Bill was determined to make a point with
regard to sticking to a 2 litre maximum for
the top class of powerboats. He had decided
to compete not only in the FONDA World
ON Series but also in the JPS World OZ
races. Not for Bill a 3.5 litre OMC but a
Mercury bored out to 2005cc, which would
allow him to race alongside the unlimited
OZs.
Bristol was a tight winding circuit, which
meant the mighty 3.5 litre boats were not
able to get the most from their powerful
engines, giving Seebold a degree of an
advantage in his more nimble ON rig.
Even allowing for this, the exhibition of
driving prowess that Seebold gave the
spectators over that weekend had them
cheering in the aisles. Of course, Bill’s ace
mechanic, Leo Molnlyke, played a vital role
in getting powerheads swapped in time for
each heat.
The following piece was kindly put
together by Charlie Sheppard’s daughter,
Penny.
‘The first of the ‘modern’ powerboat races
held in Bristol Docks was in 1972. Sponsored
by WD & HO Wills, makers of cigarettes in
Bristol for almost a century at that time, it
was a real family affair. Dad, Charlie
Sheppard, had been building racing
powerboats for several years and had been
the Cotswold Motor Boat Racing Club’s RYA
representative. In that capacity he had
attended Union International Motonautique’s
assemblies in Brussels to help govern the
way the sport was moving and progressing
both in Europe and overseas. He was a busy
man, running his own fully-functioning
boatyard as the day-job as well.
How did the Bristol Docks Race become
so famous, so exciting, so memorable and so
crammed-full of racing? 1