Hot Singles ! - Pictures

[jackiewilson]

I’m on it!

[Bob V]

This is another fascinating account from Willabee posted about four years ago, It is well worth the time to read it again. Thank you, Bill...


Originally Posted by willabee
The rotary won, seems to be a subject that comes up frequently, so let's talk about the RT winning for a few minutes. I think it makes sense to begin with some dialogue about the agreement made between OMC & Merc in 1971. Allegedly, in an effort to reduce racing costs, the boys decided to compete with each other beginning the 1972 season using only single engine rigs and motors with a max. of 99.9 cu. in. That's how 1972 started out. Miami got blown out, so the first time they met with their new stuff was at Morgan City. The Merc Team had reliable C6 power on all their boats and after that event, OMC quit racing for a few months. Jack Leek was quoted in Powerboat saying they had nothing for the new Merc and have gone back to the drawing board. He was correct, they didn't have nearly enough. When they returned to competition, they had improved, but the only way they were going to win a race is if Merc screwed up. Havasu 72 is a good example of that. Merc boats were much faster, but the big guns (Seebold, Molinari, Hering, etc,) all managed to blow over or roll in the first couple of hours. The team was reduced to having Bert Serra, in a three year old Schultz, chase Johnny Sanders in a new Scotti for the win ..... no offense, but that's a very tall order. I say all of this because I believe that situation of OMC lacking competitive power contributed to what happened next.

Fast forward to February, 1973, OMC holds a press conference in Maimi to introduce their new RT - rotary combustion outboards! They announce that they are about 120 cu.in. Merc claims they are even larger than 120 (I think they were shocked) and immediately set out to ban the big motors from competition. I think Merc was right, this was a clear breech of the agreement and it sure didn't level the playing field. Some events decide to let the RT run as "special events", some say no. Merc says they will not run against it because of the displacement. I don't know how big they were, I just know everyone agrees they exceeded 100 inches.

As for the race results for the RT, I will offer the following. I don't pretend to claim it is 100% accurate. I'm sure I don't have the timing just right and may have some of the event details mixed. I didn't attend a lot of the events the RT ran at so I'm relying on memory and some stuff I found in Powerboat.

However, their first race was for sure at Parker in 1973. That was without a doubt the most impressive 1st lap performance ever witnessed at that race. The two RT's were so far ahead of the other 100 entries coming to the pit turn on lap one that I suggested that someone check to see if they had started at the other end of the course! Using 20/20 hindsight, that was probably a mistake on OMC's part. Now Merc saw how damn fast those things were and that just made them more determined to get them banned, claiming displacement advantage as the reason. However, we are talking about wins and they sure didn't get one at Parker. One machine only lasted one lap and the other retired after three.

Galveston was next. Merc had always supported that race, but decided not to go when they learned the RT's were allowed. I believe they took the first three places and would have been four for four if Rich McKinnley hadn't blown over. A win, they only ran against their four cylinder 99 " brothers, but they won .... 1 of 2

Pretty sure Provo was next. I guess we went because Garbrect thought he had Mary West convinced to disqualify the RT from entering. That didn't happen and they showed with four entries. Rotary John and I have batted this ball around so many times it's down to it's cords. I can't leave this paragraph without reminding you that the star of that show was the Mighty KT, but the simple fact is one of the RT's finished and it finished first .... 2 of 3 for the RT.

Carol Springs may have been next. It was called an exhibition by OMC, there was absolutely nobody there and a RT got the win - if that's really a win? .... 3 of 4 ?

Guessing Windermere was next. A real race this time, Merc was there with a V6 and the RT held on - definite win .... 4 of 5?

South Africa, another exhibition. The RT raced against two year old inlines and some four cylinder stuff..... a win? .... 5 of 6?

The next year there was something in Glendoe, Wyoming. I think it was supposed to be another of those exhibitions, but Merc found out about it and surprised the troops by sending a pair of Molinari's sporting the improved V6 - Merc finishes one & two - 5 of 7?

Then St.Louis, think it was the OZ World Championship. That race is a story within a story, probably the most exciting and frightening race I have ever witnessed! But, back to race results - Merc comes home first again .... 5 of 8?

Off to Paris where the Merc V6 beats the RT again - something to do with carb nuts, but Merc still wins .....5 of 9?

Then RJ mentioned they concluded their racing days at an event at Peewaukee Lake in Wisconsin. Hell, my brother lives on that lake and doesn't remember watching. Must have been another exhibition, no Merc's attended .....6 of 10?

I think those are the races and results. As I said, I'm open to correction, sure don't claim to be an expert on this (or anything else for that matter). If I have this right, a claim of 6 out of 10 can be made. However, the RT seems to have raced against the Merc V6 four times and it appears that it got beat in three of those events.

Want to repeat, I'm not trying to take anything away from those machines. They were really cool, innovative, very fast and scared the you know out of Merc for a short period of time.

[Rotary John]

I believe there were only 3 occasions where rotaries ran against V-6 Merc; Windermere, St, Louis; which Barry Woods actually won except for the Homer's (Mercury dealer) ruling, and Paris where the rotaries were 5 laps ahead of your V-6 when the engine succumb to sabotage; but indeed Merc won. The rotaries never ran in Wyoming. I also recall Seebold being at Pewaukee ( spring of '75) along with his son, who barrel rolled and Billy jumped into the water to help him. OMC's V-6 won.

[FUJIMO]

[FUJIMO]

[FUJIMO]

Don Pruett - Clearwater Florida Race -

[FUJIMO]

[FUJIMO]

[jackiewilson]

Yeah——- Pruett will do it every time———- all on his own, there’s enough history wth him to reach the million mark!
Bloody Hooray, I could get you there with just you and me telling the truth———— we wouldn’t even have to exaggerate.
Trouble is, he has family left so we couldn’t tell the truth——- the whole truth——- and nothing but?

[Bob V]

not the clearwater race. this is the race around parker's house. forgot the name. seems like it was called around some island? maybe terra virda (sp). the judges stand was at spbyc.

I think it is the Isla del Sol race in the intercoastal waterway of St. Pete Beach near the Don CeSar Hotel.

[GENE LANHAM]

1967- it was part of the ‘Hurricane Classic’—-

[dancinbear]

1967- it was part of the ‘Hurricane Classic’—-

They had 2 races one was on Saturday which ran in back of Stowaway Cove Marina This is where Pruett and Joe Felder worked toward the end of their careers called the little hurricane classic The second race was on Sunday and was called the around the island race. Pruett looks like he is fueling at Dave Stollers Hi Dry marina, Dave drove a GN boat .Both races were run for several years last one I ran was around 1976. The around the island was a marathon at one time 3 hrs. Both were on St Pete Beach . Jim was right it was close to the Tierra Verde causeway.

[jackiewilson]

Hey William——— you were at Mercury in the early days———-you ever come across “FUJIMO” ?
Just asking——— Beginning to wonder if he’s “KOSHER” or a modern day hacker——- a lot of Mercs
“Secret Sh-t” is coming on line?

[Bob V]

They had 2 races one was on Saturday which ran in back of Stowaway Cove Marina This is where Pruett and Joe Felder worked toward the end of their careers called the little hurricane classic The second race was on Sunday and was called the around the island race. Pruett looks like he is fueling at Dave Stollers Hi Dry marina, Dave drove a GN boat .Both races were run for several years last one I ran was around 1976. The around the island was a marathon at one time 3 hrs. Both were on St Pete Beach . Jim was right it was close to the Tierra Verde causeway.

I remember Dave Stoller's Pass A Grille High and Dry Marina and his "Sorry 'bout That" GN race boats. At one time his wife, Nancy drove one. I think hers was "Sorry 'bout That II." Another race that ran out of Stowaway Cove Marina was the Olsen Classic put on by Kenny Olsen.

I think that it was about 1976 when they moved the Hennessy Hurricane Classic to the Pier in St. Pete. They ran the Offshore boats out into Tampa Bay and then under the Skyway Bridge into the Gulf and back. The limited classes (inboard and outboard) ran, at the same time, on the north side of the Pier. That was the race that Randy Rabe debuted the Offshore Turbine powered Spirit of '76. It also brought Betty Cook and Kudu.

[dancinbear]

I remember Dave Stoller's Pass A Grille High and Dry Marina and his "Sorry 'bout That" GN race boats. At one time his wife, Nancy drove one. I think hers was "Sorry 'bout That II." Another race that ran out of Stowaway Cove Marina was the Olsen Classic put on by Kenny Olsen.

I think that it was about 1976 when they moved the Hennessy Hurricane Classic to the Pier in St. Pete. They ran the Offshore boats out into Tampa Bay and then under the Skyway Bridge into the Gulf and back. The limited classes (inboard and outboard) ran, at the same time, on the north side of the Pier. That was the race that Randy Rabe debuted the Offshore Turbine powered Spirit of '76. It also brought Betty Cook and Kudu.

Nancy Stoller and Kathy Olsen did drive a Donzi Vee drive together the boat was a handful spun out frequently.Ken took over the little hurricane classic and the around the island race. A fireman name Hal Elgin was the former promoter. I remember going to the Hennessy in 1975.There was an outboard about 28' with 4 BP engines on it. There was a guy named Jim Hunt riding with them that day.Before it became the Hennessy it really was an offshore event. It went from Pass a grill to Naples and back.
That opc and inboard race at the pier was really rough quite a few boats had hull breaks and sunk. They actually called the offshore race one year since it was too rough but the ran the rest of us in the bay.Get Freddie to tell you what happen when the course buoy float away it almost became a demolition derby. Bob we met at Freddie's shop.
I met Pruett and Felder at Stowaway Cove in 76. I remeber he had this weird little Monkey that would crawl accross the floor but I never saw it upright. Those two were funny as hell.