Father-And-Son Duo On A Tear Heading Into Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix
Statement Marine owner Nick Buis and his son, Owen, of Southwest Florida have just four seasons of offshore racing experience between them. Two of them belong to 15-year-old Owen, who competes in the Bracket 700 class alongside teammate Ricky Harmeyer. The other two belong to the senior Buis, who started in the Bracket 700r ranks but now competes in the Mod V and Bracket 500 class with veteran offshore racer JJ Turk.
The XINSURANCE/Statement Marine team will battle 10 other teams in Sarasota, Fla., this weekend. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
And yet both father and son have substantial leads in their respective classes heading into this weekend’s 40th annual Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix, the sixth of eight events in the American Power Boat Association National Championship Series. That’s particularly good news for XINSURANCE, which backs all three teams.
“It’s been a great season for both JJ and me and Owen and Ricky, who happens to be my son-in-law,” said Buis. “We both are running well ahead in points for the national championships.”
The Class 700 results in Sarasota will be In before Owen Buis turns 16 years old.
In this weekend’s Mod V contest, the XINSURANCE/Statement Marine team of Buis and Turk will square off against a season-high 10 teams including Safe Cash/XINSURANCE, which currently holds second place in national points. The Buis/Turk pairing will face seven other teams in the Bracket 500 class in the XINSURANCE/TFR/Golf n Gator boat.
“When you get into a winning boat with a proven teammate, you’re the only one who can make both look bad,” Buis said of his Bracket 500-class ride, then laughed. “Working with JJ Turk has been great.”
Buis and Turk also have a commanding lead in the Bracket 500 category.
With six entries so far in the Bracket 700 ranks, the younger Buis and Harmeyer of the XINSURANCE/Bad Decisions team also will face their largest fleet to date in the 2024 season.
Sad his Nick Buis, “Owen and Ricky have been doing really well. And at the end of the month in the Clearwater race, we’ll be celebrating Owen’s sixteenth birthday.”
In their first season together, Buis and Turk have experienced remarkable success. Photo by Jeff Helmkamp copyright Helmkamp Photos.
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