A picture for Mr Wilson:

[LightNBug]

Maybe Jackie will have a good story to go with this. I for one sure hope so.

[jackie wilson]

Maybe Jackie will have a good story to go with this. I for one sure hope so.

Hiya L-N-B, You ain't never gonna believe this, but there is a tale of true dedication ,plain cussedness, and a boat racers will to win that will stir the hearts of folk who ain't even got one, and if stoneheart Willa's in on this, even he could be moved.
Mark [my son] and me decided to do the Augusta race. It was one of the scheduled F.O.N.D.A. races and being President of the assoc. and all that, i got to travel for free.
Mercury being Mercury, spares were hard to come by and the only way the boy could make it was to rebuild the motor once we got to Augusta. Well, the kid got the spares from the Merc truck, but they weren't about to let him build the motor in their nice air-conditioned showpiece so he borrowed a tent and erected it in the pits, much to the amusement of some of the crews who had Winnebago's and camper vans with built in Barby's and surround sound and flushing toilets with proper toilet rolls instead of cut up Daily Tribune hung on the bathroom door. You all know the sort of thing i mean.
Well the sun came up and up and up and before long the temperature reached 95 degrees and the body juices started to flow. Didn't seem to worry Mark, he was reaming the bores and measuring what he'd done , then he polished the crank and weighed the rods and lost hisself in a world of his own. People would come by and drop off a bottle of soda and as the evening came they asked if he was going to stop and eat, he said "not till the motors done". The wind was blowing and dust was everywhere, it was hot and humid and getting dark when a bunch of guys said , there's no way you can see in this light. They rigged him a set of floods and he continued throughout the night, and when morning came this kid was still fenangling with his motor, people asked if he would be ready for qualifying-------he just said "I'LL be there" 'Twas Saturday morning and this kid had rebuilt his motor to the standard he wanted. He earned more friends that weekend for his sheer tenacity ,in impossible conditions, than he could ever have imagined. Come qualifying he had one or two unexpected problems and didn't get the pole position he expected.

That's just the start of the story, if you want more TELL ME.

[jackie wilson]

Maybe Jackie will have a good story to go with this. I for one sure hope so.

That's me far left, Next is one of the unsung heroes of powerboating, David Parkinson. He stood for all that is good in powerboating, He fought the injustices and corruption of the U.I.M. and was one of the most honest of all political officials. The old sod should have been knighted for his efforts as well as being stuck up there in the hall of fame.
Next is my son Mark, whatever i say will be biased, so all i can say is i am very proud of him and all he has achieved and leave it at that.
Next comes Dick Schnyder, a friend indeed ,who took me under his wing and looked after me well during my time at Mercury.

[specboatops]

Great story.............:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Now thats racing :cheers:


Chris

[LightNBug]

Yes, tell it all Jackie. I was there and knew part of the story, but could never come close to telling anything as well as you do.

I have a very fond memory of Mark myself. I think it was 1994 at Augusta. Another of those wonderful 100 degree days you mentioned. I was there as tech inspector for the SST120 class. I was making the rounds after the race checking motors. Mark was there with the Seebolds. Tim had won 120. As I was nearing his trailer I remember starting to see bubbles floating around. I remember Mark coming toward me asking if I was okay. The next thing I remember was sitting in the trailer with a fan blowing on me and bottle of water in my hand and Mark by my side. Don't know if I ever properly thanked him or not. Maybe he will see this and know that I truely appreciated what he did. Maybe saved an old man's life!

[seeroy]

Mark Wilson appropriately wears the white hat in the family (circa Oct 2009). I think the two Old Farts in the background just wandered in off the streets looking for a free drink :cheers:.

http://i40.tinypic.com/33moj6c.jpg

[jackie wilson]

That must be me in 10 years time. Did get the free drinks though, Kitsons truck had a goodly supply, and Hausers boat was full to bustin Still trying to get one out of Stevo-------maybe next time.
Trying to get my head round the qualifying in Augusta that year. Mark said the motor was good and strong and low on RPM, so it would last the whole race, but it died in the turns and took a while to cough and clear it's throat. tried everything to find the problem but only managed to cure it after qualifying, so he was one happy bunny going into the race.

[jackie wilson]

The story will have to wait for 10 days or so, Jilly decided i have to go to England today and look at some houses, and see exactly where she wants to live, and will i like what she likes -----Blah-Blah-Blah. The upshot of all this is, i am on the plane to the UK at 1400 hrs and the return flight is on the 19th March. For those of you that did not think i would leave the deep blue med and the sunshine of the south of France, all i can say is 'I TOLD YOU SO'. And for those of you who are wondering how Mark went on in the Augusta race against the Mighty Merc team and Chris Bush and the Seebold family, i promise to unfold the narrative around the 19/20th March. J.

[LightNBug]

I know the finishing order, but like Paul Harvey, I want to know "the rest of the story". I'll be looking forward to it. Good luck with the house hunt.

[T2x]

The story will have to wait for 10 days or so, Jilly decided i have to go to England today and look at some houses, and see exactly where she wants to live, and will i like what she likes -----Blah-Blah-Blah. The upshot of all this is, i am on the plane to the UK at 1400 hrs and the return flight is on the 19th March. For those of you that did not think i would leave the deep blue med and the sunshine of the south of France, all i can say is 'I TOLD YOU SO'. And for those of you who are wondering how Mark went on in the Augusta race against the Mighty Merc team and Chris Bush and the Seebold family, i promise to unfold the narrative around the 19/20th March. J.

I thought you were moving to Ohio????

[gofish7070]

Dear Jackie
Your friend Bert and I are ready to take you fishing,,,,,,,, Promise to use Seebold for bait.
Think you would fit perfectly in Ohio,,,,,,,, J

[Stoker1]

subscribed. got to hear the rest of this story.

[Bob V]

I thought you were moving to Ohio????


Does this mean that Jackie and Willabee are going to be neighbors???

[T2x]

Does this mean that Jackie and Willabee are going to be neighbors???

For a short time until Willabee moves to an undisclosed location........:D

[willabee]

For a short time until Willabee moves to an undisclosed location........:D

The south of France sounds like it's about to become very desirable!

[jackie wilson]

I thought you were moving to Ohio????

Things are really tough at the moment but not DESPERATE, whilst i want to get back to my future, i just have this strange feeling it's not in OHIO. !!!!!

[jackie wilson]

Dear Jackie
Your friend Bert and I are ready to take you fishing,,,,,,,, Promise to use Seebold for bait.
Think you would fit perfectly in Ohio,,,,,,,, J

Hiya James, Why are you trying to palm me off to OHIO, i have never intentionally got on your dark side have i???

[jackie wilson]

Does this mean that Jackie and Willabee are going to be neighbors???

No way on Gods earth would either of us allow this !!!!!!! as Johnny Wayne used to say-------------THIS STATE 'AIN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US.

[jackie wilson]

For a short time until Willabee moves to an undisclosed location........:D

There you go, planting ideas into Willa's badly overworked knowledge box.

[jackie wilson]

The south of France sounds like it's about to become very desirable!

Heard tell you might be heading this way, is why the house is on the market. Yes, i have had a couple of comedians make offers---------they should be floating across the atlantic towards you anytime now. Yes i am a reasonable human being, just take exception to house hunting comics. The pad is 2 steps up from a shed and is just over the $1m, if you know anyone who----------

[jackie wilson]

I know the finishing order, but like Paul Harvey, I want to know "the rest of the story". I'll be looking forward to it. Good luck with the house hunt.

Hiya L-N-B, You know a lot more than i do, i know who won but damned if i can remember if it was Billy or Mikey or a.n.other that came in later. Give me the first 4 ---then i can make the tale, and it will look like i knew all along. Found a house O.K. But will not disclose the location 'till i know Willa Has moved to the south of France------just to be on the safe side !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LightNBug]

Wilson, Bush and B. Seebold. I don't have 4th. Seems I remember hearing rumors about some prop testing and exchanging that took place. Maybe just that, a rumor. I'm sure you would have remembered it if it happened.

[Brabender]

Subscribed:thumbsup:

[jackie wilson]

Just in case anybody's wondering where i got to on this item, i apologise, need to check a couple of things out with Mark first, then i'll finish the tale and possibly bore you to death with a couple more soliloquies.

[jackie wilson]

Well , i checked with Mark, and he told me the reason we took the engine in bits to Augusta was----------Mercury pistons were falling apart after 2 hrs running, and he had just won over in Holland . Post race dismantle showed the pistons were shagged out and Mercury did not have any more until next week-------4 days before the Augusta weekend. Packed the lump into a box and 2 suitcases and headed for Georgia. Y'all know about the overnight rebuild and the lack of testing time, so the motor was at the start of it's very short life. At this point i have to tell you about a very special Merc mechanic we had never met before, who had not long been in the employ of Oshberg. Had a beard and worked from about '86/87, neither Mark nor me can remember his name, but he wasn't with them long, but he was the best spanner man Mercury ever employed. He taught Mark more about the ins and outs of a v6 motor than he ever dreamed about. He sorted the qualifying problem and set the motor up just perfect.
Remember this was when Chatfield was tuning the lump for Bushy and Jimmy H. and Alex was coming out with all the trick sh-t for Billy, Mike, and Serrales, so we were running in Exalted company.
The gun goes off and away they went, 4 abreast into the first turn, down the back straight with Billy in front and Bushy chewing his tail with Mikey a tad behind in 3rd. Now unless you have a vested interest in the race those were the only positions that mattered, and nobody took much notice of the 4th place for the first half of the race 'till the 4th moved up into 3rd. Then Bushy took over the lead from Billy then tangled with each other and left the gate wide open for the kid to slide on through with 20 laps still to go. Hells Teeth, did that ever upset the apple cart, i was yelling my heart out, telling him to save the motor and keep to the inside and watch out for this and be careful of that and remember 'The English' don't win in the USA. Then the 2 behind started to fall away 10 laps from home and it turns out that all 3 of the other guys had put a lot of practice time on the motors and the pistons were falling apart, so all they could do was nurse the things home. Mark won fairly easy in the end with Chris 2nd and Billy 3rd. But we will be forever grateful to the Merc man whose name i can't remember. { if Willabee hasn't hibernated again maybe he could remember the guys name }. Mark didn't have time to play with props so he opted for the long one , kept the revs down and the top speed was there when he wanted it. Again he was working for Rolla in Switzerland at that time and knew more about props than any other driver, which gave him an enormous advantage . Will do an epilogue later, dinners ready.

[T2x]

. At this point i have to tell you about a very special Merc mechanic we had never met before, who had not long been in the employ of Oshberg. Had a beard and worked from about '86/87, neither Mark nor me can remember his name, but he wasn't with them long, but he was the best spanner man Mercury ever employed. He taught Mark more about the ins and outs of a v6 motor than he ever dreamed about. He sorted the qualifying problem and set the motor up just perfect.


It sounds like you are describing Jim Schlicting, but he was with Merc a lot longer than a couple of years........

T2x

[jackie wilson]

It sounds like you are describing Jim Schlicting, but he was with Merc a lot longer than a couple of years........

T2x

Had a word with Mark and he is fairly sure it was not Schlicting, he was a real "Redneck" and his first name was not Jim. He went on to "New Marketsville"? with Mark for the next Race. Damn, but i wish i could remember. Need help here William------PLEEEEEEZE !!!!!!!!!!

[seeroy]

Lynwood Lupo?

[willabee]

Lynwood Lupo?

Nah, Lupo spent some time in Oshburg about 10 years earlier as I remember it. But, I'm the guy that said the C6 cranked about 200 HP! :(

I don't know who Jackie is talking about.

[T2x]

Had a word with Mark and he is fairly sure it was not Schlicting, he was a real "Redneck" and his first name was not Jim. He went on to "New Marketsville"? with Mark for the next Race. Damn, but i wish i could remember. Need help here William------PLEEEEEEZE !!!!!!!!!!

Maybe it was just some bystander wearing a Mercury Jacket...... :D

[jackie wilson]

Maybe it was just some bystander wearing a Mercury Jacket...... :D

As i recall the temperature was around 100 +
degrees--------not many jackets of any description were in evidence. !!!!!!!!!
Have to admit it don't sound promising----------redneck mercury wrench man----year '87,-----very good, big guy, very knowledgeable on V6's with a beard. Not many of those for a dollar.

[willabee]

Had a word with Mark and he is fairly sure it was not Schlicting, he was a real "Redneck" and his first name was not Jim. He went on to "New Marketsville"? with Mark for the next Race. Damn, but i wish i could remember. Need help here William------PLEEEEEEZE !!!!!!!!!!

Driving home late, actually very late, last night a name popped into my rum soaked mind. The way I recall it, this guy was an engine builder in Oshburg, had his own business. Built engines for drag racing and such. Didn't want to, but also repaired the family car engine to keep some cash flow moving. Eventually things got too tight and he came to work for Merc full time. I think he continued building performance engines on the side. Had a beard, but not the full face kind, his was one of those around the chin and up to the sideburns styles.....the type you saw in Deliverance. Personality wise, you might say "Redneck". A very nice guy, but sort of quiet and definitely without the flamboyant vocal dissertations we have come to expect from some living on the other side of the pond. One hell of an engine man though and a hard worker.

He is the only person I can think of that fits your description. You said the guy's first name is not Jim, but the man I'm talking about is Jim Buehler.

[jackie wilson]

Driving home late, actually very late, last night a name popped into my rum soaked mind. The way I recall it, this guy was an engine builder in Oshburg, had his own business. Built engines for drag racing and such. Didn't want to, but also repaired the family car engine to keep some cash flow moving. Eventually things got too tight and he came to work for Merc full time. I think he continued building performance engines on the side. Had a beard, but not the full face kind, his was one of those around the chin and up to the sideburns styles.....the type you saw in Deliverance. Personality wise, you might say "Redneck". A very nice guy, but sort of quiet and definitely without the flamboyant vocal dissertations we have come to expect from some living on the other side of the pond. One hell of an engine man though and a hard worker.

He is the only person I can think of that fits your description. You said the guy's first name is not Jim, but the man I'm talking about is Jim Buehler.

Sod my old britches-------where the hell did you pull that one from William????
Had a word with Mark and he says the description is spot on and BUEHLER sounds about right. They went on to race at New Martinsville, but the guy was pulled to help Mercury customer drivers. He was never seen by the european guys again. He must have seen the light and got a PROPER job