Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

[bernie]

Oh yeah, Dr. Blair. Had an in-house seminar with him one time - he had this piston idea where the exhaust ports were super low, the idea was to hold the exploded fuel charge for as long as possible to burn everything that was in the cylinder - saw his presentation and then that was the last I ever heard of it. I don't think he ever really worked as an employee, just as a consultant.
Mercury had lots of consultants over the years. Isn't there an old saying that is when you know you are in trouble when you hire consultants? I never understood hiring somebody who knows squat about what is going on in your business, bringing him in for huge dollars, and expecting miracles. A couple I dealt with didn't have a clue as to what an outboard was, but then there were lots of Merc people that didn't have a clue what an outboard was either -

[willabee]

I, do have the Berlin story right. .....

Sirois drove a 17' Molly with a 9 carb set up, ( three in the front, and another six stitched to the side).
Around the three hour mark, Morgan asked if I would take over from Bill, just to give him a break. He then explained the complexities of the motor and when and where I should use the switches.

One last aside Willabee, I don't remember ever meeting Dick Lanpheer, if I did, then I must apologise sincerely for my memory lapse.

Well, Lanpheer sure remembers you! I'm starting to think you have him and Morgan mixed in your mind? As a matter of fact, I just asked him if he recalls who ran his DC-9 in Berlin and he said the following:

Hey Bill,
'Twas good to hear from you. It is nice to know there is someone left standing from the good old days.

Regarding your argument with Jackie, tell him it is good to know that he is still confused about almost everything! Nothing has changed! That's good, I guess. Anyway, Downard drove the DC-9 and it ran like a piece of crap. That engine was piston ported and the blow-back through the carbs was horrific (I should have designed it with reed valves but did not have the budget nor the time to do it right.) In any event, the engine should never have been raced because the piston ported induction system simply did not work and I could not obtain the resources to make it work.

Frankly, I am not positive what Sirois drove at Berlin but I think it was probably a T-1. I just don't know.

Thanks for reminding me about the disastrous trip to Italy, Paris and Berlin. The worst part, of course, was the fact that my roommate in Paris (can't remember his name anymore) stuffed his boat at Paris and some OMC driver ran his prop from his butt up his back and he lost 17 litres of blood in the accident. As I recall, his father was a Merc dealer.


Anyway, it is good to hear that you and Wilson are still reliving the good old days.

As for me, I am reliving my youth (again). I have joined the softball league after not having played for 40 years. It is a real challenge to go out on the diamond with a bunch of guys who are 20 years younger than me, outweigh me by 40-50 lbs., etc. However, I can still drive the ball over the fence once in a while and I haven't croaked yet!

Tell Wilson I was just kidding. He was a good guy, but did he ever learn to drive a boat?

Dick



Thought you'd get a kick out of his email. These shots were a little softer than his last when he commented "as driver he lacked only two things from being at the top of the game ..... speed and ability!"

Anyway, Downard's number was 251. Some testing with the DC-9 on his 18'er was done in Oshberg prior to Paris. Apparently, the powers to be decided that since his boat was already wired for the DC9 and it could handle the rough water, they sent it to Berlin.

Sirois drove the 16' sprint with a Twister I. He even lead the first lap, coming back in front of a 7 liter Abatte! I'm sure someone has some photos of those two boats racing in Berlin.

[GENE LANHAM]

Sirois drove the 16' sprint with a Twister I. He even lead the first lap, coming back in front of a 7 liter Abatte! I'm sure someone has some photos of those two boats racing in Berlin.

Why didn't we have I-phones in 1970?? These poor quality pictures came from an 8mm Movie--Mike in the 9 carb 18'---




And Bill Sirois in the Sprint--

[bernie]

Thanks for reminding me about the disastrous trip to Italy, Paris and Berlin. The worst part, of course, was the fact that my roommate in Paris (can't remember his name anymore) stuffed his boat at Paris and some OMC driver ran his prop from his butt up his back and he lost 17 litres of blood in the accident. As I recall, his father was a Merc dealer.

That was Don Clark - father owned Clark Boat and Motor I think in Quincy ILlinois.

[willabee]

Why didn't we have I-phones in 1970?? These poor quality pictures came from an 8mm Movie--Mike in the 9 carb 18'---

I'm so glad we didn't, damn things drive me nuts! Thanks for the pic ......

[willabee]

..... That was Don Clark - father owned Clark Boat and Motor I think in Quincy ILlinois.

East Alton I believe - Don finally coming home from Paris on a med flight, that's his father with the hat. ...

[GENE LANHAM]

Thanks for reminding me about the disastrous trip to Italy, Paris and Berlin. The worst part, of course, was the fact that my roommate in Paris (can't remember his name anymore) stuffed his boat at Paris and some OMC driver ran his prop from his butt up his back and he lost 17 litres of blood in the accident. As I recall, his father was a Merc dealer.

That was Don Clark - father owned Clark Boat and Motor I think in Quincy ILlinois.

Hi Bernie--I think that was Don's last race--Don drove this 500 Molinari at Parker 1968. Finished 10th overall--pretty sure that is the same Moli Roy Ridgell drove in the 1966 Gold Coast Marathon--

[FUJIMO]

Mercury had lots of consultants over the years. I never understood hiring somebody who knows squat about what is going on in your business, bringing him in for huge dollars, and expecting miracles. A couple I dealt with didn't have a clue as to what an outboard was, but then there were lots of Merc people that didn't have a clue what an outboard was either -

...The "new" accelerator pump carburetors introduced on the early 90's Merc V-6 outboards come to mind... I thought: "Did Mercury just hire a new guy that came from Holley Carburetors?" lol

[FUJIMO]

Oh yeah, Dr. Blair. Had an in-house seminar with him one time - he had this piston idea where the exhaust ports were super low, the idea was to hold the exploded fuel charge for as long as possible to burn everything that was in the cylinder - saw his presentation and then that was the last I ever heard of it. I don't think he ever really worked as an employee, just as a consultant.

Yes, Professor Gordon Blair, purely a theorist, not enough hands-on actual experience, but...The idea was to create a "think-tank" type envirement, which Mercury needed at the time. I think he was paid in pounds.

[bernie]

..The "new" accelerator pump carburetors introduced on the early 90's Merc V-6 outboards come to mind... I thought: "Did Mercury just hire a new guy that came from Holley Carburetors?" lol

Yep, remember them well - that was Mr. Kaska and Mr. Mains from Ford if I remember right - just couldn't understand how we could have engines and carbs without accellerator pumps. So after spending a small fortune on die changes and carb changes, when Mr. Kaska/Mains departed in a few years we ended up sawing them off the castings on a bandsaw!

[John Schubert]

Thanks for reminding me about the disastrous trip to Italy, Paris and Berlin. The worst part, of course, was the fact that my roommate in Paris (can't remember his name anymore) stuffed his boat at Paris and some OMC driver ran his prop from his butt up his back and he lost 17 litres of blood in the accident. As I recall, his father was a Merc dealer.

That was Don Clark - father owned Clark Boat and Motor I think in Quincy ILlinois.

Don lost a leg as a result of that accident. Many years later I visited his dealership & he did come over from his next door house & we talked for awhile. I recall he was kind of bitter about all that happened to him. As I guess we all would have been considering the post accident issues which I won't discuss. I do know that he did attempt to race again driving a Kitson I believe & did have another accident.

[powerabout]

Yes, Professor Gordon Blair, purely a theorist, not enough hands-on actual experience, but...The idea was to create a "think-tank" type envirement, which Mercury needed at the time. I think he was paid in pounds.

Did Merc ever get and of the Japs over?
They have tons of experience
Certainly lots of sae papers
Maybe they hid after not inventing dfi for 2 strokes?

[jackiewilson]

Well, Lanpheer sure remembers you! I'm starting to think you have him and Morgan mixed in your mind? As a matter of fact, I just asked him if he recalls who ran his DC-9 in Berlin and he said the following:

Hey Bill,
'Twas good to hear from you. It is nice to know there is someone left standing from the good old days.

Regarding your argument with Jackie, tell him it is good to know that he is still confused about almost everything! Nothing has changed! That's good, I guess. Anyway, Downard drove the DC-9 and it ran like a piece of crap. That engine was piston ported and the blow-back through the carbs was horrific (I should have designed it with reed valves but did not have the budget nor the time to do it right.) In any event, the engine should never have been raced because the piston ported induction system simply did not work and I could not obtain the resources to make it work.

Frankly, I am not positive what Sirois drove at Berlin but I think it was probably a T-1. I just don't know.

Thanks for reminding me about the disastrous trip to Italy, Paris and Berlin. The worst part, of course, was the fact that my roommate in Paris (can't remember his name anymore) stuffed his boat at Paris and some OMC driver ran his prop from his butt up his back and he lost 17 litres of blood in the accident. As I recall, his father was a Merc dealer.


Anyway, it is good to hear that you and Wilson are still reliving the good old days.

As for me, I am reliving my youth (again). I have joined the softball league after not having played for 40 years. It is a real challenge to go out on the diamond with a bunch of guys who are 20 years younger than me, outweigh me by 40-50 lbs., etc. However, I can still drive the ball over the fence once in a while and I haven't croaked yet!

Tell Wilson I was just kidding. He was a good guy, but did he ever learn to drive a boat?

Dick



Thought you'd get a kick out of his email. These shots were a little softer than his last when he commented "as driver he lacked only two things from being at the top of the game ..... speed and ability!"

Anyway, Downard's number was 251. Some testing with the DC-9 on his 18'er was done in Oshberg prior to Paris. Apparently, the powers to be decided that since his boat was already wired for the DC9 and it could handle the rough water, they sent it to Berlin.

Sirois drove the 16' sprint with a Twister I. He even lead the first lap, coming back in front of a 7 liter Abatte! I'm sure someone has some photos of those two boats racing in Berlin.

Bloody Hooray William-------you swallow a " Thesaurus" for breakfast or summat? Who rattled your cage today ?
Its make up your mind time! -----seems like Dick and you are in worse shape than I ever was,
Downard was a family friend and spent quality time with my kids who went to races all over Europe so I can categorically tell you--------I have never driven a boat with him.
Neither of you seem to know if you want a crap or a haircut ? According to the pair of you, Sirois drove either a sprint ( which hadn't yet been invented ) a17' with a silo, ( the most likely scenario) or an 18'
( all 18' had been long confined to the scrap heap by 1970 ).
Now I did not dream I drove the nine carb, and no way was it on a an old 18' ------as I said Sirois and I talked about this some time later at his house, so like I said------one or both of you are quietly losing marbles------ mine are still mostly in their rightful place, more later, I got a busy day.

[bernie]

Did Merc ever get and of the Japs over?
They have tons of experience
Certainly lots of sae papers
Maybe they hid after not inventing dfi for 2 strokes?

First time I saw Japs at Mercury was around the time of the Mariner deal in the early 70's. They were given engineering drawings of everything they ever wanted to see, and plant tours. In our Plant, Plant 4 on Hickory Street, we still had many WWII veterans working there. The tour came down the aisle and men physically left their machines and would not demonstate their operation. Several men spilled coffee on the Jap tour people, thee was name calling, it was not pretty, but one of my co-workers had fought them in the Pacific and had lost a brother who was never found, these wounds run deep.
A year or three later one day i got a call from our sand cast foundry manager, asked if I had time to show a couple people around - more Japanese. I did plant tours for visitors if I had time, so I went and asked my boss, the plant manager, if it would be OK. He about went through the roof! Says he had a call from the front offices across the street, telling him the Japanese were there and under no circumstances were they to see our inertial (friction) welding operation, which was their intention all along. The apparently knew the operation was in Plant 4, and by getting a foundry tour (Plant 8 was right behind Plant 4) they would then be on the right side of the street and might be able to get in our plant and see what the had wanted to see all along. Didn't happen!

[jackiewilson]

Bernie, on reflection, Mercury did a fairly good job dealing with the Japs. It's easy to pass judgement after the event-------fact is, both Mercury and OMC thought they were invincible, what did the Nips know about outboards ?
For years they only made small HP motors, but virtually killed the 2--40 HP market, 50 upwards was all American.
Flooded the market, kept the price down, made em reliable, cheap to buy, cheap to run, never broke, what a sales pitch, had to be successful!
Kept out of competition (Racing), heads down , but slowly cornered all the big markets, clever little bugger's Bernie------and it worked.
Then they did it with Motor cycles and cars, TV's and radio-----next it'll be "MACTOJOES"