Old OPC stuff
#1
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Old OPC stuff
Trivia Question #1
Who is this man and why should he be famous in boat racing?
(If you guys aren't interested in the old OPC stuff, I won't bore you with any more of it, but if you want more, I have plenty)
Who is this man and why should he be famous in boat racing?
(If you guys aren't interested in the old OPC stuff, I won't bore you with any more of it, but if you want more, I have plenty)
#2
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So Yes I am interested in OPC 1969 to 1971 would love to see some of the old crew pictures, I remember we all wore yellow jackets, race shirts etc. Mike Butler from Merc. sent me some pix awhile back, was cool. I was only 19 20 yrs old, and single, young and dumb and full of it. I have some great stories about those days, some tradgic, some funny and most insane, about the stuff we used to do. My carreer started as a test driver for Mercury 1967, out of Siesta key, and Lake X.
#4
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I would say while I was there between Beyer and myself at least 25 to 30. The Cowbell and Silo motors came after the stackers, basically phased the stackers out. Doc Morgan over at engineering was the founder of the silo and cowbell exhaust. The picture you show, would the driver be Kenny Kitson??????????? I remember the old powercats, reveau`s etc. Used to be a black cat that raced, maybe 1965 1966 vinatge, that had a guy strapped to the deck in an X, and he would move from side to side in the turns, also kept the nose down, I remember Odel Lewis, Johnny Backus, Roy Ridgell etc. running those boats. My first real test boat was a 15` powercat with twin 650`s 65 hp all deck except where I sat and the fuel tank, I loved that boat, and wish I had it today to go play. Jake Anderson and a bunch of us kids used to use Freddie Kiekhaefers 15` crosby with a 650 on it, porpoised like crazy, we used to pull the front cover off to get more air to the carbs, also sounded better. Plus we ran it in the fifth pinhole, little tricky planning off, but once it planned hang on, we used to jump sand bars, oyster bars, run through the mosquitto canals etc. Big fun.
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The man in the picture is Harold Eis, one of only 2 racers to win the Havasu race 3 times. The other was ....
I guess that can be trivia question #2
Thanks for the guess on the cowbell motors. So far none of them have turned up in the hands of any collectors that I know of. Maybe the factory got them all back and scrapped them.
I guess that can be trivia question #2
Thanks for the guess on the cowbell motors. So far none of them have turned up in the hands of any collectors that I know of. Maybe the factory got them all back and scrapped them.
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The Deck Rider
Back in the late 50's early 60's, George Thompson drove a Ted Jones Cat, with none other than Bill Sirois as the deck monkey..George was a favorite of Mr. K, and about the same age if not older, but couldn't see too well, so he took Bill along to help..Help see the buoys and hold the front of the boat down as well. The Jones cats were big, and made of wood. They used them for the pace boats at the start of OPC races as well as racing them. The picture shows George in the Around Miami Beach Race..Bill wasn't on the deck this time.
#7
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Back in the late 50's early 60's, George Thompson drove a Ted Jones Cat, with none other than Bill Sirois as the deck monkey..George was a favorite of Mr. K, and about the same age if not older, but couldn't see too well, so he took Bill along to help..Help see the buoys and hold the front of the boat down as well. The Jones cats were big, and made of wood. They used them for the pace boats at the start of OPC races as well as racing them. The picture shows George in the Around Miami Beach Race..Bill wasn't on the deck this time.
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Richie,
The last time I saw George he was working at Aeromarine with Mr K on the motorhome for GM..That was the one with a front wheel drive Oldsmobile engine and 4 rear wheels free spinning on tandem axles..Did you ever work on that project? I think Aeromarine was helping develop it. He showed me pictures of it with no body..Seems like Mr. K was there too.
Butch
The last time I saw George he was working at Aeromarine with Mr K on the motorhome for GM..That was the one with a front wheel drive Oldsmobile engine and 4 rear wheels free spinning on tandem axles..Did you ever work on that project? I think Aeromarine was helping develop it. He showed me pictures of it with no body..Seems like Mr. K was there too.
Butch
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Roy Ridgell
I also remember seeing a baby Powercat with two 9.8hp engines on it at the lake..The boys at the Lake told me Roy blew it over clowning around..Roy said it was flying...he was a great guy with lots of stories..
Butch
Butch
#10
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Richie,
The last time I saw George he was working at Aeromarine with Mr K on the motorhome for GM..That was the one with a front wheel drive Oldsmobile engine and 4 rear wheels free spinning on tandem axles..Did you ever work on that project? I think Aeromarine was helping develop it. He showed me pictures of it with no body..Seems like Mr. K was there too.
Butch
The last time I saw George he was working at Aeromarine with Mr K on the motorhome for GM..That was the one with a front wheel drive Oldsmobile engine and 4 rear wheels free spinning on tandem axles..Did you ever work on that project? I think Aeromarine was helping develop it. He showed me pictures of it with no body..Seems like Mr. K was there too.
Butch