Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

Tom Percival had his Jaguar, and albeit British proud, to use that vehicle to tow his race boat. But his friend, co-pilot and fellow Brit, Bob Spalding had acquired a Ford Mustang Mach I. And if my memory is correct Bob’s Mach I was red.

Carlo Rassini had a Citroen DS. My fellow Americans might not be familiar with this model, but aside from the unusual exterior design, it was one of the most comfortable cars that I ever rode in (especially in the 1970’s). Turn the engine on, and the Citroen would rise up on its hydro-pneumatic suspension, and then you felt like riding on a calm lake.

But 1973 arrived and the banker, Mr. Rassini got himself a Citroen Maserati. Mr. Rassini’s chauffeur Gigi never did give me a ride in this Citroen, but this CM car is the car that, I admired most. It had engine power and interior comforts, and the headlights tracked in tandem with steering the front wheels. I do not remember if that Citroen Maserati ever did get a trailer hitch attached to it.

Carl Kiekhaefer (Mr. K) gave me and my brother a ride in his two door convertible Mercedes, and that was a nice ride. I have driven Corvettes, Telsa and Mustangs, but the Citroen Maserati still fascinates me the most.

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Originally Posted by Lake X Kid

Tom Percival had his Jaguar, and albeit British proud, to use that vehicle to tow his race boat. But his friend, co-pilot and fellow Brit, Bob Spalding had acquired a Ford Mustang Mach I. And if my memory is correct Bob’s Mach I was red.

Carlo Rassini had a Citroen DS. My fellow Americans might not be familiar with this model, but aside from the unusual exterior design, it was one of the most comfortable cars that I ever rode in (especially in the 1970’s). Turn the engine on, and the Citroen would rise up on its hydro-pneumatic suspension, and then you felt like riding on a calm lake.

But 1973 arrived and the banker, Mr. Rassini got himself a Citroen Maserati. Mr. Rassini’s chauffeur Gigi never did give me a ride in this Citroen, but this CM car is the car that, I admired most. It had engine power and interior comforts, and the headlights tracked in tandem with steering the front wheels. I do not remember if that Citroen Maserati ever did get a trailer hitch attached to it.

Carl Kiekhaefer (Mr. K) gave me and my brother a ride in his two door convertible Mercedes, and that was a nice ride. I have driven Corvettes, Telsa and Mustangs, but the Citroen Maserati still fascinates me the most.

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Hells teeth Mr, Ridgell damned if you didn’t open up a long forgotten memory door there—— surprised to find I actually remember every single one of those cars except those of MR. K.
You forgot the RS90 NSU rotary that ROY picked up from the factory in Germany for Carl !
Renato was a Lancia man long before he could afford Porky —— it was an ex rally car with a Martini stripe if memory serves me correct ! Even as a teenager he could drive quite well, but he did like go faster noisy pipes!
Mario —— Carlo’s eldest boy came to stay with us for a month ——- but not before Gigi had vetted the house—— neighbourhood—- and family. He was an Italian banker and worried about kidnapping.
( I only found this out years later).
He acquired the Citroen Maserati after the DS19 and kept it for many years.
His brother Henri who did the co driving with him was a much quieter man and very conservative in his cars.
Gigi was everything to Carlo— Bodyguard— chauffeur—- confidant— friend —-protector of his children?
also very good friend LEIVIO —— hard man if you ever met him head on!
I don’t think the Maserati ever had a hitch on it——- if it did , then I’ve forgotten!
I used a Maroon Jaguar XJ6 straight six to tow my boats for a couple of years—— great tow car—- fast — comfortable —- but thirsty.
Bob bought the red Mustang when he was over in the USA as part of the Mercury Race Team, brought it back to England.
Tom used the Jaguar XJ12 for number of years to pull his boats!
As I said—- the little grey cells are still working !

Tom Wyrabeck ( Becky) was the first permanent member of Mercury to be sent to Torriggia—— long before Roy and his family moved down there.
He went to the Lotus factory and bought a brand fire new Lotus .

Sorry about that—- damned thread did a whoopsie on me and posted itself !

As I was trying to tell you Becky bought a Lotus Europa—— neat little two seater with a chopped back—- knock on wheels —— predominant colour in those days was Black—— Andretti was running The John Player F1 car and Colin Chapman was painting most of his production cars black.
Think Beckie’s was red and white.
Roz Knott bought one, but much later!
Denny Burton ran a XJS for years——
Johnny Hulme used an E Type Jaguar to haul his car.
Bill SHAKESPEARE used a white Aston Martin that Lol Hopkins tucked him up with.
Don Ross and Bob May used Ford Transit Camper vans!
I used a Mini Van to haul a wife— five kids and a 17’ Torriggia —- and still managed to get nicked for speeding.

Don’t look like we stirred up a heap of memories does it ROY—— I do remember Garbrecht racing round the fairground in Casale Monferrato in a rental Mercedes—- your dad in the NSU ——/Willabee in a “normal” rental, lots of carnage—— guess the insurance covered it all!

Ah well ROY—— best laid plans of mice and men—— nobody much interested in tow cars and drivers—- looks like we’re flogging a dead horse here!

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Originally Posted by jackiewilson

Sorry about that—- damned thread did a whoopsie on me and posted itself !As I was trying to tell you Becky bought a Lotus Europa—— neat little two seater with a chopped back—- knock on wheels —— predominant colour in those days was Black—— Andretti was running The John Player F1 car and Colin Chapman was painting most of his production cars black.Think Beckie’s was red and white.Roz Knott bought one, but much later!Denny Burton ran a XJS for years——Johnny Hulme used an E Type Jaguar to haul his car.Bill SHAKESPEARE used a white Aston Martin that Lol Hopkins tucked him up with.Don Ross and Bob May used Ford Transit Camper vans!I used a Mini Van to haul a wife— five kids and a 17’ Torriggia —- and still managed to get nicked for speeding.

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I can remember Bob Spalding having a blue Mustang Mach one he named his black Milesmaster boat after it in 1970.At that time he had the Shakespeare skiboat dealership and he used send his sidekick friend Rex to collect the boats from Bills boatyard at Tewksbury and tow them back with the Mustang.Bill told me he always had to give Rex the money for petrol so he could make it back home.

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Originally Posted by STEVERINO

I can remember Bob Spalding having a blue Mustang Mach one he named his black Milesmaster boat after it in 1970.At that time he had the Shakespeare skiboat dealership and he used send his sidekick friend Rex to collect the boats from Bills boatyard at Tewksbury and tow them back with the Mustang.Bill told me he always had to give Rex the money for petrol so he could make it back home.

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Most of us raced on a shoestring budget in the early days.
Bob worked as a croupier in the casino at the US Air Force base !
Most of the boat racers were car dealers—- shop owners— tradesmen—- dentists , doctors and lawyers
Eddie Chater had an Aston Martin Drophead Vantage —(Dentist) —- Mike Bellamy. Daimler Dart—- Tannery owner and tyre dealer—- later a marine dealer!
Johnny Hulme.Heat Sealing machine Engineer, entrepreneur, ——Commer camper and E Type Jaguar.
Bob May—— Store owner and Carpet wholesaler —-Volvo P1800 and Ford Transit camper van.+ Red Label Bentley !
Im going to stop there and see if we get any response—— there were only five racing clubs in Great Britain . I knew most of the guys, and gals that raced—-and the boats— and their tow cars.
Fairford—- Chasewater—-Lancashire were the main clubs, see if any of the members can recall anything?

Jesus wept—- talk about flogging a dead horse ?
Maybe I should go naked ( must warn you, not a pretty sight) like Phil Read did—— with a naked bird riding pillion.
Remember the old adage, “ if you want to rack up the numbers, show naked female”—— I suppose if there’s a water craft somewhere in the picture, it would count ???

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Originally Posted by jackiewilson

Jesus wept—- talk about flogging a dead horse ?
Maybe I should go naked ( must warn you, not a pretty sight) like Phil Read did—— with a naked bird riding pillion.
Remember the old adage, “ if you want to rack up the numbers, show naked female”—— I suppose if there’s a water craft somewhere in the picture, it would count ???

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Jackie, I don’t suppose many of the folk over the other side know who you are talking about, hence the poor response and the UK branch of the posters is a bit thin. Alf Bullen had the first Rolex I ever saw, he saw me gawping at it.. took it off and let me try it on at the same time telling me helpfully “you won’t be running away now will you”. Did he not use a furniture type van to carry his boat/kit around in for a while?

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Originally Posted by jackiewilson

Jesus wept—- talk about flogging a dead horse ?
Maybe I should go naked ( must warn you, not a pretty sight) like Phil Read did—— with a naked bird riding pillion.
Remember the old adage, “ if you want to rack up the numbers, show naked female”—— I suppose if there’s a water craft somewhere in the picture, it would count ???

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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c.../Shelby-27.jpg

...above pic was taken at our own Key Biscayne Florida "Stiltsville" location... Anytime I can help Jackie.;)

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Originally Posted by jackiewilson

Most of us raced on a shoestring budget in the early days.
Bob worked as a croupier in the casino at the US Air Force base !
Most of the boat racers were car dealers—- shop owners— tradesmen—- dentists , doctors and lawyers
Eddie Chater had an Aston Martin Drophead Vantage —(Dentist) —- Mike Bellamy. Daimler Dart—- Tannery owner and tyre dealer—- later a marine dealer!
Johnny Hulme.Heat Sealing machine Engineer, entrepreneur, ——Commer camper and E Type Jaguar.
Bob May—— Store owner and Carpet wholesaler —-Volvo P1800 and Ford Transit camper van.+ Red Label Bentley !
Im going to stop there and see if we get any response—— there were only five racing clubs in Great Britain . I knew most of the guys, and gals that raced—-and the boats— and their tow cars.
Fairford—- Chasewater—-Lancashire were the main clubs, see if any of the members can recall anything?

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...Just plain a hard working bunch, with the world as your oyster. You yourself included Jackie. You had a marine repair shop & outboard dealer of some sorts, and were a farmer both, or? Supporting a wife & many children to boot. Much harder to accomplish today, I will say.

Well, today it doesn't much happen without sponsor dollars. Pretty tough for the independents to make a dent anymore.

Spent many days of my youth in and around Stiltsville Fuji.

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Originally Posted by FUJIMO

...Just plain a hard working bunch, with the world as your oyster. You yourself included Jackie. You had a marine repair shop & outboard dealer of some sorts, and were a farmer both, or? Supporting a wife & many children to boot. Much harder to accomplish today, I will say.

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It's comforting to hear that the UK racing effort was nearly identical to the USA. Most of my racing $$$ was out of my own pocket and what I couldn't afford to buy, I made / fabricated instead. There are some prominent / popular names in racing on my side who quit racing when their sponsorship $$$ (not theirs) dried up. Sounded like a free ride to me? I never got credit for what I managed to accomplish with my own $$$ and not having some accountant figuring out a tax write-off out of it. My sponsorships (if you call it that?) never even covered 40% of my costs for a weekend of racing. Race event prize $$$ was a joke.:(

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Originally Posted by ron54

Jackie, I don’t suppose many of the folk over the other side know who you are talking about, hence the poor response and the UK branch of the posters is a bit thin. Alf Bullen had the first Rolex I ever saw, he saw me gawping at it.. took it off and let me try it on at the same time telling me helpfully “you won’t be running away now will you”. Did he not use a furniture type van to carry his boat/kit around in for a while?

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Alfie used an ex BBC camera van as a tow truck for years—— Mark bought it from him and used it for years.!
The FONDA series was the first truly international boat racing series—— every continent was represented. We raced in 22 countries around the world.
Thats when American racers became known around world—- not just on home ground!
Wasnt until the offshore drivers started racing worldwide that American pilots got worldwide recognition—— Cowes Torquay played a huge part in this!

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Originally Posted by WaterZebra

It's comforting to hear that the UK racing effort was nearly identical to the USA. Most of my racing $$$ was out of my own pocket and what I couldn't afford to buy, I made / fabricated instead. There are some prominent / popular names in racing on my side who quit racing when their sponsorship $$$ (not theirs) dried up. Sounded like a free ride to me? I never got credit for what I managed to accomplish with my own $$$ and not having some accountant figuring out a tax write-off out of it. My sponsorships (if you call it that?) never even covered 40% of my costs for a weekend of racing. Race event prize $$$ was a joke.:(

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Aint that the truth Mon Ami—- I never ever had a sponsor of any description—— Champion were very good to me —- all the plugs I needed plus a little prize money.
There was a season when BP supplied all the fuel, but that was it, until I met Bedford Davy in the twilight of my career!
He supplied a new boat—— then paid for the COSWORTH to be shipped to Parker.
He later financed Garbrechts world record attempt with the OMC V8.

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Originally Posted by AZMIDLYF

Well, today it doesn't much happen without sponsor dollars. Pretty tough for the independents to make a dent anymore.

Spent many days of my youth in and around Stiltsville Fuji.

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Was it ever so Crisis—— it was always not what you know but who you know.

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Originally Posted by FUJIMO

...above pic was taken at our own Key Biscayne Florida "Stiltsville" location... Anytime I can help Jackie.;)

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Funny how the female form takes precedence over any thing else—- no matter how intense the subject may be !
My sainted mother always called it “ DRUM MUSIC” !
BUM -TITEE -BUM -TITEE -BUM -TITTEE -BUM

Hi Jackie
Miles Jennings says hi from Singapore

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Originally Posted by powerabout

Hi Jackie
Miles Jennings says hi from Singapore

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Refresh my memory Pilgrim—- you have to remember I’m 87 and rising—- cantankerous andforgetful,
Miles Kennings kinda rings a bell—— offshore?
But as was said in “ WILD THING” —— I WANNA KNOW FOR SURE—— pictures and places could help.

Hi Miles—- anyway!

Any idea who this guy is powerabout? :rolleyes:

Attachment 454139

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Originally Posted by AZMIDLYF

Any idea who this guy is powerabout? :rolleyes:

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Pilgrims probably asleep——they keep weird hours in Singapore.
Looks like junior or “Early Learners “ class to me, but it’s after my time!

Had a bit of a whoopsie last Friday in the shop—— belt sander grabbed my three cashmeres sweater sleeve——- jammed the belt ——- burned out the motor just before I managed to hit the kill switch.
Took me a good five minutes to release my arm.
No damage except to pride ——— did scare the crap out of me though—- punishment for putting a big motor on a little machine ( Was it ever the same)
Spent the weekend building me a new belt sander—- fired it up this evening—— the one machine I just can’t live with out!

Sir Jackie, never wear anything loose around power tools bubba. Recipe for misfortune for sure. Be careful sir.

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Originally Posted by AZMIDLYF

Any idea who this guy is powerabout? :rolleyes:

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his wife has nice legs...

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Originally Posted by jackiewilson

Refresh my memory Pilgrim—- you have to remember I’m 87 and rising—- cantankerous andforgetful,
Miles Kennings kinda rings a bell—— offshore?
But as was said in “ WILD THING” —— I WANNA KNOW FOR SURE—— pictures and places could help.

Hi Miles—- anyway!

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Miles races with Steve Curtis in Geico
https://www.stevecurtismbe.com/2019/...nings-team-up/

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Originally Posted by powerabout

Miles races with Steve Curtis in Geico
https://www.stevecurtismbe.com/2019/...nings-team-up/

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Duh—-?.?. Told you I was forgetful—Pilgrim — only a couple of weeks ago I was with him.
He runs with Stevie when James is not around—- I know all this, I know the man —- Miles, I am so sorry and owe you a big apology.
The fact he as in Singapore threw me —— I was looking twenty five years ago—- not present.
Cant remember his wife—- but if she has “Nice Legs” I would have remembered—— Teeth—- boobs and legs—- who could ever forget?

Legs, boobs, cashmere jumpers. This is the place to be......

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Originally Posted by jackiewilson

Duh—-?.?. Told you I was forgetful—Pilgrim — only a couple of weeks ago I was with him.
He runs with Stevie when James is not around—- I know all this, I know the man —- Miles, I am so sorry and owe you a big apology.
The fact he as in Singapore threw me —— I was looking twenty five years ago—- not present.
Cant remember his wife—- but if she has “Nice Legs” I would have remembered—— Teeth—- boobs and legs—- who could ever forget?

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we confused you...thats me in the yellow boat and my wife has nice legs but you havnt seen them yet

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Originally Posted by AZMIDLYF

Sir Jackie, never wear anything loose around power tools bubba. Recipe for misfortune for sure. Be careful sir.

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Is that spelt with a capital c ? Crisis —— never have been—— anything other than Jack or Jackie especially to my friends!
Im normally super careful in the shop—— safety glasses and all that, was just a momentary lapse in concentration—— happy to say I got away with it.

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Originally Posted by powerabout

we confused you...thats me in the yellow boat and my wife has nice legs but you havnt seen them yet

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​And you know that for certain Pilgrim ?????

Doing another roller for my three great grandchildren in the USA—- was hoping to get it done in time for Christmas—- but it’s not going to happen—- took me all day to make a pair of brass and alloy acetylene lamps—— came to assemble them, only to find I’d got the angles all wrong, had to scrap them!
Looks like we’re on the move house- wise—- moves always piss me off—- lose all concentration—- “somedays you eat bear”

See that CRAIGS got his 16’ MARAUDER fish boat out of the mold—— all Carbon lightweight fish hunter.
Guess it just might have the new 70 hp Mercury ( what else) on its bum!
Serious buyers should get your order in now—— guarantee there’ll be a twelve month wait for it after the first show!Attachment 454315

All I’m all I’m allowed to show you is the mold!
There are more pictures on Facebook if you’re interestedly

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Originally Posted by jackiewilson

​And you know that for certain Pilgrim ?????

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ah well....no actually, as you had been to Singapore several times when she was single and I wasnt there....

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Originally Posted by powerabout

ah well....no actually, as you had been to Singapore several times when she was single and I wasnt there....

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You’re learning Pilgrim——- Never make a statement, unless it’s absolutely tons cold fact — and can be proved!
But to put your mind at rest—- I was always on my best behaviour in Singapore—- had to be seen to be setting a good example to the racing community ( who were hooligans ) .

Ah well, the goose is getting fat—— it’s that time of year when folk either get mad fits of depression or bouts of euphoria—— with booze and goodwill aplenty—— bugger it, there goes the credit card max——- and for what ? It won’t hold off January—— reality and the vow never again!!!
Just like the Alky or the Junkie—— christmas is obsessive——- unless you’re a Silas Marner like me?

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Originally Posted by jackiewilson

Ah well, the goose is getting fat—— it’s that time of year when folk either get mad fits of depression or bouts of euphoria—— with booze and goodwill aplenty—— bugger it, there goes the credit card max——- and for what ? It won’t hold off January—— reality and the vow never again!!!
Just like the Alky or the Junkie—— christmas is obsessive——- unless you’re a Silas Marner like me?

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and there is an election and brexit.....

Now that’s weird pilgrim——- went to the village school to register my vote—— was amazed how many people were voting in the rain.
This means it’s going to be a big turnout—— it also means the rank and file are fed up to the teeth with the fiasco that parliament has made of the Brexit vote..
I reckon Boris the bumble will even get a working majority
Corbyn lives in cuckoo land and thinks he can bleed us dry to pay for his fairyland ideas.
Farage threw in the towel.
Tories should wind up with a majority of 28+ ——— but what do I know?

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