Pastrana And Tomlinson To Share Class 1 Pothole Heroes Cockpit In Sarasota

Though both would downplay the description as is their humble nature, Travis Pastrana and John Tomlinson are the GOAT—Greatest Of All Time—of their respective motorsports disciplines. A South Florida native, Tomlinson is one of the winningest world champion catamaran throttleman in offshore powerboat racing with more than such titles to his credit. His accomplishments include going undefeated to claim the American Power Boat Association Open-class world title in 1996 in the Zero Defect Skater cat with Laith Pharaon, the team’s Egypt-born owner and driver. A year later, Tomlinson and Pharaon backed that up with the Union Internationale Motonautique Class 1 world championship.

With team owner/driver Carlos de Quesada sharing the cockpit with throttleman John Tomlinson, Pothole Heroes/Alegra Motorsports snagged third place last weekend at the Class 1 season-opener in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

As for Pastrana, no list—much less single highlight—would do justice to his motorsports accomplishments. Four wheels, two wheels or no wheels, From dirt bike to stock car, if a vehicle has an engine, and maybe even if it doesn’t, Pastrana can do things with it few if others on the planet can.

But come June 30-July 2, they’ll be sharing the cockpit of the Pothole Heroes/Alegra Motorsports Class 1 raceboat at the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix.

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For the past two seasons, longtime friends Brit Lilly and Travis Pastrana have shared the Huski team driver role alongside multi-time world champion throttleman Steve Curtis.

“I have met him and talked with Travis, but I’ve never raced with him,” said Tomlinson, who typically throttles alongside owner/driver Carlos de Quesada in the Pothole Heroes Victory-built catamaran. “I am looking forward to it. I mean, the guy drives everything. Driving a raceboat shouldn’t be a problem for him.”

For the past two seasons, Pastrana has alternated in the driver’s seat of Huski Chocolate, now Huski Ice Spritz, with his longtime friend and fellow Marylander, Brit Lilly.

“I am super-stoked to be back in the cockpit with Steve,” Lilly said. “And there is no way Travis is going to beat me at my own sport.”

Said Tomlinson of Pastrana, his cockpit-mate for the Sarasota race, “The guy drives everything. Driving a raceboat shouldn’t be a problem for him.” Photo by Cole McGowan copyright Powerboat P1.

Each has driven several races alongside veteran offshore throttleman Steve Curtis, who will team up with Lilly for the Sarasota contest.

The move arose out of a schedule conflict for the Pothole Heroes team owner.

“Carlos has racing commitments to fulfill in Le Mans that weekend, so I decided to skip the racing I had planned, not only to jump at the chance to get back into a Class 1 and go up against my teammates from last year, Steve and my good friend Brit, but to race alongside the great Johnny Tomlinson.” Pastrana said in a press release from Powerboat P1, which holds the marketing and media rights to UIM Class 1 racing. “Steve and Brit did great to take the win in Cocoa Beach last weekend, but I am looking forward to pushing them as hard as I can and showing them who’s boss in Sarasota.”

With the podium finishers crowed at Thunder On Cocoa Beach last weekend, the Class 1 series moves to Sarasota, Fla., for round two.

The Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix is the second of five races in the 2023 UIM Class 1 World Championship Series. In the series-opener last weekend in Cocoa Beach, Fla., Huski Ice Spritz finished first ahead of 222 Offshore Australia, followed by Pothole Heroes/Allegra Motorsports.