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'•^gSfoJ - - PAGE « - PLAINDEALER - WEDNESDA V, JUlV 20, IW 100 MPH Job + \ I Makes Jintbo McConnell Unique MIKE LAMB WONDER LAKE -- Jim McConnell, in -some ways, is just like any other person living in Wonder Lake. He has a nice house, a wife, owns a pet poodle, an English Parakeet, likes to work around the yard and he loves Mexican food. But what makes McConnell stand out of ordinary life is his job. Jim, called Jimbo by friends, drives boats over 100 miles per hour for a living. Jimbo McConnell tests drives and races Formula I tunnel boats for Outboard Marine Corp. of Waukegan, the manufacturer of Johnson and Evinrude. McConnell has been so successful in the sport of Formual I boat racing, he is considered the A. J. Foyt of the sport. McConnell and his wife Cathy just came back from Sacramento, Calif, where Jimbo had captured the Mayor's Cup on the Fourth of July. 41-year-old California native beat out race favorite Renato Molinari of Como, Italy for the $15,000 top prize. The couple then raced home, driving 37^ hours straight, to watch the race again on cable television that Saturday. Although a major league sport in Europe, Formula one boat racing is fighting for exposure in the United States. Seeing the race on television was a big thing for the McCpnnell's. "We just don't have the television cov^age," said Jimbo. "It's a catch 22 d sal. The major sponsors what to knov how much television exposure ther i will be and then we go to to the television people, and they want to knov; what major sponsors we have. "I's one big circle, but we are stari ing to knock on the door. We are getting close. Once a family sees Forr iula I racing, they will want to go and *ee it again." Fo rmula I racing is a quite a few notcl tes above the hydro unlimited boatThe V-8 tunnel shaped boats hit spee Is up to 120 and 140 mph. For­ mula I boat racing can be associated withfthe car racing formula I. "Tne difference between the boat and [the car -- the road stays the , sami, but the water never stays constant," explained McConnell. The victory at Sacramento was a big one, because McConnell defeated a EJuropean. The majority of the major racesare held in Europe and Soui«Hiiiiar^.Mi: take _ Gergagtfww ^Holland, He has claimed 19 national championships between 1970 and 1982. He also has two world championships on the books. He has 41 major wins since 1967. All this for a man with humble beginnings. He started boat racing 25 years ago at the age of 13 in Needles, Calif. His whole family was involved with hydro boat racing -- mother, father, brother and even his wife. He raced three years before he claimed his first trophy, "When you are young, not every kid has a trophy. It was very meaningful to me." Huge success followed that first trophy. Since 1960, he started winning races. Success gave McConnell a name in the sport of power boat racing. That name gave him his present job. "In 1967 \ received a phone call. They said they were looking for a driver on the West Coast. I was recommended by two other drivers who said I was a capable driver. I won the world championship that year and its been uphill ever since." Because the Outboard Marine Corporation is based in Waukegan, the McConnell's shortly after moved to Wonder Lake. Jimbo and Cathy were married in 1967, right after his first world championship win: Jimbo says he considers his wife and him a team. "We are a team," said Cathy.. "Some races require you to have a scorer. That's my job/ Otherwise I sit on the sidelines and cheer." It is sometimes hard to sit on the sidelines, however, knowing how dangerous the sport can be. Accidents do happen. A crash between two boats occurred at the Sacramento race. No one was hurt, but serious accidents can happen. . Said Cathy:, "It bothers me. You would be abnormal if you didn't worry, because the guys are going 120- 140 mph. But all these guys are professionals. Not daredevils. Ac­ cidents happen and that's part of it." Jimbo has suffered one major ac­ cident. That occurred in 1973 while testing an Evinrude rotary com­ bustion engine. His boat flew over and he suffered one bruised vertebra and broke one. Jimbo McConnell's formula I tunnel boats exceed speeds of over 100 mph. When he is not racing he is test driving motors for the Outboard Marine Corporation, manufacturers of Evinrude and Johnson boat motors. He was the first to record the money and thinks he can jump in a formula I boat. You are going to hurt yourself, said Jimbo." High speeds over 100 mph would be quite a challenge for anybody. Ac­ cording to Jimbo, there is no real way of explaining of what it feels like. "You are definitely in your own world. The only other people who can share that world are the other drivers. It is scary. If not scary, you shouldn't be in it. "You have to have confidence in yourself and respect for your equipment. If you don't, you are going to get seriously hurt. "You nave complete control of the attitude of you boat. You are the master. There is a fine line between pushing the button." Racing is the glamorous part' of his job. But he also has the job of test driving, which takes up quite a bit of his time. "I do a lot of testing," said Jimbo. "We are in the boat more in one week, than most drivers are in a month." "Anything learned through racing and testing, filters down to the fishing type engines. If an engine makes it through racing, it's ready for production." Cathy mentioned a saying of the racing team, "we race and you win." Jimbo added, "If something goes an official lap with an average speed of 100 mph for an outboard in competition at Key West, Florida. He was inducted into the A.P.B.A. Hall of Champions in 1977. 1978, 1979 and 1980. wrong, we have to fix it right away. We get things done in a hurry to make it to the next race. It's not a fly by night operation. It's not a hobby -- it's a profession." " , "The guys that are good drivers, all , The McCsnnells next stop iS. Min- :<lmbo McC°°??u to the trophy he .« at myuaiu IIWllH. v ? * T• "I feel sorry for anybody who has1 x . , V r « ' T " S a c r a m e n t o ' s M a y o r ' s C u p . H a n g i n g f r o m t h e t r o p h y i s b a c k g r o u n d the three astronauts on the moon walk mission. The shows just a corner of his trophy room full of •^Rttsburg. those two stops ]l.W t>1i' STAFF PHOTO--WAYNE GAYLORD 25 Years Of Accom !m"s ents » I have seen wall-to-wall carpeting before, tjut never wall-to-wall trophies. At least not until I had the opportunity to visit with-Jimbo dnd Cathy McConnell at their home in Wonder I>ake. » < Jimbo's trophy room is an awesome sight, trophies of every size and shape line the walls qif the room. I'm convinced if Jimbo wins ^ny more trophies, he will either have to find a jer room or somehow hang the trophies the ceiling. The Sacramento win earned Jimbo another j>hy, plus a medal. The medal was the medal the City of Sacramento which is awarded to very high achievers. The last to earn, i the " were the three astronauts who flew on first walk on the moon mission. For Jimbo, the room represents 25 years of ird work and reward. His very first trophy he fever won sits in a trophy case. That one small pophy seemed to mean more to him than the ^even-foot trophy that stood in the opposite gorner. "If you won every race you wouldn't be able i stand yourself," said Jimbo. "But when you behind the pack, you appreciate it more. I raced three years before I ever won a trophy/' Besides the achievements, some trophies have a sentimental value to them. Jimbo p«1|8 one particular trophy, the one which won his wife for him. £v The trophy was the 1967 world championship, which was his first world title. Cathys fatter Sport Talk V Mike Lamb Sports Editor was not to thrilled about his daughter dating a "greasy boat racer." But her father was so proud after Jimbo won the world championship, he stuck a $100 bill on the trophy to show his approval. ___ Another trophy has a sucker, still in its wrapper, pinned on top of it. The six-year-old daughter of one of his crew members gave him that sucker after he won a race in Beloit, Wise, two years ago. Jimbo refused to take the sucker off when a local newspaper photographer wanted to take a picture of him and the trophy. Then there is the spear and shield given to him after he won a race in South Africa. He also has a burnt uppiston. That piston was part of an engine that broke five world records in one week. Besides all the trophies, Jimbo has a rack full of magazines, stacks of newspaper clippings, a collection of hats, plus a world and national map showing where he raced. Toe room holds many memories for Jimbo and once in awhile he goes to the room to take it all in. "I'll Come in the room and just sit down. But not pften. I just don't have the time " Jimbo said. g/Sgtfjf * As Jimbo and his wife took me around the room and described the events which each piece represented, you could tell how meaningful the room is to the couple. But, of course, when you consider the room holds 25 years of memories, one could very weil understand. The McHenry Plaindealer VFW Men's 16 Inch [Senior League andings: Cubs 11-4, Giants 9-5, yers 8-7, Mets 8-7, Astros 8-8, Tigers 7-7, White Sox 7-6-1, Pirates 7-9, Expos 5-7, Cards 4-10-1. White Sox 12 Cubs 10: Dennis Murray picked up the win on the mound also hit a two-run homer to help the White Sox break a 9-9 tie. Murray struckout five in five innings. John Diedrich and Jim Wagner also COME OUT AND BOOGIE AWAY EIESTA DAYS! WITH THE JOHN TODD OREOCS NEVER INN FRI, JULY 22 9-1 (FIESTA DAYS KICK-OFF PARTY) ST. REUS PUB SAT, JULY 30 N00«l-5:00 (DURING SIDE WALK SALE) ST. REOIS PUB SUN, JULY 31 11:00 «m-2:00 pm (BEFORE PARADE) helped out with three hits and two RBI's each. Tad Fountaine led the Cubs with two doubles and Tom Stevens also hit a double. Orioles 11 Ravens 10: The Orioles had to rally from a 9-5 deficit for the victory. Jeremiah knocked in three runs for the Orioles on two doubles. Tom Sweetwood scored three times on two hits. Sweetwood was also the winning pitcher, striking out 10 in six innings. Tim Toussaint knocked in three runs for the Ravens. Dan Wray and Mike Hemker helped out with two hits each. JUNIORS Junior All-Stars: TEAM A -- Karen Hiller (Home Maintenance), Amy Sauers (Home Maintenance), Barbie Martin (Home Maintenance), Erin Boland (Home Maintenance), Ann Schoen (Home Maintenance), Sheila Roy (Wally's), Dawn Murphy (WaUy's), Karen Sundby (Wally's), (Continued on pog* 7) wc a make, you a bake! 4100 W. Elm St. • McHenry • 344-1115 NOW FEATURING ITALIAN STYLE SUBS! FRESH, PARLOR-STYLE PIZZA AT A REASONABLE PRICE! NEW HOURS: NOW OPEN AT 10:30 AM SUN THRU SAT 1 Mike Peterson hit an inside the park homerun with the bases loaded to spark a six-run sixth inning and St. Regis held on for a 12-11 win over Novotny Sales. Novotny sales had a 7-6 lead going into the seventh. After St. Regis took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, Novotny tried to rally in the top of the seventh, but fell one run short scoring three runs. Novonty had taken a quick 6-0 lead in the first two innings. St. Regis came back with three in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth, while holding Novotny to one run. Peterson, along with Gary Rosing were the leading St. Regis hitters with two hits each. Jim Yaworski was the leading hitter for Novotny with three hits, including a double. Bill Hurckes doubled and Ray Karntz tripled. Decker 17 After The Fox 4 Decker Construction grabbed a 5-0 lead in the first two innings and never let up. The big hit for Decker, was a two- run homerun for Jim Grabowski. He also added a double. Bob Dobbertine was a perfect four- for-four, hitting a double and a triple. Kevin Miller added a double and Kerry Decker tripled. Pat Summers was three-for-three for After The Fox. Tom Kearns added a double. 3D Bowl 17Taylor Made6 A five run third inning and a nine run fifth inning did the damage for 3 D Bowl. Mike LeGoode's three-run double put the final touches on the fifth inning rally. Tim Gerdtz and Vern Zeller both had three hits, each hitting a double. Joe Bauml hit an inside the park three-run homer for Taylor Made. Hiller Construction 20 Old Bridge 1 Old Bridge managed to tie the game . in the top of the second inning at 1-1, but it was all over in the bottom of the inning, as Hiller sent 13 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs. Bill Meyers was the . big hitter for Hiller, knocking in four runs on a three-run homer and a single. John Meyers, Rick Wakitsch and Myron Bentz all doubled. 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