The world's richest Outboard race began innocently enough on a Thanksgiving weekend in 1959. At first it seemed like any other well run marathon event. It was sanctioned by the Western Outboard Association & sponsored by industrialist Robert P. McCulloch. The course began & ended at McCulloch's Site 6 test center on Lake Havasu. The initial race was won by Jack Ward. Successive races were won by Ivan DeBusk in 1960, Jack Oxley in 1961 & George Todd in 1962. Bob McCulloch decided that the Outboard World Championships was ready to be unveiled.
1964- The inaugural classic was staged as a six-hour enduro over a six-mile boomerang course, following a two hour pleasure craft preliminary on Saturday, which was won by Dick Sharp of Seattle, Wash. On Sunday, Harold Eis of Topeka, Kansas won the first official OWC in a Stylecraft catamaran with twin Mercury power. His average speed was 58 mph. The race, sanctioned by the National Outboard Association, drew 72 entries & only 30 of them finished.
1965- The lanky Kansan, now known as the "Eis Man", returned to Havasu to repeat his win. The race was shortened to a five-mile boomerang course. There were more than 100 starters representing five NOA classes. Eis survived a blown motor & a collision with another boat to take home $6,100.00 of the $25,000.00 purse.
1966- In a field sprinkled with foreign stars, attracted by the increasing purse & prestige, a couple of Californians galloped off with the winners $8,100.00 share. Don Harper & Dutch Blaser, driving a triple-Mercury Raysoncraft, equalled Eis' 1964 lap & speed records, this time on a four-mile course. The most significant event was the performance of Deiter Schulse of Attnang, Austria. His single engined "Hydro Cat" finished 13th overall & 1st single. This was a look of things to come. He was voted the outstanding rookie of the year & Americans got their first look at a tunnel hull.
1967- The purse had jumped to $27,500.00 & classes were reduced to 3: singles, twins, & multiples. A triple-Merc/Raysoncraft won it again, this time with an all star crew. Bill Cooper, a famous in-board driver, Mike Reagan- son of California's governor at the time & Rudy Ramos- builder of the winning hull, teamed up to take the win. Ron Hill won the twin- engine class in an Evinrude/Glastron & the team of Jimbo McConnell & Ted May took the single engine class in a Johnson powered Hydro-Cat.
1968- A record 138 drivers battled for the $10,300.00 winners share of the $30,000.00 purse. Kenny Kitson's world-record-holding,Mercury powered twin-hulled Switsercraft wing held off the fantastic tunnel hulls to win it, running 512 miles at an average speed of 64 mph. Ralph Evinrude, chairman of the board of Outboard Marine Corporation, astounded the crowd by announcing he would make a personal contribution of $20,000.00 to the 1969 purse.This brought the total to $50,000.00 & firmly established the Havasu OWC as the premier boat race.
1969- Italy's Cesare Scotti, driving a Molinari tunnel hull powered by twin Evinrudes, captured the $15,000.00 first place money. In so doing, he set a new distance record of 584 miles & a speed record of 73 mph average.This marked the 1st time in the races history that an OMC equipped boat had won it all!
1970- Last year's championship race offered more than $60,000.00 in the purse. Smarting from their 1969 loss, the Mercury team boats sewed up the 1st four spots & brought in the 1st single engine winner. The winning boat was a twin-Merc powered Molinari called "Up up & Away" driven by Bill Sirois of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Once again, all records were shattered as he turned in 160 laps (640 miles) at an average speed of 80 mph. His share of the purse was almost $20,000.00! That was a lot of money in those days.
1971- Last years champion, Bill Sirois, piloting the same reverse-S Molinari as the year before but this time powered by dual Mercury Twister I cowbells, did the trick again logging 164 laps (660 miles) with an average speed of 82 1/2 mph to defeat the other 98 entries & take the trophy & cash. To be continued
