The ‘New’ Kids’ On The Pro Class 1 Block

As the saying goes, only two things—Twinkies and hardy insects—will survive a nuclear holocaust. And until this offshore powerboat racing season, the same could be said for the world-championship-winning WHM Motorsports team in the Super Cat class. Owner/driver Billy Mauff and Jay Muller have been in the mix since the class started 25 years ago. They were foundational.

But such expressions are only as good as the facts, assumptions or clever exaggerations allow. And the latter one no longer holds as come May 15-18 in Cocoa Beach, Fla., Mauff and Muller will kick off their rookie Pro Class 1 season.

“WHM is almost ready for testing for the Pro Class 1 in Cocoa Beach,” Muller said.

Though the WHM Motorsports team is the latest to announce its plans, it isn’t the only new Pro Class 1 kid on the block. Nick Buis and J.J. Turk of XINSURANCE North and Bill Pyburn, Jr., and Brit Lilly of XINSURANCE South are joining those ranks this season.

And then there is the Factory MTI team of throttleman Grant Bruggemann and driver Willy Cabeza, which completed its first test session in their new 48-foot catamaran last month. To be fair, Bruggemann did run the XINSURNANCE MTI boat in a couple of Union Internationale Motonautique Class 1 races in 2023. As for Cabeza, who ran with Bruggemann in the 450R Factory Stock class—now 500R Factory Stock—last season, he’s a true Pro Class 1 rookie.

Those three teams and perhaps more will give old salts in the class meaning Tyler Miller and Myrick of Monster Energy/M CON team fame, driver Carlos de Quesada and throttleman John Tomlinson in Alegra Motorsports and df Young/Good Boy Vodka team owner/throttleman Rich Wyatt—with a driver to be named later—plenty of competition.

But like Pro Class 1 rookies, the cagey veterans are more than up for it.—Matt Trulio

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Source: https://www.powerboatnation.com/the-new-kids-on-the-pro-class-1-block/