Big Orange Racing

[raymar]

I remember seeing Joe race in many different places but the race I remember most is one at Lake Barkley in Ky. where he raced a 15 foot Allison with a V4 Johnson against some tunnel boats. (I don't remember the class, probably U1) Joe would swing wide outside the tunnel boats in the turns and still lap them during the race.
I always looked forward to seeing Joe drive the V-bottoms. He is greatly missed.

[Backfire]

The Hot Springs Boat Racing Club saw a lot of Joe Burgess back in the '60's. and early 70's. Always a smile, always on the clock, winner most of the time. I'll try and find some pictures.
Backfire

[gemini]

No OPC race was complete without Joe. If all racers had his attitude and smile there would still be a great OPC division today. He could compete with a tree log painted orange and a paddle in any class.

[smokin'joe]

Most of the Big Orange boats were driven by Joe Burgess. He dominated V bottom racing for several years in almost every class at one time or another. Many races he ran 3 to 4 different classes. He died in St. Louis testing a tunnel boat. Started racing in high school. His mother and sister were his pit crew. Every time I looked at one of those boats, I could see the blonde hair and big smile.
Nancy scanned all of the pictures and could provide for the website. A lot of boat racing history on those boards.

This is a very old post, but I'll add my 2 cents anyway. Joe was the driver, Chuck Rutherford owned the boats, and,so far as I know he still owns the boats. Joe would generally drive if someone asked him. Late in the fateful day, he finally drove the tunnel that killed him. That was at least 5 yrs. before cells were required. Joe was a very good and fair driver, but he did not dominate V-bottom racing 1977-85. I don't know the history in NOA prior to 1975 but he did not dominate in APBA before that date. The photo (Eufaula, 1981) shows Joe on the inside and my EP rig on the outside in GP Class. I added weigh, stepped up to run and got around him before 3 laps, but we'd both jumped the gun. Danny Critchfield, who'd also stepped up from EP, won after running way behind us. Back at the scales, Jay Cox yelled to Danny, "It's better to be lucky than good!".