Gallery Of The Week: Killer Captures From Testing And Practice In Sheboygan

With 48 offshore racing teams in Sheboygan, Wis., for this weekend’s Midwest Challenge, speedonthewater.com photographers Pete Boden of Shoot 2 Thrill Pix and Jeff Helmkamp of Helmkamp Photos didn’t lack for beautiful objects and interesting faces to capture. By 9 p.m., they had delivered 72 images from today’s testing and practice session ahead of tomorrow’s action in the Class 1, 450R Factory Stock and Super Stock categories.

If every picture tells a story, the following 10 from today tell 10 great ones.

Game Faces

Even during practice and testing, some racers do a better job than others of grimming-up and mean-mugging. When it comes to game-faces, Alex Pratt and Rich Wyatt are hard to beat. (Helmkamp)

Not-So Game-Faces

Serious or casual, a poker-face is designed to mislead one’s opponents. Captured in this image, SV Offshore/Austin Homes Super Cat team owner Vinnie Diorio and company look loose and maybe even a little looney. But come Sunday’s Super Cat race, that look will change. (Boden)

Rush-Hour At The Dock

Offshore raceboats are big objects that require crews. Class 1 offshore raceboats are really big objects that require even bigger crews. Just two of them take up an entire dock. (Helmkamp)

Serious Time

The M CON/Monster Energy Super Cat Skater raceboat simply can’t take a bad picture, but the coolest part of this is the 450R Factory Stock Montlick Injury Attorneys team sharing the course in the background. Because testing time is serious time. (Boden)

Boat Wrangling

In this photo, Super Stock racer Shaun Torrente appears to have all the concern of a 10-year-old kid flying a kite. But he’s actually helping guide his S2 Powerboats catamaran off its trailer as a crane lifts it into the water. Clearly, Torrente has done this a couple of times. (Helmkamp)

One Hot Transom

Some raceboats are sexier than others. The df Young/Good Boy Vodka Mystic Powerboats catamaran is an absolute smoke-show. (Boden)

Hardware Over Hardware

Even during a testing and practice session, a raceboat captured running fast with a helicopter flying overhead is one of offshore powerboat racing’s most compelling images. Just try to look away. (Helmkamp)

Down The Tunnel

Shot head on and running hard, catamarans look ferocious. Ryan Beckley and Conner Toomey showed their teeth and roared during testing in their Doug Wright Super Stock-class catamaran. (Boden)

Letting Go