March 30, 2015

First of all, I must thank Larry Widen for helping me with last week's blog about Steve Miller. He helped me to get the year that the photos were taken all straightened out! The show that was pictured in last week's blog of Steve Miller with Leslie West at Summerfest was 1977. I wasn't sure, so I asked all of you for some feedback and thanks to Larry, who was at the show, it's all figured out now! Love feedback from you and please know that I read and respond to every comment.

This week's blog came about because of a photograph of mine that appeared on a Facebook page without my knowledge. I was like, I think that is my photo!! So, I got home, checked it out and it is my photo!

It is one of seven images of boat racer Tim Seebold, racing in the SST 140 class race during the St. Louis Grand Prix weekend in 1991. Tim Seebold and his family is probably the most famous family of boat racers. His father Bill, brother Mike, and grandfather Bill senior, all race boats.  They usually win every race they participate in!

So, in the race shown here, Tim Seebold didn't win. Going into the turn, Mark Miller driving the boat on the inside of the turn, trimmed down a little bit, then Tim did, and then Mark straightened out and ran under Tim's boat forcing it into the air. This lifted Tim's boat and then it just forced him up, up, up into the air!  It was amazing.

I watched it all in the viewfinder of my Nikon and just let the motordrive do it's job until it ran out of film! Remember film? Wow, do I wish this was a digital situation and I could have just kept on shooting. But back then, there were only 36 shots to a roll. I wish I could have gotten a few more photos of the landing of Tim's boat.

Well, Tim walked away from this but the boat didn't! It was broken up pretty good and I never did hear what happened to it after the accident. If anyone knows, let me know about the boat repair job and if it ever raced again.

One last interesting fact for you- in the last frame you can see a fellow photographer without his shirt on running away! He is the official Mercury Racing photographer and he got a few great shots of Tim coming directly at him before he ran away!

Have a great week.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann