Propeller May/June 2017 by APBA

VOLUME 71, ISSUE 2 • MAY 2017

APBA.ORG • USA: $5.00

FRED MILLER

Race in Peace

DONATE TO THE OUTBOARD DRIVING SCHOOL FUND!

Outboard Driving Schools are a proven way to bring new members into APBA. The APBA Historical Society maintains a fund to provide grants to local clubs to help offset expenses so they can introduce more newcomers to the thrill of racing. Invest in the future of racing. Please consider a donation to help APBA clubs with their Driving Schools in this racing season and in years to come. The APBA Historical Society is a 501(c)3 corporation so your donation to the Driving School Fund is fully tax-deductible. Contact Linda Likert at the APBA office or visit www.apbahistoricalsociety.org .

IN THIS ISSUE 17640 East Nine Mile Road PO Box 377 Eastpointe MI 48021-0377 PHONE: 586.773.9700 WEB: apba.org EMAIL: apbahq@apba.org twitter.com/APBARacing facebook.com/APBARacing EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ACCOUNTING MEMBERSHIP SANCTIONS/ HIGH POINTS PROPELLER EDITOR

Patrick Mell Linda Likert Sabrina Haudek Cindy Minoletti Tana Moore

pmell@apba.org llikert@apba.org shaudek@apba.org cminoletti@apba.org tmoore@apba.org

2017 APBA OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT NATIONAL COMMISSIONER TREASURER SECRETARY LEGAL COUNCIL CATEGORY REP REGION REP

Mark Wheeler Fred Hauenstein Charles Strang Steve Compton Mary Williams Steven Hearn J. David Augustine Sr. Kyle Bahl Chris Fairchild Dan Kanfoush Jean MacKay-Schwartz Howie Nichols John Runne Jeff Brewster Roger Carr

president@apba.org VP@apba.org NC@apba.org treasurer@apba.org secretary@apba.org legal@apba.org patndave51@gmail.com racerkyle@hotmail.com chris@fairchildracing.com dankanfoush@yahoo.com jean84c@earthlink.net apba113@gmail.com j.runne@hotmail.com jeff_brewster_59s@yahoo.com rcinr12@aol.com

COUNCIL-AT-LARGE: Penny Anderson, Bruce Broussard, Jeffrey Conant, Gloria Crim, Richard Fuchslin, Patrick Gleason, Alex Jennings III, Jack Meyer, Steve Noury, Bob Wartinger, Rachel Warnock, Matt Yarno

2017 RACING CATEGORY/COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Inboard Inboard Endurance Junior Classes Modified Offshore OPC Outboard Drag PRO Special Event Stock Thundercat H1 Unlimited Vintage and Historic

James Sechler Ted Kolby Patrick Gleason Tom Sutherland Mark Wheeler James Chambers Jr. Chris Fairchild Kristi Ellison Scott Schatz Jeff Brewster Jeff Howie Doug Bernstein John Krebs

inboardracing@apba.org ted@tedkolby.com junior@apba.org modifiedoutboard@apba.org offshore@apba.org jchambe1@tampabay.rr.com chris@fairchildracing.com prooutboard@apba.org roshaboats@yahoo.com stockoutboard@apba.org masterauto1150@yahoo.com DBernstein@plunkettcooney.com krebs233@yahoo.com

2017 REGION CHAIRMEN Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Region 4 Region 5 Region 6 Region 7 Region 8 Region 9 Region 10 Region 11 Region 12 Region 14 Region 15 Region 16

Dave Jones John Krebs Ann Shaw Richard Shaw Jeff Titus Eli Whitney Kris Shepard Brian Tabara Denver Ray Mut Rick Sandstrom Julian Rucki Roger Carr Buddy Tennell Carleton Callahan Dutch Squires

region1@apba.org region2@apba.org region3@apba.org region4@apba.org region5@apba.org donaldeli.whitney@sbcglobal.net region7@apba.org brian@tabararacing.com denvermut@hotmail.com info@propshopltd.com renegadep28@aol.com rcinr12@aol.com region14@apba.org region15@apba.org region16@apba.org

PROPELLER© welcomes unsolicited articles and photos. Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publication and do not represent official APBA policy. Advertising herein cannot be construed as an endorsement by APBA or its members. PROPELLER (ISSN 0194-6218) (USPS 0047-800) is published six times yearly for $25.00 (U.S. and Canada); $55.00 (foreign) by APBA, 17640 E. Nine Mile Road, PO Box 377 Eastpointe MI 48021-0377. Periodical postage paid at Eastpointe MI and additional mailing office. Postmaster: send addresses to APBA, PO BOX 377 Eastpointe MI 48021-0377.

From the Top 2 Preserving the Past Archives and Record Retention Committee 3 In Brief / Remember When 4 Spirit of Detroit Hydrofest Supercharges Ahead 5 Back to the Future BSOA 75th Anniversary Banquet 6 Ballot Results for 2017 OPC, Modified, Stock Outboard 8 Race Calendar 9 OPA / APBA Offshore Goes International 10 P1 Superstock USA New Title Sponsor for 2017 Season 11 Unforgettable Fred Race in Peace, Fred Miller 12 4th Annual Kenmore Cup Speedin’ on Sammamish Slough 14 Tavares Spring Thunder 16 79th Orange Cup Regatta Wind, Waves, Winners in Lakeland 18 From Here to There Creating Sponsor Benefits—Part One 20 Category Corner Junior Classes 22  Modified Outboard 23  H1 Unlimited 24 Outboard Performance Craft 25 Inboard 26  Stock Outboard 27 Region Roundup 5, 6, 10, 12 28 Race in Peace IBC ON THE COVER: Fred Miller, Race in Peace... Paul Kemiel photo

FROM THE TOP BY MARK WHEELER APBA PRESIDENT

Fred J. Miller: Friends Help Friends March 6 was a sad day for APBA—Fred Miller passed away quite unexpectedly. I first met Fred in the mid-1970s at a Stock Outboard race in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our family was pitted near Fred’s “F-Troop” racing team, and Fred helped us out. Among other things, Fred helped put my BSH in the water and assisted us when my Hot Rod was a bit “stubborn” prior to the first heat. Fred told me many years later that he always paid attention to who helped him put his boat in the water. It was a good reminder. Friends help friends. APBA President Mark Wheeler. Photo by Robert Koschka At right, Fred Miller in the F-Troop days.

Portage Bay Systems, Inc.

Steve Greaves 206-371-0486

I’ve had many jobs within APBA, and Fred has been a trusted adviser for each job I’ve held. Much of Fred’s wisdom came from his extensive knowledge of the Association. There were very few positions in APBA that he had not held. Fred was a member of the Board of Directors, an APBA Council Member at Large, Region 6 Chair, Vice President of the Modified Outboard Category, member of the Stock Outboard Racing Commission, President of the Trenton Outboard Racing Club, President of the Great Lakes Boat Club, and director of the Pro Tunnel Tour within the OPC Category.

Email: sgreaves@portagebaysystems.com Web: www.portagebaysystems.com/marine

Fred is best known for founding APBA’s revered Hall of Champions. He served as the Chair of the Hall of Champions Committee for an astounding 40 years. For his service to APBA, Fred was inducted into the APBA Honor Squadron and was recognized with the Strang Ultimate Service Award in 2016. Fred also won the Region 6 Don Allen Service Award, and is a member of the Region 6 Stock Outboard Hall of Fame. Fred always found the time to put on boat races. As a matter of fact, he was working on the 2017 Trenton race on the day of his death. Fred served as the Race Director of the Dayton Record Runs for many years. Who can forget Fred’s voice booming over the P.A. shortly after dawn each morning at Dayton? Each announcement began with, “This is GOD speaking…” As a driver, Fred won national championships in Stock Outboard and Modified Outboard. He was also inducted into APBA’s Hall of Champions in those categories. Fred’s contributions to APBA are so numerous that I have not attempted to list all of them. There are far too many even to remember. What I will remember are all the times he helped me put my boat in the water. Rest in peace, Fred.

CORRECTIONS: In the 2016 Yearbook, a couple of speed records should have read as follows: Date

Category Class

Course Type

Speed Location

Owner

Driver

ASR

5 Mile / 4 Lap

49.744 Yelm WA

Steve Wilde

DANIEL WILDE APBA

9/18/16 Stock

10/2/16 Inboard National Modified   Mr. Jiggs

¼ mile straightaway 154.506 Lincoln City OR Brent & Josh Harnack Josh Harnack

Record Type APBA

Archives and Record Retention Committee

PRESERVING THE PAST BY JAN SHAW

What is data archiving? We archive material that we want to be able to access without its taking up space needed for everyday use. Just as we move furniture or equipment to a storage facility, we can move data that we no longer regularly use to a separate storage device. Thus it is kept long-term in case it is needed for future reference. Archived data may be older material, but still important to an organization like APBA. At the 2016 Annual Meeting, APBA member Jeff Titus wanted to know how he could look up an old rulebook. At that point, as the Archives person, I did not have a plan yet; but I had already started the copying process for one rulebook. Two years ago, I started cleaning out our house in Everett, Washington, in which we had lived for 40+ years. I found a closet full of old APBA rulebooks from the ’sixties. The 1969 rulebook contained all categories’ rules (Unlimited, Cruiser, Outboard Outboard Performance, Inboard)—plus all members’ names and addresses, all speed records and champions, and the Bylaws and Reference Book—all in a 6 x 4-inch, 418-page bound book. APBA’s current rulebooks are digital. There is a separate book for each category with the APBA Bylaws and the Reference Book also separate documents. Each can be printed at home from your PC. No longer is there a membership list available to each member—mostly because privacy laws prevent it. With that said, I thought I would copy the entire 1969 APBA Rule Book and save it on my computer. Was I wrong? There are companies that do book scanning and save it for you, but I found them to be very expensive. It took a year to learn how to scan a bound book without destroying it and still keep the print legible. (Did you know that if you flatten a book on your copier it distorts the print?) Then the question was: where could I place this digital version so anyone could access it? It turns out that there are three solid ways to get this done. A digital copy could be burned to a CD to make storage easier and stored at the APBA office. The second way was to upload the digital version onto the APBA website, but that would take up enormous room. The third way was to upload it to the National Library System. There it could be available worldwide, storage is not a problem, and it is easier to read. This past January at the 2017 Annual Meeting, many older members of APBA came to me to find an old rule in an old rulebook as Jeff Titus had done. They wanted to compare the old rules to the current book, ask where a particular rule went, or determine when it disappeared from the rulebook. Now I have an answer for these members.

I will test the process with one digital version of one rulebook. By this summer I should have a clean digital copy of the 1969 APBA Rulebook. Then it can be archived via the National Library System and made accessible to anyone who wants it. At long last, the Archives and Record Retention Committee can live up to its name, making past APBA documents available to members.

ANNOUNCEMENT: NOTICE OF APBA ELECTIONS This year APBA will elect five (5) board members for a twoyear term. There are six (6) Council-at-Large members up for election this year as well. 1. Anyone wishing to be nominated should send a letter of intent (or email to pmell@apba.org) and brief personal profile to the Nominating Committee, c/o APBA Headquarters, prior to June 15th. This will place your name on the nomination ballot that will be sent to the Nominating Committee. 2. The Nominating Committee, which is made up of the Board of Directors and Category Chairmen, will nominate candidates prior to July 15th. 3. APBA Headquarters shall notify the nominees prior to July 15th. 4. Candidates must submit an acceptance letter to APBA Headquarters by August 1st. 5. Proxies will be mailed to each member entitled to vote on or before August 20th.

IN BRIEF... SOLAR SPLASH JUNE 7-11 A WORLD-CLASS DRIVER The IEEE/PELS Solar Splash competition scheduled for June 7-11 2017 has changed venues. The new site for 2017 and 2018 is the Clark County Fairgrounds in Springfield Ohio a promising site for many powerboat events. Springfield is 25 miles NE of Dayton, at Exit 59 on I-70. You can see a travel map, the site location and other travel information by clicking on the “Travel and site information” link at www.solarsplash.com. Cedarville University continues to serve as the host school for the event. The address is 4401 S. Charleston Pk., Springfield OH 45502.

SIMPSON HELMET RECALL Simpson customer service is recalling SA2015 Voyager2 helmets made and sold by Simpson, manufactured in 2016. The chin strap may detach from the helmet during an accident, making the helmet useless in that situation. Per Kris Shepard, if it has a yellow chin strap the recall needs to be done. If it is black it is OK.

America’s own Jeff Shepherd is not only an esteemed APBA member, inspector and referee, part owner of the USF1 Powerboat Tour, and a Board Member of the Kentucky Drag Boat Association; he is also a World Champion, having won the Circuit SST 200 World Title in 2016. Jeff started racing tunnel boats over 20 years ago, forming his own team in 2001 and going on to win many titles. An excavating contractor in his hometown of Woodlawn, Tennessee, Jeff was proud to drive the Pugh Boat Works hull for his friends Aaron, Merv and Kris Bjork to become the SST 200 World Champion. Above, Jeff is honored in Monaco; here, Jeff at a race. Paul Kemiel photo

The entire recall notice is at www.apba. org/sites/all/files/u28646/simpson_ voyager2recall_2017ap0617.pdf

REMEMBER WHEN...

(Left) Driver Betty Cook is all smiles after her Open Class win at the 1981 APBA Offshore race in Saugatuck, Michigan. Above, Betty and her team in her MICHELOB LIGHT sponsored Scarab deep vee as they cruise to victory on Lake Michigan at the Saugatuck race. Photos by Paul Kemiel 4

New Title Sponsor: Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers

SPIRIT OF DETROIT HYDROFEST SUPERCHARGES AHEAD MDCD helps historic hydroplane weekend stay afloat; August 25-27 event features updated format to give fans more speed and double the action

sponsors have proven to be among the best. Now, H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes are the fastest circuit racing boats in the world, powered by turbine engines producing 3000 horsepower, topping 200 MPH and trailing a 60-foot high, 300-foot-long wall of water called a “roostertail.” The driver then turns left and hooks into the water with a four-foot, 400-pound fin that throws another wall of water that hangs in the air all the way through the turn.

The Spirit of Detroit HydroFest is pleased to announce the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers (MDCD) the new presenting title sponsor for this year. The 101-yearold event, one of the Motor City's longest-standing sports traditions, will be held Aug. 25-27 on the Detroit River. The race has been restructured this year to include a new two-races-in-two-days format, instead of one race over two days. This new race format has not been seen in the modern era of the sport, bringing a new level of excitement to fans attending the 2017 event.

The President’s Cup was contested by Unlimited Hydroplane teams between 1926 and 1977, with time out for World War II (1941-1945). After 1977, the President’s Cup became an APBA Inboard event for several years.

Until the MDCD stepped in to provide the event's much-needed financial lift as title sponsor, there were fears the historic summer experience would not take place this year. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “We are excited to welcome the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers as a partner for one of the greatest community events in the City of Detroit,” said Mark Weber, president of Detroit Riverfront Events, Inc., the host and planning organization for Spirit of Detroit HydroFest. “To have them on board the same year we make history in the sport by presenting two races in two days and giving the fans more action than they have ever seen before makes it even more exciting.”

The APBA Gold Cup is among the most prestigious of motorsport trophies, in part because it is the oldest active trophy in all of the motorsports. The trophy was first awarded in 1904. In comparison, the first Indianapolis 500 race was held in 1911, and its Borg-Warner trophy was first awarded in 1936. For ticket information, visit the HydroFest Detroit website http://www.detroitboatraces.com/ or call 313-329-8047. Paul Kemiel photo

“The Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers value events that make Detroit so rich in sports traditions. We certainly did not want to see a legacy event like HydroFest cancelled,” said Paul Stanford, President of the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Local Marketing Association. “Our dealers really came together to make the investment required to take on the role of title sponsor, and we are happy to play a part in bringing families and fans back to the Detroit Riverfront for summer memories that last a lifetime.” The updated format this year will feature two sets of preliminary heats on Aug. 26 with a winner-take-all final for the President's Cup, followed by three sets of preliminary heats on Aug. 27 with a winner-take-all final for the Gold Cup. “That gives us 12 sets of Unlimited Hydroplane heat races, with more action for racegoers,” Weber added. Hydroplane racing became a tradition in Detroit when designer Christopher Columbus Smith, of the Chris-Craft boat company, built a Detroit-based boat that could crack the 60 MPH speed barrier, capturing the Gold Cup in 1915. As the speeds grew, so did the crowds, and hydroplane racing became a major Detroit event. Through the decades, Detroit boat builders, drivers, fans and 5

BACK TO THE FUTURE BSOA 75th Anniversary Banquet BY TOM KARGUS Veteran racers and their families came out in full force to honor Badger State Outboard Association (BSOA) by attending a very special 75th Anniversary Banquet on March 18th. It was a capacity crowd. BSOA is known for the many National Championship events it has hosted in Wakefield, Michigan. Previous to the Wakefield events, the club hosted the Stock Outboard National Championships in Beloit WI in 1960 and 1970. BSOA was going to host the Stock Outboard Nationals at Beloit again in 1980 until last-minute problems arose. Norm Schaub had spotted Sunday Lake in Wakefield the winter before while snow skiing with his family, and thought it would be a great place to host a national championship. He pursued hosting the Stock Nationals in Wakefield and secured the site in a very short time. Norm was right—there have been 14 Stock Outboard events in Wakefield, including that first event in 1980. Many times the event also included the Modified Outboard Nationals. Norm was in attendance at the Anniversary, and received a standing ovation in thanks for this and all that he has done for BSOA, Region 7 and all of outboard racing. One of the highlights of the event was the memorabilia room. All attending were asked to bring any racing memorabilia they wanted to share. The room was packed full of vintage trophies, pictures, videos, and many other articles from the past. There were racing rosters, photos and newspaper clippings dating back to the 1940s when the boats were “Utilities” and the “hydro” was in its infancy. Back then the one-minute gun was actually a round shot from a cannon. On display were great photos of racing legends with awards named for them, including Gerry Waldman,Hank Menzies, Steve Warnock and Dick Engler. A favorite was the 1963 BSOA racing roster from the Ron Thomas collection. This area was indeed a hotbed for outboard motorboat racing. Everyone enjoyed a glimpse of our boat racing past. Celebrities attending the 75th Anniversary Banquet included Charlie Strang and Edgar Rose. Both have been instrumental in the development, progress 6

and sustainability of outboard racing for many decades. Both were also involved in the design and development of one of the all-time favorite outboard racing motors, the 20H (with the exhaust known as the toilet bowl). The 20H, or “B” class, was a very popular class to race and watch from the 1950s through the mid-1980s. Charlie’s mother Ann Strang was also very involved in APBA for many years, and wrote many great articles for Propeller. She reported on racing from local Region 7 regattas to UIM events all around the world. Another celebrity in attendance was Bob Wartinger. Bob has more outboard speed records than anyone on the planet. They include the current world outboard speed record of 176.555 MPH which he set November 30th, 1989. Bob and his world record are listed in the Guinness World Records. Another APBA icon planned to attend, but unfortunately passed away on March 6th, just prior to the event. Many paid tribute to Fred Miller, who has done so much for the sport of boat racing. Fred’s son Gordy and daughter Stacy attended, with Stacy bringing the memorabilia board that Fred had started in preparation for the event. Fred Miller, the “King of boat racing,” will be missed by many. Racers from many generations were present. Three-generation families in attendance included the Hansens, Pavlicks, Snyders, Schmitzers, Stippichs and the Berghauers—which include the Procknow, Kargus and Allen families. The top name at this event was Jess. Cooper Jess received an award for his achievement of 50 years of racing. He has won a national championship in most of these decades. Cooper has helped so many in our sport through the years, and is a true boat racing icon. Club awards honoring racers from the past were given out by MCs Dee Berghauer and Davey Hemp. The first was the Menzies Award for the club member who amasses the most points in all Stock Outboard classes. This year the Menzies Award was presented by the family of the late Henry Menzies, who died while racing at the Stock Outboard Nationals in New York in 1978. Hank’s son Brian and daughter Kirsten presented the Menzies Award to this

year’s winner, Brandon Ortlieb. What a great year to win this prestigious award! congratulations to Brandon. The very special Steve Warnock Award was presented by Steve’s wife Darlene, daughter Rachel and son Mike. (The Warnock family is spread from the East Coast to the West Coast but made a point of being part of this historic event.) The award goes to the club member who dedicates themselves tirelessly for the sole benefit of the club. This year’s Steve Warnock Award was presented to a surprised Pat Gorchals. Next was the Gerald Waldman Award for the most points in a single Stock Outboard class. It went to 3rd generation driver Michele Snyder. She is the first female driver to win this award. Grandfather Reed and father Del have won many races and awards, and it’s clear Michele is on her way to a great racing career. The Dick Engler award was given out for the most points in the Modified Category. This year’s recipient was Jeff Scheffler. A huge thank you is extended to George Young, who designed and ordered the Marine Racing Club (MRC) High Point Awards and also donated numerous hand-painted works of art for the BSOA 75th Anniversary Banquet. George’s hard work and dedication to the sport of boat racing are greatly appreciated. This was a wonderful event, and a great time was had by all. There was a huge group that stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, with many still reminiscing after 5:00 AM. For many it started up again the next morning at breakfast and lasted until early afternoon on Sunday. This very special banquet would not have been possible without the hard work of Dee Berghauer, Debbie Burdick, Chip Trampe and their significant others; John and Nancy Hoffmann; and the rest of the team. All attending agree it was a huge success, and an event that will be remembered for years to come. Thank you all for attending.

At left, Debbie Burdick and Nancy Hoffmann at the welcome desk, a couple of exhibits in the memorabilia room; and Lee Sutter and Don Allen. Above (from top), more memorabilia; a happy crowd; vintage Mercury engines; race poster; an emotional moment for Fred Miller’s family Gordie, Stacy and Kyra; and Dee Berghauer and John Hoffmann with autographed banners from the 75th Anniversary.

BALLOT RESULTS FOR 2017 OPC, MODIFIED AND STOCK OUTBOARD Additions/changes in bold; deletions in red. You can read complete ballot language, reasons for changes, etc. at www.apba.org, along with the updated 2017 rulebooks. OPC- Rule 20 Classes/5. Altered Classes / F1/ 11, Pg. 19 - proposal was DISAPPROVED, 4 TO 2. MODIFIED OUTBOARD: Proposals 1 and 2 effective 30 days from publication. PROPOSAL 1 - PASSED 25 TO 2: Racing Rule 16 Classes and Motor Eligibility #3 Motors Permitted Mark 30-H, Mark 30, Yamato 102, Wizard WA25, Yamato 302F and Yamato 321 (must meet current 102 restrictions and 302 and 321 specifications) PROPOSAL 2 - PASSED 24 TO 3: Tech Manual – Page 48 Current Rule: 102 302F Rope Pulley Weight 415 315 Grams Min. 360 315 Grams Min. PROPOSAL 3 - PASSED 11 TO 0: Racing Rule 17 Hulls C. #1 (Effective Nov. 1, 2017): 750cc Mod Runabout MIN. WEIGHT 450 475 lbs (to be frozen through October 31, 2020) STOCK OUTBOARD: All rules below were debated and passed by a majority vote of the Stock Outboard Racing Commission. Ballot results below. All are effective 30 days after approval. PROPOSAL 1 - PASSED 114 TO 3 - Racing Rule 16 Administration #1 1. Racing shall be conducted under the supervision of a Stock Outboard Racing Commission (SORC). The decisions of the SORC shall be final in all matters pertaining to the administration and interpretation of the rules for these classes. This Commission shall serve as an appeal board for owners, drivers, Referees, Inspectors and Race Committee. The SORC shall consist of at least one member from each region of APBA with at least 30 Stock Outboard members. One of the SORC’s duties shall be the enhancement of membership and the promotion of the growth of Stock Outboard racing. The SORC shall have the power to determine that specific motors may be eliminated or approved for use in other classes with restrictions. Any action under this paragraph shall be made at the Association’s annual meeting. Any rule in conflict with this paragraph shall be automatically repealed. In case the SORC by majority vote requests a manufacturer or manufacturers of boats or engines to develop and produce special equipment, this request and the manufacturer’s guaranteed availability for shipment date must be submitted to the racing membership on the next regular rules ballot. After approval by the racing membership, the manufacturer or manufacturers shall be granted a period of two years during which the class shall not be abolished nor shall the class rules affecting the manufacturer be changed without written consent by the manufacturer. This two year period will start with the date of the completion of the ballot count. If the manufacturer should be unable or unwilling to ship up to 50 engines against bona fide orders on or before the guaranteed availability for shipment date, the ballot will be null and void. PROPOSAL 2 - PASSED 114 TO 5: Racing Rule 16 Administration #3 3. NEW ENGINE APPROVAL; The procedure for approval of engines to be used in existing classes is as follows: A. At any time, a party in interest may submit to the SORC a petition for approval of a new engine for use in an existing class. The same shall be considered submitted upon receipt by the chairman of the petition and a twenty five dollar ($25) filing fee (the fee to be deposited in the Stock Outboard promotional fund). (B. through C. remain as is.) D. Upon receipt of the petition for approval, the Chairman shall submit the same to the SORC or a committee thereof for consideration within ten (10) days. The SORC shall thereafter consider the petition. PROPOSAL 3 - PASSED 112 TO 6: Racing Rule 16 Administration #4 4. NEW CLASS APPROVAL; The procedure for establishing a new class within the Stock Outboard Category shall be as follows. A. At any time, a party in interest may submit to the SORC a petition for approval of a new class. The same shall be considered submitted upon receipt by the Stock Outboard Chair of the petition and a twenty five dollar ($25) filing fee (the fee to be deposited in the Stock Outboard promotional fund). (B. through D. remain as is.) E. If an engine is proposed to be utilized in this new class which is not currently utilized within the Stock Outboard Category, then a petition for approval of a new engine must be filed with the SORC contemporaneously with the filing of the petition for approval of a new class. All requirements for the filing of this petition under paragraph two (d) above shall also be met; however, in this case, the new engine petition filing fee shall be waived. Etc… PROPOSAL 4 - PASSED 113 TO 5: Racing Rule 16 Administration #8 8. The Stock Outboard Technical Committee shall recommend engine specifications, clarifications, or replacement parts to the SORC. The SORC shall have authority for approval of engine changes and specifications. Changes will be in effect on the first day of the month following publication in Propeller

Magazine. Motor specifications and related items shall be frozen for the period of a racing year, effective November 1. At the written request of the manufacturer, the technical committee and the SORC may approve a replacement part. Replacement parts with specification changes will not be approved for racing between May 1 and September 1 November 1 for the respective racing year. A. The SORC has established will have a Competition Committee for each of the classes listed below. The members of the Competition Committees shall be appointed by the SO Chairman and their term shall end on October 31st following their appointment. All decisions with regard to the technical rules for these classes shall be made by the Competition Committee for the respective class and shall require approval of the SORC for implementation. Any rule change approved by a SO competition committee shall become effective thirty (30) days following publication in Propeller Magazine or on the APBA website. B. The SORC has established the following standing competition committees: i. D class competition committee ii. A class competition committee iii. 20SSH class competition committee iv. B class competition committee v. 25 class competition committee PROPOSAL 5 - PASSED 110 TO 9 Racing Rule 18 Championships #1.A.i Remove the entire Regionals event from our rules. One Regional Championship in each Region, open to any APBA driver for points, trophies and prizes, but only to regional drivers for placing. PROPOSAL 6 - PASSED 101 TO 16 Racing Rule 20 Awards #5 Rookie of the Year Award - goes to the new driver earning the most points in any one class selected by the SORC for the accomplishments in their first season. A new driver will be defined as one who has never before participated in a APBA race with a full racing membership and who started his or her full membership racing career in the year in which the award is achieved. The rookie drivers will be judged and the winner selected based on the following criteria: 1. The rookie’s accomplishments and points earned on the race course. 2. The rookie’s contributions to the sport off of the race course. 3. The rookie’s sportsmanship throughout the race season. 4. Recommendations from the rookie’s fellow racers and officials. All new drivers will be verified by the chairman and distributed to the SORC after the end of the season for review and reference checks. The SORC will deliberate and select one winner based on the criteria above and the majority of the votes counted. The winner will be announced by December 15th. The award will be a custom embroidered jacket and be presented at the APBA Outboard Awards Banquet held at the APBA National Meeting. PROPOSAL 7 PASSED 115 TO 4 Racing Rule 18 Championships #2.A i and iii i. The contest shall consist of two (2) races heats to be run on successive days. The winner in each class shall be determined on the basis of total points scored in the two heats. iii. Each race heat shall be not less than 30 miles or 30 minutes at the discretion of the Race Committee. PROPOSAL 8 - PASSED 108 TO 10 Racing Rule 19 Classic Division Action: Remove the entire rule PROPOSAL 9 PASSED 115 TO 3 Racing Rule 5 Courses #3 The driver of a boat which damages or dislodges a buoy, and causes damage which requires racedelaying attention by the race committee shall be disqualified for that heat. PROPOSAL 10 - PASSED 114 TO 5 Racing Rule 18 Courses #1.A.iii & v iii. One Summer National Championship, one Eastern Winter National Championship and one Western Winter National Championship open only to APBA members. v. The SORC shall be empowered to award a winter national championship two championships to be held prior to May 1st anytime between November 1 up to and including the third weekend in May. There will be an Eastern winter national championship for the NE, SE, and Central divisions and a Western winter national championship for the West division. A winter national championship and double points will only be awarded if there are eight (8) bona fide starters in either heat of the finals and the winner is from one of the selected geographical divisions. The only qualified driver will be the defending East or West winter national champion. Qualifying will be run on a race basis for which national race points will be given. Bids for this race must be submitted prior to the Annual Meeting.

RACE CALENDAR REGION 1 5/20-21 6/10-11 7/8-9 8/27 9/23-24

REGION 7

Annual Standish, ME Icebreaker Regatta Milton, NH Three Ponds COA Annual Thompson, CT Regatta Fall River, MA Grand Prix 10th Annual Kingston, NH Fall Classic

PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes PRO, Stock, Junior Classes PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes Offshore PRO, Stock, Junior Classes

REGION 2 9/15-17 Crystal Lake Regatta, Redwood, NY

MOD, Stock, Junior Classes

REGION 3 5/21 Point Pleasant Beach, NJ Grand Prix Offshore 6/3-4 Stock Outboard NE Divisionals, Whitney Point, NY MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 6/17-18 Thunder in The Mountains, West Milford , NJ Special Events, Inboard 6/23-25 Berwick, PA Area Regatta MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 9/2-4 Labor Day Lock Haven, PA Regatta PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 9/9-10 The Mary Ann and Daniel J. Murphy, Jr. Memorial Regatta Mays Landing, NJ Inboard 9/16 New Jersey State Championships, Roxbury, NJ Inboard 9/24 Lake Hopatcong, NJ Grand Prix Offshore 10/14-15 Fall Millville, NJ Regatta MOD, Stock, Junior Classes

REGION 4 5/6-7 5/13-14 6/17-18 7/22-23 7/29-30 9/1-3 9/10

Flying Point Outboard Regatta, Edgewood, MD PRO, MOD, Stock, J Cambridge MD Classic Powerboat Race Inboard New Martinsville WV Vintage Regatta Special Events POWERBOAT NATIONALS Grand Prix of West Virginia, Huntington, WV OPC SMBC Summer Regatta, Leonardtown, MD Special Events Wheeling WV Vintage Raceboat Regatta Special Events Ocean City MD Grand Prix Offshore

REGION 5 5/20-21 Stuart, FL Sailfish Regatta - 6th Anniversary Inboard, OPC 5/20 6th Annual St. Cloud/Kissimmee FL Grand Prix of the Seas Offshore 6/3 4th Annual Jacksonville FL Grand Prix of the Seas Offshore 6/17-18 St. Pete Beach, FL Grand Prix of the Seas Offshore 6/19-25 Lucas Oil Ocean Cup, Key West, FL Offshore 7/1-2 33rd Annual Sarasota, FL Powerboat Grand Prix Offshore 8/19-20 Islamorada, FL Grand Prix of the Seas Offshore 10/7-8 Fall Jesup, GA - Lake Lindsay Grace PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 11/17-19 Tavares FL Fall Thunder Regatta Special Events 11/18-19 Englewood FL Beach Waterfest Offshore

REGION 6 5/27-28 John Read Memorial Regatta, Franklin, PA PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 6/7-11 Solar Splash, Springfield, OH - Clark County Fairgrounds Lake Special Events 6/10-11 Maple City Grand Prix, La Porte, IN - Stone Lake OPC 6/17-18 Joe Whetstone Regatta, Constantine , MI MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 6/23-25 MOD/PRO Nationals/J Classes NAC, Constantine , MI PRO, MOD, Junior Classes 7/15-16 67th Annual PNC ROAR ON THE RIVER Trenton , MI Stock, OPC 7/24-30 Stock & J Outboard Nationals, Grass Lake, MI Stock, Junior Classes 7/30 St Clair, MI River Classic Offshore 8/12-13 Top O Michigan Marathon Nationals, Indian River, MI Stock, Thundercat, J 8/26-27 Dayton, OH Record Runs Regatta MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 9/9-10 Indian Lake, Russells Pt, OH e Inboard 9/9-10 Wild Ones Regatta, Grass Lake, MI Stock, Junior Classes 9/16-17 Mecosta County Regatta, Big Rapids, MI Stock, Junior Classes

REGION 6 9/30-10/1 RegattaFest, Duffy, OH - Ohio River

Inboard, OPC, Junior Classes

5/20-21 Powerboat Days, Bloomfield, WI - Pell Lake PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 6/3-4 7th Annual Harry Brinkman Memorial Regatta, Huntington , IN - Lake Clare PRO, MOD, Stock, Thundercat, Junior Classes 6/16-18 Thunder on the Cumberland, Nashville, TN - Cumberland River OPC 6/17-18 Whiskey City Regatta, Lawrenceburg, IN - Ohio River OPC 7/8-9 Rock Falls, IL River Chase MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 9/1-3 Evansville, IN HydroFest Inboard 9/16-17 Thunder on the Rock, Beloit, WI - Rock River MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 9/23-24 Madison, IN Vintage Thunder Special Events

REGION 8 6/3 Lake Race, Lake Ozark, MO 6/10-11 Ron Baker Sr. Regatta, Forest Lake, MN 7/21-22 Hastings MN River Town Days

Offshore OPC OPC

REGION 10

5/4 Vintage Test, Lakewood, WA - American Lake Special Events 5/6-7 Mount St. Helens Regatta, Castle Rock, WA PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 5/6 WARP Burley, ID - WARP Sprint Track Special Events 5/19-21 Race the Joe, St. Maries, ID Special Events 5/20-21 Soap Lake, WA Regatta Special Events, Inboard, IE, OPC, Junior Classes 5/20-21 Armed Forces Regatta, Bremerton , WA PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 5/26-29 Boatnik 2017, Grants Pass, OR - Rogue River Special Events 5/27-28 Newberg OR Memorial Weekend Boat Racesr PRO, MOD, Stock, OPC, J 6/3 Silver Lake Regatta, Everett, WA Special Events, PRO, MOD, Stock, J 6/3 WARP Burley, ID - WARP sprint track Special Events 6/9-11 Richland WA Regatta Special Events, Inboard 6/17-18 Cullaby Lake Regatta - Western Stock/ J Divisionals PRO, MOD, Stock, J 6/25 Rooster Crow Regatta, Rogue River, OR Special Events 7/2 Lower Rogue Outboard Challenge, Gold Beach, OR Special Events 7/8-9 Little Creek Casino Summer Spectacular, Olympia, WA Special Events, Inboard, Inboard Endurance, MOD, OPC, Junior Classes 7/15 WARP Burley, ID - WARP sprint track Special Events 8/4-6 Albert Lee Cup at Seafair, Seattle, WA Special Events, Inboard, Unlimited 8/5 WARP Burley, ID - WARP sprint track Special Events 8/19-20 Hydros for Heroes II, Oak Harbor, WA Special Events, Inboard, IE, OPC 9/4 Labor Day Regatta, Grants Pass, OR - Rogue River Special Events 9/9-10 Yappachino Memorial Regatta, Spanaway, WA Special Events, Inboard, OPC 9/9-10 Frank Hansen Memorial Regatta, SeaTac, WA PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 9/23-24 Rockey Stone Memorial Kilos, Lincoln City , OR Special Events, Inboard, Inboard Endurance, PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes

REGION 11 5/14 Hoopa CA Hydro Heritage - Trinity River Special Events 6/10-11 A Nice Summer Race, Copperopolis, CA PRO, MOD, Stock, OPC 6/11 Newt Grant Memorial, Willow Creek, CA - Trinity River Special Events 7/16 Klamath CA Regatta Special Events 9/2-3 Redding CA Outboard Racers Group Labor Day Regatta Inboard, PRO, MOD, Stock, OPC, Junior Classes 9/30-10/1 Lake Minden Bonus Points Regatta, Nicolaus, CA Inboard, PRO, MOD, Stock, OPC, Junior Classes 10/28-29 Bob & Stevie West Regatta, Lathrop, CA Inboard, PRO, MOD, Stock, OPC, J

REGION 14 6/3

Knoxville TN Powerboat Classic

OPC

REGION 15 5/6-7

Port Neches TX Riverfest

OPC, Junior Classes

OPA / APBA OFFSHORE GOES INTERNATIONAL FOR 2017 BY CHRIS REINDL

The 2016 racing season ended with a 53-boat championship fleet in Englewood, and 107 entries. That will be tough to beat in 2017, but that is exactly what OPA Offshore has continued to do every year. The fresh season starts April 28-29 at Resorts World Bimini in OPA’s first race outside the US. “It’s going to be a blast,” said Jason Saris, who has been working all off-season for teams RUFSTER, Repeat Offender, Smith Brothers Racing, Perdition, and Boom Shakalaka to get them ready for the upcoming season. “This is our first time working with OPA, and I hope it produces results for all of us,” added Roger Berkon of the Bahamas Ocean Sports Authority. Following the Bimini race, here is the full OPA Racing Schedule. May 19-21 POINT PLEASANT BEACH GRAND PRIX Point Pleasant, NJ June 2-4 (Saturday Race) LAKE RACE Lake Ozark, Missouri July 28-30 SAINT CLAIR RIVER CLASSIC St. Clair, Michigan August 25-27 FALL RIVER GRAND PRIX Fall River, Massachusetts September 8-10 OCEAN CITY GRAND PRIX Ocean City, Maryland September 22-24 LAKE HOPATCONG GRAND PRIX Lake Hopatcong, NJ November 16-19 OPA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (2 RACES) ENGLEWOOD BEACH WATERFEST Englewood, Florida Offshore’s Racing Family Hosting Championships in Lake Hopatong, NJ: Many consider OPA their extended family. Teams stay up all night just to help their competitors. The Mullers are a true racing family. Jay Muller, who races in Class 7’s Wicked Racing with his oldest son Jason (against his other sons Chase and Jax in the Chug It 22-ft. Velocity) will again produce the Lake Hopatcong Grand Prix. After the Class 7 battle, Jay and Chase step into their Class 4 Cobra. One of OPA’s premier throttlemen also raced the fan favorite Bat Boat to backto-back titles, and throttled Team CRC to a World title in the Extreme Class. He also works hard to draw in the entire town. From the fun run on Friday to the addition of local Pontoon Teams, this event is for the whole family. OPA’s version of Martinsville, the short course with many tight twists and turns, is considered by many racers to be the season’s most challenging. “Our family,

the whole town, and the racers are excited to be hosting the Championships here. The course should make for some tight racing as usual,” Jay said. Racers can’t wait for the September 22-24th OPA Championships. New Year, New Teams: Lots of new teams are coming out this year. Bull on the Beach has a new Skater, being rigged at Smitty’s Marine with 525s. It will be ready by the Ocean City race. RUFSTER (pronounced “Are You Faster”) has a beautiful new powder blue and orange 388 Skater, being rigged at Saris Racing Engines. The team will add their Skater to the Superboat Y2K in Class 5 to form the 2-boat team. “The Cat is being rigged with 700s and is our first 4-person canopy-built race boat,” added Peter Hledin, founder of Douglas Marine. David McNulty is fielding a new Super Vee Light team, DMP Motorsports, which is racing to support America’s Vet Dogs, www.VetDogs.org. David will be throttling and I will be driving. As well as leasing the batboats, I will also be driving for Repeat Offender team owner/throttleman Dave Raabe, in his 35’ Fountain Lightning Class 3 entry against powerhouses Wazzup Racing and Strictly Business. Jay Wohltman and Kyle Miller will be joining the Super Vee Light Class and are putting in the time needed to move to the top of the class. “We are looking forward to a great year. Brit and his guys down at Lilly Sport Boats put a ton of work in down there this off-season.” said Jay, who also fields a Class 5 and a Class 6 boat. Grinch Racing in Class 5 and Boom Shakalaka in Class 6 will both be back after sitting out last year. Note: Chris Reindl has been building, racing and leasing offshore race boats since the late 1990s. His race boat leasing program and corporate team building events have introduced thousands of people to the world of offshore powerboat racing. He has throttled for 6 World Championship teams with 6 different drivers. Reindl Powerboat’s Ultimate Boat Racing Experience will have race boats available for lease at all the OPA races. For more information on leasing boats or for a corporate event, visit www.reindlpowerboats.com or call Chris at 702-228-2628. Above: The Bat Boat with Chris Reindl driving and Jeannette Allred throttling, and REPEAT OFFENDER with Lee Baker driving and Dave Raabe on the throttles. Photo by Robert Scott Miller of Real Fast Fotography

Get ready! The P1 Superstock fleet will hit five Florida venues in 2017. Powerboat P1 photo

P1 SUPERSTOCK USA

New Title Sponsor for 2017 Season The seventh season of P1 SuperStock racing in the United States will see the five-venue championship launch with a new title sponsor and engine supplier. The one-design race series has concluded a sponsorship deal with Floridabased Spectre Powerboats that will see the fleet of P1 Panther race boats compete in the Spectre P1 SuperStock USA Championship this summer. In another new partnership for the 2017 season and beyond, the P1 SuperStock boats will switch to the Mercury Racing 300XS Optimax engine. “The P1 series has created a huge following through its TV programming and great race events over the last six years‚“ says Chris Ivey, owner and president of Spectre Powerboats, “and we are excited to partner with them for the 2017 championship. It’s an awesome opportunity for us to promote the best-looking boats in the market at the best powerboat events in the USA.” Ivey, a former endurance sportscar racer, will use selected P1 events to showcase the company’s new 32-foot catamaran powered by twin Mercury Racing Verado 400R engines.

“I’m very excited to be racing the Spectre P1 boat and to have Kate alongside me as navigator‚“ commented Wilson. “With the new Mercury engine, it’s like driving a brand new boat and I can’t wait to get the season underway.” P1 will make its sixth visit to Kissimmee for the opening round on May 20 before moving on to Jacksonville and St. Pete Beach in June. The 33rd Annual Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival will host Round 4 at the beginning of July. The P1 SuperStock series will make its first visit to the beautiful Florida Keys when Islamorada, some 90 minutes south of Miami, will be the superb venue for the season finale in August. 2017 Powerboat P1 Race Calendar Kissimmee: May 20 Jacksonville: June 3 St. Pete Beach: June 17-18 Sarasota: July 1-2 Islamorada: August 19-20

Spectre Powerboats will also sponsor a team this season, with the hugely experienced Craig Wilson and his younger sister in the cockpit.

“This Is GOD Speaking...”

UNFORGETTABLE FRED Memories of Fred Miller pop up spontaneously. They are random and abrupt—like his passing. Damn, Fred, how can you be gone? Fact: people we care about and rely on leave us. Still, we expect certain people, like Fred, to be around forever. It’s not just because of his stellar APBA career. Since he started racing in 1955, he served as race director, commissioner, class promoter, Hall of Champions creator and go-to guy. Working on the Hall of Champions, Fred was an organized, patient, relentless advocate for the racers. It was never about him. He wanted the champions to get their moment of glory. All of that earned him an Honor Squadron induction and the Charles Strang Award. It’s also because of who he was that Fred will be so missed. He treated people with honesty, respect and compassion. When John Broge was injured at Trenton, Fred was there for him. When Dan Schwartz was hurt in Kankakee and had a long hospital stay, Fred visited Dan and his wife Jean regularly. As Fred’s wife Merry entered the final stages of cancer, he was right by her side; he said, “We’re more in love than we’ve ever been.” Many of us are grateful to have had time with him in Los Angeles in January. He was concerned about Merry’s decline, but faced it with typical resolve. He was looking forward to the Badger State Outboard Association 75th Anniversary. As it happened, Merry outlived Fred, and the BSOA celebration went on without Fred’s inimitable presence. Fred got things done, and his energy and good cheer never failed. So we remember the unforgettable Fred Miller in the best way we can—carry on the work; quit complaining; get ’er done. RYAN BERLIN: While I didn’t know him long, I felt I knew him well. I considered him a friend. From the moment I got to the APBA, Fred Miller went out of his way to make me feel welcome: driving me from pit to pit in Trenton introducing me to everybody, teaching me the ins and outs of his baby, the Hall of Champions. I spent a lot of time talking to, and learning from, Fred. I looked forward to his phone calls. I enjoyed hearing about his racing career. His incredible stories made me wish I’d known him in his younger days. I couldn’t believe it was the same guy. I took great pride in working on the Hall of Champions, because I wanted to do a good job—not just for the inductees, but especially for Fred. I wanted to make his creation the best it could be for him. At the 40th

annual Hall of Champions—the last under Fred’s direction—we wanted to surprise him with a video tribute. All went according to plan until I walked away to set something up, and Fred took it upon himself to check in with the video engineer to make sure everything was in order. He saw his tribute on the docket, and ruined his own surprise. I guess we should have known better than to try to sneak something by Fred. When I got engaged, Fred jokingly said I couldn’t get married without his approval. When my now-wife Adrienne arrived for the Category Awards Banquet, I introduced her to Fred. He gave her a once-over, spun her around, and shook his head approvingly with a giant smile on his face as we all shared a laugh. One of the last articles I got to write for Propeller was about Fred receiving the Charles Strang Ultimate Service Award for his lifetime commitment to the APBA. After the article was published and I had already left the APBA, Fred called. He thanked me for the write-up, but also for what we had done together at the APBA and with the Hall of Champions. Fred Miller was a class act all the way, and was one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure to know. APBA has lost a true icon in the sport of boat racing. His wealth of knowledge and larger-than-life personality can never be replaced. Fred Miller will truly be missed. Race in peace, friend. BILL FAUNTLEROY: At the 1972 APBA Annual Meeting in North Hollywood, Cal., Fred Miller told me the “knee jockey” racers needed a jacket that would protect the lower back. After the meetings were over, he came to the LIFELINE shop to explain what he wanted. I said, “You want a jacket that looks like a penguin.” He said yes. So I built a jacket with a long tail, and five layers of ballistic material. I shipped it off to him. He said, “Don’t make any changes,” and asked us to make more, in various sizes. So, kneeldown racers, you can thank Fred Miller for your “penguin” jacket. FRED HAUENSTEIN, JR.: After recovering from the shock of Fred Miller’s sudden death, I have been thinking of the great and small things he did in a lifetime of participating in and promoting powerboat racing. It is difficult to narrow this down, since Fred did so many remarkable things. I have known, or known of, Fred from my earliest days in APBA. I became closely associated with him in the 1980s. Of note was the incident in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where we called a Council Meeting of the APBA.

performance guarantee deposit with the UIM; he was the MerCub class coordinator; he worked hard to put kids in Mouseboats; and so much more. I feel that Fred was the best advocate for APBA boat racing that has ever lived. GARY ROMBERG: Fred and Merry would show up whenever anyone needed help. They used to take in young racers who needed a place to stay. Fred also loaned propellers, boats and engines, sweet-talked reluctant parents, and did whatever he could to get racers on the water. Fred’s F Troop was a major force at races nationwide. Merry was one of the best scorers in the country, and Fred often ran five classes a day. As a race director, Fred had no problem telling people what to do. To try to bring more young people into the Trenton Outboard Racing Club, Fred started an offshoot, Half-Fast Racing, which also caught on. A few joined both F Troop and Half-Fast Racing. Memorial donations can be made to JourneyCare https://journeycare.org/journeycarefoundation/memorial-giving/ which has given Merry excellent hospice care; and/or Trenton Roar on the River http://trentonroarontheriver.com/. Fred and Merry’s daughter Stacy Iwanicki wrote, “Roar on the River is the boat race in Trenton, Michigan, that Dad ran for over 50 years. We will hold a memorial for him on Saturday, July 15th at the race. It will be one helluva party. Please mark your calendar.” At left, Fred and Merry celebrate their 53rd anniversary. Stacy Iwanicki photo Above, Fred with granddaughter Kyra at Rising Sun, Indiana in 2016. Paul Kemiel photo

Fred made a motion, which I seconded. The motion passed. However, a judge differed with our position and nullified the motion. He sent us both “across the street”—his euphemism for the county jail—where we spent several hours. (There was a spontaneous “Free Fred” demonstration...) Contrasting with that unfortunate incident was the beautiful dinner party at Lake Geneva that Fred organized this past winter to honor Mark Schmerbauch’s World Championship. Mark won the title at the Trenton, Michigan races that Fred has conducted for decades. For all his bluster, Fred was a very thoughtful, sentimental guy. It was a

Race in peace, Fred Miller.

great time, spent trading memories and laughs. One of the best things Fred did was to get young racers started. One day in 1985, Fred showed up at our home with a complete J Hydro outfit, telling us it was time for our oldest son, Dan, to get started. This happened many times, as Fred loaned racing outfits to young drivers and supported their entry into boat racing. I don’t know how many racers started this way, but Fred did launch the Hauensteins’ third generation into SO racing. There are other stories: I did not throw a bread roll at him in Monaco; he proposed the $100,000 F-1

DONATE TO THE MEMORIAL J SCHOLARSHIP FUND You may honor Fred Miller’s memory and help a college-bound Junior Class driver. The annual Junior scholarships are now the Hank Runne Scholarship and the Fred Miller Scholarship. Send a check made out to the APBA Historical Society to APBA, attn: Linda Likert 17640 E. Nine Mile Road Eastpointe MI 48021-2563 Your gift is tax-deductible.

43-R Tim Mattson: “Being the first driver of the day was an honor I will brag about forever.” Gleason Racing Photography

Patrick Gleason in his 19-R B Utility. He said, “At this point in my career, I look at it as my Annual Boat Ride. ‘There we have it! Season 46 is in the books!’ Only four more to go...” Gleason Racing Photography

Aaron Salmon in Mike Jones’s 16-R. Mark Sharley photo

J Hydro driver Jack Peterson. Gleason Racing Photography

56-R Dave Anderson. Mark Sharley photo

Speedin’ on the Sammamish Slough

4TH ANNUAL KENMORE CUP FROM SEATTLE OUTBOARD ASSOCIATION

Seattle Outboard Association would like to thank Race Directors Jan Shaw and Ana Cappelletti for putting on the 4th Annual Kenmore Hydroplane Cup on Saturday, April 8th. This exhibition race celebrates the history of local boat racing—specifically, a renowned hydroplane race down the Sammamish Slough that began in 1938 and ended in 1976. There were two courses—Lake Washington/Kenmore Air Harbor, and Sammamish Slough. The Slough course was about a mile each way (3/4 mile for J Classes), with round trip times measured. The Lake Washington course for Vintage and 45SS was also about one mile. Boats ran one at a time. The water conditions on the Sammamish Slough were perfect and the outboards were able to run. Unfortunately, conditions on Lake Washington did not allow the Vintage boats to run, so the pits were opened for a static boat display. The officials and helpers who made it happen were Race Director Jan Shaw, Referee/ Risk Manager W. Howard Shaw, Assistant Referee Matt Yarno, Inspector Dave Anderson, Scorer Janet Kelson, Assistant Risk Manager David Salmon, Vintage Rep James Olson, Vintage Inspector Jerry Kelson, Doug Brow, Matt Yarno, David and Carla Salmon, Dave Anderson, Jim Olsen, Jerry Kelson, Region 10 Rescue, along with the various kicker boat operators throughout the day this event wouldn’t be possible. We would also like to thank everyone who helped with setup and teardown. Over the past four years we have had some great sponsors, and the list continues to grow each year. This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of: City of Kenmore Seattle Water Sports 192 Brewing Company Plywood Supply North Lake Marina Kenmore Air Pierre’s Dock Woodshed Embroidery Jet City Printing Parker Henry Glass Olson’s Hydros C&M Trophy RJ Masonry Inc. Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum Tranquility Home Care Compton Lumber

Here are the results: Open Class 1) Aaron Salmon, Shoreline, WA - 3:33.70 2) Daren Goehring, Marysville, WA - 3:52.63 3) Dave Anderson, Kenmore, WA - 3:38.79 4) Kyle Lewis, Seattle, WA - 4:10.31 Glen Boersema, Snohomish, WA - time not taken J Micheal Kelly, Bonney Lake, WA - time not taken JW Myers, Kenmore, WA - time not taken 2 Cylinder 1) Bob Wartinger, Seattle, WA - 3:49.06 2) Tim Mattson, Seattle, WA - 4:08.30 3) Pat Gleason, Tacoma, WA - 4:57.05 4) Gary Hansen, Federal Way, WA - 6:03.51 J Hydro 1) Jack Peterson, Seattle, WA - 1:21.69 2) Fynn Peterson, Seattle, WA -1:21.96 43-R Daren Goehring. Julie Sparrowgrove photo

Kyle Lewis driving Rapid Robert Waite’s R-96 vintage D Hydro.

Thunder ’n Lightnin’ in the Clear!

TAVARES SPRING THUNDER PHOTOS BY F. PEIRCE WILLIAMS Clear weather, great water, great attendance = Great Fun in Tavares. As Bill John always promises, we enjoyed sunshine, warm weather and calm waters once again March 18-19. Thanks, Bill! Classic Raceboat Association (CRA) did it again in Central Florida, as over 50 Vintage and Historic racing hulls churned the water in front of record crowds. The APBA Region 5 Safety Crew kept participants safe all weekend, with no incidents or mishaps to report. A couple of boats had to be towed to shore, but engines can be fixed. Outboards remain the most rapidly growing group, as another salvo of crowd favorites and restored hulls rocketed to Turn 1. Those Damn Outboards (TDO) are really working to grow their category.

happen; and they deserve a big thank you! Tavares Spring Thunder continues to be the MUST-DO Vintage event as the boating season comes back to life. Mark your calendars now for the fall Regatta, November 17-19.

Jack Schaefer had the U-36 MISS US wound up faster than ever.

Speaking of noise, Bill Edwards’ 135 Chrysler creates even more than the 7 Litres. Not to be outdone, two heats of mid-hydros broke the calm, followed by the firebreathing 7 Litres and GPs. Topping off each series of heats were exhibitions by three Switzer Wings and the Unlimited, Miss US. Jack Schaefer had her wound up faster than she ever ran, even to the extent of peeling off some ply. Always a reunion, it was refreshing to see new JSS participants boiling the water with the old-timers! Of special note, Canadian Ted Boyd was awarded the Daniel J. Murphy Award for his continued passion and support to this sport. Gerri Prusko was awarded the “President’s Award” for her longtime support and the heavy lifting she does annually for the event. As we all know, it takes an army of volunteers to make any regatta

Mark Cravens in the H-202 and Dave Richardson in his GP-200.

Bill Edwards 1937 pushing to stay ahead of Dale Littlejohn 15 and Rainer Blair in the E&T tunnel.

At right, Forrest and Susan (Sooy) Elkins with the E-78 “Double Eagle II” (a 1994 replica of the 1957 Sooy 280 class cabover hydroplane). Beale Tilton driving FG63 and Jon Edwards in Bill Edwards’ #578 Melvin.

Tom Pakradooni’s JS-7 ROLLING THUNDER swept the rough water for first place.

79TH ORANGE CUP REGATTA Wind, Waves and Winners in Lakeland PHOTOS BY F. PEIRCE WILLIAMS The weekend of March 4-5 started sunny. It was also windy; 25 MPH gusts whipped up whitecaps on Lake Hollingsworth. Race Director Gene Engle and Referee David Shaw wisely delayed the start, but eventually boats got out on the water and raced. Experienced drivers were unfazed. Tom Pakradooni cleaned up both days in a healthy field of Jersey Skiffs. They don’t care about no stinkin’ wind... Y-boats competed but were plagued by start issues. In 2.5 Litre Stock, Doug Martin’s S-33 swept the field, while Jim Clauss (SE29) and Robert Jones (SE-57) swapped wins over the weekend. Dylan Runne is stepping up to the S class and we look forward to seeing what he does in the class (maybe in better conditions next time). The 79th Annual Orange Cup added another chapter to a long and fabulous history. L-R: J driver Grant Liddycoat, Serena Durr, and Emily Hutchinson.

SATURDAY MARCH 4: 2.5 LTR STOCK 33 DOUG MARTIN 92 ALFRED THOMPSON 80 GENE DEFALCO 52 RICHARD HEARN 34 DYLAN RUNNE 17 D KEITH FICKERT JERSEY SPEED SKIFF 7 TOM PAKRADOONI 100 PATRICK DENDER 9 ROBERT G PRESLEY JR 721 COURTNEY STEWART 22 JAY HARDY 777 MATT SANTOMENNA 99 DAVID B GREENLAW 712 MIKE BUTURLA 10 JIMMIE STEWART SE 57 ROBERT JONES 29 JIM CLAUSS 99 TOM RICHMOND 13 PATRICK HUGHES 127 KATELYN SHAW SST 120 JEFF RENO JOHN LUDWIG MARK E WELCH FREDERICK DURR TYLER WELCH TOM LUDWIG

SUNDAY MARCH 5: 2.5 LTR STOCK 33 DOUG MARTIN 92 ALFRED THOMPSON 52 RICHARD HEARN 17 D KEITH FICKERT 34 DYLAN RUNNE 80 GENE DEFALCO

1/1 2/2 5/3 DNF/4 4/DNS DNS/DNS

1/1 100 2/2 95 3/3 90 3/4 85 1/DNS 100 2/DNS 95 4/DNF 85 DNF/DNF 40 DNF/DNS 40

JERSEY SPEED SKIFF 7 TOM PAKRADOONI 10 JIMMIE STEWART 9 ROBERT G PRESLEY JR 721 COURTNEY STEWART 777 MATT SANTOMENNA 100 PATRICK DENDER 712 MIKE BUTURLA 22 JAY HARDY 99 DAVID B GREENLAW

1/1 100 2/2 95 4/3 90 5/4 85 DNF/DNS 40 3/DNF 90 DNS/DNS DNS/DNS DNS/DNS

1 100 2 95 3 90 1/4 85 DNF/DNS 40

SE 29 JIM CLAUSS 57 ROBERT JONES 99 TOM RICHMOND 13 PATRICK HUGHES 127 KATELYN SHAW

1/1 2/2 3/3 4/4 DNS/DNS

100 95 90 85

1 2 3 4 5 6

400 300 225 169 127 95

1/1 3/2 7/4 4/5 5/DNS 6/6

1 2 3 4 5 6

100 95 85 80 80 75

400 300 225 169 127 95

SST 120 JOHN LUDWIG FRED DURR JEFF RENO MARK WELCH TYLER WELCH TOM LUDWIG

100 95 90 85 85

Above, the real live Orange Cup; right, SE driver Parks Jones.

S-boats race for the first turn. Doug Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s S-33 cleaned up.

FROM HERE TO THERE Creating Sponsor Benefits—Part One BY JEAN MACKAY SCHWARTZ AND SHERRON WINER

“What are we selling sponsors?” is a question that is not difficult to answer. You are selling your event and you are selling the event experience beyond the attending audience. Start by thinking of sponsorship as a business proposition. What do you have to sell? What do you own or control that has value to a business or service? Are there corporations that could benefit by being aligned with a community event? Are you incorporated as a non-profit organization?

part is easy. What you are providing is space for signs: displays booths and banners. You do not need to provide the actual items—that is the sponsor’s responsibility. As you develop your proposal indicate the size of the space you are providing. For example: 10 ft. x 10 ft. area on event grounds or space on event fencing for a banner up to 6 feet in length. An example of added value for a sponsor would be: space surrounding the officiating tent and entrance to event grounds since these areas have greater visibility. You can also sell the naming rights to: individual classes specific championships specific days and race items (such as officiating tent trophies) and of course naming rights to the event (title sponsorship).

Maximize your sponsorship acquisition efforts by matching what a client needs with what event benefits you can offer. In general a potential sponsor is looking for access to a target market and to connect with Benefits also include exposure through the Internet: event website them in a meaningful way as Facebook Twitter SnapChat well as having a range of Banners=great visibility. Instagram and YouTube. tangible benefits that can be Abby Pond photos used to add value to existing Develop low-cost benefits by consumers. Sponsors are adding a program scorecards always working to improve pre-race flyers and posters their presence with an audience. By providing a unique experience for potential customers you offer a different approach for sponsors to reach their targets. DEFINING YOUR AUDIENCE Defining your audience is crucial to selling your event. Remember your reach is not just the people who will attend. Think in broader terms. Think of the people experiencing the event peripherally via social media pre-event advertising and promotion/publicity venue/event signage and media coverage.

Do you know the gender balance and the age groups that might be interested in the event? Can you access other racing demographics? Your proposals will need to include basic event demographics potential audience reach and an event schedule; these areas help to define your audience. Now look at this group through the eyes of the sponsor. Your marketing objective is to get people to your event but your sponsor’s objective is to effectively connect with and add value to as many of their target audiences as possible.

with space for logos. Allow sponsors coupon and free product distribution. Consider offering bounce-back promotions between event and sponsor as well as cross-promotion.

BENEFIT IDENTIFICATION

BENEFIT INVENTORY

Identify available sponsor benefits like event “real estate” which is space on the grounds for signs displays booths banners and naming rights. You own your event even if you do not own the property; so the real estate

A generic inventory of benefits will get you started. Keep adding fine-tune the specifics and subtracting what will not work until your list reflects what your race can provide for a sponsor. The bullet points that follow are

a starting point for creating your list; use it as a guideline. You may not be able to provide some items and some may not be valuable for your event but the generic inventory gives you a menu of benefits for your proposals. Some items will have more value and some benefits have an associated cost (that we will explore in another article) but they are critical when developing your benefit inventory.

web site via your event web site Facebook page and other social media sites • Access to media releases personalized media announcements and access to photos • Added value: access to VIP parking VIP viewing area VIP hospitality prime access to preferred display areas and sign/banner locations

• Sponsorship type: title presenting section (class championship or day) official products major supporting contributor

• Access to exclusive opportunities (crew for a day – requires age limit)

• Dedicated space on event grounds for displays signs banners demonstrations concessions coupon or information distribution

• Media Conference invitation with exclusive/personal release covering sponsorship and sign/banner

• On line content and visibility including sponsor profile and link to sponsor

• Inclusion in event marketing

• Logo/brand identity on signs posters pre-event flyers

• Advertising in event program and/or scorecard • Pre-event coupon opportunities • Charity/Non-profit involvement Benefits vary with the size and scope of the race and should be considered when developing your individual proposals and pricing levels (more on this subject later). Be prepared to over-deliver and never over-promise. In the next issue we will explore benefits from low cost to expensive that can add value to your proposal and if managed properly will not drain your event budget. It’s our continuing effort to get you from HERE to THERE. Specific questions? Contact Jean Mackay Schwartz (jean84c@earthlink.net) or Sherron Winer (winer.sherron@gmail.com)

CATEGORY CORNER Fynn Peterson of Seattle, Washington driving J Hydro at Sammamish Slough. Gleason Racing Photography

JUNIOR CLASSES

BY PATRICK GLEASON, JUNIOR CLASSES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN SPEC CHANGE: Shortly after the National Meeting, it was called to the attention of the J Committee that there was a manufacturing variation in the adapter plate that fits between the gearcase and the towerhousing of the Merc 15 J-AX engine. We learned that there may be some engines in the field that may not have met the spec for thickness on this adapter plate, which had a plus tolerance but no minus tolerance. Given that the Committee felt this to be a non-speed issue, and we did not want to have anyone potentially disqualified if they had an engine whose plate did not meet this spec, we have added a minus tolerance to the thickness of this plate. The new thickness spec on the gearcase-to-tower adapter plate is now is 0.50+0.010/-0.025 and the inspection manual has been updated to reflect this change. A big thanks to Jeff Williams for catching this one.

PARTS AVAILABILITY: At some point over the last season there was some discussion that Brown Tool, the vendor that produces the adapter kit for the Mercury 15 fishing engine to convert it to a racing engine, was only selling this conversion kit as a whole. Individual parts could not be purchased outside of the complete kit. APBA has contacted Brown Tool on this matter, and they have assured us that individual parts can indeed be purchased from them. So, if you do need some parts and not the entire conversion kit, you should be able to obtain these from Brown Tool. Their phone number is (609) 397-1751 or you can find them on the web at http://btmco.com. 4“CHECK” IT OUT: With racing season upon us, now is a good time to make sure all your racing equipment—including boat motor and driver safety equipment—is all in good shape, fits properly, and is ready to go for the season.

Steering cables in good order and not frayed? 4Check! Throttle cable not bent and throttle spring working OK? 4Check! Those holes in the boat that were covered with duct tape at the end of last season now properly repaired with wood, varnished and painted? 4Check! Fresh set of spark plugs in the engine? 4Check! Numbers on your boat legible and intact? 4Check! Fresh clean foam padding in the cockpit? 4Check! Safety gear: Does it still fit? Not torn? Helmet shield clean and not scratched? 4Check! Kill switch lanyard still there, and does the kill switch work? 4Check! I’m sure there’s a lot more we all can think of...but make sure all those little details are taken care of as you prepare for this season. Have fun and stay safe!

MODIFIED OUTBOARD BY TOM SUTHERLAND, MODIFIED OUTBOARD CHAIRMAN As mentioned in the last issue of Propeller, the New Class Committee gave their blessing for a new 125cc Runabout and Hydro class. The engine for these classes will be a 125cc water-cooled Go Kart engine manufactured as a PRD Fireball. This is a proven engine, raced worldwide. Howard Pickerell has spent a considerable amount of time and money adapting this engine to an outboard down housing and gearfoot. Two of these motors were on display this past summer in the inspection area at the Hinton Nationals. It is a single cylinder engine capable of running at up to 16000 RPM. Craig Dewald has been working with Howard on propellers, with the best results so far having been with 11:17 gears.

Howard Pickerell is selling these engines under the name of P-Tec at a discounted price. He also has an adapter plate to mount it on a Rossi Hot Rod Mercury or OMC towerhousing. This engine is equipped with an electric start and a battery. There are also many other dealers that sell these engines. By Googling PRD or PRD Fireball, you can buy one of these engines and/or parts from your phone. The current plan this year is to get a motor set up and running, and expose it to as many people as possible. Our goal is to have it at races such as Franklin, PA; Lock Haven, PA; and Constantine and Grass Lake, MI to build up interest and to find out just how fast and dependable it will be.

Here’s an event to put on your calendar: 2017 MOD/PRO NATIONALS Constantine, Michigan Wednesday June 21 - Sunday June 25 J & AX North American Championships on Sunday Sponsored by River Country Tourism of Southwest Michigan, West Side Beer Distributing and R&R Trailers Visit https://ioa.regfox.com/2017-modified-andpro-national-championship

500cc Mod Runabout competition at Jesup, Georgia April 1-2. Mark O’Brien (182F) deck to deck with Herb Lanphear driving the 8-F. DC Photos

SPRING JESUP (GEORGIA) RESULTS – APRIL 1-2, 2017 unofficial; courtesy of Howie Nichols DAY 1 ASR Becky Nichols Pete Nichols Dave Bennett Kelsey Bennett Charlie Blackwood CSR Greg Fabbro RC Hawie Herb Lanphear Mark O’Brien Tom Fernandez CSH Dan Parker Herb Lanphear Eric Thomas Tom Fernandez 20SSH Carson Fabbro Jamie Jablonski

Kristy Shank Herb Lanphear 300SSH Carson Fabbro Dave Deck Jack Deck JR Alden Merrill JH Sam Tennell Alden Merrill TJ Long AXR TJ Long Becky Nichols Fisher Dyle Kelsey Bennett Emily Hutchinson AXH Fisher Dyle Sam Tennell

Noah Romberg TJ Long 500CCMR Mark O’Brien Herb Lanphear Charlie Blackwood DAY 2 ASR Becky Nichols Dave Bennett Pete Nichols Kelsey Bennett CSR Herb Lanphear RC Hawie Greg Fabbro Tom Fernandez CSH Dan Parker Eric Thomas Tom Fernandez

20SSH Carson Fabbro Herb Lanphear Jamie Jablonski 25SSR Tom Nuccio Charlie Blackwood Greg Fabbror 300SSH Carson Fabbro Dave Deck Jack Deck JR Alden Merrill JH Sam Tennell Alden Merrill TJ Long AXR Becky Nichols Kelsey Bennett

Fisher Dyle TJ Long AXH TJ Long Fisher Dyle Sam Tennell 500CCMR Herb Lanphear Charlie Blackwood DAY 3 ASR Dave Bennett Pete Nichols Becky Nichols Kelsey Bennett CSR RC Hawie Greg Fabbro Herb Lanphear Tom Fernandez Mark O’Brien

CSH Dan Parker Tied: Herb Lanphear, Eric Thomas 4th: Tom Fernandez 20SSH Carson Fabbro Jamie Jablonski Herb Lanphear 25SSR Tom Nuccio Charlie Blackwood Greg Fabbro Chris Fabbro 300SSH Carson Fabbro Dave Deck Jack Deck Jamie Jablonski JR Alden Merrill

Sam Tennell JH Sam Tennell Alden Merrill AXR Kelsey Bennett Becky Nichols Fisher Dyle TJ Long Emily Hutchinson AXH Noah Romberg Sam Tennell Fisher Dyle TJ Long 500CCMR Mark O’Brien Charlie Blackwood Herb Lanphear

Andrew and Mark Tate at the 2016 Detroit race. Paul Kemiel photo

H1 UNLIMITED

BY DOUG BERNSTEIN, H1 UNLIMITED CHAIRMAN College basketball has hit its most interesting time of year, and as I write this, H1 is going through its own “March Madness.” The owners, drivers, officials, race site representatives and sponsors continue to look at ways to make hydroplane racing more engaging to a wider range of people and to broaden our appeal. We have frequent discussions about starting procedures, race formats, telemetry, future possible race sites, potential sponsors, social media, alternative power plants, rule changes, and various other topics—all with an eye on allowing the sport to evolve further and flourish. Our goal is to promote our brand, build new relationships, and create top-of-mind awareness. Understanding trends is significant, as they reflect consumer behavior and get us thinking of new and exciting ideas. We need to transition from reacting to trends, to becoming trendsetters. It’s important to learn from trends, but 24

one of the great achievements is to set them. I realize that this is an ambitious goal, but with input from our various stakeholders including (and especially) the fans, we’ll be able to succeed. The Board of Directors, which includes Charlie Grooms, Shannon Raney, Mike Jones, Mike Denslow and Bob Davies, continues to work on the formulation of a realistic strategic/business plan, which will accurately reflect our vision for the future and ensure the sustainability and growth of Unlimited hydroplane racing. If you have ideas, please don’t hesitate to share. The first step in reaching the goal is very attainable: making sure everyone is having fun. The rest will ultimately fall into place.

OUTBOARD PERFORMANCE CRAFT BY JAMES CHAMBERS, OUTBOARD PERFORMANCE CRAFT CHAIRMAN The OPC Commission met in Los Angeles, California during the APBA Annual Meeting. Sherron Winer served as Secretary for the meetings and, on request, copies of the minutes can be obtained from Sherron or me. In their committee reports, both Chief Referee Dee Berghauer and Chief Inspector Ken Scoville noted the reduction in approved officials. There were nine active referees (none were new) and currently there are six approved inspectors for both series and local events. The Commission approved six rule changes for 2017. Only one rule change went to class ballot of the active GT-1 drivers, and it did not pass. These rules take effect 30 days after publication: 1. New OPC Safety Rule 15: No crew member may be on a boat while it is in the water under power, unless an emergency requires assistance. Failure to comply with this rule will result in the driver earning two yellow cards. 2. Revised OPC Safety Rule 9, Reinforced Cockpits, Sub-par. E: All competitors driving, and all passengers in an approved reinforced cockpit boat, shall be required to utilize a restraint system consisting of a minimum 5-point mounting design. The restraint system shall consist of not less than two lap, two shoulder, and two crotch straps hooked together in a central release system. This release mechanism must remain released/ open once it is activated and until it is reset. All belts shall be at least two (2) inches wide, entirely constructed of polyester material, SFI 16.1 certified and either replaced or recertified within three years after the date of manufacture as indicated on the SFI tag. The conformance label is a punch-out patch. One patch shall be sewn onto the left strap of the lap belt assembly, one onto the left strap of the shoulder harness assembly, and one onto the anti-submarine strap. The patch must have a manufacturer’s build date with the month and year of manufacture punched

out and easily identified or an expiration date. Belts with a manufacturer’s expiration date must be replaced upon the manufacturer’s expiration date. Belt systems must be mounted following manufacturer’s recommendations (see illustrations at end of OPC rule book). A list of manufacturers whose belts meet these criteria can be found on www.apba.org. 3. Rule 3, General Rules, Subpar. 6: No substitution of drivers will be allowed after the race begins or between heats, except for events longer than one (1) hour. 4. Rule 3 General Rules, new paragraph #17 FLAGS: All signal flags shall be a minimum of two feet by two feet. Flag colors/signals are used to designate specific time or to give instructions to contestants. BLACK: Course is closed return to pits; do not leave pits. RED: Indicates a stoppage of the event; stop racing and await further instructions. The discharge of red or orange smoke/aerial flares in conjunction with RED FLAGS is advised. WHITE: Time between one-minute signal and start; Leader has started last lap.

* Please note: OPC Commission added the entire flag rule from the APBA General Racing Rules (as printed prior to 2017) to the OPC Rule Book. The OPC red flag rule is more restrictive than the 2017 APBA General Racing flag rule. 5. Rule 20 Classes, Paragraph 7 - Sportsman Class Sub-par. C, VP 75 Technical Standards: Delete sub-par 5 and replace with: Engines must be stock production and mass marketed class E (49.99 cu. in. max. total piston displacement). An overbore of up to .040 is allowed. 6. Rule 20 Classes, Paragraph 7 - Sportsman Class, Sub-par D, Super Sport Motor Standards: Add new paragraphs 6 and 7. 6) Low water pickups and nose cones allowed. 7) Open/Venting exhaust by removing interior exhaust baffle and vent above the antiventilation plate. Please refer to the updated 2017 OPC Rules on www.apba.org for all rule changes. We all look forward to a safe and successful 2017 racing season. Thanks for your interest and participation.

GREEN: Time between five-minute and oneminute signal; while Race is underway except last lap. Race course is open. YELLOW- CAUTION: Problems on race course continue with caution and HOLD POSITION. BLUE/WHITE- CAUTION: Problems on race course; continue with caution. BLUE/YELLOW- CAUTION: Problems on race course; continue with caution. CHECKERED: FINISH.

INBOARD

BY JAMES SECHLER, INBOARD CHAIRMAN Happy Spring! The season has started; we already have a few races under our belts and a few more are coming up soon. As I write this, we have already had the Orange Cup and Havasu Landing regatta,s while the Run for the Records in Yelm and the Driving School/testing session in Dayton are in April; and finally the Cambridge Soap Lake and Stuart Sailfish regattas are coming up in May. That’s a lot of racing early in the season—a relatively new phenomenon for the Inboard Category, as we typically start slow then have races nearly every weekend during the summer months. As our race season schedule changes, I think as a group we need to be aware of this and adapt to the new schedule. I have spoken to several Class Reps, and they tell me that it has been very difficult to get feedback from their class members regarding what their plans are for this year. They are also saying that many of the racers aren’t ready yet. I know we are all busy with our lives and boat racing is just one of the many items on our list of things that take up our time. However, with the down-trend in the number of races during the season, it makes participation in the ones still on the schedule more important than ever. As the saying goes, if you wait until you are ready to race, there may no longer be anywhere to race! All the clubs and people work really hard to put on these events—let’s try to support them the best we can. I did have the opportunity to attend the Orange Cup Regatta last month in Lakeland, Florida; and I have to say, this committee does a great job of putting on an event. If you haven’t had the chance to go to this race, you should put it on your schedule for next year. It’s one of the fastest 1-mile courses in the country—and for all the racers who live in the great white North, it’s great to

go somewhere warm! The boat count was okay, but I know we will do better next year. One exception to this was the Jersey Skiffs. I think they had nine or ten Skiffs, and they were a lot of fun to watch battling hard for the win. In the end it was that cagey veteran Tom Pakradooni showing the rest of the class how it’s done, with four first place finishes. Way to go, Pak! The 2.5 Stocks also had a great show, with Doug Martin keeping the boat together for four straight heats and scoring a perfect weekend. Good job, Doug! As the season picks up steam, I look forward to all the upcoming races and hope to find some time to attend a few. There are a lot of new race sites that I can’t wait to see. I heard great things about the Richland, Washington race last year and I would love to go to it. I’m also looking forward to the Evansville race this Labor Day weekend. It sounds like they are pulling out all the stops in order to put on a first-class event. I’m sure Randy and his team will put on a great Eastern Divisional and North American Championship event. Finally, the Referee, Scorers, and Inspectors tests are all available online. Please consider helping all our race committees by taking these tests. In the past I have heard people saying that they took these tests, but were never asked to help. Keep in mind that everyone who forms a committee to put on a race is a volunteer, and they all have a lot of things going on all at the same time. Trying to keep track of everything can be a difficult task; so you may want to call them and let them know you are available to help out in any way you can. I look forward to seeing you all at the races. All the best in racing!

S-17 Doug Martin, S-33 “Keen’s Sunday Money,” and Al Thompson, S-1 “Tenacity.” F. Peirce Williams photo

Eric Thomas in the 96Z and Herb Lanphear in the 1F race C Stock Hydro at Jesup, Georgia April 1-2. DC Photos

STOCK OUTBOARD BY JEFF BREWSTER, STOCK OUTBOARD CHAIRMAN Finally, spring is here! Such a blessing to feel the warmer temperatures, hear the happy birds chirping in the morning and...smell the race fuel in the air! All the winter garage work comes to an end, and now the time has come to see if those “wild ideas” create more speed or were just a silly pipe dream. With early races popping up all over the nation much like my wife’s daffodils, we quickly get to see who has done the most work with new boats and new paint jobs. By the time our Winter Nationals are over on both coasts, we will know not only who is looking good, but who is the fastest.

As of right now, it is a wide open three-way tie for the Hall of Champions. Who will it be this year to take the stage? It’s always a joy to see who rises to the top—will it be you? The rules of the game are all laid out for you on the last page of our racing rules. If you decide to go for it, good luck!

for our sport—and most importantly, for Stock Outboard—we would be so much more better off. Rest in peace, my friend. It would be impossible for us to ever forget you. Thank you for your devotion to our sport and the many wonderful memories.

As we begin the new season, it is hard to imagine heading into it without Fred Miller. Only two months ago we sat together in Los Angeles, and now he is gone. Amazingly, he was just as excited about the sport at that time as he was in my first memories of him from my childhood. If any of us could come close to how much he has done

SST 120 action at the Orange Cup: Tyler Welch #59, Mark Welch #95 and Tom Ludwig #81. F. Peirce Williams photo

REGION ROUNDUP

REGION 5 The APBA Annual Meeting has come and gone... I know the category commissioners were kept busy, and the updated Rule Books are available on the APBA website. I am sure that many of you use your smartphones and/ or iPads to access all this when you need it. Jeff and I are of the “old generation,” so I need a printed version. Office Depot loves me when I bring in my jump drive, because I order a copy of all the category rules, as well as APBA Bylaws General Safety and General Racing Rules. I score at two events, in Lakeland and Stuart, Florida. However, in just those two events Stock, Junior Classes, OPC, and Inboard are represented—so I print them ALL. Thank you, APBA Headquarters, for making everything readable legible and available to all of us. The Insurance Seminar is always a “must attend” during the Annual Meeting; and this year’s discussion included updates/changes in the completion of the Minor Release form. One big difference is that there is a different Minor Waiver used for events in Florida. If you are the person ordering supplies for your event to be sanctioned in Florida, and/or you are responsible for completing any Minor Waivers for event registration and/or pit access, go to the APBA website. Under Featured News read the NOTIFICATION AS RESPECTS THE OFFSITE MINOR RELEASE WAIVER AUTHORIZATION. If you are registering a minor for an event and/or on-site pit access, be sure you understand the required authorization process...as ONLY parents or legal guardians can sign the waiver for a minor. Now that brings me to the summer in Florida! It’s going to be fun down here. New this year is the Gulfport

Grand Prix at the end of April in Boca Ciega Bay, Florida. Bill Joel has worked hard to make this a success. Then May 19-21 will be the running of the 5th Annual Stuart Sailfish Regatta. OPC will be represented by the SST 120 class, and seven Inboard classes are on the schedule as well. And, never forget, the Grand Prix big boats will be back! For lots more information, go to the Sailfish website, www.stuartsailfishregatta.com . The Orange Cup Regatta had lots of sunshine and warm weather—and lots of wind. There were over 90 entries in Stock/J/OPC and Inboard. Wow! However, on Friday morning the wind started blowing, and did not stop until the following Wednesday. As a result, the OPC and Inboard classes were run both Saturday and Sunday, but no Stocks or Js could race. I really hate it when weather messes with the weekend, but we all know that can and will happen. Last year the weather was perfect; two records were broken and we enjoyed two days of great racing. This year the races were exciting, but I guess we will have to wait until next year to go after those records! Jeff Titus is the Region 5 Chairman. He received a sanction approval notice from APBA HQ the other day: The Lucas Oil Ocean Cup. The title alone is exciting. This is an Offshore Endurance World Record attempt—Key West to Cuba, Cuba to Key West, and then repeat the round trip. Key West to Cuba is 100 miles, so the roundtrip is 200 miles. All will be run in the Straits of Florida. The run is scheduled to begin on June 17, with attempts scheduled daily thru June 24th. The event’s conducting club is Powerboat P1 USA. I can’t wait to hear more about this event. I was in high school when Castro took

over Cuba, and access to the beautiful island just south of us was closed down. It’s nice to see Cuba opening up again. Jeff and I plan to take a cruise ship that leaves from Tampa, Florida and visits the smaller ports of Cuba. Maybe this new event would be a different way... just kidding. Each year, Gerri Prusko and Bill John put on two Vintage events in Region 5—in November and March. We never miss either one! The work that Gerri and Bill put into these events shows in the huge turnout of Vintage entries in Inboard and OPC equipment. The on-water action starts at 9 AM and runs until 5 PM each day. It is quite a trip down Memory Lane to see some of the OPC equipment that was being raced when I first met Jeff (and we have been married 53 years) and to see the Inboard boats we watched run at the Miami Marine Stadium in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. No wonder this category is growing each year! Until next time, thanks for listening... —Sally Titus REGION 6

Fred Miller’s passing leaves a big hole in the APBA family of Region 6. A guy leading the charge and working behind the scenes for APBA boat racing, Fred also exemplified the competitor and champion on the water, and mentor to countless rookies trying to find their way around the liquid oval (turn left, Sonny—no, your other left!). His mark is left on APBA forever, and it is a good one. Godspeed, Fred Miller!

The Spring 2017 APBA Region 6 Meeting took place Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Holiday Inn French Quarter in Perrysburg, Ohio. Attendees participated in committee and category meetings, discussing news from the recent APBA National Meeting in Los Angeles, rule changes and racing plans for the 2017 racing season. A highlight of the meeting was the annual Region 6 Awards presentations on Friday evening. They had a new look this year; rather than sitting down for a formal banquet and awards ceremonies, attendees mingled from about 5:30 to 7:00 PM at a relaxed informal poolside reception in the hotel atrium, nibbling on finger foods and sipping beverages from the cash bar. At 7:00 all retired to simultaneous (inboard and outboard) awards gatherings. Champions and honorees garnered their hardware to the applause of all present. Attendees praised this new informal reception, noting more socializing and more kids in attendance (probably 100% more young ’uns) and appreciating the lower cost. All of this arose from a suggestion by Tracy Trolian; the host hotel and our contact Denise worked out logistics, and generous sponsors provided the backing which lowered the personal cost: Kathy and Royce Richards, MHRA (Michigan Hydroplane Racing Association), Marine Prop Riders, Johnston Racing, Region 6 Inboard, Box 21 and CE Engineering LLC. Without these backers this reception could not have happened. Looks like we have a blueprint for next year! Now to attempt to summarize business conducted over this weekend. Outboard: Stock, MOD, and PRO categories in Region 6 will make 2017 a National Championship year. The Mod and PRO Nationals are at Constantine, Michigan (June); Stock Outboard and Junior Nationals are at Grass Lake, Michigan (July); and the Marathon Nationals are at Indian River, Michigan (August). It's a championship summer for sure! More racing will be occurring at the usual locations during the rest of the summer—Constantine and Grass Lake a second time each, plus Big Rapids, Hillsdale, Franklin, and Kittanning, with drivers schools featured at two of these events. We missed Jeff and Mary

Williams this meeting, although they were not AWOL—they were doing double duty: promoting outboard racing in general and the Three Rivers Club’s Kittanning, Pa. race for a second consecutive year following a 20-year absence! Tom Johnston led a group checking out cooling hole do’s and don’t’s on an outboard motor lower unit Saturday morning in the Tech Seminar area. Thundercat aficionados (Jeff Howie and others) discussed getting more race dates by cooperating with the various racing clubs. OPC’s Barry Wolf presided over discussions of the new air system General Safety Rule and driver restraint SFI tags. Tom Sutherland plotted with his fellow MODs for a good racing season. Tracy Trolian gathered the Stock clan to plan another successful Grass Lake Nationals. Conversations with President Mark Wheeler about the PRO/MOD Nationals at Constantine indicate a big field of race teams is expected. Ideas abounded regarding where to put everyone, where to inspect, how to accommodate trailers and tow vehicles, and who keeps an eye on Joe Pater when he sets the course! Officiating Committee: Discussions centered around some rule changes from the National Meeting. We are relaxing requirements on the race committee, race director, and referee/risk manager regarding course layout inspection and outer course markers. New General Safety Rules for air systems consolidate individual category rules together in one spot (easy to find) and standardize air hose quick disconnect coupler orientation (female on the air supply side, male on the driver mask). Driver restraint tags and certification expiration dates have changed. Scorers are being certified for two years rather than one year (pass the test for 2016, good for 2017, next test 2018). Howie Nichols, author and grader, presented the referee/risk management test; and several persons even decided to fill it out and submit it! We still have not given up on a voluntary drivers' personal medical information card (allergies, medicines taken, family physician, etc.) at races. Jeff Brewster also brought up the question of rescue boat equipment, as the quality of equipment varies. Specifically, he said that the front/rear ramp rescue

boats are superior to the side ramp models, and opined that maybe a standard should be set. Club Committee: The various clubs reported plans for 2017 racing and other activities. A couple of clubs cited difficulty getting water to have a race (finding suitably sized sites and convincing local decision makers to allow racing). Meanwhile, others face rising costs for infrastructure and fees. More clubs need to keep their APBA membership up to date, too, to gain credibility for themselves as part of a national group with real support and procedures—not just another local fly-by-night committee. Inboard: Sandwiched around the Saturday evening reception and awards, Inboarders led by Region 6 Inboard Chairman Barry Pray met to share news, conduct business and communicate racing plans. News: Mario Maraldo was absent, as Kathleen Maraldo mends from a broken leg and knee; get well, Kathy! Business: besides the usual reports, a by-law change which had been proposed and initially approved from the Fall 2016 meeting was discussed and approved by attendees, with subsequent final approval of the APBA BOD. A second item of business was discussion of a proposal by Don Melillo for Region 6 Inboard to support financially the elected Region 6 Inboard Race Commissioner’s trip to the APBA Annual Meeting. Members approved paying a stipend for the Region 6 elected IRC member to attend the APBA Annual Meeting, beginning in 2018. Racing: A new race was first announced at the Fall meeting. Tony Stalder offered additional details about racing on Indian Lake (Ohio) Sept. 9-10, 2017. Saturday will be confined to non-point hot lap sessions, due to the Inboard Nationals being conducted that day in Spanaway, Washington. Sunday will be regular racing for points and awards. Situating the race in the southwest corner of the lake offers nice water, sufficient depths, somewhat sheltered good pit area, and great viewing for an expected large crowd of enthusiastic spectators. Along with the 29

race boats is a large antique pleasure boat festival, so on-water power is the name of the game that weekend!

equipment, which our treasury surely enjoys. Those funds keep the trailer rolling, the buoys present, the flags waving, and Steve Spisak busy!

Keeping good race news going, Tim Collins announced a partnership with Jim Sechler to take hold of the reins for Quake on the Lake, as Mary Ann Wilson is taking a well-earned break from all that work. Much speculation had been floating as to the fate of the Quake, and this announcement breaks through the biggest question mark. MidJuly 2017 is the target date—watch for news!

Some of our Region 6 racers travelled to Lakeland, Florida to partake of Orange Cup festivities in early March. Gotta note the success of two unheralded Region 6 racers in the Y class (no, not the usual Collins, Ritz, Alexis Weber, Fickert, etc.). Unexpected winners Saturday and Sunday respectively were Scott Melowic in his Y-40, and one of the region’s eldest racers—Bob Newman driving for Bob Weaver in the Lobster Boat (Y-563)! Tim Collin’s Shenanigans with J. Michael Kelly up did take a heat on Sunday, so they were not shut out. CONGRATS! Still a great place to race and visit; we like Lakeland!

This is not a Region 6 Inboard race, but Evansville, Indiana plans are gathering steam. This Labor Day weekend (Friday-Sunday, Sept. 1-3) regatta is growing. The race committee has contracted with Region 6 Inboard and Box 21 to provide the necessary equipment and rescue team to conduct the racing. Specifics regarding classes to run, etc., are up in the air yet but there were hints regarding an Eastern Divisional application floating around. Jack Meyer assured us there is pit room for plenty of boats. All present agree that supporting this new race is in our best racing interest. These days, some constancy of purpose is to be welcomed. With that, Dayton Testing and APBA Inboard School is on target for April 29-30 at Eastwood Lake (aka Hydrobowl!). Permitting is on schedule; pit arrangement, crane placement, tow vehicle access, and so on are already done. The only fly in the ointment is a possible park fee increase. Steve Spisak and the River Rats have not been informed as to the amount, which has not affected entry fees. As always, there is plenty of time to test and share water with student drivers; outboarders are welcome also! Detroit: August 25-27: Unlimited, GPs, and Formula tunnel boats. Watch for news! New sponsor partners coming! Celina, Walled Lake: no news. Celina would use a date of August 19-20. Vintage: Madison plans a vintage regatta in probably mid-September. Ron Snyder is our contact. As last year, plans are being made by their race committee to rent our Region 6 Inboard

To round off the news, take note that SOLAR SPLASH: the Intercollegiate Champonship of Electric/Solar Boat Racing is slated for June 7-11 (Wednesday through Sunday) at the brand new Clark County Fairgrounds liquid oval adjacent to the fairgrounds in Springfield, Ohio. This is the first boat racing event for the site, touted by Chris Fairchild at the Los Angeles Annual Meeting, although the Solar Splash has been held previously at the HydroBowl in Dayton Ohio. While the speeds are rather moderate, the competition showcases inventive developments and teamwork of college student engineers and scientists as they compete for the prestigious awards. Be there! —Eli Whitney REGION 10

Spring is finally arriving to Region 10, and that means racing will be starting soon. Tacoma Inboard Racing Association Commodore Ana Cappelletti gives us an update on everything that’s going on with TIRA: “As the season is quickly approaching, Tacoma Inboard is working diligently on both the Western Divisionals at Pateros and the Nationals at Spanaway. It takes a village to put on a race and we thank all of our volunteers in any facet. Whether you work on the race committee, or offer your time to help in any other way, we greatly appreciate it. These races don’t take place

without your effort time and commitment...so thank you! Let’s have a great season. Continue to work on those boats to put on the best show for the towns that allow us to come and race on their waters. See you all soon!” Ana is also Secretary of Seattle Outboard Association and provides us with the latest news from SOA: “ WOW... Can you believe in less than three weeks from this writing, boats will be arriving to the 4th Annual Seattle Water Sports Kenmore Hydroplane Cup presented by 192 Brewery? This is a great event that Jan Shaw has been working hard on this year. Everyone is looking forward to a great time with all who are attending and participating. Not only outboards will be speeding up the slough, but also the Inboard, Vintage and 45s will be doing exhibition runs over at Northlake Marina. And, on Friday at the 192 Brewery, boats will be on display and we can gather to celebrate the beginning of the 2017 season, this event, and the community of Kenmore for their continuous support. “Just a few weeks after Kenmore, we will be heading to Castle Rock for the Stock Winter Nationals on May 6th and 7th. The beautiful scenery and the smell of the engines in the air should set the tone for the weekend. Kyle Bahl and Dave Anderson have been doing a great job on this event, making it the best that it can be! I think everyone is ready for some great deck-todeck racing and the sun shining down on us! “SOA would like to thank all the people who have tirelessly worked on the new rescue boat for the club. It is beautiful, and will be a great asset to the club and the rescue personnel. “We would also like to wish the best to all our Region 10 racers that will be travelling to the Kilos in Oroville CA. Be safe, all...but make sure to drive fast and drive straight!” Following SOA’s Kenmore Cup, the first official Region 10 race will be the Spring Lawrence Lake Record race held on the big 1-2/3 mile track in Yelm. Jim Codling tells us everything that’s going

on with Seattle Outboard Racing Association, the host club for the opener, plus news from Seattle Drag and Ski: “Aaron Stevens is racing to get his Soap Lake event all lined up for the little town east of the mountains. Lots of loose ends to work on and, as our IRC commissioner, he is hitting all the ins and outs of the IRC agenda. Speaking of which, we got help from the “fund” last week for a partial payment of the Insurance over costs—finally something in our hands. Tip of the pirate hat to all the ladies at the APBA office for keeping us all in line and helping to keep track of the comings and goings of the Association. "Note on Fred Miller: he was a great guy to have on your side and was always available to give you a hand. The Association will miss him. “Most all of the region standby races are in place. Several are short of cash, as dollars are

scarce and sponsors are hiding pretty well. Not sure how our new president and his policies will affect us, but we will find out soon. Steve Whisman is helping Mike Waters with the vast Black Lake event. “A couple of newer guys are stepping up to see what it takes to do one of these races. If you want to help with the races, give them call—or better yet, come to the club meetings and see where you can fit in. “Good to see our area chairmen at the meeting last month. They assure us that the Oak Harbor event is rolling ahead. Race boss Lenny Baker is on top of the third year event, which will have the New Grand Prix World group coming out for their first points meet of the year. Those Navy EA-16G Growlers have nothing on these guys. Be sure to get your hotel rooms early up there. “We hear rumors of the Bremerton event

again. There is renewed interest from the prior chairperson changing her mind and calling our SIRA commodore as a starting point. Off we go. “Good to hear from our new insurance company on the outer course markers. Fewer are needed now, and Chief Surveyor Russ Dodge is redoing our course maps to show these changes. “We are running our 1-2/3 course at Soap Lake this year; and we will run one at Lawrence Lake as well, with the Jet Chevrolet event coming soon to Lawrence. (Remember, NO PETS AT LAWRENCE!)” Even our small but enthusiastic group of OPC racers in Region 10 are hard at work, getting their rigs ready for the coming season. OPC Activity Chair Mike White checks in with this bit of news: “The North American Championship race for the F150s will be at the Oak Harbor 'Hydros for Heroes’ regatta on August 19th and 20th. The

Steady as she goes: Katelyn Shaw and Courtney Stewart bring in the JS-721 in Lakeland, Florida. F. Peirce Williams photo

Sport C class has committed to five races this season in Region 10, possibly adding a race at the Lake Lawerence/Yelm regatta to the list. SIRA asked the Sport C class if they would be interested in running at that regatta. Activities Chair Mike White took on the task of rounding up boats and drivers to meet the requirements for Sport C to be at that race. “There has been discussion of the shortage of OPC inspectors in Region 10, and a few have stepped up to take the test. Also discussed were the updated OPC safety rules, and changes to the seat belt regulations. At the Region 10 Winter Meeting, the races were selected for the OPC Babcock award." With a light turnout expected for the Spring Yelm event, there’s talk that some of our Vintage boats will be invited to this race, usually a “records only” event. Obviously there will be no record-setting or -breaking for our Vintage fleet, but it does give these enthusiastic supporters a chance to run their boats on the big course. Ron Morrison tells us about Vintage preparations for the coming season: “The cold, dark and rainy months have flown by for the Region 10 Vintage crews. As the time to get the bottoms wet draws close, some are ready and some...not quite yet. The first two events are the 'show and test' at Kenmore, Washington on April 8th, and Lake Lawrence/Yelm Washington on April 29-30. Each have an expected Vintage boat count of 7or 8. “Looking forward, the boat count should go up with some first-time newly restored rigs joining the good old reliables. The three-day event at Richland, Washington June 9-11 was great in 2016; and it is looking even better for 2017. There will be live streaming all three days, and maybe even live TV on Sunday. The Tri-Cities fans are knowledgeable and always ready to welcome the race boats. “One of the endearing aspects of doing Vintage in Region 10 is, given the breadth of boat racing history in this region of the country, to be able to share our boat stories and experiences with the many fans who also have boat racing in their 32

personal histories. Whenever a Vintage boat arrives in the pits, the crew is almost guaranteed to hear from fans about their treasured experiences, their boats, their engines, their on-course and race site stories. These add to the tales of the boat racing people we have known and shared. Vintage is much more than just restoring and running the boats; it is an exercise in recalling and retaining boat racing’s history!” In addition to these events, lots of other regattas are in preparation for 2017: Newberg Boat Club will hosting their annual Memorial Day Race at the end of May, which again will be the 45SS Stock Outboard National Championship. Columbia Outboard Racing Association will host the Western Divisionals for the Junior Classes and Stock Outboard in June. Although the Unlimited season still probably has more questions than answers, at this time we do know that there will be “Spring Training” with several teams in the Tri-Cities on Friday June 2nd; and, of course, the Tri-Cities Columbia Cup at the end of July, followed by the Seafair race the following week. All of this is followed by a number of inboard and outboard races from August on, with the season rounding out with the Devil’s Lake Kilos in September; and the Vintage classic event Mahogany and Merlot October 7th and 8th. Plenty for all the racers in 2017 to keep us all busy. Which reminds me, I need to go see if I can get the 20H-powered B Utility ready for a little run up the Sammamish Slough next week! Until next time... —Patrick Gleason R-19 REGION 12

On March 18-19 the Southern California Outboard Association held a boat race at the Havasu Landing Resort on the California side of Lake Havasu. The weather was ideal, if a little warm; temperatures both days were in the mid-90s. Lake Havasu is a big lake, so that racing on it can be an iffy proposition. On Saturday the races were a little late in getting started, and by the time a few events were run off, the water was too rough to race. The reason is that, since it was a beautiful day,

there were a lot of boats on the lake. Although there were perimeter boats offshore to keep spectators out of the race course, they could not stop the waves. If a boat is on the Arizona side of the lake making a big wake, the wake will eventually cross the lake to make big rollers on the race course. The officials got an early start on Sunday morning and were able to run off Saturday’s Stock events. Then they ran the SST 45s. By the time they ran the Crackerboxes, it was rough (even for them) but they put on a show. The Havasu Landing Casino and Resort and the Chemehuevi Tribe went all out to make this a success. They had advertised on the radio in Havasu City, AZ. They had put up many signs promoting the event, and even put together a drivers packet. We thank them for their support and hope they will continue to do this in the future. I hope that SCOA will do this race again next year. I just feel it should happen earlier in the year, before the pleasure boats are on the lake. There was a good turnout of boats and drivers. Stocks and 45s were well-represented and there were two 1 Litre hydros that went out and ran. On Sunday, Jeff Conant made his Inboard debut in the Dennis Johnson (Trafficade) 1 Litre. Jeff has wanted to race an Inboard for many years. There were four Crackerboxes; two of them came down from Region 11—Julian Rucki and Brian Schmeltz— and their attendance is appreciated. This was the second event that SCOA was able to hold this year, in spite of many hardships—the equipment trailer was stolen last year. The officials who worked the race are all to be congratulated. A big thanks goes to Dean Wilson, who was all over the site making sure drivers knew what was going on. I think he was sunburned by the end of the weekend. It seems some people do a lot of complaining. We forget that the officials are pretty much volunteers, there for the benefit of the drivers. I hope we will all take this into consideration before we complain in the future. —Ernie Dawe

RACE IN PEACE JOHN FLEMING John “Jack” Wendell Fleming Jr., 74, of The Woodlands, Texas, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, January 1, 2017. John was born in Utica, New York on January 4, 1942. He graduated from Clinton High School and attended Colgate University. In 1962 he joined the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing of the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Lakenheath, England during the Vietnam War. John founded several different construction businesses, including Fleming Manufacturing in Conroe, Texas. One of his passions was professional boat racing. John Fleming had a rule: First comes work; then comes racing. He followed this rule—and the boat racing circuits—from New York to Florida and Texas. In New York he raced with the Southern Tier Racing Association out of the Binghamton area from 1967-69. He raced across upstate New York and into Canada with Riggs Smith. Leaving New York, he and his new wife Margo headed to Florida. There he continued racing C, D, and E Stock hydroplanes out of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth with Harry Pinner. He raced the Grapefruit Circuit from the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf Coast. This became a family sport—he took his first-born daughter to a race when she was only a few months old. In 1977, work led him and his family to the Houston, Texas area. There he continued racing stock engines, and he added his Texas-born sons to the family hobby. Sons Johnny and James became his crew; and in the 1990s he became their crew, and the owner of Fleming Racing. John gave up the active side of driving and advised Johnny, who started in Mods and moved on and up to SST 120 tunnel boats. James became the engine and crew chief for Johnny, who took suggestions and advice from the “old man.” John was preceded in death by his parents, John W. Fleming Sr. and Charlotte E. Fleming, sister Judith Harvey, and nephew Peter Harvey. He is survived by his wife Margo of 49 years; children Carolyn E. Fleming (William) Bowden of Spring, TX; Michele M. Fleming (Foster) Holt of Cypress, TX; John W. Fleming III of The Woodlands, TX; James P. Fleming of Willis, TX; and several grandchildren. John’s last racing act—from his wheelchair, at Thanksgiving—was to check out a new boat he had just bought from California. The Fleming Racing Team is now preparing for the 2017 racing season in his memory. —sent by the Fleming family

WALTER HUMPHREY South Shore Outboard Association lost its oldest active member on March 16th. Walter “Big Wally” Humphrey, 87, of Canton, Mass., started racing in the early 1950s in the DU class. He took a break in the 1960s so he and his wife Connie could raise five kids, but returned in the early 1970s with sons Bobby and Billy. Wally and Connie were surrogate parents to many in the pits. Wally competed gamely in Super C Hydro, and scored a surprise win in Super C Runabout at the 1974 Nationals. As the Super C class faded, Wally transitioned to 35SSH. He built his own boats, trailers and propellers, and rounded out his career in the OPC SE class. His daughter Lori ran ASR briefly in the early 1980s. He was proud to give her a helmet for Christmas. Wally was a union pipefitter, sharing his skills with the club when needed. He is survived by his daughters Patricia Yanuskiewicz, Susan Grimes, Lori Lester, son William Humphrey, and 7 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Donations in his name may be made to the American Heart Association. Wally is missed by his racing family. —South Shore Outboard Association FRED MILLER (See article in this issue.) SAM MILLER OPC racer Samuel T. Miller, 42, passed away at Riverside Medical Center on Monday, April 3, 2017. He was born on August 13, 1974 in Elgin, Illinois to Paul and Sara (Brown) Miller. Sam lived in Kankakee most of his life. When he was 21, doctors said he needed a new heart. On February 8, 1996, he had a heart transplant at Loyola Medical

Sam’s smile (above) and racing SST 60 (#7) against Rob Rinker. Photos by Paul Kemiel Center. In 2003, after a boat crash, it was found that he needed a new kidney. His father Paul donated one of his kidneys to Sam. Sam always loved the water, which brought him to boat racing. He loved the sport, especially the camaraderie of fellow boat racers. Sam competed successfully for years in Sport C, SST 60 and SST 70. In Formula 3 (SST 60)

he won a National Championship in 2003 and scored several top-5 High Points spots. Besides boat racing, Sam loved to drive BIG trucks. Sam is survived by his parents; his sister Jennifer S. Miller; brothers Dr. Jonathan M. Miller (Gwen) and Robert M. Miller (Kristin); nieces Madeleine and Lilliana; and nephew Keegan. He also is survived by one aunt Susan and uncles Phil Brown and Charlie Brown. Preceding Sam in death were his grandparents Dr. Clifford Brown (Phyllis) and Merle Miller (Lois). Sam loved life, enjoyed the support of his family and friends, and knew that God was with him. He was an inspiration to all who knew him. In the end he was able to donate his eyes to Gift of Hope. On Feb. 8, Sam wrote on Facebook: “Yes! I have made it another year! It has been 21 years now since my heart transplant! Still have a positive attitude! Still working hard to get ready for my kidney transplant. It has been a challenging time but still making progress! It is great that people are on the organ donation list. Would like to thank everyone for the support! Still would like to thank the donor and family for donating!” On March 9th he was admitted to Loyola Hospital for a lung infection, and was returned to rehab on March 21st. Sadly, he did not recover. A memorial service was held at Asbury United Methodist Church on Saturday, April 8. —www.schrefflerfuneralhome.co. JERRY PALMQUIST Jerry Palmquist, 74, of Lincolnshire, Ilinois passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, March 19, 2017. He was the loving husband of Helen for 49 years, beloved father of Brian and John; devoted brother of Deen and David. Born January 6, 1943 Jerry was raised in Wausau and Neenah, WI. He graduated from Hoosic High School in Hoosic NY and from Parsons College in Iowa. He went on to receive his MBA from Western Michigan in Kalamazoo. Jerry was a successful investment advisor, dedicated to his clients for 40 years. He loved being with his family at their summer cabin in the woods of northern Michigan. Jerry enjoyed hydroplane boat racing and SCUBA diving, and had a creative knack for home and auto repairs. A small gathering of friends and relatives was held in celebration of Jerry’s life. An additional celebration will be held at a boat race on Father’s Day, June 17th, in Constantine MI. Donations in Jerry’s memory may be made to Marine Racing Club’s Driving School (Marine Racing Club, c/o Chris Dudek, PO Box 1606 Valparaiso IN 46384). —Legacy.com and Chicago Tribune

2017 Top O’ Michigan

STOCK OUTBOARD MARATHON NATIONALS August 12th & 13th IndIAn RIveR, MIchIgAn Stock and J Classes JR • AXR • ASR • BSR • CSR • 25SSR • DSR All Thundercat Classes Top O’ Michigan Outboard Racing Club www.tomorc.org .

67th Annual

July 14-16, 2017

The 2017 race will honor of our race director and founder, FRED MILLER

1939-2017

The festivities will commence as we dedicate this year’s race to “The Godfather of the Races,” Fred Miller. We welcome the entire race community to join us in the celebration of his legacy to the Trenton races, as well as the entire race circuit, where his influence and legacy will live forever in our hearts and on the water.

The entire weekend is FREE

Photo by Rusty Rae

SST 45, SST 200/F1 Sport Stock Outboard, AXR Marathon Jet Ski Exhibitions Memorial service for Fred will be held on Saturday, July 15th, 2017

Friday night “Taste of the Races” Tickets are $25 each or ten for $200. Live musical entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings Vendors, Public Family Picnic on Sunday, More....

For more information, visit us at www.trentonroarontheriver.com.