Fred Farley - The Madison Regatta: Hydroplane Racing in SmallTown Indiana

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2011 by Fred Farley and Ron Harsin

All rights reserved

All photographs are from the Ron Harsin Collection.

First published 2011

e-book edition 2013

Manufactured in the United States

ISBN 978.1.62584.230.5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Farley, Fred.

The Madison Regatta : hydroplane racing in small-town Indiana / Fred Farley and Ron Harsin.

p. cm.

print edition ISBN 978-1-60949-300-4

1. Motorboat racing--Indiana--Madison--History. 2. Hydroplanes--Indiana--Madison--History. 3. Regattas--Indiana--Madison--History. I. Harsin, Ron. II. Title.

GV835.9.F38 2011

797.140977213--dc22

2011012306

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is dedicated to one of hydroplane racings most respected veterans:

Mr. Graham Heath

formerly of Madison, Indiana.

The above photo shows the authors of this book with Graham Heath and his wife.

Left to right: Fred Farley, Hazel Heath, Graham Heath and Ron Harsin

CONTENTS

Foreword

MY WALK-ON PART IN THE MADISON LEGACY

The town and team this book is about are as fundamentally American as mom and apple pie. Born as a frontier town, maturing into a major river port on the Ohio River, home to industry from the 1800s to this very day and facing struggles of every sort, it survives. These Hoosiers are a hearty bunch, and I have a front-row seat to their story. For the first thirteen years of my Unlimited hydroplane driving career, they, amongst others, were my competition.

I stepped away from the sport midway through the 1999 season after my father died. Dad had been my racing partner since birth, and without him with me, it became void of passion. Enter my adopted town of Madison. Charlie Grooms, team manager of the Miss Madison Unlimited hydroplane, called me in February 2001. In the straightforward, look-you-in-the-eye way of midwesterners, and Madisonians in particular, he asked, Are you done with your pity party and ready to race again? Thus began my walk-on part.

While that was Charlie speaking, I know it was Dad in heaven who wrote the script. You see, the Madison, their boat, had always been his favorite. Imagine my dad rooting for my competition! Now, almost eleven years later, I know why he loved them. He knew, as I do now, that when the right ingredients come together in a race program, magic happens.

It isnt just one person or bountiful funding that makes a winner. It is the input of lots of people from varying backgrounds, with a common purpose and a deep passion. This passion, this drive, fueled the birth of the town of Madison and, to this day, fuels the number one Unlimited hydroplane in the world.

In truth, Im just a visitor to this team, its driver for coming on eleven seasons now. But I also know that Im a part of its legacy. A part that I can never forget didnt start with me and will not end with me, yet a part that is as much a part of me as my heart and lungs. These people are my family; this boat is in my blood. When I drive the Miss Madison (sponsored and known in racing circles as the Oh Boy! Oberto, the souls of every Madisonian who has backed this team for the past fifty-plus years rides with me. Theyve been racing longer than any race team in any motor sport in history. I know that our racing can bring cheers or tears, based largely on what I do. This is no small responsibility. Nor is it any small honor.

As you read through these pages, lovingly crafted by two of the best writers in motor sports, I hope you feel the same passion for this town and this boat as I do. Better yet, drop by Madison any July Fourth weekend to witness its regatta. For sixty years, theyve staged the largest motor sport event in Indiana, outside of the Indianapolis 500. As you walk the streets of Madison, you will undoubtedly feel the energy that is embedded in its brick streets, its vintage homes and its people. Youll sense what it is that gives America heart and what continues to fuel this town and this team.

Live well,

Steve David

National Driving Champion 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors are indebted to all who helped make this book a reality. A special thanks in the memory of Ms. Rita Cline for providing her collection of past Madison Regatta programs for use in collecting information and photos for this book.

Thanks to David and Jean Johnson for opening their hydroplane museum to the authors and for giving their time and assistance in the creation of this book.

We wish to thank Joseph and Janice Johnson for their ongoing assistance.

We also wish to thank Tom and Jacqueline Bertolini for allowing us access to the boats, drivers and crew members at the race sites; without this access, a majority of the information in this book would have never become available.

Special thanks to everyone who allowed us to use their photos and art designs, especially the Madison Courier, RoundAbout Madison, Propeller Magazine, Todays Sports Magazine, SkidFin Magazine, and the Unlimited News Journal.

We wish to thank all of the photographers who contributed photos to this book, including the Madison Historic Society, Rita and Robert Cline, David and Jean Johnson, Dale Wilson, Mark Campbell, Don Ward, David Williams, Bob Carver, Rich Ormbrek, Ron Harsin, Carl Trivett, Thayer Cueter, Russell Bishop, Mark Terao, Clifford Ellis, Brad Luce, Bill Osborne, Phil Kunz, P. Gleeson, Hal Stein, Ray Krantz, John C. Hillery, Bill DeGlopper, Bill and Judy Fisk, Leslie Field, the Towne Studio, Brian Reed, Unlimiteds Detroit, Jeff Dunn, Mike Millenbach, Vicki Fewell, Bill Knodell, Randy Roe, Bernie Schwartz, Larry Wilson, Denise Taylor, Tom Turrill, James Mead, Jim Smith, Tom Harvey, Bill Grunow, Mike McCormick, C. Looney, Chip Dogwill, Dave Mabry, Denny Jackson, Don Gold, Duane Hover, Gerry Sieracki, Hank Kosciuszko, Roger Schaaf, Scott Dunn, Terri Garey, Ed Krupinski, David Ruiga, Ron Grimes and Joe Carr.

Many of the photographs in this book are reproduced from historical archives, and therefore, the quality varies widely throughout. We have reproduced all the photographs using the latest techniques in order to match the original photographs as closely as possible.

Thank you to our families for enduring all the hours while we worked on this book.

To the many people who helped in so many waystheir names are too numerous to mention, but to all of youTHANK YOU!!

IN THE BEGINNING

Madison, Indiana, may rank as the smallest town on the H1 Unlimited hydroplane tour in terms of population (thirteen thousand), but the picturesque Ohio River Valley community stands head and shoulders above many a larger metropolis with its rich powerboat racing heritage.