Write a book?

[oldskier]

With the stories I've read from Seeroy and Velox's threads and all the contributors in them, I'm sure I'm not the 1st to think somebody ought to compile, interview and write a book.

Can't think of a book in many years I've enjoyed like reading the Life at Lake X and Letters from Heaven threads.

Bernie

[Bob V]

For several years I have followed the incredible journeys that Willabee has taken us all on. There are several great writers on this web site, but Willabee sure has a genuine gift with words. He can take you places that you have never been and with his words suddenly you are there experiencing the whole event in a front row seat. One that sticks out in my mind, due to my love of Wings with stackers, is from April of 2007.

He wrote: "I remember driving back to Wisconsin after Parker 9 Hour races in that time period, usually a four day trip. During at least the first three days, I'd be driving along and all of a sudden the sound of a twin stacker would pop into my head. I could actually listen to it and say to myself, "Kitson".....then another would pop up, a little different from the last and I would say "Massy". After listening to them for nine hours, you could close your eyes and hear the subtle differences in pitch because of how each guy drove his Wing. You could also tell that it was a twin tunnel, not a Wing coming down the backstretch without looking up.

I tell you, that sight, on a bright but crisp early Sunday morning.....fifteen or so beautiful stacked Wings making that popp/POP/poppp/pop sound as they idled from their trailer to their starting positions....fighting for ear time with the equally beautiful inboard machinery that was just roaring through their open headers warming up on the trailer....it was just exciting! It almost took your breath away as you said to no one in particular "Man, this is going to be something!" You just didn't know where to look because so much neat stuff was being put into motion at the same time.....the air was filling with the best smelling smoke that ever existed. I'll tell you that if there were any beautiful women streaking through the pits at that time, nobody saw them.....all that great stuff milling about on the water had everyones complete attention .....and all of it would be streaking soon enough ."

I think that if Willabee were to go back and compile all the accounts he has left for all of us on this web site over the last few years, he would have a best seller.

[Dave S]

Be more spesifick on the beautiful women:D And why ya looked the other way? **** I woulda ran from the beach when 10 stackers fired up....:o

[Mark75H]

There are other contributors as well; Ron Hill contributed hundreds of posts about first hand racing ... Val Collins' words give insight to many aspects the rest of us would have no idea about and clearly bring back memories to those who were there:


--- Oh I remember that Parker first lap anticipation well!

And the silence just before the count down -- 5.....4.....3......2....

Then 100 boats would fire up all at once and tear down the river...the boats that didn't fire right off would have to plow through those horrible Pacific sized wakes.......

But within a minute or two.......Silence again, as all the boats were now a mile or two down river.

As the little white roostertails got smaller and eventually were out of our site --- things got so quiet. We'd wait.

And wait.......

Suddenly the announcer would say "I THINK I SEE THE LEADER COMING!!"

Everyone would rush to the bank to see who it was....We'd see a tiny white speck coming toward us.....

Closer .....closer he'd come.... the announcer would then say "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN -- THE FIRST BOAT TO MAKE A LAP AND OUR CURRENT LEADER IS...."

And everyone would cheer and scream and for the next 3 minutes the roar of all those boats rounding the judges stand turn would deafen the announcers calls.... but a few minutes later -- Silence again.


GOD how I miss the Parker Enduro. :(

There is so much good material here on Screamandfly it would be almost impossible to edit it all together into a book that a publisher would accept.

... welcome to the new media :)

[Bob V]

There are other contributors as well; Ron Hill contributed hundreds of posts about first hand racing ... Val Collins' words give insight to many aspects the rest of us would have no idea about and clearly bring back memories to those who were there



I totally agree...As I mentioned, there are a lot of great writers on this site, including yourself. I think that anybody's personal preference is driven by their individual favorite era of racing. Mine happed to be in the late 1960's and early 1970's. My fascination was with the BP's, Stackers, Twisters and Twister 1's. Willabee has incredible insight into those engines from being involved with the creation and evolution at Mercury.

He is currently sharing another one of his master pieces from the 1974 Parker 7 hour. For those of you that have not read it, go to the last page of "Hot Singles." Go to post #400 and continue from there...It is a great account..