San Francisco Offshore Race

[mvento]

Originally Posted by butch ryan

Rik, You Are Correct

I guess now I feel like I am offending people. I didn't know there was a right or a wrong on the issue.

I am not trying to downplay the role of any owner and believe that having an owner that is committed to winning is extremely important.

I guess my only point is that while Howard did have the money and the brains and the vision, he wasn't trimming, throttling or driving the boats that won those championships. Ultimately, it is a reflection of Howard that he had the money, brains and vision to put the right people in the right positions to win the championships.

Put another way, who is more significant the coach or the players? Good coaches can get more out of their players and create a great Gameplan, but at the end of the day I believe that it is the players on the field that need to make plays to win.

Clearly this is just my opinion and everyone is entitled to their own. This is just mine.

[Rik]

I really, no disrespect, think you are missing the boat.

Howard was not just the $$ and you guys spend it where its put to its best use.

Quite the opposite.

Yes Howard paid the bills, but he was not just the "Owner" he was the life of it. Although he was not allowed to race for company insurance reasons, he set the drives, he determined where the engines go, he engineered the hole project from top to bottom. So when things went wrong he took responsibility for it also. This is what most don't realize he is not a hands off type of guy.

He spent hours and hours and hours thinking, tinkering and changing things. Some good some bad but that's what he wanted to do. One has a 100% chance of it not working if you do not try it he says.

Sure some one else throttled and drove (anyone could drive a boat back then as not getting lost was most imporntant on a 250 mile course), but in those days the rule was first you have to finish so reliability played more of a role than anything else. The guys ran the hell out of the boat as Howard told them "if you are going to break, you'd better be in the lead when you do it"

[mvento]

O.K.-

This will be my last response on the issue

I don't disagree too much with your comments on the driver, or on the significance of the driver at that time. And I can't comment, like you can, on the role Howard played on the boat. I think it is great that he ran the show as much as he did and took a majority of the technical role as well. But I did know the throttleman. And I personally believe that they might not as been as successfull as they were if they had just anyone in that role. That is not to say that others could not have done what Keith was able to do with that boat. Many of those throttlemen are on this site today. But I feel to not recognize that he had as much to do with the championship as Howard did is just not fair to someone who was recognized as one of the best throttlemen of that time. Obviously others feel different and that is fine with me. Once again, this is just my opinion.

[Joe Todesca]

I ran this race in 2000 my second race as a rookie. Beside the Wind, the 10' seas , the current, the COLD water, the sharks, the seals ,the competition, and keeping the boat running there was nothing to worry about!

[7xchamp]

Originally Posted by Rik

I really, no disrespect, think you are missing the boat.

Howard was not just the $$ and you guys spend it where its put to its best use.

Quite the opposite.

Yes Howard paid the bills, but he was not just the "Owner" he was the life of it. Although he was not allowed to race for company insurance reasons, he set the drives, he determined where the engines go, he engineered the hole project from top to bottom. So when things went wrong he took responsibility for it also. This is what most don't realize he is not a hands off type of guy.

He spent hours and hours and hours thinking, tinkering and changing things. Some good some bad but that's what he wanted to do. One has a 100% chance of it not working if you do not try it he says.

Sure some one else throttled and drove (anyone could drive a boat back then as not getting lost was most imporntant on a 250 mile course), but in those days the rule was first you have to finish so reliability played more of a role than anything else. The guys ran the hell out of the boat as Howard told them "if you are going to break, you'd better be in the lead when you do it"

I really have to chime in as a T-man. I am a very close personal friend of Howard, and have the utmost respect for him and what he has done for our sport, However it is ultimatly the crew in the boat on a given day. I worked for the very best coach/mentor in the world Carl Kiekhaefer AKA Iron Fist. Howard was the lamb compared to Kiekhaefer when it came to dictating how and what to run when racing. If you don`t have a feel for your equip. you have nothing, and by feel I mean does it feel good to you the T-man. The T-man has to like the gear ratio`s, the prop selection the power band of the motor etc. I don`t know where you come off with we only had to finish to win, I was there and that certainly was never the case especially running against Kieth, Sammy, Bobby Moore, Jack Stuteville, Davey Wilson, Brownnie etc etc etc. I take what you say as an insult to what we accomplished on the race circuits around the world. You are obviously uniformed, or ignorant about the past and the history of offshore racing, and the people who were involved. I was always around with Howard, and his team, and he was a gentle giant. kind of like hey guys what do you think about the course, how do you think you should run etc. I never heard of him saying this is mine and I invested money you better win, never happened, not from Howard. Kiekhaefer same way, do the best you can, you guys are the best go get em. Gentry another example, sure everyone wants to win but it`s a well prepared team and equip that does it. It still takes a team and a damn good T-man which Kieth Hazel was one of the best and should be remembered as so. I hope this enlightens you, I was there and won more than most in all kinds of equip, and worked for more owners than most. Vento, hope this puts a proper close to this thread, my best to your dad, I remember you as a little kid, went to a few parties at yours and Ikes house, great times and great people, I miss it.
Richie Powers AKA 7XCHAMP & STICKS

[wstultz]

Allright fellas, that's enough bickering. This thread started as a kick a$$ display of old pics and now it's a pissing contest.

GoCiggie, break this up with some more pics.

[Rik]

Never said he told them to win or else, nor did I bring up the $ that was someone else so please read the right thing from the right people.

Just said that Howard owned and ran the team and had a huge role in it.

Saying someone else was responsible for it all the success and that the "owner" just wrote the check does not apply to Howard Arneson or the others.

Never disrepsected Mr. Hazel either. Garcia, well that's another story and does not belong on here.


I agree, more photos.

[GoCiggie31]

[GoCiggie31]

[GoCiggie31]