Sneak Peek: Big East Construction Goes Neon For Super Stock Season
Though some 13 Super Stock 13 teams are threatening to compete during the 2023 offshore powerboat racing season, at least one won’t be hard to spy from a distance on the course. Canadian owner/driver Cole Leibel, who shares the cockpit of the 32-foot Victory Big East Construction catamaran with throttleman Gary Ballough of Florida, has opted for an ultra-vibrant, neon-green hue for the canopied raceboat.
Thanks to its dominant new hue, the Super Stock-class Big East Construction raceboat won’ be hard to spot from a distance this season.
But Leibel hadn’t necessarily planned on it until the cat went back to Krytiuk Motorsports in Ontario, Canada, for off-season work that included fortifying the 32-footer with five-inch foam and carbon fiber in the cockpit and adding carbon stringers under the deck.
“Installing carbon fiber stringers is easy to do when you’re building a boat but not so easy when there’s already a deck in place,” said Mark Krytiuk of Krytiuk Motorsports. “There wasn’t a lot of space to move under there.”
The 32-footer pops from any angle.
Leibel celebrated his birthday last month. As a surprise present for their longtime customer, Krytiuk and his crew painted the cowlings on the boat’s Mercury Racing 300R outboard engines. So delighted was Leibel with the neon-green hue, which Krytiuk also applied to his Nor-Tech 340 Sport center console in 2021, that he decided to have the shop paint the entire cat in it.
“It turned out awesome,” he said. “The pictures don’t do it justice. It’s really bright.”
Krytiuk carried the color right onto the team helmets.
Krytiuk agreed. “It looks phenomenal,” he said. “We also changed the logos to black-metallic. Big East Construction will have a whole new look this season.”
And that, plus one second-place finish at the 2022 Race World Offshore World Championships in Key West, Fla., in what was his rookie Super Stock season, has Leibel excited to compete this year. The new season begins April 28-30 with the 7 Mile Grand Prix, another Race World Offshore-produced event, in Marathon, Fla.
“I’m pumped for this season,” he said. “Gary is awesome to race with and I have learned so much so far.”
The Big East Construction’s teams graphics were far more subdued last season. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
Related stories
Latham And Leibel To Ride Again
Cole Leibel Going Super Stock Racing In 2022
From Mild To Wild: Krytiuk Motorsports Tackles Vibrant Nor-Tech 340 Color Update
Krytiuk Motorsports Gearing Up For Summer
Leibel Legacy Continues With New Nor-Tech 340 Center Console
.
