Franks Joining Pratt And Lockyer In Outerlimits V-Bottom For Cowes Endurance Contest
An experienced go-fast powerboat owner and operator, Shane Franks of Michigan is an ideal candidate for offshore powerboat endurance racing. First, he owns a 42-foot Statement Marine V-bottom called Saddle Up. Second, he prefers to run it hard for long distances. Last but not least, he likes to run it on his mercurial home-waters of Lake Michigan.
Franks often pushes hard when he runs his 42-footer on Lake Michigan. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix
Those attributes and more will be put to the test tomorrow in 63rd annual Cowes-Torquay-Cowes endurance race off the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Franks will run in the 210-mile contest as a crewman on the Good Boy Vodka team’s 52-foot Outerlimits V-bottom with owner Rob Lockyer and spirit-brand founder Alex Pratt in Lockyer’s canopied V-bottom.
Though the marketing partnership between Powerboat P1 and the British Powerboat Racing Club created a new name—the Cowes Powerboat Festival—for the event, nothing about the typically foul waters surrounding the Isle of Wight the island had changed.
A couple of Michiganders, Franks (left) and Pratt are longtime friends and powerboat owners.
“Bro, you should see the white-caps and winds out there,” Pratt shouted into his mobile phone during yesterday’s ferry ride to the island. “It’s going to be insane.”
Though Pratt has competed in the the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race, Franks is a rookie. His wife, Vicki, has joined him for the trip.
“It’s a great honor to participate in such a prestigious event,” he said. “And none of this would be possible without the generosity of Rob and Christine Lockyer. They are special people, and Vicki and Chrystie have developed a really special bond.”
Vicki and Shane Franks are in Cowes this weekend for the adventure of a lifetime. Photo by Ashley Shutter.
The action begins tomorrow at 8 a.m.
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