For the first three days this week, Doug Wright Powerboats commanded the hallowed waters of Lake X, the historic Mercury Racing testing facility in St. Cloud, Fla. Veteran offshore racing throttleman Ricky Maldonado practiced on a buoy course with Logan Adan, his 17-year-old rookie driver, in a 38-foot 450R Factory Stock-class Doug Wright catamaran that […]
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According to a press release from XINSURANCE, a leading resource for customized specialty insurance, the Utah-based business led by president and CEO Rick J. Lindsey is sponsoring two more offshore raceboats for the 2023 season. Starting with the Race World Offshore season-opener in Marathon, Fla., at the end of April and continuing with additional RWO […]
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Thanks in large part to Vinnie Diorio, the owner of the Wisconsin-based SV Offshore Racing team, electronically fuel-injected Mercury Racing 860 engines became a legal power option in 2022 under American Power Boat Association rules for the Super Cat class. Two teams—SV Offshore Racing and LiquorSplit—used them last season. And now there is one. SV […]
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With the first offshore powerboat race of the 2023 season—the Race World Offshore-produced 7 Mile Grand Prix in Marathon, Fla.—a little more than a month away, movement among teams is showing no signs of slowing down. Case in point is the Mod-V-class Relentless/Laticrete team owned by Travis Petko of Maryland, which recently added Laticrete-backed throttleman […]
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Offshore racers in the thriving Mod-V and still-growing 450R Factory Stock classes will have more than bragging rights to compete for in the 2023 American Power Boat Association Offshore National Championship Series thanks to a backer who prefers to remain “anonymous.” That’s the word from Larry Bleil, the head of Key West, Fla.-based Race World […]
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With Super Stock-class Jackhammer throttleman Ricky Maldonado moving to the 450R Factory Stock class after three seasons with the Illinois-based team, owner/driver Reese Langheim had to find a new throttleman for the upcoming season. But he didn’t have to look far as Maldonado’s son, Julian, will throttle the team’s 32-foot Victory catamaran. The son or […]
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You’re not alone if you’ve never heard of Port Byron, N.Y. But thanks to the work of Phil Hess and his five-person crew at Upstate Powerboat, a fiberglass and paint business just 30 minutes west of Syracuse, Port Byron—population 1,096 as for 2021—has made its way onto the high-performance marine industry map. Upstate Powerboat handled […]
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As the son of longtime Southwest Florida offshore racer Corey Shantry, who currently shares the cockpit of the Bracket 300-class Justice League raceboat with Richard Davis, 19-year-old Austin Shantry has been around the sport for most of his life. His father’s racing career goes back 20 years and includes Super Cat Light and Super V […]
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From the day we came up with our In The Lead documentary-style video series concept, MTI founder Randy Scism was on our short list of subjects. But it took until our second season in 2022—with support from primary backer Mercury Racing as well as MYCO Trailers, CP Performance, Hamilton Marine Finance, Hardin Marine, Bluave Marine […]
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No stranger to success in Key West, Fla., veteran offshore powerboat racing throttleman John Tomlinson departed the place last November with a couple of titles to his credit. Tomlinson claimed a Union International Motonautique world championship in the 450R Factory Stock title with Taylor Scism, his TS Motorsports teammate, in an MTI 390XR catamaran. He […]
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With his Stock V-class Nobody’s Business raceboat sold, North Carolina-based offshore racer Chris Uzzolina has been focused on getting his new-to-him Extreme V-class Skater 399 raceboat ready for competition this year. Uzzolina’s goal is to have the 39-footer done in time for the 2023 Race World Offshore World Championships November 6-12 in Key West, Fla. […]
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Though offshore powerboat racers and their fans tend to focus on what’s on top of the water in the Florida Keys, there’s a whole lot more going on beneath it. That gave Larry Bleil, the president of Key West, Fla.-based Race World Offshore, an idea for his outfit’s season-opening 7 Mile Grand Prix, April 28-30, […]
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Unless you’re steeped in the go-fast boating business/media world, you probably aren’t familiar with the Cox Group of Charlotte, N.C. Nor necessarily should you be as the marketing and public relations outfit, led by Rodrick Cox—a familiar name of offshore racing fans for his longtime work for Super Boat International and current involvement with Race […]
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If you walk into the Grant’s Signature Racing shop in Bradenton, Fla., you’ll spy a slew of outboard and stern-drive engine replacement jobs in progress, as well as a few empty transoms and engine compartments awaiting new power. That’s because the majority of what’s currently happening in the famed rigging, service and powerboat renovation outfit […]
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For years, offshore powerboat racing fans have watched two classes of single-engine canopied V-bottoms compete—often at the same time—and, frankly, had no idea who was winning. Having announced for two races last year at Cocoa Beach and Sarasota, Fla., it wasn’t any easier for someone who has covered the sport for 30 years. A couple […]
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The driving forces behind the Ocean Cup offshore powerboat endurance racing series, Nigel Hook and Janet Wilson are traveling today from Southern California to Daytona Beach, Fla., to celebrate a friend’s induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame on Tuesday. The following day, the couple will head to Cape Canaveral to meet with Roger Norman, […]
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Less than 30 days ago, Beau and Tiffiney Renfroe of Atlanta purchased a Skater Powerboats 388 catamaran, which began its life as the STIHL team raceboat, later became Gone Again and most recently flew the Justice League banner. As you’d expect, the cat had a layer of wrapped graphics from the Justice League team atop […]
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The owner of SLT Collection in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Scot Conrad goes back a long way—as in to Super V-class competition in 2003 and 2004—with offshore racer Michel Karsenti, who has come out of retirement from the sport to compete in the 450R Factory Stock class in a 38-foot Doug Wright Powerboats catamaran. A few […]
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Released today, graphics for the new Class 1 Skater 438 raceboat currently under construction for the M CON/Monster Energy team are already drawing raves from offshore powerboat racing fans. As previously reported on speedonthewater.com, Monster Energy drink is sponsoring the Kansas-based team owned by Tyler and Lindsey Miller for the 2023 Union Internationale Motonautique Class […]
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If the current schedule holds, the first Class 1 raceboat built by Skater Powerboats in Douglas, Mich., in 30 years will be at Osage Beach, Mo.-headquartered Performance Boat Center early next month for installation and rigging of its Mercury Racing 1100 Comp engines. Fans will get their first look at the 43-foot catamaran in action […]
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