Where do owners keep their racing boats in the winter?  In the living room, of course! Rex V. Bixby, Jr., keeps his 280 Sam Too and his trophies attractively displayed in the living room of his Costa Mesa, Calif., home. During the racing season Sam Too reposes in the house between races, entering and leaving through a sliding door which opens into the garage. How many other boats enjoy such comfort? If any other owner can top this, send us a photo!

7-Litres Invited to Italy
The Federazione Italiana Motonautica has extended an invitation to APBA 7-Litre owners to come to Italy this fall and race with their 900 Kg class in four regattas. The Italian racing organization asks for three American "pilots" and states that Count Mario Agusta, president, would very much like to welcome the boats and drivers for the proposed events. The races would be held on Sept. 4, a world championship at Campione d'ltalia; Sept. 11, international meeting in Venice; Sept. 18, international meeting in Gardone; and Sept. 25, international meeting in Milan.
It is proposed to hold at least one race at each international meeting with points between the APBA drivers and the three best Italian drivers for a new ltaly-America Cup. The winning team will be those who have totalled the largest num ber of points for the three races.
Details on transportation, accommodations, etc. are in charge of Carlo Casalani. Any 7-Litre owner interested in looking into the "challenge" should contact Edward H. Nabb, Chairman, APBA International Affairs Committee.
 
 

Accidents Plague 9-Hr. Race
Author Hank W. Bowman, an authority on boating, was killed when his boat pitched him out of the craft at more than 50 mph and then ran him down in the Orange Bowl regatta's 9-Hour Endurance race at the Marine Stadium, Miami, Fla., Jan. 8.
Two other drivers were injured and three boats sank in the rough waters of Biscayne Bay before the race was suspended after 1 hr. and 16 min. of action to prevent more tragedy.
The race was run on Jan. 9 with Bob Nordskog repeating the single-handed performance that had given him victory in the Orange Bowl's 250 classic the previous week. The 52-year old iron man from Tarzana, Calif., drove the entire 9 hours without relief and only three pit stops in negotiating the 118 laps of the 4.2 marathon course at an average speed of 55.279 mph.
Bowman, the popular 52-year-old bearded competitor from Solebury, Pa., best known for his books and magazine articles on the sport, was buried at sea at the Gulf Stream's edge on Jan. 10.
Nordskog, whose sleek-lined Ski boat is completely a product of his own plant, managed to take over the lead from three-time winner Mike Wallace of Anaheim at the end of the first hour. He was never headed again.
Wallace "chased" the winner and came within striking distance but Nordskog just stepped on it and pulled well out in front.
The distance covered totaled 498.8 miles- rather heavy going for one driver, no matter what means of transportation used. Wallace never gave up until he hit a palm frond in the sixth hour and flipped, going out of the race. He was not injured.
Miamian Jack Wilcox, driving Mike Gordon's boat, with some relief from Bobby Moore, finished second. Wilcox had to sit out the closing minutes of the race in the pit area, with a hot gear box and a slowly eroding l6-lap lead over third-place finisher John Keller from Medway, Ohio. With moments to go, Wilcox started his engine and limped 200 yards over the finish line to hold onto second spot.
Keller, who won the outboard division two years ago, duplicated that feat with Charlie Scruggs of Cincinnati backing him up for one hour at the wheel between two pit stops for the day.
Only 20 of the 57 boats that started the race finished. (Ninety-six tried the first day.) Of the 24 starting inboards, four survived; 16 of the 33 outboards stood up to the grueling test.
Nordskog and Keller collected identical $1,000 awards plus the top trophies with the next 14 overall finishers sharing $1,000. The complete order of finish with laps completed and, in parenthesis, the top three finishers in each class, was
1. Bob Nordskog, Tarzana, Calif.. l1B (1, Class IV inboord). .
2. Jack Wilcox (Mike Gordon); Miami, 106 (2, IV inboard).
3. John Keller, Medway, Ohio, 97 (1, Class II outboard).
4. Tom Stickle, Dayton, Ohio, 97 (2, Class II outboard).
5. Ron Larson, Chicago, III., 95 (3, Class IV inboord).
6. John Di Pietro, Anchorage, Ky., 89 (3, Class II outboard).
7. William Meyer, Westfield, N.J., 88 (1, Class I outboord).
8. Ken Kalibat, Island Park, N.Y., 87 (OB).
9. Ron and Bud Tuppen, Lake Worth, Fla., 86 (2, Class I, outboard).
10. Tracy Van Buren, Jr., Charleston, S.C., 86 (3, Class l outboord).
11. Rickey DeMontrand, Monterey Park, Calif., 85 (IB).
12. Frank Brown, West Palm Beoch, Fla., 83 (OB).
13. Brooke Russell, Miami, Fla., 83 (OB).
14. Mani Costa, Miami, Fla., 77 COB).
15. Charles Smith, Covington, Ky., 76 (OB).
16. Jim Tower, Hollywood, Flo., 74 (OB).
17. Rusty Bond, Felix Poppell, Stuart-Fort Pierce, Fla., 71 (OB).
18. Robert LeRoy, Frankfort, Ky., 68.
19. Barry Cohen, Lido Beach, N.Y., 67
20. Henry Shakeshaft, Port Charlotte, Fla., 59 laps. 
 
 

Sterett Wins Grand Prix
It might be a good idea to re-name the Orange Bowl Regatta's International Grand prix in honor of Bill Sterett. The 41-year old Owensboro, Ky., driver captured the five-lap event for the third straight year, Jan. 15, at the Marine Stadium, Miami, Fla.
On Jan. 16, Mike Thomas of Harvey Cedars, N.J., won top honors in the Governor's Cup Invitational race, which was started twice, and saw one boat. sink and another leading the pack with a hastily taped patch on its hull.
Californian Lou Brummett was tops in the Orange Bowl Invitational test also held on Jan. 16.
Sterett, the national 7-Litre champion, got off to a poor start in the Grand Prix and had to come from behind to win. One-time Grand Prix winner Ray Gassner of St. Petersburg set the pace, with Sterett trailing. The two boats were within a few lengths of each other during most of the third lap. Finally, Sterett gained a lead he never relinquished.
George (Buddy) Byers, Jr., who won the Grand Prix three times, lost his chance to make it four when his craft flipped and disintegrated on the course seconds before the start of the race.
Six qualifying heats boiled the jammed entry list down to the top 10 drivers for the five-lap feature.
In the Governor's Cup, Sterett collided with Sonny Vigeon of Beaumont, Texas, just before the start of the first attempt to run the race. The Kentuckian went into the pits while Vigeon made two laps before sinking slowly from an opened seam.
Thomas had been dueling with Norm Major of Spokane, Wash., and even briefly held the lead. But the race was called when Vigeon went down on the course.
In the re-start, Sterett leaped ahead with a taped patch on the side of his speedster but jumped the gun and was forced to make an extra lap, earning no better than fourth despite his blazing pace.
Thomas went on to win with Major second and Bob Marsh of Annapolis, Md., third.
In the Orange Bowl Invitational, Brummet won in the same boat, Miss Mandella that Butch Peterson had piloted to victory in '65. The durable rig seemed destined for the runner-up spot until pace-setting Joe Maybrown of New York blew an engine in the second lap allowing Brummett to take over a commanding lead that lasted all the way. Bob Letwinski of Union Beach, N. J., placed a distant second with J. D. Hunt of Columbia, S. C., third.
Del Daily triumphed in the F Service class, with Lew Koehler second and Buddy Pumo third.
Maybrown won the Ski boat class, while Thomas breezed through elimination and final heats to win the 266 hydro division. Bill Buntin, Metairie, La., won the trial but couldn't keep up with Thomas in the final.
Joe Siracusa of Morgan City, La., took over-all honors in the 225 hydro class, with Ed Morgan Jr. of Trenton, Mich. second, and Bill Heath of Homewood, Ill. third.
In the small but fast 91 hydro class, St. Petersburg's Bob Tucker rated first, Hialeah's F. C. Moor was second, and Burt Davidson of Tampa was third.

Orange Bowl's '250' Classic
A one-man triumph in more ways than one for Bob Nordskog featured the Orange Bowl Regatta's inaugural 250-mile Speed Classic, Jan. 2 at the Marine Stadium, Miami, Fla. Nordskog, a rugged 52-year-old competitor from Van Nuys, Calif., piloted his Viking Spirit the entire gruelling 100 laps while younger rivals called on relief drivers at the halfway mark.
The 18-ft. revolutionary Ski racing runabout, a complete product of his company, was a runaway victory at an average speed of 67.069 mph. Nordskog earned the $1,000 first prize plus $2,500 for leading 50 laps at $50 for each lap. He covered the course in 3 hrs., 43 min. and 39 sec.
Nordskog wrested the lead on the 51st lap when Mike Wallace came into the pits to refuel and turn the driving of Tiny Tim over to Bill Cooper. The Wallace-Cooper duo wound up second.
Twenty-nine speedsters started the nautical version of automobile racing's Indianapolis '500' before a near, capacity crowd of 6,000. Only nine other boats were still running on the course when Nordskog got the checkered flag.
Third place went to Miss Mandella, co-driven.by Lew Brummett and Blair Grinois.
The fourth place boat was Jim Stough's Phantom III. Fifth place went to Billy Hefferman, of Phoenix, Ariz.
 
 
 
 

FOR SALE -280 Hydro, newly rebuilt and refinished Lauterbach hull, completely overhauled '56 Chevrolet engine, Custom trailer, prop, excellent condition, ready to race, $1,400. Contact Jules Distel, Lincroft, N.J

FOR SALE -48 Hydro Grundoon, fast and in A-1 shape. Ingram hull, full race Crosley, AMAL carbs, Hi-J prop. Boat, trailer and all equipment $550 or best offer. May be seen in Ft. Worth, Texas. E. R. Hatheway, Cohasset, Mass. 02025.

FOR SALE-1964 National champion Miss Parco. Only Patterson hydro in country, immaculate condition, third high point in country, only 13 races. Schroeder Indy steering, gear box, in and out, runs consistently in mid 80's. Custom trailer plus additional props, gears, shafts, heads, etc. Complete package must go. $7,500. Moving up to Unlimited. Contact Laird Pierce,-Los Angeles, Calif., 

FOR SALE-New "SK" 17' Rayson-Craft. "396" 4 bolt Chevrolet engine, finest competition hardware. Boat used 1 hour. $6,000 invested, sacrifice $3,500. Henry Schilling, Somerset, N. J.