Hot Singles ! - Pictures

[David Alaniz]

Hiya Spuddie, see from your file your a classic car broker. Why not start a classic racers brokerage ?
You could start out with Willa, and Ole And T2x, Joe F. and 78H, Ron Hill and a few more of the 'OLDIES' . They could probably open up old peoples homes and carnivals, tiddly - wink contests and frog jumping competitions , Pat their heads and give 'em a biscuit and they would be happy all week. Think about it, local T.V. coverage and maybe move to the big stuff. I know Willa will move heaven and earth to get his mugshot on the front cover of anything with more than 2 pages. and not a toilet roll. Me !!!!!! i'd even settle for the toilet roll.
Keep looking ------old willa has a million stories and some of them are close to being right,.
I only told you this 'cos he called me quote-----A CRUMPY OL' CURMUDGEON ----unquote, now what the hell is that.??????

"A curmudgeon's reputation for malevolence is undeserved. They're neither warped nor evil at heart. They don't hate mankind, just mankind's absurdities. They're just as sensitive and soft-hearted as the next guy, but they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust of misanthropy. They ease the pain by turning hurt into humor. . . . . . They attack maudlinism because it devalues genuine sentiment. . . . . . Nature, having failed to equip them with a servicable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute perception and sly wit.
Curmudgeons are mockers and debunkers whose bitterness is a symptom rather than a disease. They can't compromise their standards and can't manage the suspension of disbelief necessary for feigned cheerfulness. Their awareness is a curse.
Perhaps curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the messenger is blamed for the message: They have the temerity to comment on the human condition without apology. They not only refuse to applaud mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their versions of the truth unsettle us, and we hold it against them, even though they soften it with humor. "

[robert j garner]

Anyone from yorkshire then .


Rob

[jackie wilson]

437
Well-Holy bloody shamoly, did you see that!!!!!! I knew it was one of those big words, like helicopter and mayonaise , but to elucidate with malevolence and misanthropy and maudlinism is just too much for human consumption. Where in the name of all that is sacred to dumb ex-racers did this come from? Don't know if i've been elevated or shat upon.
According to Wikipedia it can be a bad tempered and surly old fart or a 2004 rendition by Nirvana-----seeing as how i only tickle the ivories in a very light hearted way a la Albert Ammons, and my rear end, although prone to some occasional wayward love puffs, behaves itself in an exemplary manner, i fail to see where i fit into this equation.
Thank you David for your rendition of 'CURMUDGEON' you and Willa should get married, you deserve each other.
If your comments are off the cuff so to speak, you are to be greatly admired, BUT if as i suspect you took this straight from Websters or with help from Stanford ,Yale or Harvard, then you sir are a charleton, not to be confused with a Charlie which as everyone knows can cover a wide range of illness and sickness like getting involved in SCREAM N FLY and the sad old gits that frequent it's very odd threads i remain yours etc Jackie W.

[jackie wilson]

438
Hey Bobby Gee, A Boy From The West Country Should Tread Carefully Poppa Jimmy Should Have Taken The Slipper To You A Hell Of A Lot More Than He Did.
Anyone From Yorkshire---------i'll Get Ya--- Jw

[willabee]

437
I knew it was one of those big words, like helicopter and mayonaise , but i fail to see where i fit into this equation.
Thank you David for your rendition of 'CURMUDGEON' .....If your comments are off the cuff so to speak, you are to be greatly admired, BUT if as i suspect you took this straight from Websters.....

Hey Jackie, I thought that I was only insinuating that you are a bit crusty and ill-tempered when I made that comment. No way would I have called you all of those other things mentioned in that definition, particularly the bit about being "endowed with astute perception and sly wit".....I don't think that you fit into that equation either.

I found that David's post was written by Jon Winokur and, apparently, it is Jon's thoughts on the word. I'll stick with Websters.....bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous.....an equation that fits ol' JW like it was custom tailored

[David Alaniz]

Willa,

Dang, your good.....my quoted comment does lead to Jon Winokur. As for Jackie Wilson I believe he will agree with this curmudgeon quote about you after reading a lot of your postings.

"People can be divided into three groups, those who make things happen those who watch things happen and those who wander what happened"........anonymous

This comes from Curmudgeon quotes. Surely working with such a group at Mercury you experienced ALL.

I cann't believe you didn't hire me to be part of that service! When your historic mind is rested I would like to know who drove our 16' Molinari Sprint before we got it. Later - David

[robert j garner]

440 Hahaha jackie i thought that might get a result!!!!
Was this epic distance all in one big dollop or split into two days?
and were the ski racers there.

Rob

[jackie wilson]

Winukor The Portable curmudgeon C'mon guys give us a break.

Hard to look back after 30 pages of "hot Singles" and find just how low we have sunk, into the world of literate debate. And anyway the world is not made up of 3 types of folks----you forgot the 4th Them that do !!!!!! and i am far from -----ANONYMOUS. 'cos i already did and am still didling.
And another thing , i heard if you couldn't get a job in Wisconsin go work for Mercury. or the sheriffs office , that's if you could curmudgeon enough. !!!!!!
Just for the record, i had the very first 16' sprint Molinari, Angelo did not want to paint it black, but did so under protest, with the traditional white arrow either side, . This was originally for the 1000 B.P. 'cos GG would not let me have a 1250. The last race i had in it was the windermere race when Shakey lost out. I won the class, but GG had a mad fit of depression, threw all his toys out of the pram and took it from me. [ it was mercury's , they paid for it.] The next time i saw it, Merton was moving the batteries forward and preparing it for Havasu. I thought it went to Canada after that, but don't doubt Willa will have different info.
Just kidding about the job situation, a few of the guys there must have been o.k i just never got to find them------i'm kidding for gods sake.

[David Alaniz]

Winukor The Portable curmudgeon C'mon guys give us a break.

Hard to look back after 30 pages of "hot Singles" and find just how low we have sunk, into the world of literate debate. And anyway the world is not made up of 3 types of folks----you forgot the 4th Them that do !!!!!! and i am far from -----ANONYMOUS. 'cos i already did and am still didling.
And another thing , i heard if you couldn't get a job in Wisconsin go work for Mercury. or the sheriffs office , that's if you could curmudgeon enough. !!!!!!
Just for the record, i had the very first 16' sprint Molinari, Angelo did not want to paint it black, but did so under protest, with the traditional white arrow either side, . This was originally for the 1000 B.P. 'cos GG would not let me have a 1250. The last race i had in it was the windermere race when Shakey lost out. I won the class, but GG had a mad fit of depression, threw all his toys out of the pram and took it from me. [ it was mercury's , they paid for it.] The next time i saw it, Merton was moving the batteries forward and preparing it for Havasu. I thought it went to Canada after that, but don't doubt Willa will have different info.
Just kidding about the job situation, a few of the guys there must have been o.k i just never got to find them------i'm kidding for gods sake.

Guy's

All I remember was when she arrived it was a dulled out orange kind of color. We gave it a Texas blue . Got to say she was a fantanstic tunnel! Maybe the pics will jog some memorys. Take Care - David

[jackie wilson]

David, it sure looks like the same boat, you had to tuck the motor in way under level when running into the wind, and she would get a little squirly going with the wind,but was really quick against any other rig. She gave me 'MOLINARI ELBOWS' which i still have nearly 40 years on. There didn't seem to be a way to stop elbows banging on the combing. Even with pipe lagging glued there, the jarring came right through.
Somewhere i must have either pictures or drawings. Every time i got a new boat, a guy at the club called Dave Franks would give me a picture he'd drawn of it.
I had an idea Mark Rathmell out of Canada had the boat, and the last i heard of it was in Valleyfield 1976 when some mexicans turned up with it but were turned away because they were late for the drivers meeting.
That's where i met Laudabach and Joe Banomi and all the other crazy --GRAND PRIX drivers, took 'em on with a 2 litre cosworth engined rig, and --------nearly caused an upset------but that's another story.

[minto]

Hiya Jacobus,

I remember Dave Franks and his drawings, he used to race an NE called FLAMIN EL.

Also there was an older guy at Iver who always wore a black glove. Story goes that he lost a hand during a meeting some years earlier, not sure if he was actually racing or doing rescue. Just wondered if you know who I mean and can elaborate on the story.

[jackie wilson]

Hiya Minto, The guy in the glove was Johnny Hulme, one of the founder members of L.M.B.R.C. Always immaculate and sported a monacle. White hair and spanish goatee beard. Used to a race a 50 merc on a blue fin and later on bought a delta with a ford cross flow which i used to co drive with him on occasions. Him and Bob May had identical outfits and would spend fortunes modifying them. He went on to become one of the safety officers on the rescue boat with Ted Jones. The sad occasion when a boat ran over the safety boat and killed one of the crew, the prop took the middle out of Johns hand and he always wore a black glove. He was also godfather to my youngest daughter Sam, and would walk round the lake with all the drivers offsprings on a sunday morning before repairing to the "Dog and Vomit" for a pint of london pride or a very large G and T.

[minto]

Thanks Jackie,

The Johnny Hulme description is remarkable, I can picture him like it was yesterday, you certainly have a way with words.

Shame to hear someone lost their life in that incident, I had only heard the story about Johnny's hand. He was one of many characters I remember who seemed ever present, many of which worked hard behind the scenes in order to make the club tick.

[willabee]

Willa, I would like to know who drove our 16' Molinari Sprint before we got it. Later - David

I'll try to figure it out, it might help to know.....who is "we".....when did you guys get it.....are you sure it was a 16'?

I only recall two 16' sprints going through the Race Team in Oshkosh. The first race for both of them was the 1970 Miami 225.....Jim Merten won with the orange one and Bill Sirois drove the red one. The orange one set a record at the Miami Nationals that year, raced the Paris 6 Hour and then the 1971 Parker 9 Hour. Olegator says Harold Bartee bought it after that and he raced it for Harold. I don't know what they did with it and when, but I believe they painted the boat a different color and had to put a new (not Molinari style) rear cowl on it during the time they raced it. The red one was blown over before the Nationals, repaired and painted black and it also ran the 1971 Parker race. It was blown over again, taken back to Oshkosh and was destroyed.

Hard to tell from these photos, but I don't think the blue (#483) boat is quite the same style as the two 16' sprints that we had.....opinions anyone?

[T2x]

Who is "we".....when did you guys get it.....are you sure it was a 16'?

I only recall two 16' sprints going through the Race Team in Oshkosh. The first race for both of them was the 1970 Miami 225.....Jim Merten won with the orange one and Bill Sirois drove the red one. The orange one set a record at the Miami Nationals that year, raced the Paris 6 Hour and then the 1971 Parker 9 Hour. Olegator says Harold Bartee bought it after that and he raced it for Harold. I don't know what they did with it and when, but I believe they painted the boat a different color and had to put a new (not Molinari style) rear cowl on it during the time they raced it. The red one was blown over before the Nationals, repaired and painted black and it also ran the 1971 Parker race. It was blown over again, taken back to Oshkosh and was destroyed.

Hard to tell from these photos, but I don't think the blue (#483) boat is quite the same style as the two 16' sprints that we had.....opinions anyone?

Where did this one come from?

Nearly destroyed by Bob Van Epps in 1972 and I wound up racing it once with a T2x after repair........ (too much power...too little boat)

T2x