Thrill show
High speeds, constantly changing courses, rules to maximize excitement. Powerboat racing wants to be NASCAR on water. But better.
By TERRY TOMALIN, Times Outdoors Editor
Published October 16, 2003
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[Photo: Tom Newby]
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Four years ago, American Power Boat Association Offshore revamped its rules to make the sport more competitive and to provide close, “deck to deck” racing so the races were more exciting for fans.
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[Times art: Jeff Goertzen]
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Click here for an interactive graphic, and learn what it's like to drive a Super Vee race boat.
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[Photo: Tom Newby]
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Hugh Fuller, a Clearwater businessman who drives the top-ranked Super Cat, Bacardi Silver, will go for his third straight national championship.
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ST. PETERSBURG - Imagine speeding around a race course in which the track changes from lap to lap.
"That is what we deal with every race," said powerboat racer Hugh Fuller. "We never know what to expect. . . . It may be flat one minute, then 4-foot waves the next. It keeps you on your toes."
Fuller, a Clearwater businessman who drives the top-ranked Super Cat, Bacardi Silver, could capture his third straight national championship when the American Power Boat Association Offshore tour comes to St. Petersburg this weekend.
The Super Cats, twin-engine, 40-foot-long catamarans that can top 130 mph, are the tour's premier class. With boats costing $500,000 or more each (not to mention that their engines must be rebuilt after every race), the class draws the sport's elite.
For the past three years, Fuller and teammate John Tomlinson have dominated. Both men are in top shape and say that physical conditioning is every bit as important as skill in the cockpit.
"Your body takes a beating out there," said Tomlinson, the throttle man, noting that the races' duration requires strength and endurance. "We run for more than an hour, and with everybody so close, being in shape definitely gives you an advantage."
Most racers, including Fuller, who made his fortune in auto sales, compete for the thrill, not money. Though the first-place finisher receives a purse ($15,000 for the Super Cat race this weekend), it pales compared with those in auto racing.
Part of the sport's thrill is its danger. In recent years, several people have died in races from San Francisco to Daytona Beach. Yet there is no shortage of competitors willing to risk it all for a checkered flag.
Four years ago, American Power Boat Association Offshore took what had been a club sport and introduced rule changes to bring it in line with professional motor sports such as NASCAR. In the old days, all it took to win an offshore powerboat race was money. The team with the deepest pockets, and consequently, the best equipment - not always the best driver or throttle man - usually won.
"Our goal is to achieve the kind of level playing field you see at a stock car race," Offshore chairman Michael Allweiss said at the time. "Nobody wants to watch a sport where the same team wins week after week."
The streamlined classes, designed to make the sport more competitive and to provide close, "deck to deck" racing so the events are more exciting for fans, have been a success.
Fuller and Tomlinson opened the season in April with a win in Daytona and followed with victories in Marathon and Savannah, Ga. But in the fourth race, the reigning world and national champions were knocked off by a rookie driver, Tom Abrams.
Abrams, who partnered with veteran throttle man Jerry Gilbreath for his inaugural season, has his Reliable Carriers Super Cat in top form. A second-place finish in Sarasota and a win two weeks ago in Fort Lauderdale prove that Abrams and Gilbreath are a force to be reckoned with.
"That is the great thing about this class," Tomlinson said. "On any given Sunday, any team can win."
In the powerboat association's other "Super Class," Super Vee, all eyes will be on Sarasota's Doug Valentine and Key West's Lee Murray as they seek a national championship for Team Donzi. The big, Vee-hull boats are nearly as fast as the Super Cats, and their races are just as competitive.
Valentine won the national title last year for Sarasota boatmaker Donzi in the class Factory 2, a twin-engine, Vee-hull craft that comes straight off the assembly line. He moved to a bigger boat this year. Murray, who ran nearly a perfect season last year for Nick Carter Racing, the team formed by the Backstreet Boy, also has national and world titles under his belt.
Super Vee has been one of the most hotly contested of the six premiere classes this year.
The Utz Castaway won the season opener in Daytona. The California-based Spiderman came out on top in Marathon, only to have a technical penalty take away valuable points and first place.
In Savannah, Spiderman was second to H&H Speed and Marine, and in Milwaukee, Team Donzi won. Utz Castaway came back to win in Sarasota and Donzi in Fort Lauderdale. Donzi leads in the points race, and a win this weekend could seal the championship for the powerboat racers from Florida.
The racing action kicks off at noon Saturday with a battle between the "performance" boats, where crafts of similar speeds are grouped together. The second race features Factory 1, single-engine Vee hulls that come right off the assembly line.
Sunday, the twin-engine Factory 2's, Super Vees and Super Vee Lights (which have a smaller engine) race at noon, followed by the Super Cats and Super Cat Lights at 2 p.m.
Miss the boat?
Go to www.sptimes.com/gulfandbay for a look at the St. Petersburg Times' monthly boating and fishing magazine.
For daily outdoors coverage, including the daily fishing report, go to www.sptimes.com/outdoors
Racing terms
APBA: American Power Boat Association, the governing body that sanctions boat racing.
BLOWOVER: When a catamaran suddenly goes airborne and flips. Rare among deep "V" hulls.
ROLLOVER: Can occur when a boat turns at excessive speed; not as dangerous to the crew as a blowover but can be fatal if the crew is trapped under water.
CANOPY: The cockpit cover, or hardtop; provides substantial protection to the crew in a blowover.
CATAMARAN: Also known as a cat, a twin-hulled boat that virtually flies on top of the water. Generally faster than a "V" hull in calm water.
CAVITATION: When air is drawn into the propeller blades, causing the prop to slip.
CHINE WALKING: When the boat dances from side to side on the chine, the lower edge of the hull. Normally caused by exceeding the hull's design speed or by poor balancing of the boat.
DEEP "V' BOTTOM: The original high-performance offshore hull design. More stable in rough conditions than a catamaran but generally slower than cats of the same size and power.
DRY PITS: Where the boats are trailered at the race site; the public can see the equipment here.
HOT PITS: Where boats launch and fuel; accessible only to race teams, crew members and officials.
FEATHERING: Backing off the power when a boat becomes airborne so the engines don't rev too quickly.
KITING: When a boat flies off a wave and raises the bow higher than the crew intended, or when a catamaran is overtrimmed, resulting in a possible blowover.
LOWER UNIT: The lower half of an outdrive or outboard that contains the drive gears, propeller shaft and the propeller.
MILLING CIRCLE: The area where teams assemble before the race begins; so called because the boats roam in a circle, following the mill captain (lead boat).
ORANGE SMOKE: What you'll see emitted from the pace boat three minutes before the race starts.
PAD: A flat section under the boat, near its rear. When a boat is racing and trimmed properly, it rides on the pad, reducing contact (and friction) with the water.
ROOSTER TAIL: The large column of water thrown out from the propeller.
STEP HULL: This consists of one or two steps molded in the hull near the stern. The step allows air under the hull, reducing friction and permitting about a 10 percent increase in speed.
STUFFED: When a boat launches off a wave and "stuffs" the bow into the next wave; which can be fatal for the crew if the cockpit is not closed.
TURN CUSHION: The orange marker that signifies the turning point of the race course.
UIM: Unione de Internationale Motonautique, founded in 1922 and headquartered in Belgium, approves all power boat world records. The APBA is the only UIM recognized racing body in the United States.
- Source: APBA Offshore
Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2003
6-10 P.M. - Kickoff party at BayWalk, Second Street and Second Avenue N
Friday, Oct. 17, 2003
8 A.M.-NOON - Wet pit area in Vinoy Basin
9 A.M.-4 P.M. - Fueling at north end of Vinoy Park
10 A.M.-6 P.M. - Dry pit area at Vinoy Park
6-10 P.M. - Powerboats on the Pier
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2003
8 A.M.-NOON - Wet pit area in Vinoy Basin
9 A.M.-5 P.M. - Fueling at north end of Vinoy Park
10 A.M.-6 P.M. - Dry pit area at Vinoy Park
NOON - Offshore Race No. 1 in Tampa Bay
2 P.M. - Offshore Race No. 2 in Tampa Bay
3 P.M. - Happy Hour Testing in Tampa Bay
4 P.M. - Winners Circle at Vinoy Basin Marina
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2003
8 A.M.-NOON - Wet pit area in Vinoy Basin
9 A.M.-NOON - Fueling at north end of Vinoy Park
10 A.M.-6 P.M. - Dry pit area at Vinoy Park
NOON - Offshore Race No. 1 in Tampa Bay
2 P.M. - Offshore Race No. 2 in Tampa Bay
4 P.M. - Winners Circle at Vinoy Basin Marina
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