Lake Race Debut Slated For New Maldonado Bracket 700 Team

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Racing: Lake Race Debut Slated For New Maldonado Bracket 700 Team

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Ricky Maldonado has throttled the Super Stock-class Jackhammer offshore racing team’s 32-foot Victory catamaran with owner/driver Reese Langheim of Illinois since 2019. In late 2020 at the Offshore Powerboat Association World Championships in Morehead City, N.C.—one of the few races to happen that year—Maldonado’s youngest son, Julian, began campaigning a Bracket 700-class raceboat with Brian Guy under the Jackhammer team banner.

Starting at the Lake Race this weekend in Missouri, the rookie cockpit duo of Ricardo Maldonado and Cesar Perez will campaign this 22-foot Velocity sportboat in the Bracket 700 class.

Though Julian Maldonado has stepped up to the Super Stock rank with teammate Dominick Steele in the 32-foot Doug Wright catamaran called Steele Industries, the Maldonado family will still have a competitor in Bracket 700 ranks. Rookie racers Ricardo Maldonado, Julian’s older brother, and family friend Cesar Perez will campaign a 1987 model-year 22-foot Velocity V-bottom powered by a Mercury Racing 300R outboard engine.

Dubbed Atomic Velocity, the new team will debut this weekend at the Lake Race—the second event in the American Power Boat Association Offshore National Championship Series—on the Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri. Steele Industries is backing the team.

The boat’s 300-hp outboard is mounted on a bracket from Shaun Torrente Racing.

“Ricardo is a full rookie and so is Cesar,” said Ricky Maldonado. “Ricardo has been testing with Julian, Reese and myself for years but never been in a race. It’ll be fun to watch these two go. They’ll be heading to the Lake Race with the rest of our boats.”

The senior Maldonado had the 300-hp outboard installed on an adjustable jack-plate from Shaun Torrente Racing and spent last week testing propellers.

“The No. 1 key part on this boat is a spec STR jack-plate custom-tailored and designed for this boat,” said Maldonado. “It’s made a heck of an improvement on balance and speed.

“Shaun (Torrente) has been helping us with all of our boats,” he added.