A Touch Of Class—Excerpts From Tyler Miller’s APBA Hall Of Champions Acceptance Speech

During a Saturday night celebration in Orlando, Fla., the M CON/Monster Energy Super Cat-class team’s Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil were inducted into the American Power Boat Association Hall of Champions. Per tradition, the event culminated the 100-plus-year-old organization’s annual meeting.

Tyler Miller (left) and members of the M CON team were on hand to accept last night’s honor.

It was second APBA Hall of Champions induction for Miller and Coil in as many years. Those are the sort of things that happen when you claim back-to-back world and back-to-back-to-back national Super Cat-class titles.

But along the way, Miller and Coil displayed true sportsmanship and breathtaking humility, which makes the honor even more richly deserved.And in 2023, they had the added weight of fielding the Monster Energy/M CON team in their rookie Union Internationale Motonautique Class 1 season, where the finished fourth overall.

Miller reportedly brought down the house last night with his acceptance speech. What follows are some of the highlights from that speech:

Rich Luhrs, Lindsey Miller and Tyler Miller.

“I want to thank all of the folks who work tirelessly to make an offshore racer’s dreams like mine come true. Last year in Seattle, first the Hall of Champions induction, I was nervous and all jitters. Back again this year, nothing has changed—I am still just as nervous.

“The commitment, passion teamwork and determination is left to nothing but the best with APBA. I can only thank Mr. Chris Fairchild and Mr. Rich Luhrs for making offshore great again. Rich has been instrumental in so many ways, not just for M CON Racing and the Super Cat class but as steward of the sport. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“The 2023 season was challenging for M CON to say the least. We journeyed into a new class with the first new Class 1 raceboat Skater Powerboat has built in 20 years. And ur Super Cat season went very well, we were finishing races, finishing on the podium.

“Getting into that a little, in Sarasota we were leading with a quarter mile to go in a 50-mile race with Pro Floors, our arch nemesis, behind us by about seconds us. We lost water-pressure in our starboard engine and I had a decision to make. So I kept the throttles on the dash (laughs) —Myrick doesn’t’ like to talk about this—caught the boat on fire, burned the back half of it. But we ended up coming in second.

M CON/Monster Energy in flight. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

“We had another race in two weeks, and if you’re involved in offshore racing you know it can take some time to put these things back together. But we have an unmatched team with true grit and commitment, a team we rely on, and we did it. It’s the same team that took us to back-to-back world championships and back-to-back-back national championships. I also need to thank the Performance Boat Center and Sterling Performance Engines teams. I want to thank Monster Energy for taking a chance and coming into offshore racing for the first. And thank you Powerboat P1 for bringing sponsors such as Monster Energy to offshore.

Myrick Coil and Tyler Miller. Photo by Cole McGowan copyright Powerboat P1.

“Myrick Coil, you are the baddest offshore ‘mofo’ on the planet and I thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart. And thank you for sharing your offshore family with Lindsey and I as well.

“I have to thank my mother and father for all their support though all offshore racing’s crazy ups and down. And my wife, Lindsey—I totally ‘outkicked my coverage; with you. You are my everything, babe. I am so proud to share this moment with you.

“Here’s to a great 2024 season.”