennedy photos back when he ran the OZ class. Those were the days :)

Dan

KG4
05-20-2002, 05:51 PM
Do you remember Doug Pearl?He was pretty good in sport j.He drove a Scorpion tunnel.I would love one of those old boats.Anyone have any plans for a old school tunnel?

wild child2
05-20-2002, 06:25 PM
Doug Pearl, yep he was fast in Sport-J I remeber him well. Anyone remember Web Mapoles I may be able to dig up one of the last photos of Web racing in south Florida. Man !! I could go on and on for days :)

Dan

Jeff_G
05-22-2002, 08:45 AM
How about everyone identify themselves? Location?

You guys sure dredge up old names and memories. Talked to Doug Pearl about 9 months ago.

I believe Don Jenkinson drives still in Mod U in Canada, could be wrong.

wild child2
05-22-2002, 08:59 AM
Hey Jeff im in Maryland region 4 Oh man !!! those were the days. Remember Paul Heathman and all his Sport-E records. Soon as i get my scanner back online i am going to post a very rare picture of Web Mapoles.

Dan

wild child2
05-22-2002, 09:01 AM
Any of you guys remember Tom Toth

BK
05-22-2002, 09:02 AM
Don Jenkinson is racing on the Pride Promotions Powerboat Tour.

http://www.pridepromotions.com/powerboats/boatresults.html

When we were in Canada last year at the Valleyfield Regatta, Don Jenkinson was racing in Pennsylvania. So Don missed the Regatta, but one of his teammates, Randy Doy-Yat, raced in SST 120. We also saw Rob Scythes' son there, as well as Alex Lledin.

AnthonySS
05-22-2002, 11:56 AM
Do you know Rob Scythes??

I am not sure he has a son...unless the Rob Scythes I know is junior.

I was with Rob on Monday...now here is a guy that needs to get his stuff on the web...

He builds a great race boat ...has a ton of Racing History picture and is a real nice guy!!

Rob has done work on my STV and he and I praise and support the same engine builder:)

BK
05-22-2002, 12:16 PM
Hi Anthony -

I wonder if I got the names mixed up? Was Rob injured in a Mod U accident where his leg was permanently damaged? (or maybve even lost?)

I may have the wrong famous driver.....

But I do remember watching Rob Scythes race years ago. He was well known.

The son I met was about 35-40, (can't remember his first name) and had a famous Canadian ModU driver as a father -- I was sure his name was Scythes. He and I talked for a long time about the old days, and I certainly remembered his dad too -- but my memory on names is not so good these days.

I may have him confused with a different famous Canadian?

Jimboat
05-25-2002, 03:05 PM
Rob Scythes has been building race boats for over 20 years. I used to race with him in the 1980's. He now lives in Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada and still builds boats and races Mod U in Canada. Rob is about 45 years old now. He builds one of the nicest quality and finished boats I've ever seen. His father didn't race, as far as I know. He has a brother, John and sister, Cindy.

Here's a recent picture of Rob racing one of his own boats...
http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/download/robscythes.jpg

helmetguru
05-26-2002, 01:58 AM
i remember rob scythes used to show up at st louis every year in the mid 80's with what looked like a Molinari but he called it a SkyCraft...I have pics of Tim Toth ( sport E ), Webb ( before he was killed testing ) and all those guys, even Ken Rosa and Ron Ackerman...my dad was racing Formula-100 with all those guys in the NPA days...was a really good time.

check out this old team mercury signature card i have from 1975, it's on an 8.5x11 picture, very cool!

http://www.helmetgraphics.com/seebold.jpg also
http://www.helmetgraphics.com/evinrude.jpg
http://www.helmetgraphics.com/molinari.jpg
http://www.helmetgraphics.com/miami225.jpg

in case you missed am...and i'll be posting more...enjoy..

helmetguru
05-26-2002, 02:00 AM
http://www.helmetgraphics.com/seebold.html
http://www.helmetgraphics.com/evinrude.html
http://www.helmetgraphics.com/miami225.html
http://www.helmetgraphics.com/hering.html

helmetguru
05-26-2002, 02:17 AM
thought yall would enjoy this stuff:

www.helmetgraphics.com/rotary.html
www.helmetgraphics.com/jimbo.html
www.helmetgraphics.com/amra.html

Jimboat
05-26-2002, 08:10 AM
Love the pics! I remember when Jimbo (one of my all-time heros) debuted the rotary engine in Peterborough, Canada. This was just after OMC had started developing the rotary engine. The motor would just rev and rev...and never reach a peak! Jimbo told me he had never before felt so much power, and had never before had to take his foot out of it before that. That motor would simply keep accelerating until it melted. Unfortunately, OMC gave up on the rotary before it solved the seal problems (between rotors). What a great engine it would have made!

Mark75H
05-26-2002, 10:24 AM
Buddy is the Seebold 1975 picture the first "Twistercraft" boat?

Link back to photo for reference (http://www.helmetgraphics.com/seebold.html)


Always looked like they went to extra effort to lower the center of gravity on those boats

helmetguru
05-26-2002, 04:39 PM
hey sam, no thats a molinari, when renato raced for mercury he built all the factory boats...i have some twistercraft pics i'll scan and put up here..

AnthonySS
05-27-2002, 11:31 AM
Jim,

when I was with Rob last week he had some nice things to say about your designs too.

I told him he needs to get his photos on line too...Good Canadain Historical stuff!!

Rob still looks like he is 20 yrs old in my opinion!!!

Hydrovector
05-29-2002, 12:49 PM
Are you asking about Tom Toth From Ohio?
I know both Tom and Tim Toth they used to race GP then EP and ES then SST 45 in OPC. I lived by they in Ohio. There is even picture of Tim Running his old EP Allison on the IHR.

wild child2
05-29-2002, 02:13 PM
Yep thats them :)

BK
05-29-2002, 03:50 PM
Oh boy -- I guess it wasn't Rob Scythes son who I chatted with in Canada..... but I do know this man had a father who's name I remembered clearly from the "good ole days".

Ok Buddy -- You're up:
Name another famous MOD-U driver from Canada that raced in the Valleyfield Mod-U days.... who would now have a son about 35-40. This driver suffered a badly injured leg in a crash that ended his racing career.

Any ideas?

Jimboat
05-29-2002, 07:17 PM
AnthonySS - Thanks for the kind words. Rob is a great guy, and alot of fun.

Mark Rotharmel and I may be dropping in on the 'get-together' on Crystal Lake, if you're going to be there, look for me, so we can say hi.

Jimboat
05-29-2002, 07:55 PM
BK - Steve Allison drove Mod 50 and Mod U for many years. Steve would be about 45 now. He alway drove a bright yellow boat. His father (Ron Allison) drove Mod 50 too. Ron was President of Lincoln Electric Canada.

helmetguru
06-01-2002, 03:57 AM
yep that was steve allison #30 in the yellow seebold, i have a few pics of him around here somewhere...

R.Doy-yat
12-14-2011, 09:28 PM
Hi,BK. I'm Randy Doy-yat That use to race with Don. I just seen this post now. The person that you are refering to that use to race a long time ago that had an accident & damaged his leg really bad was my crew chief & mechanic's dad Andy Savard. (dan Savard) was his son & my best friend & crew chief when I was racing the F1 & sst-120 tunnels back then.
Don Jenkinson is racing on the Pride Promotions Powerboat Tour.

http://www.pridepromotions.com/powerboats/boatresults.html

When we were in Canada last year at the Valleyfield Regatta, Don Jenkinson was racing in Pennsylvania. So Don missed the Regatta, but one of his teammates, Randy Doy-Yat, raced in SST 120. We also saw Rob Scythes' son there, as well as Alex Lledin.

stever
12-16-2011, 09:26 PM
Jim
I am flattered that you thought I was about 45. I wish!

I saw Mark not too long and we were remembering our Racing days.

Jimboat
12-16-2011, 09:35 PM
Jim
I am flattered that you thought I was about 45. I wish! I saw Mark not too long and we were remembering our Racing days.

Hi Steve - haha, well you've always been very young spirited in my memory, steve....but i originally posted that in 2002.