Pro Class 1 XINSURANCE South Aces First Test Session

Even with the 2024 Super Cat-class world title to their credit, Dirty Money throttleman Bill Pyburn and driver Brit Lilly didn’t expect everything to go perfectly during their first test session earlier this week in the team’s new 45-foot Victory Pro Class 1 raceboat. Lilly has piloted three the different Class 1 Victory cats under the tutelage of multi-time world champion throttleman Steve Curtis, but it had been a full year since he’d been behind the wheel of one.

As for Pyburn, he had never throttled a Victory cat.

Since this photo was taken two days ago, the Pro Class 1 XINSURANCE South raceboat has been completely gutted. Photos courtesy Dirty Money Marine Services/XINSURANCE.

Save for Lilly and team newcomer TJ Rand, who formerly was with the Miss GEICO and Huski Class 1 campaigns and joined the new Pro Class 1 team dubbed XINSURANCE South last month, no one involved had any Class 1 experience.

So they went into the Wednesday test session near Dirty Money Marine Services headquarters in Stuart, Fla., anticipating challenges while hoping they were minimal. And they finished the day with big grins across their faces.

For Pyburn and Lilly, trepidation vanished when testing began.

“The boat was just unbelievable—from the moment we got it in the water everything went flawlessly,” Pyburn said. “I don’t know that there’s much of a top speed difference between a Super Cat and a Pro Class 1 boat, but with the 1,100-hp engines it definitely pulls much stronger at the bottom end. We’re still waiting to see all the data, but it felt really nice.”

Added Lilly, “It was awesome. The boat was on rails. I can’t wait for the season to start.”

Though the white 45-footer looked dramatic on the water, the Wednesday test session was devoid of drama.

Pyburn described Rand, who worked under renowned Class 1 crew chief Gary Stray and is overseeing the XINSURANCE South Pro Class 1 program—Bobby Adams leads the Dirty Money Super Cat campaign—as “a calming influence” for the team.

“TJ brings a wealth of knowledge,” Pyburn said. “Like Bobby, all he needed to thrive was a chance to get out on his own.”

The team’s support was on the water during the entire testing session.

Like Pyburn and Lilly, Rand expected the team to hit at least one or two snags during the test session. To his pleasant surprise, none emerged.

“It’s unusual for a boat to have no problems the first time out, but it was flawless,” Rand said. “It did exactly what it was supposed to do.”

The team returned to the docks to make adjustments a few times during the test session.

Following the test session, the crew began “completely gutting,” in the words of Pyburn, the 45-footer. A trio of MoTeC technicians currently are fabricating an entire new wiring harness for the cat. Though the team has a brand-new set of class-spec Mercury Racing 1100 engines, the engines used in the test session will be reinstalled so practice can continue in the near future.

The post-testing mood at the docks ranged from satisfied to exubertant.

“Bill believes in testing—he wants to test the boat as much as possible before the season,” Rand said, then chuckled. “He told us the other day, ‘Don’t be surprised if we’re testing offshore at the season-opener in Cocoa Beach.’”

Added Pyburn, “Rick Lindsey of XINSURANCE has given us everything we need to succeed. I can’t wait to get started.”