Black Tornado

A question for Richie but also for who knows which what boat Dry Martini Carlo Bonomi won two races in South America in January 1974, Mar Del Plata and Punta Del Este?
Cigarette 36 'or 35'?
There are photos?

Top Banana

Marco.....I would say the 36. The 35 was being developed during 1974. My boat the Benihana, was the 6th boat built in the 35 series and that was in August of 74.

For Dry Martini to be sorted and winning in January of 1974, seems a stretch.

Check in your own records and see when you can find Nordskog with the first race for the 35. His was boat number 1 in the series, so that should help define the time frame better for the 35 series.

7xchamp

Hi Marco: It was the newest 36` not the original Aeromarine which was older and heavier. In 1976 I ran with Gentry in the new 35`, Wally Franz beat us, it was really rough, and we had to go something like 50 miles straight out to sea in head on 6 to 8`s. We went the 50 miles found no check boat, and later found out that the race had been shortened, seems Wally was the only one who new the race had been shortened, we definitly had him covered. next two we won.

flying fish

See start of page 2.

7xchamp

wow !!!!!!!!! THAT WAS A GREAT READ. sURE BROUGHT BACK SOME GREAT MEMORIES. fOR THOSE WHO DON`T KNOW ABO means another bloody omelette the boat was red and yellow. Great bunch of guys, it was a shame they could not have competed in the next two races. Ralph Seavey and I used to work for Kiekhaefer together and were room mates for several years, he passed away many years ago, he was a good guy and missed. Thanks again for the history.

Black Tornado

As Richie and Graham confirmed that Dry Martini in South America in 1974 was as you thought,the 36'.
I thought so too but I wanted a confirm.
I knew that Nordskog had drove to debut the new 35' in 1973, probably in Key West in November.
That Dry Martini 35 ' was the second 35' to compete and was probably the hull # 02 out of Cigarette.
So it was not inconceivable that in South America in 1974 there was a 35'.
Instead the debut was in the Bahamas 500 in June.

Black Tornado

Hi Richie,do you remember though after the race at Viareggio in 1973 where you said that debuted the new 36' then in Santa Margherita you have run (and won) with the same 36' or the old one?

flying fish

Glad you found the article of interest Richie.

ABO was in actual fact YABO (Yet another bloody omlette) but was never referred to as YABO when racing,only in the intial design stage.This was his second Shead machine (the 1st one being the 34ft Hot Omlette which delaminated).After the South American race they buit a brand new twin of ABO,which went on to have a long career inc coming 2nd in the OP II class in the 1989 Worlds at Atlantic City.The same boat will participate in the 2010 Cowes - Torquay - Cowes.
It`s a good old plodder that bashes through anything.
Bobby Bucanhan - Michaelson who drove it passed away a short while ago.They are all going one by one.

7xchamp

Hi Marco: The last race that I ran with Bonomi Viareggio Bastia race I thought 1974 was with the newest 36` which was lighter than Aeromarine ix . I remember because we were last minute to finish it, we had a very hard fought battle with Don Shead near the finish, and that`s when the hatch pins broke, so the hatches were flying open and closed, and I think we then broke a throttle cable, so I went in the bilge and manually raced to the finish line, shead beat us by couple minutes, close hard rough race. The monte carlo race we ran the old dry martini/aeromarine ix. The 35` and red 36` ex Rautboard Red Vengence was not raced by me in Europe, they stayed in USA, red was eventually sent over, I believe, not sure. Bonomi and I had a total of four cig`s Aeromarine ix/dry Martini then Dry Martini new 36` then Dry Martini new 35` then Red Vengence 36` cig/ex Rautboard original boat.

Black Tornado

Hi Richie,
that Viareggio-Bastia with the duel with Shead was in 1973.
I do not know who was with Bonomi in Viareggio in 1974 and 1975, perhaps Succi?
The Cig. 36' of Bonomi were three in total:
The Aeromarine IX-Dry Martini.
The Red Vengeance-Dry Martini(red) former a Fino.
The Dry Martini lighter.
Bonomi was little interested in racing in the USA.
He start at the end of 1972 at Miami Nassau and Key West with the former one of the two Fino and renamed Red Vengeance.
Even in 1973 ran only the Miami-Nassau and Key West but this time with the new 36' lighter.
In 1974 he ran some races in the U.S. only with the new 35' .
In 1975 only the Miami-Nassau race with the 35 '.
The Red Vengeance in 1973 was brought in Italy and renamed Dry Martini running only one or two races, then was sold with the old Aeromarine IX-Dry Martini at the end of 1973 season.
Summing the boats of Bonomi since 1972:
1972-Aeromarine IX, Red Vengeance.
1973-Dry Martini (ex Aeromarine IX),Dry Martini (ex-Red Vengeance),Dry Martini (new, lighter).
1974-Dry Martini (lighter),Dry Martini (new, 35 ').
1975-Dry Martini (lighter),Dry Martini (35').

The question about the race in 1973 Santa Margherita-Montecarlo wanted to clarify how many victories they had obtained respectively the boats of Bonomi.
In 1973 in Viareggio you have run with the new 36' lightened, then a week after you won in Monaco with the old former Aeromarine IX (as you said).
But curiously a week later still in Port de la Rague you have won the controversial Dauphin D'Or with the new 36'.
In Sweden I guess you won with the old with 36' as you did in English and Deauville races, meanwhile the new 36' was shipped to Miami for the last races.
Do you confirm that Richie?