J.P. S-256
S class hull with Ford Pinto 2000
Built in Elroy Spicker in 1966.
Owned by Jack Merrifield of River Canard (Windsor) Ontario
(contact Stuart Mills)
Gene Whip, Dayton, OH original owner. It has also campaigned as the The Mogul, T Cat, and Bobcat. Under these names it ran 150 Modified.  Then was repowered to 145 stock hydro. Bill Hardy, Wyandotte, MI bought it around 1980 and raced it as $Bill S-275.  In '82 he was thrown out and subsequently sold it to Steve and Mike Garey.  They renamed it J.P. S-256. The Garey brothers switched off driving in '83, '84 and '85.  Best finish was 3rd in Madison, IN. It was silver and black until '87 and then repainted white with red lettering. It was raced most of the '87 season and a cracked engine block took it out at the '87 Trenton, MI race. It was then sold to Jack Merrifield. Restoration is being considered at this time.

My name is Bill Hardy of Wyandotte, Michigan. I am the former owner of S-256. I would like to submit some corrections to the biography of this hull. I purchased the hull in the summer of 1979 from a want ad in the Detroit News. The hull had A-211 on it. I believe it was last raced and owned by Bob Ritz of Port Huron, Michigan, although I did not buy it from him. I purchased it from some young fella in Roseville, Michigan. Worked on it all winter of ’79-’80 and my young nephew took one look at it and named it $ Bill, right on the spot. I raced it as S-256. Tried to qualify the boat and as a driver at East Fork State Park near Cincinnati, OH. Finally qualified at Columbiaville, MI a few weeks later. Finished sixth, at the Gold Cup, out of fifteen entrants, in Madison, IN, on the Ohio River. Also ran in Columbus, OH on the Scioto River and had a good deck-to-deck duel with Ray Dong in the Sophisticated Lady! 

I thought I was through with racing but, my friends in the Marine Prop Riders talked me into supporting the new race in Marine City, MI in August of 1981.  I ran in a respectable fashion and made the final heat. The water was very rough and my racing determination got the best of me on the last lap.   I tried to move into fourth place and took the turn too tight in the south end of the course. The boat chined in to the left and hooked violently.  I was thrown into the water head over heels a couple of times. The rescue team plucked me out of the water and had me in an ambulance in a matter of minutes. Had a bad contusion of the right leg and was on crutches for a week. That was the end of my brief racing career as an owner/driver. Sold everything to Steve and Mike Garey in 1983. Their bio seems in order. 

 I will always be grateful for the encouragement and support of my nephew, Jeff Tucker; my brother, Ron Hardy; my mechanic, Ray Schneck; and the members of Marine Prop Riders and Unlimiteds Detroit, who include: Hank Kosciusko, Brian Barlow, Howie Trerice, Bob Thomas, Don Nicholson, Bill Albrecht, and many more I can’t quite remember. 

Thanks to all the refs, turn judges, flag persons, registration persons, crane operators, etc., and all the volunteers that make all of the races possible.  Although brief, it was quite a ride.
Sincerely,
Bill Hardy ($ Bill / S-256 )
Wyandotte, MI

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