Inside SOTW Mag: Bruggemann’s Take—Gunning For A World Title
When the Super Cat season ended before the final race of the American Power Boat Association Offshore National Championships Series could be run in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., the battle for the title was tight. Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil of the M CON team had the lead, followed by myself and Wayne Valder in Pro Floors Racing, our 42-foot MTI catamaran, and Chris Grant and Billy Moore in Graydel, the former M CON/AMH/STIHL Skater Powerboats 388 catamaran that Grant’s Signature Racing rigged for J.R. Noble in 2016.
Though a Super Cat title wasn’t in the cards for the CELSIUS/Pro Floor Racing Team, throttleman Grant Bruggemann has the attitude it takes to win. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
The team most on its game would have left Fort Myers Beach, which was tragically destroyed by Hurricane Ian a week before the races were scheduled to take place, with the Super Cat-class national championship.
But barring the official notification from APBA, we’d have finished second behind M CON and ahead of Graydel. And that—finishing second in the national series—has us fired up take the title at the upcoming world championships in Key West., Fla., produced by Race World Offshore. It won’t be easy. The M CON and Graydel Skaters were fast all season, and the WHM Skater, which had mechanical gremlins most of the year, was getting it together by what would turn out to be the last race of the series in Clearwater, Fla. It’s going to be a tight battle down there.
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