1995 | Bedford (Bud) Davies
Davie began a long and glorious history in the Alcohol Outboard classes in the 1930s, and a decades-long pursuit of the unlimited Outboard speed record. In 1938 Davie drove a Jacoby step hydro powered by a Draper Class "X" engine at 78.121 mph, taking the "fastest Outboard driver" title from the Europeans.
Davie also introduced something new to Outboarding: the crash helmet! In the mid-1930s, he and a team of American drivers competed in the Spreckels Trophy race in Paris. Davie quit racing after WWII but returned in the late 1970s when Formula 1 tunnel boats rekindled his interest. He owned a two-boat team until the late 1980s.
He made two successful runs at the UIM class OZ record: in 1986 the team jumped the kilo record for a single Outboard to 169.531 mph, and two years later, to 176.556 mph - almost 100 mph faster than his 1938 record.