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David_L6
01-01-2003, 06:49 PM
From mid '70s:


Who was the well known driver of boat #201?
What was the name of the boat?

Motor appears to be a Twister; rear cowl on boat says: Boats by Stinson.


Who was the well known driver of boat #76?
What was the name of the boat?


Motor is a T-3; Team MERCURY boat.

2us70
01-01-2003, 07:06 PM
76 was Reggie Fountain's #

Ron Hill
01-01-2003, 08:06 PM
Kenny Stevenson drove 201 for Bobby Thompson's "Just Add Water" racing team. But Alan Stinson may have driven with the number 201. See, many in California thought Alan Stinson was Allison Boats... First name Alan, last name Stinson... It wasn't until about 1976 that I found out who made Allisons boats. It was at the Dayton Ohio, OPC Nationals.

ADD: Benny Robertson may have run 201, too!!!

See what happened in 1969 was that OPC/APBA went to numbers only, not class numbers like I was T-35, S-35 and X-35. But when we signed up at Havasu we got outr new numbers. Seebold was 190 and Jimbo was 191... Seebold was ahead of Jimbo in line... So, 201 would have run Havasu 1969 but does not apper to have been at the 1970 Classic....I'll look for the 1969 havasu list..I have it somewhere!!!

David_L6
01-01-2003, 08:12 PM
Originally posted by 2us70
76 was Reggie Fountain's #

That's the driver. The boat's name was Spirit of '76.

David_L6
01-01-2003, 08:14 PM
Originally posted by Ron Hill


ADD: Benny Robertson may have run 201, too!!!


It was Benny.

David_L6
01-01-2003, 08:40 PM
Boat # 14, powered by a V-6 Johnson?

Boat # 241 powered by a Merc (T-3?)?




(I don't know the answer to these two.)

MN4V
01-01-2003, 09:48 PM
#14 - I think it was Cees vander Venden with a Johnson V6
and # 241 was Earl Benz with a Merc V6 (T3 factory motor).
Mark N.

helmetguru
01-03-2003, 10:20 PM
those are easy, why doesn't somebody try a real obscure number...looks like somebody got a picture they couldnt desipher.

if you want obscure, somebody tell me who this is. i'll know you're hardcore if you get it.

helmetguru
01-03-2003, 10:23 PM
while 201 was Stevenson's number, Ben Robertson ran it in the 76 St Louis Vbottom race for sure. Ben's traditional number is 577.

MN4V
01-04-2003, 09:42 PM
The boat looks like a Molinari but it has a different looking rear cowl. Is it Burgess or James Beard (sp)?
MN

helmetguru
01-04-2003, 10:20 PM
not a cougar, not a burgess but good efforts, right contintent at least...too bad they dont run bristol any more.

MN4V
01-04-2003, 10:28 PM
How about Percival (sp). But I thought he ran a Merc.
Or maybe Hodges!
If it's not these I have no idea!
MN

MN4V
01-04-2003, 11:08 PM
I did forget one John Hill.
But I don't remember this boat though.
MN

helmetguru
01-04-2003, 11:12 PM
nope close but not on target...here's an interesting item: Dave Burgess master raceboat builder NEVER raced a tunnel boat. true fact straight from the man himself.

MN4V
01-04-2003, 11:33 PM
OK these are my last guesses for British drivers.
Roger Jenkins or Bob Spalding.
MN

BK
01-04-2003, 11:35 PM
#5 could be Andy Bullen?
Or Gene Thibadeaux?


Here's another:
OPC #201 was Benny Robertson in the 70's......
but who ran OPC #201 in the 80's?

brianT2
01-06-2003, 01:27 AM
peter thorneywork(sp) - barracuda?

brianT2
01-06-2003, 09:09 AM
no barracuda, milesmaster came to mind.
HG-i used to drool over that Navy cougar that your dad raced:D

helmetguru
01-06-2003, 05:23 PM
very good brian you clearly know your stuff...milesmasters were cool boats thats for sure, fred miles could drive the wheels off of them too...that navy cougar boat was one of a kind thats for sure, james beard, clive curtis and chris hodges could whittle wood with the best of them.

brianT2
01-06-2003, 06:11 PM
heres HG's dads autograph when he was racing the cougar/ccc. anybody remember who drove the USArmy OPC tunnel from the same era?
bk - i thought somebody mentioned ken stevenson already?

brianT2
01-06-2003, 06:21 PM
oops :eek: thats duane lyons autograph. should have looked a little closer. plus he misspelled my name:D

BK
01-06-2003, 06:50 PM
Did Bud Babbitt and Duane Lyons drive the same Navy Boat???

One year, I watched Duane and the "Navy" boat flip at Havasu, and keep on running.... he then went directly into the pits.

I dont blame him.

The USA ARMY boat --- wasnt that #2001?
I think maybe that was Frank Reinhardt?
I'm just guessing though - I'm probably wrong.

On who drove the 1980's "#201", I should have added "who ran #201 after the death of Ken Stevensen".

Anybody know?

helmetguru
01-06-2003, 07:45 PM
george osborne drove the Army 2001 Odyssey boat...yep thats duane lyons all right, my dads partner at one time. not surprised you dont have my dad's autograph, i dont think he was big on doing that kind of stuff, he was there to race and win, not a big people person...sometimes it was funny...

duane had the navy sponsorship and ran a white cougar before and after my dad and him were teamed up. he even teamed with art kennedy at the parker enduro in 1980, there's a picture of art on my website waiting for his turn to drive, he was a great guy.

ken stevenson was the man, one of the best tunnel boat drivers ever, died WAY before his time...i have the crash on one of those Havoc tapes...Arcadian's first driver, I put him square in the league with Bill Seebold, Chris Bush and Renato Molinari...

noone that I know of ran 201 after Ken died, three digit numbers went away soon after that...

Ron Hill
01-06-2003, 10:11 PM
Didn't Brett May co-drive with George Osborn at the 1978 Parker Enduro....? Wasn't that Go Army? Merc/Seebold?


Anyone have a picture of the crash at the start of the 1978 Parker enduro...It was a two page spread in Powerboat at the time.

Question: Jimbo McConnell's first OPC race?

Question: When and where was Fred Hauenstein's first OPC race?

Question: The Arcadian Star, Jimmy Hauenstein, won one APBA National Championship, what class? Who's stolen beer did he enjoy drinking the most? (I realize this is subjective, but I believe I know the answer!!!)

Ron Hill
01-08-2003, 08:47 PM
OK! It is clear to me that no one know the answers to my questions....So, I've give you a little Outboard Racing Trivia:

Jimbo McConnell and Fred Hauenstein both drove their first OPC race at The 1967 Outboard World Championship at Lake Havasu. Jimbo drove a Schultz, Single and won...He nose dove it in the second hour of the second day and limped it back in. Ted May took over and kept the rig going for the last two hour and kept the lead.

Freddy drove my Dad's DeSilva and had an OMC Fuel problem, but ran well when he ran. I ran OMC's 17' Glasstron for the twin engine win...

Fred Hauenstein and I were good friends...and serious about beating each other...Brother "JIM" and I were great friends, and drank many a beer together. He loved coming to my dad's house, when he was in law school, and drink my dad's beer...He liked it best when my dad wasn't home, because he could drink all my dad's beer.

Jimmy's only National Championship was in "C" Service Runabout...

I'd known Jim for 53 years when he died in North Carolina...We had thrown rocks in lake together as kids....Jim would want me to tell stories about him becasue that is the way Jim was.....The Arcardian Star!!!!

ADD JIMMY HAUENSTEIN: My buddy, who hired Jimbo after the Army, and I were going to a wedding in Oregon and we stopped at Fred's Cafe (The Hauenstein's Truck Stop)... Jimmy was "Working" at the gas pumps and my buddy and I noticed a cooler under a table behind the station....sure enough is was cold beer....Hell, I figured, a man shouldn't be drinking when he's at work, so I stole his beer and cooler.......he got even with me many times for that little trick I pulled!!!

helmetguru
01-08-2003, 08:58 PM
i always enjoyed talking to jim at the races and we were even working on some Arcadian tee shirts before he died. I was really looking forward to doing them. It was a sad sad phone call I got from Tracy Hawkins at the race site when Jim passed away. I thought of all the top drivers that ran the Arcadian colors, Ken Stevenson, Jonathan Jones, Mark Wilson, Johnny Sanders, Don Johnston, Chris Bush, Rusty Campbell, Mark Trotter, and Dave Dewald...talk about an eye for talent.

Everytime I go to a ChampBoat race i miss seeing the familiar Orange boat, it's just not the same. I still have my flourescant Arcadian cap that Jim gave me in St louis, he was quite a guy.

BK
01-08-2003, 09:07 PM
Ron -- I have the Parker/Havasu newspaper somewhere of the three boat crash. I got to the Parker Enduro late that year --- showed up just minutes after the big crash happened. But I did save the newspaper and still have it somewhere...The quality of the picture is bad though = shot into the rising sun.

I also have the newspaper photo of Jimbo's bad wreck at Sacramento......the picture quality was too good :( That wreck was really bad.

I was sitting on the bank of the river when that happened. It was like a bomb went off. Shrapnel everywhere. :(

I've heard all kinds of funny stories about Jim Hauenstein - I even scored for him at Havasu once -- but I really never met him. Stood near him and knew his crew, but never got the chance to speak with him. (I was pretty shy back then).


One last thing for you and Buddy: It's "SHULZE". No "t". :D

BK
01-08-2003, 09:10 PM
PS Buddy

RE: the driver in your post, with the helmet & jacket on --

Isn't that Art Kennedy?

helmetguru
01-08-2003, 09:13 PM
actually it's SCHULZE, Dieter Schulze from Attnang, Austria

brianT2
01-09-2003, 02:06 AM
HG - i knew i had his autograph. this is on the back of the '79 st. louis program. correct on the george osborne/US Army boat. i think he had a older burgess, maybe, then the seebold that ron mentioned. think thats ron's boat in the evinrude ad also.

helmetguru
01-09-2003, 02:12 AM
hey thats the coolest thing i've seen in a long time! i know he's going to get a charge out of it too..and yes BK thats Art getting ready for his turn at the wheel, i still remember standing there ( I was 11 ) and asking him to smile, he just stood there and didn't change his expression, i guess he had his race face on.

brianT2
01-09-2003, 02:12 AM
george osborne autograph

BK
01-09-2003, 07:21 AM
Buddy - What year did you take that pic of Art and where?

Brian - Yes, the boat above Bud Babbitts autograph is Ron Hill's "Crazy Horse". That picture is probably from his win at the Parker Enduro 1978 too.

I finally got to talk to Bud Babbitt for awhile at this years' St Louis race...What a nice guy! Brad has been telling me for a while that he's is a super person - he was right.


The Army Odyssey boat was #2001. Like the "2001 Space Odyssey". Hard to believe the year 2001 has come and gone already. Seemed like too far into the future back in those days.

Ron Hill
01-09-2003, 08:33 PM
That is my boat, with Fred Hauenstein up. You can always tell Freddy, he had the "high dollar" Gentex jackets...

Cool old picture...

Joe J.
01-11-2003, 10:20 AM
Ron, if I remember right, wasn't the accident at the start of he Parker race caused by someone running over the sandbar caused by low water levels? For some reason I seem to think it was maybe Bob Herring, but could be wrong.

JJ

Ron Hill
01-11-2003, 01:16 PM
As I remember the crash...as some of us old River Rats know, that the river is high in the evening because the dam people are generating more electricity. And the river is lower in the morning because most people are sleeping...Renato, wanting to lead the first lap, roared out at the start and went right down the shoreline, where he had run in the evening the day before. He hit the sandbar and pulled the trtansom out of his boat. He boat went spinning under Herring, who after flying over Renato, nose dove, in a major explosion of two wood boats. Somewhere Sutter got taken out in the fly pieces. Me, I just came out of the pits thinking if I could make the first lap maybe, I could run all day. I watched the whole crash...and was surprised that they stopped the race after the first lap to clean things up.

No one hurt in the wreck, except when Bobby Herring go out of the patrol boat he slipped and fell and broke his knee...

Seems like four boats were taken out...It was at our second pit stop that we coaught on fire....and Racer has the only picture of that fire....John Stoker put it out and MADE me get back in....I said Irun one lap but that was all...after one lap it still ran, so I kept going...on the way home the gas line split from where it was burned....Sometime a man get lucky!!!

Ron Hill
01-11-2003, 01:33 PM
Vapor Trials, April 1978

Ron Hill
01-11-2003, 01:34 PM
2001

Ron Hill
01-11-2003, 01:35 PM
Fred Bowden...

Ron Hill
01-11-2003, 01:36 PM
Same paper, Jim Hunt...

Ron Hill
01-11-2003, 01:37 PM
More Jim Hunt..

Ron Hill
01-11-2003, 01:41 PM
Al Stoker...Mod VP winner. His second Endruo....He ran a Hill Boat with a Chrysler the year before...His dad, John, ran Mod VP the year before....in Division 5...

cpoboats
02-02-2009, 11:02 PM
I found this thred while just farting around on the site. What a flash back. At the age of 15 George Osborn was my it Idol... I still to this day live my life to the standards he gave to me. I met him through Brett May.
I hope he is well, I haven't talked with him in more then 30 years.