VINTAGE RACERS REDISCOVERED:
Harry Brinkman from Leesburg, IN is restoring the R12, which was Hubert Enthrop’s 1963 Outboard Cabover hydro powered with a Mark 75H Mercury. Harry tells us that the hull is in pretty good shape. With a coat of West System epoxy ole R12 could ride again! Harry does have a Mark 75 Lower Unit assembly to put an original power plant back on her. Brinkman also gives us a little history of Hugh Entrop. Enthrop built only two boats for himself. The first boat was built in 1956 when he heard a rumor that Mercury might come out with a 75H. In 1958, the boat went 107 mph+ on Lake Washington and brought the World Outboard straightaway record back to the United States. The boat was sold to someone in Northern PA and ended up being demolished in a car accident. 
 Hugh then built the R12 in the winter of 1962-63 for competition racing in the PRO Alky class. It was similar to the first hull but actually was a shorter version of the Starflite III boat that Entrop built for the Evinrude straightaway runs in 1960. The main difference between the two hulls is that the R12 was 13 ½ ft long and had an offset cockpit while the Starflite III was 15 ft. long with no offset cockpit but had adjustable bow sections on both sides of the cockpit. Enthrop won the 1963 NOA World (Alky) championship in “F” Hydro with this boat. This regatta at Lake Spivey, GA drew 531 entries. The hull set an F straightaway record of 110 mph+ at Devils Lake, Oregon. In the winter of 1964-65 Entrop sold the R12 to Jerry Waldman. Hugh who now lives in Seattle, WA says, “that he is surprised that the hull is still in existence as it was built in his basement back in the early 60’s. That’s almost 40 years ago. Ralph Lambrecht told him that the StarFlight III is in a museum somewhere in Florida.”

CHALLENGES: Stan Grayson who has just completed his book on American Marine Engines is trying to locate pre WWI or pre WW II films on Gold Cup Boats. If you can help him his number is (781) 639-0597.

BOB SILVA’S WEST COAST REPORT:
Imagine it’s 1955. You’re racing a hydroplane from the starting gun into a single buoy turn with eight other boats. Charging into the turn at 70-plus mph and holding the inside lane, you've opened a slight boat length lead on the rest of the pack. Broad sliding your hydro through the turn, you glance at a two foot high bank of dirt only a few feet away which forms the inside of the first turn. Behind and to the side of you it’s chaos as the eight other drivers fight for the lanes left open between that island of dirt and the shoreline, which is only 50 yards away. Heading up the back chute you’ve still go that bank on the inside of the course. Looking back over your right shoulder to check on the competition, your eyes catch the glint of bright chrome bumpers from spectator’s cars that line the course. You are leading and pulling away from the 1-mile record holder. This little 5/8-mile course seems to be just made for your hydro’s design. Finally, your boat breaks past the end of the island into open rough water where the second turn awaits. This is the turn that’s already seen two flips today. Your friends and pitcrew break into cheers when they see that you’re in the lead. Until now the view from the pits was just the tops of driver’s helmets followed by the boat’s roostertails. Sliding wide out of the turn you set up for the dash past the dock that holds the starting clock and officials and you have a straight shot to the first turn again. Four more sensational laps to go in boat racing’s closest thing to an automobile racing stadium…Bakersfield, California’s Hart Memorial Park.
 For eight years running the annual inboard regatta, sanctioned by APBA and conducted by the Kern County Boat and Ski Club (KCBSC), attracted some of California’s best hydro and runabout drivers. But circle racing was just one facet of Hart Park’s unusual racing history. In November of 1955 three KCBSC members, Squidd Naylor, Buck Smith and Howard Klassen, got the idea to try something never before done anywhere…1/4-mile Drag Boat racing! It took club members a year to work out an idling start, how to mount the borrowed auto club timing lights on water, and that classes should split into 5-mph segments. The very first Drag Boat race was held on Nov.25, 1956. Forty-two boats registered with a $1.50 entry fee and after running time trials and eliminations the day’s top speed went to Darrell Jenkins at 77.58 mph. The location did have one rather large drawback…not enough run-off room past the timing lights! As top speeds began to inch closer and closer to the century mark dragster pilots found it increasingly more difficult to make it safely around the shut down or first turn area so often used for the circle races. Fortunately, in 1960 a bigger manmade lake was created only 2 miles down the road and dedicated to Kern County Supervisor Floyd Ming. Lake Ming is now the site for 200-mph drag boat runs, circle boat races, and this year’s stock and modified outboard nationals. You can still visit little Hart Memorial Park, not to race, but just to…imagine.

VINTAGE RACERS REDISCOVERED:
Next issue: Jon Culver uncovers photos of an early capsule cabover, a 135 cubic inch hydroplane from the late forty-early 50’s!  Did the United States Air Force have anything to do with this?

VINTAGE HOT BOATS OF THE MONTH:
Two Rich Hallett designed 266 hydros are shown dicing out of the second turn at Hart Memorial Park’s 1955 Regatta. Ollie Prather’s Wayne Chevy powered Li’l Injun III, 7-F accelerates around the outside of Harold Coelho in the Mercury engined Cherokee, 33-F, to take over second place. Just behind the location of the second turn buoy was the starting line used for the very first ever drag race, held on November 25, 1956.

©1999 Tom D'Eath