It's not Kurt, it's Robert.

Finishline
 

Hello Steve This Must Be Steve Z. How Have You Been ? I Think The Last Time We Talked Was At Fountains Race And Kilo Run In 2000. I Tried To Call You Earlier In The Year But Number No Good Dont You Pay Your Bill ! Give Me A Call 814 397 1826 .i"d Like To See Your Progress On The Boat Sometime .john M.

Son of Mike W ?

Finishline/ Bust-n-out
 

I Was Involved With Another Brick Nj Boat. The Old Bust-n-out. Did A Few Races Then Put 1375 Hp Blown Alcohol Motors In It. She Did Between 130 -140 Mph On Lake Erie. I Think It Is Down On Lake Texoma Know . Last I Heard It Had 1200's In It. John M.

Here is a nice Chris for you , and always a good runner .
Tom , I had to do it , you are too modest .
Hope all is well , Jim .

Morning John! I need to Scan in some of your pix so we can get them posted here.

That would be me. My dad was a character. Love him or hate him, and I know there were some of both. He was entertaining.

[QUOTE=T2x;2683672]I remember that race. It was a very traggic day here on the gulf coast. Here is the clip from the local panama city beach newspaper that I found in the archives.

"Thomas Brandt, 38, of Gulf Stream and Donald Wright, 45, of Fort Lauderdale, died when their Spirit of Miss Liberty powerboat crashed during the running of the inaugural Sheffield Oil Unocal 76 Offshore Classic held April 16 off Panama City Beach.

Offshore Power Boat Racing Association president John Kenyon, who is also the association's chief boat inspector, declined comment on the report because of a pending lawsuit, as did Sandra Brandt, widow of the driver. Efforts to reach the widow of Donald Wright were unsuccessful.

MEN TRAPPED

Brandt and Wright drowned when their 1984 30-foot Chris Craft boat caught a ``freak wave,'' barrel rolled and flipped end over end at least once, according to the report. The boat landed upside down and sank by the stern.

The Spirit of Miss Liberty was the only boat in the 33-boat field to use an enclosed canopy. The canopy was basically an aluminum box shaped to fit the contours of the boat, including a solid aluminum floor, with a series of five vertical posts from floor to ceiling. The windows in the canopy were aircraft-type plexiglass, and solidly bolted to the aluminum frame.

Brandt, the driver, and Wright, the throttleman, entered and exited the canopy by two ``man holes'' in the stern that measured two feet by two and one-half feet. They were the only exits from of the boat.

The boat sank stern first, in approximately 15 feet of water in 43 seconds, filling the canopy with water.

According to the FMP report, Brant and Wright were alive and conscious following the crash, as evidenced by unstrapped seat belts and shoulder restraints.

However, due the buoyancy of their life jackets, the two men were forced against the windshield--instrument panel area where they were unable to swim, or were unable pull themselves down to the ``man holes'' and escape.

The OPBRA, which staged the race, had several rescue crews available, but none was able to save the two racers."

Everything is good, Jim. Hope the same goes for you. Those sure were fun days!

By the way, Leslie Cohan says hello. She is my office manager here in Norwalk, CT.

Talk to you soon,

Tom

After reading post 38 it reminds you of how un-safe many of the canopies were back then. The canopies now are 1000% better yet we still have tragidies occur. Most of the canopies back then were more like wind shields. In some cases they gave a total false sense of security. I never saw the Miss Liberty with the canopy but would like to see a pic of it. I am sure when built they thought it was the best thing ever. People thought the Titanic wouldn't sink as well......