The Races At Cypress Gardens?

This is entirely off-topic, but frankly… I don’t give a damn. This exact footage was sent to me years ago by a museum that was going under. I always wanted to digitize it, but it’s an expensive process and like I said – boat racing isn’t something we focus on. But this morning, I heard through the grapevine that someone else already had and just posted it on YouTube.

Essentially, this is an outboard motor “steeplechase” race that was held in 1951 at Cypress Gardens in Florida. By using the word “steeplechase,” the promoters were trying to express the idea that these boats race on the water (open ocean), through the air (via ramps and obstacles), and on the ground (the finish tape is 70′ up on shore). And while that might be a bit of creative marketing, it’s hard to argue that the racing action isn’t absolutely death defying.

Check this out:

I mean… technically, these guys were hot rodding the shit out of those little Mercs… So maybe this isn’t too terribly off topic.