Wright Back In The Saddle With Super Stock-Class LPC Team

Having mostly stepped away from offshore racing for the couple of years, driver Mike Wright is returning to the cockpit of the Super Stock-class LPC raceboat with owner/throttleman Loren Peters for Thunder On Cocoa Beach, set for May 18-21. Peters and Wright ran a couple of seasons together before stepping out of the cockpit, and for the past two years Anthony Smith, Jr., of the H.P. Mafia engine shop at the Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri.

Former teammates Loren Peters and Mike Wright are reuniting in the LPC Super Stock-class catamaran this weekend in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

Last year, Peters and Smith finished third overall at the Race World Offshore-produced Key West World Championships. The LPC personnel change was driven by time management.

“Anthony is still our crew chief but this way he can put all his focus more on making sure the boat is dialed in and ready to run race on race day,” explained Peters, who lives in Sunrise Beach, Mo. “Mike has wanted to get back into racing because he loves it, but just had too much going on with work.

“We’re going to give it a shot this weekend and then at the Lake Race and go from there,” he added.

Wright, who also calls Sunrise Beach home, is delighted to be back in the 32-footer with his friend and teammate. His last turn in the cockpit with Peters was during the Offshore Powerboat Association-produced 2020 Crystal Coast Grand Prix in Morehead City, N.C.

“I’m not sure how many races I’ll run this season because my real estate investment business is always my first priority, so we’ll just play it by ear for now,” said Wright. “But I am excited. I love racing and I love Cocoa Beach since it’s typically a rough-water race.”