Repowered Team Yahoo Racing Skater Ready For Texas Outlaw Challenge Shootout
With Texas Outlaw Challenge Shootout defending champion Gary Smith standing in the way following his impressive run of 204 mph at the Desert Storm Poker Run Shootout in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., at the end of April, Team Yahoo Racing’s Curtis Morris and Jamin Jones understand it’s going to be a challenge to earn back the overall Top Gun trophy they earned in 2021 with a 156-mph pass in Morris’ 36-foot Skater Powerboats catamaran.
During last year’s Texas Outlaw Challenge in Clear Lake, Curtis Morris and Jamin Jones ran 163 mph on the three-quarter-mile course in the Team Yahoo Racing Skater. Photo courtesy Michael Moss
Come this Friday, in front of Clear Lake Park at the end of the three-quarter-mile course, Team Yahoo Racing, which went 163 mph at the 2022 event, is hopeful that it will give Smith a run for his money thanks to upgrades completed in the offseason.
Smith’s Predator III Skater 388 cat powered by a pair of turbocharged 2,500-hp engines from Brummett Marine is a proven speed machine. During the 2022 Texas Outlaw Challenge, Smith and his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Patty Rich, ran 175 mph with a slipping port transmission, that Smith said ended their day early but was still fast enough to claim the Top Gun title. Tough competition, no doubt, especially coming off the boat’s first 200-mph radar gun-captured run on Lake Havasu.
“The team has been working hard and the Team Yahoo Racing Skater 368 is ready for this week’s speed run at the Texas Outlaw Challenge,” said Jones, who also teams with Morris and their crew chief, TR Hernandez, to do poker runs in the 36-footer. “Alexi Sahagian from Boostpower USA in California built completely new engines for us this year and we upgraded the electrical and fuel systems in the boat to support Holley EFI and ethanol. The engines are making tremendous power, and we think we will be much more competitive at the shootout this year. Though we saw much success in our class, we are hoping to get another Top Gun championship in 2023. I know we will have some tough competition, but the boat is running great and we are excited to see how fast we can go.
“We want to pass along our special thanks to all of the fans who have been so supportive over the years,” he continued. “Also we have to give credit to Alexi at Boostpower, the team at Marina Bay Harbor, David Whelan at Gulf Coast Complete Marine Service, Franky Sahagian at Alexiz Motorsports, Josh Cambron at Koastal Kustom Performance and Fabrication, Skater Powerboats and Wade McGowan at Race Parts Solutions.“
Jones, who said the team has been testing the boat and its new 2,000-plus-hp engines, added that he was looking forward to bringing home a new trophy.
Check out the slideshow above for a few recent images of Team Yahoo Racing.
Editor’s note: Look for complete coverage of the Texas Outlaw Challenge Shootout and overall even this weekend on speedonthewater.com.
Related stories
Smith Earns Second Shootout Title Of 2022 At Texas Outlaw Challenge In Predator III Skater 388
Team Yahoo Racing Crew Closes Out Memorable Year In Key West
Smith’s 204-MPH Shootout Record Leads Desert Storm Poker Run Highlight Reel
Predator Skater Runs 176 MPH To Win GPS Outlaw Shootout
Jones And Smith Crowned Desert Storm Top-Speed Shootout Champs
Coverage Of The 2022 Lake Of The Ozarks Shootout
2021 Lake Of The Ozarks Shootout Wrap-Up: Under 200 But Up To Par
.
