Roostertail Talk
A show dedicated for preserving the history, breaking down the racing and looking to the future of the incredible sport of Unlimited Hydroplane racing. My name is David Newton, and I will be bringing you a weekly show in which we will discuss the boats, drivers, owners, crew members, legends, fans and anything that is involved with the sport that I love; hydroplane racing.
Fans you can now sign up for a subscription service for the podcast! As you can imagine, running a podcast can be pricey (from hosting fees, website fees, travel, equipment, etc.). You can help the podcast by subscribing to our new service, Roostertail Talk+. The podcast is still free to all on our website and through all major podcast platforms (such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, Castbox, etc) but with Roostertail Talk+ there is more you can enjoy ! With this service you will get early links to new episodes, enjoy access to extra content, raffle prizes and more. This is a new service that we will be adding to as we move along. As always your support to make this show grow is very appreciated! TOMORROW, there will be an announcement for the first prize for subscribing to Roostertail Talk+.
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Roostertail Talk
Episode 135: Mark and Mitch Evans, Part 3
Join part 3 of my chat with Mark and Mitch Evans as they share thrilling stories from their racing careers during the transformative 90s in hydroplane racing. This episode highlights their experiences with race day triumphs, the evolution of boat designs, and the profound impact of regulations on the sport.
Tune in next week on New Year's Eve, as we're going to have part four and conclusion of my interview with Mark and Mitch Evans.
*Photo by Jon Osterberg
Help the podcast by subscribing to our new service, Roostertail Talk+. The podcast is still free to all on our website and through all major podcast platforms (such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, Castbox, etc) but with Roostertail Talk+ there is more you can enjoy ! With this service you will get early links to new episodes, enjoy access to extra content, raffle prizes and more. This is a new service that we will be adding to as we move along. As always your support to make this show grow is very appreciated! https://www.buzzsprout.com/434851/supporters/new
Ruchetel Talk, the podcast dedicated to everything about the sport that we all love hydroplane racing. I am your host, david Newton, and it's time once again, so sit back, relax and welcome. Hello Reese fans, welcome back. It's episode 135, december 24th 2024, and it's Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas out there in Hydroland. Hope your Christmas season, or holiday season, is going wonderful for you. Hope you got lots of time with family, friends, time to relax and rest and recoup for the new year, and hopefully part three of my interview with Mark and Mitch Evans will help you get there.
Speaker 1:This is part three. We're going to talk more. We're going from the 80s to the 90s and we're going to talk all about Mark and Mitch's experience in the 90s. Really focus more with Mark and his accolades, with going from JR working on building Bob Fendler's boat to driving for JR and the American Spirit team. Mitch Evans jumps in there as he raced for JR as well with the Coug's Light and his experience at Seattle after that quick build on that two-wing hydroplane.
Speaker 1:Talk about the Exide and the Budgears, and you're going to enjoy listening to all this and all their wild and crazy adventures along the way as they win races along the circuit. Let's get back to my talk with Mark and Mitch Eppin. Well, getting back to your early, early years in racing and one thing that just always fascinates me as a driver um going through different eras of racing, and you both went through an era of going from open cockpit to enclosed canopies um getting that experience there. How hard was that to adjust? Was that an easy, easy adjustment, like was it day one, you're used to it, or did it take a while?
Speaker 2:Personally. For me it took a while, because you're so used to having that vision and being able to look around and now you're relying on looking through a piece of glass and strapped in and strapped in. And a great thing where the radios came along. So that voice, you know that definitely held. But it took me a while to adjust to it for sure, and then going through because I mean it was hot, it was just uncomfortable, everything about it wasn't really very natural you know, so it took me a while.
Speaker 2:It was an evolution, for sure. Yeah, the heat in the cockpit is insane.
Speaker 3:You're sitting there waiting and a booty breaks loose or something. And you know the cool suits. We've tried numerous types of cool suits and they just don't work. They just don't last. So that heat thing, that's a tough one. Have you ever got?
Speaker 1:a temp like on what it is in there. Have you ever tried to figure?
Speaker 2:tried this. I didn't really want to know. I know it.
Speaker 1:It was ultra hot Someone had to.
Speaker 3:We've got to ask someone to put a temp gauge in there.
Speaker 1:Someone said 160.
Speaker 3:Well, I don't think 160, that's a little much. But anyway.
Speaker 1:yeah, I've asked around and I've gotten the same response. I don't want to know.
Speaker 2:We were able to make some little ventilation in some areas.
Speaker 1:You know, get some air movement with you.
Speaker 2:That's the only way you could yeah, you could survive it for a very long time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I had an experience in evansville where my latch was kind of giving me fits to open the canopy and uh, so the guys would jump on and open it. I shouldn't say that safety thing, but no matter what, that was the case. So super hot and humid in evansville, pulled up to the dock, I was fine. I told jay I shut down, they got the boat, they jumped on, hooked the ropes and just as I looked up, jay had taken his headset off and pulled him down and I reached to grab my latch and it wouldn't open and I went oh no, so I'm beating on the window. My crew guys can't hear me, he's not on the radio.
Speaker 3:Well, right then my mind, I think, decided well, the race is over, dude, and here's how hot you really are. All of a sudden, the heat I felt. I thought I was on fire and that's what got me. Later I thought well, I pulled in. I didn't feel hot. You know my adrenaline. We were racing. But once you relax and figure out how hot you really are, oh man, now I can fry it in minutes. Then you can't panic. Although I was looking at the ask bar, I was wondering, I'm going to go out that way, darn near did yeah, Alright.
Speaker 1:Well then you got hooked up with JR later. American Spirit. How did that deal come?
Speaker 3:about. Like I said, back when we built Mitch's boat I interacted with him and then later on we were at a meeting and Bob Findler asked me to build him a boat and I said, oh my gosh, bob, the only way I'll build you a boat is you buy the canoes from Jones and the cockpit. After what Mitch and I went through trying to put a cockpit together and so on and so forth, and I said I'm pretty sure we can do this intersection and so on.
Speaker 1:Did you go back here?
Speaker 2:No, we built it over there we rented a space behind the house, yeah, so.
Speaker 3:Jones has had a space and they actually had a little apartment. So I ended up living there and that's how I interacted with the joneses so much I mean, oh my gosh. And so then, uh, we did that. Jones jr saw me busting my butt on the dual automobiles, boats, and, uh, really wanting to drive. And and then, uh, he was. Him and his dad, um, were getting very upset that they would build the boat and it would go out the door and the teams wouldn't do what they say and the boat would kind of fail and they would blame the Joneses. Well, they got so mad about that.
Speaker 3:Finally, one day JR told me he goes. I'm sick and tired of this. He says I'm going to rent a boat from Steve Woomer. You want to drive it? I said, jr, if you mess with me I'm going to beat you up. I said, sure. I said I've been wanting to. He says, well, I'm going to go get that circus boat that flipped in San Diego and drag it in the shop and we're going to do something. And sure enough, he did. He drug that pink thing in one day and the rest is history. We rebuilt it and then that's when he hooked up with Steve Lampson and they came up with the American Spirit concept the red, white and blue and that's where we went. So I lived in this little apartment there and busted butt, but, like I said just before that, mitch came over and you stayed in that little apartment with me.
Speaker 3:It's been a few weeks there. Yep, me and Mitch and Uncle Bob, we built the jig and got all the frames and so on and so forth and got the canoes from Jones's. So it's nice to go right next door to Jones's and watch them, build the parts and the cockpit.
Speaker 2:Yeah you go. What do we need for this? We kind of go okay, you come up with a drawing, here you go.
Speaker 3:But I will say the funniest thing about bob he wanted a two-seater. He said, yeah, two-seater. So the way their fuel slosh was they were able to put tandem tight. But then about halfway or three quarters of the way through, mitch had to leave. Go back with ed.
Speaker 3:They decided to make a three-wing thing, two wing three. You know. I said no, no, no, no, I don't want to. No, I said we're so far behind right now in the three-wing thing. Senior just showed me these giant spars they got to make. I said Bob, you're having a hell of a time with the money anyway. I said man, I don't really want to be a part of this. I said I totally vote against it. But I stayed on, helped them finish it. We get out there to madison and steve david went flying into the turn with that thing about swapped ends and then they went back to the. They filled it in, you know, to convince. But that boat was 34 feet long by one minute long and a two-seater, yeah, and he actually wanted me to ride in the cockpit and while steve david drove he thought I could run the flaps and watch a radar screen and watch where the rest of the boats were. He seriously was going to put a, you know, like a jet fighter. Really you're going to back that's what it was so.
Speaker 1:So the concept wasn't pr, it was he wanted. Well, he wanted two drivers yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:He wanted a co-pilot to run flaps and watch, then let steve steer and talk. That was his concept, plus give rides at the races and promote the races. We went to a national meeting and it got out and Tom Deeth threw the rule book on the table and said this ain't happening. I disagree, right here. Only one person rides in that boat during race, is riding the rule book. We tried to get APBA to change it, or the race commission, whatever it was called at the time. They said URC, urc at the time.
Speaker 1:Wow, well, they had other drivers in the past. They're both two drivers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, they went back to the two that was at Quicksilver and they were strapped in and went they kind of designated them as a riding mechanic right In the day, but they kind of designated him as a writing mechanic in the day, both two people operating the boat.
Speaker 3:I called Steve and said you want to do this? He goes. Okay, I'll do it too. It's all in for it.
Speaker 1:But they got Bob on that one that goes into the what could have been file that's a big file.
Speaker 3:And you want to know something. Not to get into this whole story, but just yeah, I'm going to put it out there. That boat actually created controversy in our sport. In some of these meetings they were saying no more of these fancy, weird boats, we've got to get everything down to standard size and shape. And I go, I said no, why? And they said, well, mark, here's a perfect example. Just look what you did, bob Findler. You guys went off in a whole other direction. Two seats, three wings, and now the boat's a failure.
Speaker 3:And down the road it went Circus, circus. They spent a whole bunch of money on that three-point, you know. And then if it would just stay to a standard hole, they'd be out racing and we'd be doing good. That was their theory. So that's how things. That's really when things started, getting restricted into a standard hole and stuff you know. Later I kind of agreed, but at the same time, like my concept with this Elstrom Hall and so on, I told the whole racing community don't call me anymore, you owners, go away, get lost, I'm putting it together, you can't stop me. I said I can go out on the lake and I can put this program together. I'll come in and if you're so scared, I'm going to whoop your butt. That's just too bad.
Speaker 1:That's the way the world is.
Speaker 3:I hope it works. I hope I do kick your butt. But these owners, right now they've invested in the turbines and they've told me you'll make my engines obsolete. So what, there's not enough around? Well, they're already obsolete right, yeah what there's nothing, there's not enough around. Well, they already are obsolete right, yeah, not to not to bash them too bad, but I will.
Speaker 1:I'll stand up right in front of them, tell them they're crazy to not let somebody get so restricted well, I mean that's that's been part of the fun of the sport over the years, seeing all the different designs and trials and yeah, and tribulations and errors and everything that goes with it.
Speaker 3:But I mean it wouldn't be I mean, the boats wouldn't be like they are today if they wouldn't have kept trying things yeah, because by accident sometimes you pull off a really good idea design or something that you thought maybe wouldn't work and actually worked really good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can draw it on paper, put it in a wind towel, but I mean physically building it, pulling it away, because I think there's been more animation there than anything.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, going back to JR's days and the record Spirit, you won 92 in Madison. That was your first win, right, correct? How thrilling was that for you, mark.
Speaker 3:Oh, it was a blast. It was ironic. Just like Mitch, I thought I had second place. Oh really, yeah, I didn't know.
Speaker 1:I won until.
Speaker 3:I got back to the dock Because the Winston and the Bud slammed into each other. The Winston did get by me with a great big hole in it, but I just let him go. I thought, hey, that boat's going to come apart. Well, he finished in front of me. So I heard Jay screaming on the radio woo-hoo, I'm thinking, gosh, this isn't bad. Third race, we get second place.
Speaker 3:So I get to the dock, we're doing our interview and my wife's got. Her eyes are just bugged out and the crew's freaking out what's going on. They go, you got first place and I'm like I did, and then, oh my gosh, it went nuts. And so it was very enjoyable, especially since I'm going to throw this out Steve Woomer, that JR rented to lease the boat from. Well, he didn't like me. He thought I was a maniac, he thought I'd crash the boat. He totally against me driving the boat. He told jr not tire me. He said the guy's too out of control and he's. So. Jr says no, mark's gonna be great, and he works on the boat and he'll be all right and woomer I don't know how much the bet was. He says that. All right and woomer I don't know how much the bet was. He says that kid's gonna blow that boat over a crash by the third race. Well, guess what one?
Speaker 1:I couldn't wait to run down to the pits and tell mr woomer he never won with his, with his crash boat, right yeah yeah, exactly, oh, we laughed on that one Woomer did not like that, but he congratulated me later.
Speaker 2:That's funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, mitch, at the same time, I think 92. I believe, yeah, it was 92. You had an opportunity with JR because he built a tooling at Coors Dry and you ran it in Seattle the first time. Did you help build that boat? How did you get involved with that project?
Speaker 2:No, I just was. He was just at the time just trying to put somebody in there that had some experience, I think, because obviously it was a new design, and then he just asked me to come and help him out and uh and it was really just as simple as that. And then and then, I know, I think at that point um you guys just finished toby yep, yep, and we and we, you know we ran it hadn't been really successful and I'm just thinking, yeah, maybe I wanted.
Speaker 2:To try turbine. That was. That was kind of the first thing for me, you know. So that was just a an opportunity that kind of came along at the me, you know. So that was just an opportunity that kind of came along at the time. So I said, sure, I'll come and help out however I can. And it was obviously short-lived, just the one-race deal. And then he was able to work with Dave and obviously go on to San Diego after that. So it was 40 days. It was incredible to see a boat built like that, put together and show up at the NCAA and then run. It was really a miracle and then just to get out and give them some feedback. You know, there was obviously a lot of things to try to work out on it, but you could tell it was going to be a great boat.
Speaker 1:And you know it took a lot of time to get it dialed in, so it was just a run race deal for you. Yeah, Do you think that design would have worked if they didn't start the restrictions then? Yeah for sure, that was it.
Speaker 2:It was just because it definitely had the potential to run really fast, but it needed a huge amount of horsepower and you know, different gears and props. So it all started changing about that point.
Speaker 3:Sure, a floaty boat that we weren't supposed to blow over. Yeah, and I was in two different boats, but I had Steve David blow over on my right side one time and he blew over my left side one time. We're doing things, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but they were modifying everything about that. It was literally being closed up in many different aspects with flaps and different angles, so there was a lot of things that were happening. It went way one way and they brought it back and finally I think they just decided the best way to have the sport survive was to make the engine restriction keep as many parts together as they could, because obviously there was stuff coming out of them and props coming off. I mean I was in San Diego, I timed the PT wheel across the water out in the parking lot. I mean you just knew at that point, man, something had to change quickly or we were going to be done racing, yeah that's scary, yeah, what that could possibly do man Boy, yeah man.
Speaker 1:Well, Mark, you drove that same boat a couple years later.
Speaker 3:Right, as the X-Side, as the X-Side, yeah, yeah that was a big deal.
Speaker 1:How'd that all come about?
Speaker 3:X-Side Racing. Well, we finished up the American Spirit, we reconfigured it, we got the X-Side sponsorship and actually that's back up. I was trying to do a lot of money for Brian Keough and they got the X-Side sponsor and they threw down a lot of money so we were able to put it together. Jay LaCrone took the boat and the truck out to Detroit for a big show. We were all done. The owner, art Hawkins, came up and asked Jay LaCrone if that boat was going to win. Jay says well, you know it'll do all right, but you know you need that other boat, that two-wing boat, and the owner says okay, go back. So Jay calls me up, says hey, guess what? We're going to get the other two wing put it together. You're kidding me? So we had a two-boat team and yeah and uh. So, uh, we took it to Seattle to test it and I ended up.
Speaker 3:I wasn't JR. They gave me the choice of which boat I wanted to run, and so I said I'll tell you what. Let's take this thing down to Lake Washington and I padded up the cockpit the best I could, told the guy's name. Let's get ready, because I'm going to let it rip. I'm going to either crash it or something's going to happen here. So I did drove the snot out of it and it seemed to work all right. And so then we took it back to Detroit and we got to the Gold Cup and it was so hard to drive and Jimmy King was the backup driver and man, I just finally, at the last second, said no, I'm going to drive the good boat and Jimmy can drive that. And it was a handful. Just the waves, you know, beat the back, spar up. So back to where.
Speaker 3:I don't like these two wing things. They don't work that well. Plus they really, you know they float. They feel like you're going over quicker than normal. In fact that's the Budweiser boat, that two-wing boat. I drove that at Madison. I was pretty nervous. I couldn't get myself to go 100% on that. I didn't want to blow it over. But Saturday morning Mitch goes, that thing looks darn flat. It shouldn't have any troubles. Same thing I always go over the ambulance. Guys Get ready, because this is going to be all out. Got fastest qualifier, but the whole time it was just oh whoa. I mean if you'd have done that in another boat you'd probably get on your lid so it's hard to drive that and keep it well psychologically it just right felt like you're already over.
Speaker 3:And then chip didn't like it, you wouldn't. But steve dav, man, be careful. It's an odd feeling. It's different than a regular boat. That was kind of in my head a little bit, I think. But then at Madison I decided just let it rip and we got fastest qualifying. It worked, but again it kept coming apart. The waves would come up and blow the back end out.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, there wasn't much left of that boat, I think after that race was over, yeah no, no, we've gone through those parts everywhere.
Speaker 3:Six or seven uprights and wings.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, beat it up. Well, the Exide team, though it seemed like it was well-funded, you came close to winning in Seattle and just couldn't quite get there. Why do you think that was with that team? Oh, why did?
Speaker 3:it win there. Why do you think that was like? Was that that team? Oh, couldn't get a, couldn't get a win. Um, oh, it's just. Um, we had to turn to the moon. You know that. That's when we were turning, that it's before restrictions, and we were blowing stuff up left and right. You know so, uh, but see, we only made seven races and before we got, let go if you want to talk about it. It's the truth. I brought it up on the Internet the other day and I don't think John liked it too much, but I'm a truth guy.
Speaker 3:Art Hocken went to prison. Yes, seven races in. Yeah, he got busted for the Sears Die Hard contract that they overbid. And then even my local store here brought on Exide just because of us. And he comes up and goes Mark, three out of four batters are dead, there's fucking nothing. And I go what? And then it was after we left San Diego that we found out that we were all fired. And then later on we went to prison. And that was so ironic because him and his wife had me in the bus out there in Detroit. Oh man, you're going to be in for 10 years. It's going to be great. They paid me really well and the whole crew and a couple of them moved back there and ironically he got 10 years.
Speaker 1:God, that's too bad. Yeah, quite the story. Another what could have been? Yes, that's too bad. Yeah, quite the story. Another what?
Speaker 3:what could have been. Yes, yeah, because we were just getting rolling and you know it just. It proved to you right there that it doesn't matter how much money you have. It was like one guy said well, you guys almost have more money than Budweiser, how come you can't win? Well, they're dialed in. You know, you give a guy all the money he wants until he gets his crew dialed in his parts, his stuff. You know we had gear ratio differences and we were all kind of learning, yeah.
Speaker 1:It takes time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think the next year.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you what you mentioned second place at Seattle. That was one of the fun ones I'll never forget, because Dave had the race covered. I was on the radio with Jay and I go oh man. So Jay just went silent. I just thought, well, I'm either going to catch him or blow it over or up, or I didn't care. So the last lap I just took a deep breath and let it rip. I come around there and I came up to Dave's skid fin area and I come around the corner and the boat just bit. Really well, exiting the turn, I'm gaining. All of a sudden I look and I could see Dave was just drifting clear out away from the buoys. I'm going what in the heck is he doing, man? And I'm gaining. Well, he'd already thought he'd won the race. He was like waving at the crowd, I guess. Well, shoot, I just jetted in and got tied into the buoys as I could, and Danny Walters said he'd never forget it.
Speaker 3:He said all of a sudden, danny was on the radio with Dave and he just started screaming go, go, go. So it's just amazing that a boat can gain that much just by getting on the inside. I think you only beat us by a boat length. Yeah, that's it. Wow, yeah, it was fun, I had a blast. Yeah, sometimes, you know, second and third place races are more fun and crazy than getting first.
Speaker 1:Right, right, it's interesting how that works. Yeah, it's better battles back there. Yeah, yeah, better battles back there, yeah, yeah. Well, mark, I'll talk about your bud years and then I'll get back to you mitch on your career. But after that you got opportunity to drive for bernie and bud and took over for chip, right uh, it was pretty cool.
Speaker 3:Um, we were in kansas city and I was driving the second boat for fred, the rock boat. He'd had leased it to Rick Campbell out in Friday Harbor. So we were just a bunch of goofballs having a good time. We had one engine, one gearbox, one prod. We just had the leftover stuff because they had just got Pico. So Dave Billbock was the main driver for Pico and Fred says listen, don't you ever pass that boat. He said that's our main sponsor. So you guys go have fun, and so on. So he said that's our main sponsor. So you guys go have fun, and so on.
Speaker 3:So we're at Kansas City and I got inside Dave and Chip I don't know what they were doing, but I got inside of them and I massed the gas. Well, our engine was running pretty good, we were getting some pretty good props. So I went into the turn with them Down the back stretch. You know, I thought I'll lift and let them go, you know. Well, I lifted and my throttle was stuck on the floor. I barreled into the turn about pooping my pants and hung onto the boat, passed him, leading up the front stretch. I go holy schmoly but the throttle's still stuck and so I'm trying to drive and I hit it with my foot and it popped back. Yeah, but then my reactions I just slammed it back down and it stuck again. So here comes the turn again.
Speaker 3:That went on every corner and I'm crapping my pants and anyway, I end up winning heat. And I get to the dock, there was Fred Leland standing there with his arms full and I thought, oh man, I'm going to get in trouble. Sure enough, I got off the boat and he goes. Marco, what did I tell you? I go? You said not to pass him. But Fred, the throttle's stuck. And he's looking at me and goes yeah, right, yeah, yeah. Well, it did. The throttle's stuck, the boat's on the trailer. I'm standing there and I look and here's a couple of the bud guys I think it was Ronnie and I don't know Rheinberger. I go, what are you looking at? They go. We just wanted to come down and see the bunch of goofballs that just kicked our butt. I go well, we're not goofballs. He goes Evan, turn around and look at your crew. I turn around and I'm like we're goofballs. No, no one had their right of uniform on. We were a bunch of crazies. It was fun.
Speaker 3:After the race, ron Brown came over and asked me if I wanted to drive the bud and I said oh, you're joking. What's that? He goes, well, chip's hurting. He hurt his ribs really bad and we need you to drive the boat if you would like it. And I said, sure. Ironically, I had an ice pack in my suit because my ribs were busted up, so yeah, but anyway, so uh. They said, no, yeah, you'd like to come drive the boat, okay, well, um, so I did uh. Where did we go after that? Oh, that was uh, that's right evansville, and the boat was coming apart.
Speaker 1:Uh, yeah yeah, and then madison. After that, yeah, the other boat came apart.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they were all coming apart, they were all getting just beat up, that's right, getting into the two-wing thing. But that's about the time Chip, you know, figured out what he had going with his you know phonic dysphonia, I think is what they called it. He was having a rough time, the boat was having a rough time. So, anyway, I just got contracted with Bernie to be backup driver for him and it just was a great experience. I was still with Fred's camp, so every time I got out of the cockpit on a trailer fire or whatever they didn't want me looking in the engine compartment, they didn't want me looking in it Just get off the boat. So it was really fun to interact with the crew guys because again, characters in our sport oh my gosh, lauren Sawyer that's the radio guy was just a character interesting to get along with. It was a little tough for some people but I did all right. Just a great experience and I'm grateful to be able to do it.
Speaker 1:And that was 95 and 96, correct? I think you were at that time at 96, Chip left.
Speaker 3:Budweiser and you were driving. Yeah, he crashed in Detroit and went over the top. Yeah, Then he quit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what happened with the Dave switch with you and Fred, because I feel like there was some backdoor things kind of going on.
Speaker 3:Yeah, what it was was, unfortunately, in 96, when I took over that year, they took the fuel flow from 4.3 to 4.1 and that amount of fuel flow, uh, hurt the bud big time. Plus I'll go ahead and say it there was some. There was some controversy inside the bud camp. The guys weren't getting along. I found out later Ron was trying some other props and using me as a test pilot. I didn't care, I said throw whatever you want at it, I'll go mash the gas and try different things. It's fun. Well, so we weren't successful. We weren't winning anything and the boat was ill handling because of the propellers and they were just trying different things. But ironically, we got to san diego and one of my my favorite fans came up and says gosh, I hope you're not the only budweiser driving to never win. And that got me. Oh wow, I didn't think about that. So bernie called up. He was very upset. In fact there's a great story about August Bush coming to town and dragging me and Ronnie into the shop, wanting to know why we weren't winning, and proceeded to tell Ronnie to go back to Vietnam getting more engines and the fuel flow thing was biting them and so on. But then here's Pico winning like crazy, you know, but they were cheating, they were pushing fuel and so when you get?
Speaker 3:So I got to San Diego and I said I told Ronnie. I said listen, don't you make me the only driver to never win. I said I talked to Bernie. He called me up, he told me to tell you to put that boat back together like it was last year in Hawaii, because they went out in the rough waters and whooped us off Nothing. Because they went out in the rough water and just whooped us off Nothing, no problem. So before the final heat at San Diego, I got pretty mad at Ron Brown. I said, listen, don't make me. You know I want to win. Yeah, and I can't believe it. I got in the boat, took off from the dock, went down that back stretch and went holy schmoly, a whole different boat. So sure enough, I won easy and I won again in Hawaii very easily. But that's just kind of because they went back to the original. Hey guys, mark, how are you? We've got a meeting. Rod, I'll talk to you in just a bit. Is one of you? Tim?
Speaker 2:No, no, tim's out on the boat right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okay, yeah, oh, tim Evans. You're looking for tim evans. Yes, yeah, uh, gosh, end of uh edoc. Oh, okay, yeah, this is um captain bob lynch. How's it going? Dave Newton, he's the famous RC model podcast. I've met you. Oh, that's right. That's right, how are you? Oh?
Speaker 1:thank you.
Speaker 2:How are you Good? How are you Good Excellent?
Speaker 3:Excellent, good, are you excellent, excellent, oh man, good, good, well, good to meet you alright, too much. I was going to call you to come down to the, down to the race, but we'll have to pour in concrete and all sorts of other things. Alright, well, we'll catch up, man.
Speaker 2:I gotta figure out what's what's, what's, what's, what's, what's, what's, what's. We'll catch up, man. I've got to figure out what wide-blown sports is going on down on Tim's boat.
Speaker 3:Good luck with that, rod Childhood friend. His dad was involved with our dad and the whole committee for the Alpacup races. He's one of the greatest across the lake. Fun, fun. But anyway, the boat was was phenomenal. You know, because I said Ron, you got all the data from last year, just please put it in there. It just ran really well. That's basically what happened.
Speaker 3:And so when we got over to Hawaii, rumors were already going that you know that that was what was going to happen. Bernie took me out on the dock and said listen, I'm not letting you go because you're a bad driver. He says Dave's got information and propellers and so on and I've got to go that route. I said okay. And then that's what was so cool about Dewey and Mark Gumby. There they both apologized and said basically they got caught with their pants down. They did not think they would lose that much horsepower going from 4.3 to 4.1. And then the combination of props and gear ratios we were trying. It was just tough, but it was all right. It was a hell of an experience for me. They learned some things, me, they learned some things and I learned some things. But boy, then when we swapped it was. It was just chaos, man it was crazy.
Speaker 1:So then you went over to Fred's with the Pico sponsorship and at the same time, mitch, I believe, you hooked up with Jerry Rise and Appy Andronimo team, so you both were in some pretty good boats at that time. Ho ho ho, merry Christmas, sounds like Santa's about to climb down my chimney. I better run to bed so he can leave me lots of hydroplane gifts underneath my Christmas tree. Hope you do the same Tune in next week on New Year's Eve, as we're going to have part four and a conclusion of my interview with Mark and Mitch Evans. So until next time, merry Christmas, happy Holidays and hope to see you at the races.