Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Update: Review Reveals Nothing To Change 450R Factory Stock Outcome

Whatever happened at the start of 450R Factory Stock-class start in the final race of Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix last Sunday—and by several accounts there was some bumping and pinching involved when the green flag flew—there was not enough clear-cut video evidence of driving infractions to issue penalties, much less change the finishing order.

Despite the tricky 450R Factory Stock-class start, Taylor Scism and John Tomlinson prevailed in TS Motorsports. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

That means the TS Motorsports team of Taylor Scism and John Tomlinson retained first place, followed by Michel Karsenti and Ervin Grant in Gladiator Canados and Nick Imprescia and Ian Morgan in 151 Express.

But at the end of the contest, there were enough questions around the 450R Factory Stock-class start to warrant video review by American Power Boat Association officials, which is why official results were not released until today on the Powerboat P1 website. Powerboat P1/P1 Offshore produced the Sarasota event, which is second of five races in the APBA Offshore National Championship Series and the second of six races in the Class 1 Union Internationale Motonautique Series.

Rich Luhrs, the chairman of the APBA Offshore Commission, explained the review process.

“We had a large amount of data, videos, GPS signatures, witness statements and more to sort through,” he said. “The most important thing is to get the results right—not necessarily quickly. There is no time limit to correct errors, omissions or to impose or retract disciplinary actions. However, there is a definite time limit for written protests by competitors.

Gladiator Canados and 151 Express rounded out the top three in last Sunday’s 450R Factory Stock contest.

“The light at the end of the tunnel is the impending utilization of an electronic scoring system, which is currently in beta testing,” he continued. “We are hopeful that this will reduce the human factor and the delays in data availability.”

With the Marathon, Cocoa Beach and Sarasota events in the books, the next race for the APBA series is the Powerboat P1-produced St. Petersburg Grand Prix, which will be followed by Race World Offshore-produced Clearwater ‘Nationals.’

Said Luhrs, “The helicopter video over turn one has been a big help this year, but only serves to point out the need for complete data tracking throughout the racecourse. The ultimate goal is to provide accurate lane and speed tracking down to the slimmest of distances—‘eyes in the sky’ if you will.”