Issue 3 Autumn 2014
In this issue:
Bill Seebold’s Memories of Racing at Bristol Heroes of Circuit Racing – John Hill Fiona Brothers – Our Best Female Racer The ON/OZ Controversy
"Hold on tight to your dreams" Proud to support David Jones Area 31 Racing Developments and Fast on Water Charity
MATTHEW HARDY BA (Hons) DipPFS WEALTH MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT
I provide an experienced and individually tailored wealth management service and offer specialist advice in a wide range of areas including: ● Investment planning ● Corporate finance and insurances ● Auto enrolment
● Inheritance Tax planning ● Retirement planning
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©
Published by Fast On Water Publications 2014 All articles and photographs are copyright All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission. Editor Roy Cooper
Contributors Bill Seebold Roy Cooper Heidi Webber Brian Grimshaw APBA
Editors note Fast On Water continues to spread its wings. Following on from the success of the Silverstone Classic, I have just spent four great days in Portugal, attending the Fast On Water Golf Event. This surpassed all my expectations. The support and enthusiasm of those attending was amazing. Ex drivers were meeting up after many years but you would have thought it was only yesterday and the Portuguese players shared in the fun and games. The range of merchandise has been well received and we look forward to sales helping to support our work. We are always looking for contributions for future issues – memories, photos, specialist interests. So if you feel like putting pen to paper, we look forward to hearing from you.
Contents Cover photos Top: Mark Wilson and John Nicholson Bottom: Tom Percival and Carlo Colombo Rene Schulz, Nottingham 1982.
3 4
Brian Grimshaw Engine Clinic – Nov 1982 Heroes of Circuit Racing – John Hill
7
George Gallop Gallery
8
Bill Seebold Remembers Bristol
13
Fiona Brothers
15
APBA Vintage and Historic
17
ON vs OZ
Heroes of Circuit Racing
John Hill John Peter Hill, circuit powerboat racer, signwriter and consummate professional; one of the all-time greats of circuit powerboat racing, he started his racing career in 1960, at the ripe old age of 27, when he joined the Cotswold Motor Boat Racing Club.
class), I knew I had a boat that was capable of doing 100 mph, but a lot of people didn’t think so. I felt it was the class for me, and I think I’ve had some of my best racing in Formula 3. And it is still the best class for any driver who is serious about racing, to get some good groundwork. It takes skill to ‘propride’ an OE and keep it balanced.’
His career spanned more than three decades, which included winning world championships in Formula 3, Formula Grand Prix and Formula 1. John started in the days of two in a boat before he moved up to racing flat bottomed singleseaters; one of his first being a Bristol called Sheeza-B. Charlie Sheppard, who built the Bristol boats, gave John his first ‘works drive’, giving the young driver a hull, which John then put a deck on. He also drove for Bill Shakespeare and Norman Fletcher, both founders of commercial boat building companies. With a host of wins under his belt, John switched to catamarans in 1965, the same year as they started to appear on the racing scene. John takes up the story. ‘My first one was a brand new Schulz from America, without powertrim or anything like that! Then I started racing for Norman Fletcher, and he adapted powertrim for raceboats. I had one of the first ones on an OI Class boat and I took it to Holland to race. Everyone looked at the two buttons mounted on the deck and said it would never work! I had to put my hand over the side and press one of the two buttons marked ‘in’ and ‘out’. I didn’t know how to work the darn things but I won the race and everyone wanted powertrim.’ John spent ten years racing Formula 3. ‘When the first boats came out for OE (850cc sports
John at Nottingham 1981 As we know, F3 bit the dust a long while ago, to the detriment of the sport. But back then John went on to win just about all there was to win in F3. In 1980 he won fourteen of the fifteen International races he entered, going on to be F3 World Champion, which he repeated in 1981. He was also F3 European Champion in 1979 and 1980. John had done all there was to do in F3 so in 1982 he moved up to Formula Grand Prix (the 2 litre class, which was formerly ON). Not even having time to practice before his first race, Hill took delivery of a Mercury two litre for his Burgess catamaran, bolted it on and drove to Milan, to come second behind Michael Werner. ‘It felt like old times!’ joked the driver, ‘Werner and I had been scrapping for many years in Formula 3, and he had moved to ON the year before I did – now here we are fighting the same old battles!’ When John joined Formula Grand Prix he was the ripe old age of 49; an age at which many
drivers had already hung up their crash helmets. In his obituary of John, David Parkinson had this to say. ‘At the age of 59 Hill was the fittest and most astute man any of us in the sport had seen. Hill enjoyed consistently demonstrating his supreme ability to beat leading drivers half his age. As recently as last year he came joint second in the World Formula One Championship which he had won the previous year. He achieved this against more than 50 drivers from 11 countries racing in three continents. The Formula One boats virtually fly over the water at speeds of over 130mph. In this sport it is experience in controlling these high-speed machines in wildly contrasting water and wind conditions that counts, and in this Hill had more knowledge than anyone.’ 1982 saw John win the Bristol Grand Prix and come runner-up in the FONDA 2 litre World Series. He was runner-up again in 1983 but was the FONDA 2 litre World Champion in both 1984 and ’85. 1983 and ’84 saw John win the Paris six hour with co-driver, Tony Williams. John was always keen to race with the best and had Formula 1 in his sights. ‘There is obviously one other thing I would like to do, and that’s have a crack at Molinari and van der Velden. I’ve raced against them many times in the past in OE and ON, but it is tempting to get into Formula 1. And if a driver is not thinking that way he shouldn’t be racing. It is the obvious ultimate goal in a racing career.’
had retired. John went on to win the 1990 F1 World Championship. John Hill’s untimely death during the 1993 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix left a huge void in the sport. His presence on and off the water was irreplaceable. On that day the sport lost one of its greatest ambassadors. But who will forget John’s mid race antics in Formula 3; climbing along the cowling to re-fit loose plug leads, getting back in the boat and continuing the race. Here is a memory from two of John’s close friends. ‘After his massive crash in Bristol where he smashed up his right arm, he had a cast fitted over a steel support “cage” to hold all the bones in the right position. I understand this was one of the first times this had ever been performed in the UK (if not the very first time). Anyway the surgeon told him he had to keep the arm in the correct position to maximise the possibility of a full recovery. He was after all a sign writer first and foremost so needed the full mobility in his arm. However…there was a race in Vienna coming up about 2 weeks after the crash so he went and sat in the car holding the steering wheel so when the cast set he could still drive. He then raced in Vienna with a plastic bag over the cast to keep it dry and won the race! The only thing that really pissed him off about the cast was lack of turning movement; so he could give the money in a shop, but couldn’t turn his arm to receive the change!’ John Hill was definitely one of the characters of circuit powerboat racing who showed that dedication, preparation and experience give you the edge you need to win. The interview sections of this article came from the Powerboat 85 and Powerboat 86 Yearbooks.
Bristol 1986 Unfortunately, 1985 saw the end of the mighty V8 Formula 1 World Series in Europe and it wasn’t until 1990 that a new F1 Championship was introduced with a 2 litre limit. By then Molinari and Van der Velden
Photos from The George Gallop Archive
Bill Seebold’s Memories of the Great Bristol ‘Powerboat Regatta’ This story starts long before we (Team Mercury) arrived in Bristol for my first time. The reputation of the event had been flying around the racing circuit for years. I had raced in Europe several times – Paris and Amsterdam with my friend, Cees Van Der Velden from Boxtel, Holland. My very first race in Europe was at Amsterdam with Cees and we won the three-hour event, so you might say it was a good start to several years of driving together and winning International events. Although a lot of European races were set in city limits and on rivers with seawalls, making for a very rough water setting, Bristol was not a lot different except it was a lot smaller in size, the width mainly, and shaped like a big S with very tight turns. I thought I had seen everything in race courses, but when we arrived at the site in 1978, Gary Garbrecht asked me what my thoughts were. I said, “Where is the race course?” thinking we were looking at the pit area! So you could say I was quite surprised at my first view of the famous course. Little did I know how many laps I would make around this very tight and dangerous place over the next 10 years. As a main stop on the international racing circuits for years, it was always one of the hardest to conquer and win. The competition was top-notch and it always lived up to its reputation as a thrilling event. A lot of times it was the difference maker in the race for the championship, so if you did well at Bristol you had a shot at the world title!
Bill in flight, Bristol 1982 Racing for Team Mercury was a big thrill during the heydays of factory battles in Europe and the USA until the Mercury factory pulled out of factory racing in 1979. Bristol was the last factory team event forever! It was the end of an era that helped put powerboat racing on the map around the world, but it hurt racing as much as it helped. Afterwards the engine manufacturers started selling race engines to everyone, making for a more even playing field for the participants and in the long run a better show for the spectator. Circuit racing became, in my opinion, more competitive on both sides of the ocean. Bristol was always one of the luckiest places that I ever raced and I guess winning the Duke of York trophy six 6 times shows that. My very first time at Bristol everyone that had raced there before tried to warn me of the dangers around the course. When you head down the course for the first time it really opens your eyes. I always compared it to driving in a tunnel – eight foot-high seawalls on both sides and no run off areas.
The first boat and engine set up I drove at Bristol was a Van der Velden hull and the Mercury T3 V6 with Bendix fuel injection. The biggest problem with that set-up was starting off the dock. As everyone knows the start is the most important thing at Bristol. Handling the rough water is the other key to winning there. I remember telling the rest of the Mercury Team that I would drive in the middle of the course or 6 inches off the wall because I did not want my rig turning into the walls. Sometime the best plans work and sometime they do not. I was scared to death on the first start but once the flag drops you forget everything and just drive. In the heats you kinda get the feel for the boat and course. I had never driven that rig before race day, so you could say that it was on the job training! During one of the heats I got my initiation to Bristol docks – a Dutch Driver lost control and hit a rescue boat, killing two volunteer workers. That put a black cloud over the day for sure. Charlie Sheppard, the race director, always said that the show must go on, so the next day we were back racing around the docks. I came away with the first of my Duke of York Trophies. In the years to follow I earned five more. Like every race there are a lot of things going on. If circuit racing had an event to make the sport “big time” that would be Bristol. It was broadcast live on BBC-TV, giving our sport a big shot in the arm! The announcing was top notch and news coverage was equal to what was given to the F-1 cars. That race and the media coverage helped our sport come of age during the 70s and 80s. I remember one time going out of the pits and it taking an hour, signing autographs, to get back to my pit area. It sure made you feel good to be there and know the fans were into the event that much!
Bill Lines up next to son Mike, Fiona Brothers and Malcolm Burnapp. Bristol 1981 Every year Bristol seemed to get bigger. Like a good wine it got better with age. It is hard after this long to remember all the details from all the races but every year after the event I always felt that I had accomplished something special. After winning the Duke of York trophy three times I received a letter from the Queen Mother about my achievement. A letter I was very proud of, which Charlie Sheppard flew out to the St Louis Grand Prix to give to me in person. Then I went on to win it three more times and I won the Embassy Gold Cup in 1982. That Embassy Gold Cup race was possibly my best achievement in boat racing. Winning as the underdog with a smaller engine always feels great. Doing 95 laps both Saturday and Sunday in Bristol is no easy chore no matter how good a shape you are in. Between heats Leo Molendijk and the crew changed power heads, gassed the rig and launched with the crane in 7 ½ minutes so I could make the start in the Embassy Gold Cup final. Without a crew like that I would have never made it for sure!!! But it was a race that told a big story about crew, boat, set-up, propeller and driving instead of horsepower. Yes, my years at Bristol were very memorable and something I will always cherish for the rest of my life. I wish we had more races
like it today, putting more focus on driving and not just horsepower!
Just a quick note – writing this has brought back a lot of great memories. I thank Roy Cooper for keeping the memory of Bristol alive with the Fast On Water website.
Bill Seebold,
# 7
The Fast On Water stand at the Silverstone Classic was an even greater success than we imagined it would be. The response from visitors and those involved was really inspiring and our intention will be to attend again in 2015. I would like to give a special thank you to both the Silverstone Classic organisers and Witham Oil and Paint for making our attendance possible. A big thank you goes to Sean Newstead for stepping in at the last minute to help out over the three days of the event and to ex F1 driver, Steve Kerton, who was with us over the weekend and shared his passion for the sport with those who stopped by the stand.
Louise Goodman with Steve Kerton golfers for playing with such verve and determination. We will definitely be planning an event for next year, which will include more options for the non-golfers to get involved in. If you would like to be kept updated with regards to this event, please send your name and email to fastonwater@live.co.uk.
Sean Newstead and an interested visitor Louise Goodman was covering the event for ITV4 and came by on the Sunday to say hello. The last time she had seen Steve was when she interviewed him over 20 years ago, when he was still racing Formula 1.
Billy, Maxine, David and Tito
Louise was already a member Fast On Water and has accepted our invitation to become Fast On Water’s Patron. We are very pleased that she has said yes and we welcome her aboard. The Fast On Water Golf Event in Estoril was a huge success and has set the standard for future events. We would like to thank Steve Kerton and Alex Rodrigues for getting it off the ground; Pelle Brolin and Andy Elliot for their help and support; Billy and Maxine Field and all the Portuguese
Pelle and Alex More photos to follow in next issue
Matthew Hardy, the Fast On Water secretary, has come up with an interesting idea to raise money and leave something for the future; A Time Capsule. Not to be buried in the ground but to be sealed and not opened for ten years. The capsule will contain anything related to the 2014 circuit powerboat season, especially at club level - anything from personal memories to photographs; from bits of boat to used engine parts. It will cost £20 to put something of your choice in the time capsule and this cost will include one year’s membership to Fast On Water. If you are already a member, the cost is £10. Please contact Roy Cooper at fastonwater@live.co.uk if you are interested.
We were recently contacted by John Warner, whose father was a founding member of the Cotswold Motor Boat Racing Club. He is kindly passing on to us press cuttings and other archive material from the early 1960s relating to the CMBRC. Also John Walker, who was Racing Editor of Motor Boats Monthly, has kindly offered us archive material including photographs. A big thank you to both Johns for thinking of us.
Fiona Brothers – A Woman in a Man’s Sport (From an article originally published in Powerboat 83)
Bristol 1980
The APBA Vintage and Historic Racing Section The following is taken from the APBA website:
Preserving the Tradition The V&H category is about more than just racing - it’s about bringing together multiple generations of racers who love the sport and enjoy sharing experiences of the past 100 years of racing with the entire race community. These boats are as beautiful as they are powerful and members are always willing to share the story of their boat, and all the amazing history of the APBA. These owners and drivers bring the APBA’s racing history to life by showing their boats to the public both on shore and on the water. Fans attending a V&H event for the first time will be amazed at how far powerboat racing has come over the years, and equally amazing is the APBA’s dedication to preserving the history that helped shape the motor racing world to what it is today. Vintage Boats: a "Vintage" boat is designated to have been constructed between 1946 and 1986 and must have been a racing hull at one time in its history Historic Boats: A "Historic" boat is designated to have been constructed between 1900 & 1945. Restored: A restored boat is a racing boat that could have participated in APBA sanctioned events at the time of its original construction, with a measurable part of the original hull structure, hardware, engine or appendages still in use. Engine types used in the restoration must resemble one found in the original model. If, due to scarcity of original components, a larger engine is used, the type and approximate power output of the original must be maintained. Spirit of Vintage: Spirit of Vintage Boats are racing boats built to resemble a boat from the Vintage or Historic Eras. The dimensions and configurations of these boats should be similar to the boats that previously participated in APBA events. Engines must resemble those found in the original in type or approximate power output. A Spirit of Vintage boat can be named after the vintage or historic boat that it was built to resemble on two conditions: 1. the original boat is not in existence.
2. the suffix ‘R’ appears after the hull number on the boat. Vintage Re-creation: Re-creation boats are complete reproductions or replicas of a racing boat that would have participated in APBA sanctioned events at the time of construction. To be considered a recreation construction several criteria must be met. The original boat that is being recreated must no longer exist. No apparent content or components from the original boat are used, but all dimensions, basic construction technique, engine type, hardware, paint scheme and name accurately replicate the boat that it is patterned (named) after. The engine type must resemble one found in the original. If, due to scarcity of original components, a later engine is used, the type and approximate power output of the original must be maintained. _____________________________
Opposite are some of the craft in question. What makes the American’s and the APBA special? It’s the fact they see how imperative it is to keep the history of the sport alive so it can be shared with future generations. I’m not sure this is unique but it is certainly something sorely neglected by the governing body in the UK, who appear to never had any interest in preserving our race boat heritage. You can always say it’s never too late but when it comes to preserving boats and archives that’s not the case. I can’t even begin to calculate how much of our power boat racing heritage has gone forever.
ON vs OZ The Winners and The Losers The 1960s saw the development of the catamaran design in circuit powerboat racing. This concept allowed outboard speeds to rise, which soon led to a major rivalry between Mercury Marine and the Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC). In 1969, Bob Spalding had got his Schulze cat, Bobcat, up to 85mph on the Idroscalo Lake in Milan. It became clear that cat design would need to change to accommodate the ever-increasing speeds. In 1970 Charlie Sheppard in the UK and Ron Jones, of Seattle, were the only two designers working on a picklefork design concept. The picklefork design allowed the leading edge of the tunnel to be further away from the surface of the water and the ‘lift’ to start further back. Sheppard and Jones realised that this radical design was needed to make the catamarans safer to drive. Around the same time James Beard, with the help of Chris Hodges, was developing an offshore cat with a picklefork configuration. As the 1970s continued, the challenge to make bigger and faster outboards moved on apace. 1976 saw the inclusion of the OZ Class into circuit racing. This was an experimental class for boats over 2 litres. As Mercury and OMC went head to head to create the most powerful engine, there was no consideration for the boat builders. There is an optimum amount of air that any particular tunnel design can accept; once that point is passed, the craft becomes unstable. The ultimate challenge for boat builders and drivers came with the advent of OMC’s monster 3.3 litre 235hp V8 Evinrude and the 240hp Johnson, and Mercury’s 370hp T4. One of the showdowns between these monsters was at the 1979 Embassy Grand Prix. During the Friday afternoon qualifying, Earl Bentz, a young driver from Tennessee, who had never raced in Bristol before, went out and posted a time of 98.24 mph, breaking the lap record. He was using a Mercury T3 but the race was won by Bill Seebold in one of his own designed cats powered by a Mercury T4.
T4 power. Bill Seebold, Bristol 1979 The big split between the two major engine manufacturers came in 1980. Charlie Sheppard, with the support of Wills Tobacco, decided that the Embassy Grand Prix, and the coveted Duke of York Trophy for that year would be contested by ON Class catamarans. This class was renamed Formula One. That same year Mercury Marine, under pressure from their parent company, decided to withdraw the T4 and to align themselves with a 2 litre limit. At the time it was suggested by those more cynical, that Mercury were happy to see engine size limited, because their T4 wasn’t up to the job compared with OMC’s engine. It was assumed that OMC would follow suit but at a press conference following the last race of the Canon Trophy Series, they announced their intention of producing a more powerful OZ engine (a 3.5 litre 400hpV8) for the 1981 season. These monster engines were given the thumbs up when BAT’s John Player Special brand, already sponsoring Lotus in Formula One car racing, signed a three-year contract to sponsor an OZ series that offered substantial prize money. Top drivers, including Renato Molinari, Cees van der Velden, Roger Jenkins, Tom Percival and Bob Spalding were originally keen on setting limits to engine size but finally went with the JPS series. For drivers like Roger Jenkins the opportunity to have the same power factory engine as everyone else was an opportunity no to be missed – an opportunity that led him to become 1982 World Champion. At the same time, Jackie Wilson and David Parkinson, with other drivers, formed FONDA (Formula ON Drivers Association). FONDA went on to form a series that took in Brussels, Bristol, Linz, Milan, Paris and St Louis. After a controversial meeting of the UIM, it was decided that the title of Formula One would be given to the OZ series and the ON series was given the token title of Formula Grand Prix.
In 1982 there was only one venue on the calendar where the FONDA seven-race World Series and the John Player Formula One Series happened over the same weekend. That was Bristol. Billy Seebold had come to Bristol to prove a point – that driving skill was more important than brute power. He arrived with two engines – a standard Mercury two-litre, for the FONDA races and another 2 litre block bored out to 2.1 litres, which allowed him to race with the ‘Big Boys’ in the 3.5 litre OMC powered boats. That weekend of the 5th and 6th June 1982, proved to be one of the most memorable in the history of circuit powerboat racing and marked Billy Seebold as one of the all-time greats. With the help of his mechanic, Leo Molendijk and crew, Seebold managed to enter the heats for both series by swapping engines in record times. That weekend Seebold raced an amazing 130 laps within those imposing granite walls and won both the Duke of York Trophy and the Embassy Gold Cup. 1983 saw the surprise withdrawal of John Player Special Sponsorship for the F1 World Series after only two years of a three year contract.
Then came 1984. A year in which the Formula One circuit powerboat racing community lost four of its drivers – Luigi Valdano, Gerard Barthelemy, Saverio Roberto and Tom Percival. With three races of the ten-race season still to run, numbers were depleted. Carlsberg pulled their sponsorship and their driver, Roger Jenkins announced his retirement on the Tuesday following Tom Percival’s death. Benson and Hedges, the sport’s largest sponsor, held a meeting on the Saturday morning prior to the London Grand Prix, just one week after the Belgium Grand Prix. What could be done to protect driver’s lives? The answer at the time was – nothing – if the drivers chose to race, that was their choice. Cees van der Velden, Benson and Hedges driver and team manager, had no alternative – he announced the withdrawal of his three-boat team from the remainder of the season. Consequently the race organisers, Sports Sponsorship International, were left with a very diminished field. If there was one positive thing to come out of the 1984 season, it was the development towards making the high-powered catamarans safer to race. Chris Hodges, Tom Percival’s partner and boat designer decided he couldn’t wait any longer. Taking ideas from Formula One motor racing, Hodges began working on a ‘safety cell’ cockpit. Four months later he had a completed cockpit ready for testing. Unhappy to expect anyone else to do the testing, Chris himself climbed into the cockpit. But the writing was on the wall for the mighty V8s. 1985, the year Bob Spalding won the World Championship (organised by Pro One), was the last year they appeared in Europe. From 1986 to 1990 OMC spent their budget promoting the F1–V8 racing in the USA.
Renato Molinari with the Evinrude V8
It was 1990 before a World Championship was revived to include Europe, running 2 litre engines. But the sound and look of those V8 engines and boats was something to behold.
Dedicated to preserving the history of circuit powerboat racing If you would like to become a ‘Friend’ of Fast On Water; make a donation; pass on archive material, memorabilia, craft or equipment; get involved. Contact Roy Cooper – fastonwater@live.co.uk www.fastonwater.co.uk
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