(Photo courtesy of Karen Cadle)

Dick Pond was originally from Keokuk, IA, a town just up the river from Quincy, IL. Dick was one of the best kneel down boat drivers around during the 50's and 60's. Dick started racing in 1953, driving A/B equipment for Ross Gibson out of Macomb, IL, and C/D/F equipment for Marvin Penn out of Meyer, IL. In one weekend in Texas and Oklahoma, Dick won 20 firsts, five seconds, and one third in 32 races. He won D Runabout championships three years in a row (1957, 1958 and 1959). In 1959, he was national high point driver finishing 20,000 points ahead of his closest competitor.

In 1961, he won the B Hydro championship in Minneapolis, MN, driving for Bill Tenney, running a DeSilva Hydro with an Anzani engine.

Date of the article is not known. (photo courtersy of Karen Cadle)

Photo was taken at Lake Springfield, Illinois. (photo courtesy of Karen Cadle)

Date of the article is not known. (photo courtesy of Karen Cadle)

In 1962, Dick teamed up with Marshall Grant. Marshall owned the equipment and Dick did the driving. Marshall's team ran Merc Quincy and Quincy Looper engines during this time period. Marshall did most of the set-up and engine tuning. Probably the most famous runabout in racing was the "Ring of Fire" DeSilva that Dick and Marshall campaigned. While driving for Marshall, Dick earned 5 world titles, 3 straight-a-way records, and won the NOA North/South Championship US Grant trophy twice. The 1962 Mishey-Vincent Trophy, one of the most coveted awards in the Professional Division, went to Dick Pond. Dick retired from driving in the late 1960's. All together Dick Pond held 12 World Championships.