By TERRY TOMALIN, RICK FRAZIER
Published October 19, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG - Hugh Fuller of Clearwater, the winningest Super Cat driver, could pick up his third straight national championship today.
Fuller and teammate John Tomlinson of Miami lead the Super Cat fleet in points as they head into the final race of the season, the APBA Offshore National Championships at Vinoy Park.
Their Bacardi Silver boat started off the year with a win at Daytona Beach then back-to-back victories in Savannah, Ga., and Marathon. But Tom Abrams and Jerry Gilbreath of Reliable Carriers handed the Floridians their first loss in Milwaukee.
They have split the past two races, and today's winner should have control heading into the World Championships next month in Alabama.
JUST CRUISIN': Outlaw series competitor David Scott piloted his 46-foot Skater catamaran around the 5-mile course like he was on a Sunday drive.
In 2002 Scott, owner and driver of the 36-foot and 46-foot Skater offshore boats, set a record of 191.469 mph for the one-way average speed for a kilometer with the 36-foot cat. His 11,000-pound vessel, sporting twin Sterling Supercharged V-8 engines, produce 1,400 horsepower each.
Recently he broke his record with the same boat at 202.907 mph.
In 2001 and '02 Scott won the APBA offshore national and World titles and has numerous wins drag racing motorcycles and cars.
BUILD IT AND HE WILL RACE: David Callan of Port Orange is a boat builder by trade. When he's not building boats, he's racing them, and his 48-foot, Italian-made Tencara catamaran blew out the Outlaw field.
Callan's boat doesn't have piston-driven engines like other boats, instead using two Lycoming T 55-L71 turbines.
Each engine delivers 3,000 horsepower, and with that type of horsepower it's no wonder Callan's boat can exceed 200 mph.
Callan said the turbines really come into play when cornering, as the boat is able to turn on a dime and accelerates much quicker than piston engines.
HOME-WATER ADVANTAGE: Floridians are favorites in the largest vee-bottom class, Super Vee. Doug Valentine of Sarasota and Lee Murray of Key West are the front-runners in what has been one of the APBA's most competitive classes this season.
The Utz Castaway Fountain won the season opener in Daytona Beach, but Todd Welling's Spiderman won the second race in Marathon. Bob Bull's H & H Marine Welling won in Savannah, and Valentine and Murray followed with their first win in Milwaukee and again in Fort Lauderdale. Murray and Valentine lead by 110 points.
