Patience Rewarded For Ed ‘Evil’ Smith,’ V Extreme’s Biggest Booster
The owner of the V-Extreme-class Knucklehead Racing team, Ed “Evil” Smith is a strong and patient man. For the past several seasons, he’s run his 40-foot Fountain raceboat uncontested at offshore races around the country and put on a show regardless—all while battling beating cancer without complaint. Despite that the class had withered to one consistent team—his own—Smith, who is 67 years old, remained its truest believer.
Knucklehead Racing will have plenty of competition this season in offshore powerboat racing’s V Extreme class. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill.
But the recent news that veteran offshore racer Chris Uzzolina and second-year competitor Win Farnsworth both bought boats to campaign in the twin-engine V-bottom spec class is only part of what has Smith jazzed heading into the 2023 season. He and Offshore Powerboat Association Ed “Smitty” Smith will be joining forces to create a two-boat V Extreme team called Wazzup Knucklehead. (The Wazzup part of the handle comes from Smith’s Bracket 300-class Fountain raceboat.) To make that happen, the OPA head recently purchased a 40-foot Fountain, which formerly ran overseas as Furnibo, that he’ll debut at the LOTO Powerfest, formerly the Lake Race, June 1-3, on the Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri.
“The question is, who is Anthony Smith going to throttle for, me or Smitty, his dad?” said the Knucklehead Racing team leader with a laugh. “It’s going to be a challenge for Anthony to throttle two boats.
A couple of close longtime friends, Ed “Evil” Smith (center in group photo) and Ed “Smitty” Smith are now teammates.
“I have been chomping at the bit for more than two years, seeing two new teams coming into the class— I have been racing for 28 years and I think this V Extreme Class is awesome,” he continued “I also know of another 42-footer that will be racing by mid-season. The only question now? Where is the Tug It V Extreme boat that Brit Lilly and Kevin Smith put together?”
Added Ed “Smitty” Smith, his Wazzup Knucklehead teammate, “Ed Smith of Knucklehead Racing was one of the driving forces behind OPA racing from its very first race. I’m so excited to battle side by side with him.
“Our friendship has grown over the years to the point where I regard him as my brother and hopefully this doesn’t change in the first turn,” he added, then laughed. “I am really excited to see the class grow with big power producing loud noise. We call it, ‘The Crowd Pleasers.’”
Ed “Evil” Smith is hoping this will be view his competitors see often in the 2023 season.
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