Don Christy of Baltimore, Maryland

Above, Don Christy at Laurel Lake, N.J.

by Eric Abel & Karl Williams, “a little history” Part 139
From Ted Abel’s phone interview with Don Christy January 2024.

Don Christy was born to Marie and Earl Christy on Nov. 4, 1938 at 4702 Hazelwood Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland. Don had an older brother, Earl, and an older sister, Dorothy. Earl Jr. went into the service in 1958 and wasn’t involved in racing. Don’s younger brother Bobby was the setup and pit boss for the Christy Racing Fleet. Bobby is now 80. Both of Don’s older siblings have passed.
Don started racing boats in 1957. He married his wife Gloria in 1964. Don and Gloria had a daughter, Theresa, and son, Donny. After 1966 he stopped racing to raise his family. He spent his working life in the insulation business. Don also enjoyed Drag racing, fishing with his father Earl in the Chesapeake Bay, and trap shooting at the Carney Rod & Gun Club on weekends. After 56 years of marriage, sadly Gloria passed away in 2020.
Don Christy’s racing career spanned 1957 to 1966. He raced at at about 35 events per season, every weekend in Regions 1-2-3-4. He said all were great times. There was no shortage of races to attend in those days, as many Stock Outboard and Alky/PRO racers ran on the same program. There was nowhere Don wouldn’t go racing in the Northeast. There were also also lots of Alky races in Georgia, Virginia, and the Florida Grapefruit Circuit in the winter.
Don also ran a marathon on the Hudson River from Albany to New York City. His favorite race site was Solomons Island, Maryland.
Without his father Earl and brother Bobby, he couldn’t have done all that he did in racing!

Baltimore Sun newspaper 1963
Don Christy (R) father Earl (L)

His first outfit in 1957 was a B Stock runabout, homemade by his friend Richard Muller. Don already had a B Mercury engine. He then added a B Stock Sid-Craft hydro. Around then Don got to know Sid and Bobby Uretzky. They became lifelong friends and built Don’s boats until 1966.
In 1959 Don added a Mercury C engine and raced CSH. He then raced his friend Kenny Winter’s C Stock runabout in 1960. Don won all 15 races he ran that year.
He and Kenny Winters remained lifelong friends.
In 1961 Don went on to race A, B, C, and D Stock hydro, and BU runabout, adding an A alcohol Konig engine. In 1964 Don set 5-mile competition records in A & B alcohol and B Stock hydro classes. Don then added 650 Alky/PRO class in 1966.
At a race in Christiana, DE, Don Christy was in a duel with one Clark Maloof in a D Stock hydro. Don was on the outside and behind him, because Clark had jumped the gun. Clark tried to run Don into the pits, where he hit his B utility. Maloof continued into the first turn where he ran into another boat, then turned over several boats. The race was then red-flagged. Afterward, Don went looking for Maloof. But by the time they met up in the pits, Maloof was being put into an ambulance. Maloof was suspended for six months. Don Christy was a hard driver but a fair one, and believed as we all do if you are driving fairly you never back off for anyone, especially a driver trying to run you off the course.

Don Christy Racing Fleet in the pits at the Nationals

In 1963 Don ran a race in ASR with Robert E. Lee at the Boston Nationals. (Lee was a descendant of the Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Abby Pond of Virginia, who races ASH Sidewinder, is a great-great-great granddaughter of General Lee.)
Don Christy primarily raced Sid-Craft, and later Sid Son hydros, and set a 1-mile straightaway record. His best memory was winning 24 combined 2US High Point Championships in APBA.
He did mention that Alky paid better prize money.

Don Christy & Jane Smith

Don would watch a mechanic building an engine, and after that he did all his own work on all the numerous classes he raced. He learned about Alky PRO engines from the great Walter Blankenstein in Florida. Don did most all the work after that. He always got his Alky/PRO parts from Walt, who became another of his great friends.
Sid & Bobby Uretzky looked after Don’s boats during his great career. Don would often sell a boat at a race, and Sid would have another one for him a week later. Sid also liked to bang on props, and helped Don a lot—especially with extensive testing, including in Florida. Sid and Don’s father Earl were also great friends. Bobby Uretzky also travelled with Don a lot as well as being a great friend.

Start of BU, won by Stover Hire in 46H (back center). Don Christy in 12E didn’t do so well here, but closed the show a double winner

Ted Abel: Sid Uretzky helped Don a lot a whole lot, testing and doing setups, testing and banging props, engine height, kickouts, speed, RPM readings after every run. Sid had me run the lake in a triangle, with the wind behind me, smooth water, rougher water, turns and much more. Spark plugs as well. I’m sure he had Don Christy do the same things, including depth of run and putting the checker on the prop every time and keeping notes. Every prop was different and setups varied. If he found the engine wasn’t putting out the RPMs, then it was back to starting all over again.
As mentioned, Don Christy won 24 National High Point Championships in Stock Outboards and Alky Classes. He also won many straightaway and closed course records, APBA Hall Of Champions Awards, Gulf Classic Awards, and the famous Orange Gulf Oil Jackets—all from 1957-1966.

1980 Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame certificate

Don receiving Gulf Oil Award

 Don Christy’s UIM record in B Stock Hydro

Today, Don Christy’s home contains an assortment of award jackets with US patches everywhere on them. His front room is stacked with silver trays from floor to ceiling.
Don liked Michigan Propellers, Cary Props (mostly built by Sid Uretzky in New Jersey), and the great R. Allen Smith in Louisiana. Smith always gave Don props to try out. Mama and Pop Smith were great friends of the Christy family as well. Papa Smith, as all know, did Stock and Alky/PRO props. If any of the other racers wanted great props from R. Allen Smith, then it was best to talk to Mama Smith first regarding her family, grandkids, cooking and her preserves. Then she would put Pop Smith on the phone.
Don’s longtime friends include Janey Smith and husband Ralph from Pennsylvania, Sid & Bobby Uretzky, Walt Blankenstein, Hank Bowman and his wife Blake, Ted Koopman (racing photographer), Kenny Winters, John Shidell, Dick O’Dea (New Jersey Group); Charlie Piper (who Don said was an off-the-wall character), the DiFebo gang from Delaware; and Charlie Wood, dealer and BSH mechanic. Skip Mason of the Champion Spark Plug Corporation helped Don a lot, sending him spark plugs (including experimental plugs for him to test and then send back to the factory to be analyzed). Champion usually had a trailer and representative at all races. Don said in those days with Alky classes, spark plugs had to be changed after every heat of racing. Those who didn’t were called one-heat racers.
Ted Koopman photographed many of us racers, but captured most of Don Christy’s history from his little boat at a ton of races for years. Don has loaned many of his photos out to friends, but sadly never got them back. The writers of this history would appreciate any copies you can send us; we will send them on to Don’s daughter Theresa.
Many racers have never met Don Christy. However, his reputation was impossible to miss regardless of what division and classes you raced.
Ted Abel wrote, “Don Christy was my role model/idol when I started racing at 18 years old. I was never as good as he was, but he made me strive to be the best I could be!”
Many thanks to Don and his daughter Theresa for their gracious help. John and David Schubert, Ron Hill, Karl Williams, and Ted Abel all helped. There is a lot to Don Christy’s history, and we plan a second chapter in the future.
Thank you for reading this bio; more than anything, we hope Don Christy and his family enjoy it also.

Don Christy’s hydro 2*E, in a perfect garage