Ricky Iglesias

by David Greene

Ricky Iglesias got quite a rough introduction to Unlimited Racing in 1957, when he became the crew chief of the Shanty I. The hull was out of balance nearly the entire season and provided one headache after another. In 1950, as crew chief of the Maverick, Iglesias found the range with the Bill Waggoner entry, winning three of seven races. Iglesias' final year with the team was 1959, in which a new Maverick won five of ten races to win a National High Point Championship along with a Gold Cup. The U-00 failed to finish only two heats that year.

Iglesias then retired along with Bill Waggoner, but was summoned out of retirement in Mexico by Bill Stead in 1961, when the latter was very anxious to get him to crew chief the former Maverick (Miss Reno) for two races that year. There were no victories in 1961, but the next year with Iglesias out of the picture the former Maverick (Tahoe Miss) appeared to be underpowered. Ricky Iglesias' final contact with the sport was when Bill Muncey summoned him as a crew member for his Miss U.S. in late 1968.

(Reprinted from the Unlimited NewsJournal, March 1985)