IN A PICTURE

It’s 1972 and a 12yr old little boy is looking over one of the most audacious drag boats in history. 

The drag boat in the picture is ‘Sugar 1’ and it’s a ‘V’ twelve behemoth, Allison Powered airplane engine. (The original military “A” engines had no counterweights on the crankshaft, 5.75:1 compression ratio, 2:1 internal spur gear-type reduction gear boxes, 8.77:1 supercharger ratio, 9.5 in (240 mm) impeller, SAE #50 propeller shaft, a float-type carburetor, and produced 1,070 hp (800 kW) at 2800 rpm on 92 octane gasoline.)

But notice the little boy diligently studding not the engine, but the cockpit. This inquisitive little boy grew up like other boys of the time. This little boy is trying to understand how to pilot the incredible creation of the Legendary drag boat racer, Wes Rose.

This little boy in the picture, like other little boys does stupid and crazy things, like all little boys do while growing up. Little girls typically weren’t as dumb as us little boys. Moms know this about their sons but hey, what can a mom do. Right? In the case of this little boy he rides his Honda Elsinore 6 speed 125 motorcycle full throttle up and down his street at over 120mph. Yeah that’s ‘KUAZY’! But there were other little boys in the neighborhood wanting to participate in the crazy. This little boy would easily recruit 5 volunteers to lay in front of a ramp while he attempted to leap over all of them with his ‘Stingray’ bike. Yeah….. there are the jumpers in the world and the ones who will lay in front of the jumper. It’s a boys life…… both equally ‘KUAZY’.

The little boy in the picture will study the Wes Rose Allison Powered Beast all day. He has dreams of driving this vexatious creation or something equally ‘Kuazy’. He in fact will, someday even though his mother would plead with him not to do these things. (poor mom)

The little boy will grow up in his fathers footsteps and become one of the most renowned drag boat racers in history, again like his father. Both him and his father will become multi World Record Holders, multi World Champions and Hall of Fame inductees into the Drag Boat Racing Hall of Fame. The company his father founded will evolve into one of the most diversified premiere racing engine builders in North America. This little boy will take over the reigns of the company propelling it to new heights of success.

So…………. have you guessed who this little boy is ???   

Come on… think about it..lol

Well I can tell you because we grew up together albeit I’m two years older we were absolutely crazy little boys. Each of us trying to out crazy each other. LMFAO It must have been in the water. On one block there will be 4-5 of us inducted into Halls of Fame and each in a Hall of Fame different from each other. We often talk about what the hell made us do the things we did and accomplish so much in our endeavored fields to reach the pinnacle of our chosen professions.

The little boy in the picture looking at the ‘Kuazy’ drag boat is Glenn Hutchison.

Yep. Its hard to believe we were ever that young.

Von Richards