1969 Havasu World Outboard Championships

**Backfire** · 01-26-2010, 11:18 PM

The best comparison to the noise at Havasu '69 was like NASCAR now. So loud you can't hear anything and when it was over, your ears rang for a good hour. Also another clue the end was near on Sunday, no wind, the blue oil fog
was so thick you could not see across the lake. One of those events that will never be again. Makes you wonder how long the 24 Hour Rouen will be around. Sure would like to see it before I assume room temperature. With all the film/DVDs that is shot every year, there should be lots of great racing.
Backfire Tracy Coleman

**mark benson** · 02-04-2010, 07:41 PM

So far, the members who have made a $50.00 donation for a Tunnel Boat Racing in the '70's DVD are- # 196 Johnny Sanders, # 35 Barry Woods, # 482 Lee Davies, Ward Cox, Mike Nordskog, Liquidnirvana, & Backfire. The 5 races include-
1 Havasu '72 OMC Promotional video shown at the big Boat Shows in the spring of '73. The footage was loaned to us at GoSeeTV/boatracing for conversion to DVD by Scot Keller from the Washington-Oregon area. His dad, Rick was instrumental in the promotion of Unlimited Outboard racing both at Havasu-Parker, but thru out the United States.
2 Havasu '71 Outboard World Championships. Footage supplied by Jack Strickland who pit crewed for # 880 Walt Crane who ran a fuel injected Merc Stacker
3 Parker 7 Hour Enduro Testing '74 & '75. Film Nick Springate & Mark Benson shot the years we pit crewed for # 226 Dave Potter from Seattle, Wash.
4 Havasu '69 Day 1 Footage shot by Tracy Coleman (Backfire) who was scoring for # 3 John Taylor who drove a red dual Merc BP Wing.
5 In Memory of # 226 Dave Potter. A look at the OPC career of Dave Potter who was APBA US-1 in U class numerous times due to the many races Dave & his dad, Les attended in the Pacific Northwest & the likes of Havasu, Parker, & St Louis. mrbenson55@gmail.com

**mark benson** · 03-26-2010, 01:26 PM

Travis Martin (Nice Collection) from Houston, Texas is sending us at GoSeeTV/boatracing some Tunnel Boat Racing in the '70's from his collection. He is sending us a Mercury film called "Flat Out", An OMC film called "Title Drive '69" & footage of "The Bill Munsey Race of Champions" where they had 12 identically prepared SE Class tunnels with 3 cylinder 75hp OMC's & they drew lots for boats & heats to see who is the best driver in the world! So, hang on to your seat (or rocking chair) & put the beer on ice!

**mark benson** · 04-21-2010, 11:10 PM

This VIDEO of the 1969 Havasu Outboard World Championship Sat. Day 1 (4hrs) of the "Golden Era of Outboard Racing" Single-dual & triple Unlimited Outboards on Tunnel Hulls, Wings, Deep-Vees, 4-Points, etc. over two days of racing is a good example of OPC Racing- taken to the limit! Over 100 entries. A lot at stake for Mercury-OMC in those days. A lot of $$$ on the line.

**mark benson** · 05-12-2010, 01:33 AM

The video for the month of May out of the studios of GoSeeTV will be the Bill Muncey Wide World Marine Invitational ,with all the identically prepared SE Class 75 hp Evinrude's on 15 ft Seebold tunnel hulls competing on a 1 mile boomarang course (mini Havasu with right & left hand turns) in November of 1975 at the legendary Miami Marine Stadium. There was a weight handi-cap system like they use for jockeys in horse racing. Of the 15 selected drivers, Billy Schumacher of Seattle, Washington was the chubbiest driver at 208 lbs, which isn't bad for the day, but I guess because he raced Unlimted Hydroplanes, with all that horsepower, it dosn't matter how much you weight! All the other 14 drivers had to fill up a 2nd 5 gal fuel tank with water ( 5 gal. = 50 lbs) plus sand bags for all the other drivers to compensate with extra weight to make it fair or even. Because of Schumachers' bulk (in those days), his weight became the common denomonator. If there was a flaw in this event, the weight of the heaviest driver slowed down the actual performance of the SE's. If they had gone with the actual drivers with no weight handi-cap , Mercury would have been better off with smaller, but (still super strong) lighter drivers like Seebold? Molinari,Herring,Merten,Fountain,etc. in the 1975 season!

**jackie wilson** · 05-12-2010, 09:12 AM

Mark, i keep telling you, there were no Merc Drivers included in that race. The hierarchy in both camps would not have allowed it to happen. If i said "HI" to Sanders or Jimbo, GG would want to know what the hell we were discussing. That was of course before he himself buggered off and joined OMC.

**Old fiberglass** · 05-12-2010, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by jackie wilson

Mark, i keep telling you, there were no Merc Drivers included in that race. The hierarchy in both camps would not have allowed it to happen. If i said "HI" to Sanders or Jimbo, GG would want to know what the hell we were discussing. That was of course before he himself buggered off and joined OMC.

What happened with GG going to OMC....never heard that one.

**jackie wilson** · 05-12-2010, 05:11 PM

Hells teeth fiber, He plain swopped sides, Just like the drivers . When the big dollars were waved at them they couldn't say no.

**mark benson** · 05-12-2010, 11:51 PM

Let's make a list of drivers that have driven for Mercury & OMC (defected) -
1 Renato Molinari
2 Cees Van der Velden
3 Berghauer Brothers
4 Spencer Dunn (La Canadian)
5 Bob Herring
6 Geoff Briggs

I need your help here to add to this list of drivers who drove for Mercury and OMC in their racing careers.

**jackie wilson** · 05-13-2010, 01:06 AM

It's a long list-----------OMC had a lot of dollars to get rid of.
Peter Ericson
Rick Frost { 750 class}
Roger Jenkins {750 class}
Bill Marshall {750 class}
Tom Percival
Bob Spalding
Kiki Vidoli
These are some of them ,will try and remember the others. It was downright suicide for some of these drivers, to go straight into F1 V8, and one of the reasons the UIM and me disagree --------Super licences should not have been given to half of them, who had never ever driven anything over 100 mph. Money talks and and deals were done that were totally dishonest between UIM and OMC officials. Bill Marshall is still in a wheelchair, need i say more.
Oh yes , and while i am still at it, i bet there is still no provision for a driver who gets injured to receive cash help due to a boating accident.
One of the provisoes in the FONDA manifesto was that 10% of the purse went into a drivers fund for just such a purpose. Yeah, i know -----it's irrelevant !!!!!!!!!

**mark benson** · 05-21-2010, 06:30 PM

This video of the 1969 Havasu Outboard World Championships Day 1, has tons of wings!
# 3 John Taylor
# 4 Jan Schoonover
# 23 Gene Lanham - Dick Williams
# 72 Tom Roath - Jerry Simison
# 98 Lee Richter - Boots Hansen (owned by Red Adair)
# 108 William & HL Flagg (Possibly stolen in Texas)
# 111 Jim Welsh & Warren Thompson
# 119 Kenny Kitson
# 135 Dave Sparks - Jerry Guinn
# 140 Bobby Massey
# 199 Ed Stewart - Don Edmondson
# 333 Bob Nordskog - Carl Asmus (Powerboat Mag.)
# 414 Bob Best - Butch Schmitt
# 688 Alan Stinson - Ernest Threlkeld
#1111 John Fox - Robert Allen

Tracy Coleman (Backfire) shot the footage after he was relieved of score-keeping duties for # 3 John Taylor Cleaners wing early on Day 1. So, if the wing hadn't been knocked out of the race, we might not have this tremendous footage. It shows, it's all fate. Right place at the right time!

**Backfire** · 05-22-2010, 10:51 PM

As far as the '68 Havasu film, no action yet, still on the reel. Try to find out what the owner wants to do with it, like pay for the DVD version, or not.
Pretty good wings runs, Kenny looking good and he did win. More later.
Backfire

**mark benson** · 07-20-2010, 01:40 AM

The 1969 Lake Havasu Outboard World Championships, are pivotal in not only did OMC finally win the OWC, but they showed that the Stanglers and Stingers, could give Mercury's BP's a go! That must have drove Carl K. to the edge. Jack Leek & Charlie Strang played all kinds of tricks, like boring their 90 cubic inch X-115 & GT's to 100 cubic inches, with the same cowling to say "The 115 HP OMC beat the 125 HP Mercury! Stay tuned for the completion of the Video - 1969 Lake Havasu Outboard World Championship Day 2, out of the goseetv/youtube studios.

**Mark75H** · 07-20-2010, 06:01 PM

Probably more of a trick to keep the decals than bore motor ... everything like motor size & specs had to be preapproved.

I don't think many people expected factory race motors to have that much relationship to what they could buy at a dealer.

**GENE LANHAM** · 07-21-2010, 11:26 AM

[QUOTE=mark benson;2009068]The 1969 Lake Havasu Outboard World Championships, are pivotal in not only did OMC finally win the OWC, but they showed that the Stanglers and Stingers, could give Mercury's BP's a go! That must have drove Carl K. to the edge..

Actually, the Brunswick Corporation had already done that. Saturday night, Billy Steele told us that Mr. Kiekhaefer had neen 'retired', the previous day (November 25, 1969) and would be replaced by B. K. Abernathy. No one could believe it!!!-----