Rich Luhrs Resigns From APBA Offshore Racing Commission

A longtime member of the offshore powerboat racing community, former racer and raceboat builder, Rich Luhrs has resigned from the American Power Boat Association Offshore Racing Commission. Luhrs was appointed commission chairman in late 2019.

Rich Luhrs held the position of Offshore Racing Commission chairman for four years. Photo by Cole McGown copyright P1 Offshore.

“Rich tendered his resignation via email on Tuesday morning,” said Chris Fairchild, the president of the APBA, in a phone interview this morning. “Rich has been a valuable asset to APBA offshore for many years, and one of his best assets has been his ability to weather the storm. He wasn’t able to weather this one.”

The storm in question surrounded a recent decision by an appointed, four-member APBA committee decision to review an Offshore Racing Commission-decided penalty against the Super Cat-class Dirty Money team for infractions at the Midwest Challenge event in June. The team appealed the decision, and the appeal was unanimously upheld by the committee.

“The protocols and procedures in the APBA rulebook were not followed, so the appeal was upheld,” said Fairchild.

Luhrs did not respond to a request for comment.

A search for a new chairman for the Offshore Racing Commission is underway. In the meantime, Fairchild has assumed the role of interim commissioner.

“Rich and I have been friends for 20 to 25 years, though that friendship might be strained at the moment,” said Fairchild. “He will be hard to replace.”

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