Hydroplane racing champion Jerry Schoenith joins us for the first part of an electrifying three-part series. You won't want to miss his nostalgic stories and unique insights! Ever wondered what it was like growing up in a family that lived and breathed hydroplane racing? Jerry takes us back to his roots in Detroit, sharing the passion that ignited the Gale racing team and highlighting unforgettable moments like Lee's Gold Cup victory. Despite some audio hiccups, Jerry’s enthusiasm and candid reflections shine through, offering a riveting peek into the history and heart of hydroplane racing. This is part 1 of 3 of my interview with Jerry Schoenith. Enjoy!
Hydroplane racing champion Jerry Schoenith joins us for the first part of an electrifying three-part series. You won't want to miss his nostalgic stories and unique insights! Ever wondered what it was like growing up in a family that lived and breathed hydroplane racing? Jerry takes us back to his roots in Detroit, sharing the passion that ignited the Gale racing team and highlighting unforgettable moments like Lee's Gold Cup victory. Despite some audio hiccups, Jerry’s enthusiasm and candid reflections shine through, offering a riveting peek into the history and heart of hydroplane racing. This is part 1 of 3 of my interview with Jerry Schoenith. Enjoy!
Ruchetel Talk, the podcast dedicated to everything about the sport that we all love, hydroplane racing. I am your host, david Newton, and it's time once again to sit back, relax and welcome Rooster Tail Talk talk. Welcome back Rays fans. It's episode 119, and it's here. It's finally here. I teased it out. I've been mentioning it for a while. Unfortunately, due to some scheduling conflicts and some issues on my end, it just hasn't happened yet, but it's happening today. Unfortunately, due to some scheduling conflicts and some issues on my end, it just hasn't happened yet, but it's happening.
Speaker 1:Today You're going to hear my interview with Jerry Shaneth and this is part one. We have a trilogy. This time we have another trilogy on the podcast, because there's going to be three episodes for my interview with Jerry Shaneth. I was delighted to talk with him. He gave up a lot of time to talk about hydroplane racing and his legacy, his life, and today you're going to hear, on the first part, him talk about hydroplane racing in Detroit. Growing up around the area and if you think about it hydroplane racing in Detroit you probably, if you're thinking about names, one of the first names that comes to mind is Shaneth. His family has a long legacy, long history with boat racing, long history with Detroit, and you're going to hear more about that boat racing side today, what it meant to him growing up around the sport, some of his experiences driving, some of his stories and up to winning the world championship with Renault and his own racing team in the early 1980s. Now, jerry, he's got a marketing mind. You're going to hear some of his insights on what he did to help spur the sport forward, spur his own team in the marketing sense, and it's refreshing to hear that side of the sport because we don't often hear about what it takes and the ideas that go behind the marketing for hydropon racing.
Speaker 1:Unfortunately, with this episode the audio isn't the best and I apologize for that. We ran into some technical difficulties. I tried to make it the best I could on my end for you. But you're going to love hearing the stories from Jerry and I had a lot of people actually reach out and ask to have Jerry on the show and I'm glad we got him on there because it's fun to hear his responses, because he's open, he's honest, he's not going to hold anything back and I know sometimes he can be controversial but he's got a great marketing mind and you can hear the love from the sport come out in this interview. Now, let's not delay anymore. Let's get to the interview and listen in as I talk with Jerry Shaneth. Well, joining me today we have a Detroit native and hydroplane legend and icon, jerry Shaneth.
Speaker 2:Jerry how are you doing today? I'm just great. A little chilly here in Detroit, but it's sunny, and as long as we've got sun it's fine with me.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, that's what counts. I think winter's behind us here in Seattle, so looking forward to spring and getting a little bit warmer, all right, well, thanks for being on the show. I'm looking forward to spring and getting a little bit warmer, alright, well, thanks for being on the show. I'm looking forward to talking about your legacy and your family in Detroit. A lot of things I'd love to talk to you about, but I know Detroit's big for you. You're a Detroit native, many ties in the area. You're known for many things in Detroit you, along with your family. I want to start off talking about hydroplane racing. That's such a big part of your past, and the Gale racing team particularly. What did it mean to you and what was it like growing up around hydroplane racing and being part of that Gale team?
Speaker 2:Well, to start with I like to tell the story. I asked Father why did he get in boat racing? And he said he couldn't afford to buy a hockey team. And if you check out our past, we were very heavy in the hockey, very heavy in the hockey. All the some of the names, gordie, howe, and all those I remember as a kid sitting at our cottage table with them all. And then we sponsored the Pee Wee group with all the Howe kids on it called the Rooster Tale, and that was always the funny thing. As for getting involved in boat racing, it was just like anything else. Father liked to entertain customers and it was just.
Speaker 2:It was just we had boats, I mean, but we always, I always lived on the water. I always liked fast boats and as a kid, one of the first things I remember couldn't do it now the Homeland Security probably shoot it out of the water. But Lee would take now we're across from Windsor, ontario, and we had a cottage right outside of there and he would take the boat over the waterway through Canada on the water and bring it in front of the cottage just to show off and I always got a kick of that. I mean he'd have to go over the freighter lane and all this stuff. Eventually the Mounted Police stopped him from doing it. Yeah, that was the one thing I remember. So, that was the one thing I remember.
Speaker 2:I do remember when Lee won the Gold Cup, because we were home and we got a call and I remember getting on the other phone and listening to Lee and you know how exciting that was that was. But it's it's strange in a way, because bull racing was such a big part. I mean very few people know that while Bill Cantrell used to drive by, twin brother Tom and I to the military, school we went to, I mean and and you know, school we went to, I mean, and you know, I knew all these people more as not even friends, as almost relatives. I mean, there was just so many of them, you know and.
Speaker 2:I was lucky to grow up with them. I was lucky to meet the Garwoods and you know all of that. And of course the Sheamus had so many different drivers drive for us. You know it was unbelievable, the different drivers and they all had their own personalities and they were fun in those days. I'll tell you, without social media you could get away with murder. But nowadays everyone's carrying a camera with them. You don't do half the stuff we did.
Speaker 1:Do you have a glimpse into a wild story you could share on that, or is that better kept unsaid?
Speaker 2:Well, let's see. I remember the first time I drove in Seattle I'm not going to mention his name, but he was my crew chief with the high school with him and then he became the president of our rigging company. But we got in Seattle and for some unknown reason, he wanted to outrun the police and we were underneath all those.
Speaker 1:I don't know what they were bridges or whatever down by the river and I couldn't believe us, but we did just dumb things.
Speaker 2:Another one was Newtown, north Dakota. The poor car dealer gave all the owners and drivers a car. By the time he got them back they were all runt and because we would race, it was about a 50-mile drive from the motel to the pits, so we would all start out at the same time and race like maniacs, just maniacs, down the street. And another time I was with Ronnie Muffin and I was driving him back to the Whittier Hotel here, which is roughly on the starting line or just past the starting line, and he sees this cop. I said just be good, he takes his foot, smashes it on the damn pedal.
Speaker 2:And we go and the next thing I see are lights and all this. Well, thank God, in those days we knew every cop in the city. He pulled over and I said it's not me, it's this guy, and he recognized us all. He said okay, you can go, but you know, we did some really strange things, very strange things.
Speaker 2:I mean it was fun. I mean again, thank God we didn't have the cell phones and social media. Because we didn't do so, I tell a newer version of five years ago maybe we were at the Roostel, and I get joking. There's Jimmy Shane and you know, all the drivers are standing there and I said what do you want to drink? Let's start some power drinking. They all looked at each other. Why? I said drink, you know, let's light them up. Oh, we'll have rum and coke. I'm saying guys, I'm going to light up the shots. I'm so used to the old days.
Speaker 1:You know, you got Bernieney Little and Heronsburg and these guys knew how to party. Yeah, yeah. Well, it's definitely a different time. I mean, I think I was one of the last generations in school to not have phones. I just remember the things I did in middle school and high school and I'm glad social media was not around for that yeah, I know. Well, it's interesting you said you mentioned that everything was just kind of family and second nature to you, being around the people, around the sport, because I know so many people idolize you.
Speaker 2:I mean you have to realize that when I got out of grade school it was the same year that we opened the Roostel and that was all boat racing. I mean the name was after the Roostel and there was a boat on the front and carpeting with Gale 5 on it and cigarette lighters, ashtrays, there was glasses, I mean stirrers, you name everything.
Speaker 2:And Father believed to use boat racing as a way to get to the customers. And since it was so big here, like it was in Seattle and some of the other races, it was easy to get the customers down to the roost hill during the races. I mean we had 1,500 corporate people there constantly. And then when I got involved in the 60s with the parties and all then I brought in all the superstar entertainers from, you know, wayne Newton to Temptations and all of them. The last time I was with Tony Bennett a couple three years ago, before he passed, first thing he said to me how's boat racing? I said I'm winning them all.
Speaker 2:You know, we were just famous for that. Bobby Darin was the same, wayne Newton was. Well, wayne actually came out to the Seattle race with us, so we were lucky to have a a lot of uh stars involved. Uh, tell you a story about Burt Reynolds, uh when uh.
Speaker 2:Bernie was sponsoring all the races. We were in San Diego and everybody knows I love shrimp, so Bernie's got this fabulous table set up with shrimp and all. So I go to grab this piece and the guy hits my hand and says no, that's mine. I said no, it's mine. I looked up, it was Bart Reynolds.
Speaker 2:I said no it's yours, bert, you can have it, but we were lucky to have these people around. They came to the races. Even today, if I was involved, I would still be. I was involved, I would still be. First thing I always did when I got a race schedule is look for the concerts about Jimmy Johnson taking a ride in a boat, but his story of the Muncie's and all that. We don't have those heartfelt stories like other sports and and that really really impressed me um.
Speaker 1:I just loved it yeah, yeah, that was huge, but that is uh induction hall of fame down there. Um, yeah, down there and be great for him to uh for the sport, for him to get to a ride in the atlas.
Speaker 2:Well, he's one of the biggest names ever in racing and he's got credibility and he still looks good. You know, it isn't like some old fart like me taking a ride in a boat. Who?
Speaker 1:cares.
Speaker 2:Take the wheelchair, put a hair, throw him in the boat, you know. But you know he's young and he's got a name. But it's the heartfelt story of him as a kid and the months he's been knowing them and all that. We don't. Somehow we're not and when I say we, that's boat racing is not good at telling stories like that and I just think that more of them really helps become human. And we got to push our drivers more to be more outgoing.
Speaker 2:Let's say I remember Jimmy Shane back here, I got talking to him about it. He says no one shows us what to do and that takes somebody that knows people, that understands that. These are the people. You can love a boat. Yes, we got the blue blaster and the checkered board boat and all that, but it's still. It's the people that make the sport. That's why the owners in our days were almost as famous as the drivers, because they had a personality and of course the leader was Bernie. I mean, he knew how to, you know, do that 100%. And then father was very, very good at it and of course I love doing it because I used to tell my crew you get the boats ready, put them in and I'll be shaking hands and kissing babies Because you don't want me anywhere near a boat until I get in, and even then it's got to be something different well, that is interesting.
Speaker 1:There's so many personalities in sport and that's what fans need a connection with, and I remember talking about Mike Simmons years ago and he feels like there was a connection lost with the enclosed canopies being installed because you can't really see drivers out there as much, which I thought was kind of interesting, even though it's a city to be safe.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree with that. But, boy, you watch some of these races that we were in and I keep saying I must have been nuts. I mean there wasn't a safety thing in the boat in those days. I can see the canopy. But now the drivers at least when they're done, they lift the canopies and wave and stuff like that. But you can make up for that by being with the public Shake hands. I used to go, and even now when I went to Madison the last time I'd cart and drive down the street and say hi to people that knew me from the old days and that, to me, is important and we have a tendency to shut the pits off for safety.
Speaker 2:They say from the public, and that's a problem. I don't understand it. From safety. We used to have 18 boats in Detroit pits and there was 5,000 people in there and nothing ever happened and that means a lot to the public and from my standpoint, it really means a lot for sponsors, because they want to be there and I would rather rework the pits so sponsors can be there than have it the way it's been.
Speaker 1:Well, getting back to Vette 4, you were talking about how, when you were racing and you drove for your family in the 60s, but it was rather short. I was always curious why was that?
Speaker 2:Well, a couple reasons, you know. Let's be honest, I was five foot three, you know a little crap thing, and the steering wheel was bigger than me and I was getting banged up quite a bit. I enjoyed it, but I decided that after five years and drove six different boats, the last one I drove was the Renault back in Tri-Cities, for the heck of it.
Speaker 1:Oh you did. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I always wanted to drive a cab over.
Speaker 1:You know, it was fun I only went 135.
Speaker 2:I would have gone faster, but the helmet they gave me was blowing off.
Speaker 2:It was a little difficult. The only thing I would like to do is drive a turbine, but I'll be darned if I'm going to spend that kind of money to buy one, because no one in their right mind would give me one to drive. So I figure out, one of these days I'll have to win the lottery and buy a turbine so I can take it out. This way. I would be probably the only one still living that drove all types of boats, from the backseater to the step haul to the cab over and and all of that.
Speaker 2:I you know I'm I'm not going to kill myself trying to do it, but if it ever comes up I will. And maybe the day Jimmy Johnson goes out, they can say and we got an old guy you know that can do it.
Speaker 1:Well, that would be an impressive record to be able to expand that far of the bridge. Well it would be.
Speaker 2:I've been with in the Allisons. I've been with half Packard, half Allison, and that was the other problem I didn't like was because we always had the big name sponsor, like Smirnoff or that. I was always the guy that got the experimental stuff and it was me that tested the craziest things. I mean it was unbelievable, the stuff I mean that I tested and then if it worked they would take it immediately and give it to the Smirnoff. I remember when the year Chuck Thompson got killed, I had qualified very good and wanted to go out and do it more.
Speaker 2:But oh that engine's too bad and gave it to Chuck and I told Chuck I said you know you got to watch these boats because in those days the boats had the Gale, boats had a tendency to dive and we we didn't understand. And that's where Seattle was so good with aerodynamics, because you know, with all that stuff they could do that. Well, here we were moving weight in front, weight in back and trying some really goofy things. The best thing that happened was when we cut away the bows, the first one to have a sort of a pickle for it. It wasn't very good but boy, it just changed the riding the boat 100%. It was great.
Speaker 1:Wow, did you get to drive the Gale Step-Polt in this? Oh yeah, I did almost got killed in that thing.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, there's only twice. I was ever mad in a boat in in that morning, um, that I got thrown out and then thrown back in it. I I was so mad that, um, I I wasn't mad at the boat as much as it was foggy. It it was early foggy and if I would have cheated I could have cut in a little bit at the bell-out turn and then got qualified, but I wasn't cheating, so I just stormed into the turn and stood on it. I'm telling you that prop went up and the boat dove in. But it was the fun thing and we only built that boat to run in Detroit and in Seattle because it would run through all types, I mean three-foot rollers no problem yeah.
Speaker 2:And yeah, that's the only disappointment. I think we gave up on it too fast. And the other thing is we always had a tendency to build our boats too heavy. I mean even the Gale 5 was heavy and the first Smirnoff and then the Bat Smirnoff. I mean they were always too heavy and they thought that was the way to go. Safety and to be honest, I don't. That was 13,000 pounds. I mean. God was 13,000 pounds, I mean.
Speaker 1:God, oh, my God yeah you ain't kidding.
Speaker 2:It was 36 feet long, 13 feet wide. I mean, it was a monster.
Speaker 1:But it was easy to drive.
Speaker 2:I mean I can literally sit on this chute, go 140 miles an hour and take my hands off the steering wheel and wave and all that. It was a fun boat to drive, but boy, I wouldn't turn. And we tried everything. I mean we tried skid fins and rudders and literally everything, and I just couldn't get it to turn.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a lot of weight to push around and turn.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, around that time you shared some exciting stories, but do you have any like what's probably like your fondest memory, would you say, of those days?
Speaker 2:Well, I remember I always loved winning the world championship. Um and uh. Why I say that is because the sport really needed a push from a uh uh a company that was worldwide and and it was sponsored uh part from America and from uh from Paris, france. Renault and Elf and. I got a kick out of that because I remember walking through the pits all week and I was handing out American and French flags, the little flags, the way I'm handing out.
Speaker 1:We're going to win, we're going to win.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, should weigh out hey, we're going to win, we're going to win, well, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then, of course, when we won, I said well, if anyone's going to complain, you're lucky, I won because if I didn't, an outboard would have, that's right.
Speaker 2:Wasn't there two outboards that finished second, third, yeah, second and third yeah, no one else, uh, and, and and I had, we had designed the renault to last, and a lot of people criticize that it's gonna fall apart and all the boat never ever had a crack in it had any problems with the hull. It was built very good. It was built with the West system. The gluing it together was the first boat to do that and it was a strong boat and I and the crew and I decided we're going to put a good engine in it but we're going to last.
Speaker 2:And then you look at all the other boats that are blowing up engines and blowing up this and blowing up that, and I'd seen it happen the year before when Budweiser did the year before. Now we've got to play the long shot on it, but the owners got a kick out of me winning. They were happy to see it. But the owners got a kick out of me winning. They were happy to see it.
Speaker 2:And of course it certainly helped the sport because Renault got in it real big and we did things like bringing the boat to the huge car show where they were introducing the new Jeeps and all 4,000 dealers from North America was there and we were there with the whole crew and the drivers and the wives and all that. You know. Those are the things that help. The sport is when you can go to a totally different audience with a boat. I remember when they had the Formula One car race here in Detroit. Of course Renault was big then in the Formula One and we brought the boat out to the Formula One party they were having at the big area out in Southfield and we pulled up in the boat and all the drivers were coming up in all these languages going look at those engines.
Speaker 2:Look at those engines and, of course, you know Jim Currie, he had everything. Everything was spotless and, of course, the crew, the Mike and Larry Rakowskis. They were perfectionists. And it was just, you know, we were like that and it allowed us to show it off to a totally different meeting. I remember at the car show here that we used to run a million people through the car show and in those days we didn't have the big screens.
Speaker 2:So Renault set up this huge wall I mean 30 feet by 30 feet of television screens and they showed the whole video of the boat running. And when we won the world championship the following year we went to the big Renault deal showcase and the first thing they put on the screen is the Renault and I said we're going to get in trouble. The car took second in the world championship and you know we used it and I'm pretty good at getting into other areas. You know the sports pages in those days. You know that was easy to get in. So I would hit up the Entertainment Tonight's social and the women's and you know, always try to get the story in that way. I remember in Evansville the president of Renault, joe Cappy. He's standing there Sunday morning as the paper says you're on the front page.
Speaker 2:I said yes, well, you're in the middle page. I said, yes, well, you're in the middle page. I said yes. I said, and I'm on the back page. There are three different segments women and social and racing and all of that stuff. And we were good at that. I would take the boat when we travel and stop in every AMC, jeep, eagle no dealerships shake hands, take pictures, and that we had a special video made up that they constantly showed in all the dealers and you know, when you've got 4,000 dealers in North America constantly showing the deal, we don't have that anymore. And you know, I think we could, but you know these owners are busy trying to do their thing they don't have time to. You know they got business to do and when I did it I was seven days a week. You know, doing the boat racing, um uh, when I was with, uh uh, renault.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, that was such a big sponsor and big deal. I mean you started a brand new team with them. How did that all unfold, like, how did you go from an OT to a big sponsor, like that?
Speaker 2:I did marketing. I was the first paid executive director for the URC, the Unlimited in 79 and 80.
Speaker 2:And by the time I was done I was a little disillusioned that I couldn't make the changes I wanted. So I always had this idea that if I can do it, maybe they'll steal some of the ideas. And so I went to Stoddaker and said let's build a boat. And what do I know about boats? I just drove them in the 60s. Now we're talking in the 80s. I'm playing boat racing again. I never thought I was going to be in it. And then while I was building the boat, I got talking to George Simons and everybody had been trying to buy all of his equipment and I said George, I've got to have your equipment.
Speaker 2:I've got this boat being built. Now I don't know what I'm going to put in it. He said I don't know I said George here and we sent him pictures and all that. He said okay, sold me all. Now this is going to. It's almost embarrassing, I'm saying sold me all of his engines and just well, it'd be $300,000, $400,000. Now he sold it all for me for $25,000, $400,000.
Speaker 1:Now he sold it all for me for $25,000. Wow, wow.
Speaker 2:But you know I told him that we would be darn sure. You know we used to run the Miss US cam covers on it and always thanked him and invited him down to the races. And you know I got lucky there and then I didn't have a goal to beat the other boats, I just had the goal to be the fastest turbocharged Allison boat. And that's what we did is we'd go out and try to be the fastest one in that class because we knew the boat was never designed to beat the Budweiser. I always said, if I want to beat the Budweiser, I'd build the Budweiser.
Speaker 2:You know, and how we got Renault was a good friend of mine, joe Ritchie. He had a dealership in Grosse Pointe and I was always fascinated with the car dealership business and he was always fascinated with the nightclub business. So for a whole week we traded jobs. He went to run the nightclub and I ran the dealership. Well, somehow, by luck, the CEO and boss lived in Grosse Pointe, across this big area from where Joe lived, and I don't know. We met him. We went to the Formula One race and of course in those days you had all the big shots on top of the Renssen and you know all this stuff and we got talking about it and I said, hey, let's talk. And we talked about it and I said, listen all.
Speaker 2:I'll do is we'll paint it up with Renault on it and we'll sell cars, and that's really what we did Every race. We had a car displayed there. It had tents, and you know you have to do those things.
Speaker 2:You know, the drivers and crew were always, you know, being sure to shake hands. And I learned one thing from Father back in the early 60s. He says you know, in the old days you could tell somebody was rich by the way they dressed. Well, now everyone's wearing casual clothes, so you've got to be nice to everyone. You don't know who it's going to be, and you know. So, yeah, it was good. People wonder why I got out of it. Well, it was because of?
Speaker 1:Yes, jerry, that's one question. I always wondered why you left the sport. You had a really successful year, winning the world championship in 83, had another good season in 84, and then all of a sudden it was done. But unfortunately this is going to be one of those cliffhangers. Tune in next week. You'll hear Jerry talk about him leaving the sport. Some ideas he had for the sport going into the ATA class he had. But you can listen to that next week, as we'll have part two of my three-part episode with Jerry Shaneth.
Speaker 1:Appreciate you listening today. Hope you enjoyed the interview. Don't forget we're on Instagram, facebook and our website, roostertailtalkcom. There you'll see updates and you can see all of what's going on with the podcast and news around hydroplane racing. If you haven't subscribed to our newsletter, please do do so. You can do that on our website. Look for the contacts tab on there and you'll see an option where you can get weekly updates and information and early releases on our episodes. But that's all we have for this week, so until next time, I hope to see you at the races.