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Ron Hill
01-18-2004, 09:59 PM
IF you got your new Propeller Magazine, you may have seen the article I wrote about Brad Miller....

My brother and his wife were over last night and I showed him the article. On the same page there is an article about Doug Creech. This article was written by Bud Wiget.

Bud used to live in Concord, California but moved to Florida many years ago.

After reading the article, my brother called Bud in Lakeland, Florida. My brother talked to Misey first, bud and Misey have been married 69 years. Then they talked about Salton Sea, 1952.

In 1952, Doug Creech set a C Hydro record of 65. 588 (The 5 maybe wrong but the 88 is right)...My dad was motor inspector. The race was at Salton Sea.

Per APBA rules, in order for a Mile Record to be approved, THAT boat had to place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd during the year. Doug's hydro was a CUSTOM SWIFT...not your vanilla Stock Outboard Hydro....

When C hydro answered the five minute gun, the water was rougher than hell.....Marshall Eldridge, Bud Wiget, Russ Hill and Doug Creech lead the pack.. Bud said it was the roughest water he remembered racing in, but wasn't going to be beat...

Final results were Bud Wiget, Marshall Eldridge, Doug Creech, Russ Hill, Jr.

As Pep Hubbell said about Marshall Eldridge, "Marshall was Nationall Champion when I started, 22 years ago"... This Quote was from 1952....

Bud Wiget was a gentleman. He once ran a race, for a record, with a different motor number than he'd put on the entry blank. When the error was noted, he DEMANDED THAT HE BE DISQUALIFIED. He believed rules were to be followed. If you made a mistake, it wasn't the officials problem...

David Weaver
01-19-2004, 08:58 AM
I met a gentleman from Charlotte, NC last year who was attending an antique boat show near Atlanta. This guy was displaying a real old F hydro (with a step). He told me that Doug Creach still lives in the Charlotte, NC area. My father always talks about how Creach was the man to beat in this part of the country and how big a thrill it was to beat him with a suped-up Merc on methanol in the 50's.

Joe J
01-19-2004, 10:12 AM
Ron, there is a Wiget Ave. in Concord, CA. Every thime I pass it I wonder if it is named after him, ( or part of the family).

Joe

CSR4C
01-19-2004, 10:54 AM
The Wiget Avenue in Concord is named after Bud Wiget

Darrell

bill boyes
01-19-2004, 11:36 AM
Just up the the road 680 from where i live. Yes Bud Wiget was from Concord Calif. seems he had a lot of land around there and grew oranges i think. Concord was like Orange County in Southern Calif in those days. All orange groves.

B1PRORACER
01-19-2004, 02:24 PM
“As Pep Hubbell said about Marshall Eldridge, "Marshall was Nationall Champion when I started, 22 years ago"... This Quote was from 1952....”

Marshall Sr. started racing in 1926, he was 25 years old. Pep Hubbell and Marshall were friends. You can imagine what it was like when they would talk engines! It wasn’t until “after the war” that “the boys” started racing. Marshall Jr. entered the first race that took place around here after the war was over. Then Donald started racing….. Marshall eventually turned the boats over to the boys!