Bobcat
Founding Member
Shorter course, calmer day, faster-than-normal speed
BY J.W. COOKE Citizen Staff
jwcooke@keysnews.com
KEY WEST -- Super Boat International (SBI) officials decided on a shortened course for the second day of racing at the 33rdannual Key West World Championships and the teams looked prepared with the average speeds increasing on the slightly calmer day.
There was only one mishap with the Warpaint boat running into a floating channel marker to start race two, but the crew was safe without any rescue needed.
The CMS team, which averaged 113.92 mph, looked solid from the start pushing out to a sizeable lead through the first three laps. That was until, Miss Geico, Day 1's fastest boat on the water at an average of 92.04 mph, broke free of the pack and began to race on the lead boat. CMS narrowly held off the charging Miss Geico, which averaged 113.80 mph Friday, to the finish on the shortened half-distance course for the victory, with Marine Concepts coming back to top the Spirit of Qatar for third.
"We've had an engine problem all week," said CMS throttleman Randy Scism. "Once we got going really fast the guardian kicks on. It did it today, but it got us to the first turn before it went into guardian mode. Every straight away it would, so we couldn't run full speed but it was enough to fend them off. Late in the race it got worse and worse and we kept slowing down and I know they were getting closer and closer, but it all worked out. Those are some professional drivers and we're just a couple of part timers so we had fun and it was great."
The Miss Geico team, which started the race in fourth place for the first two laps before making its move, was not pleased with the CMS run.
"The start was a poor start," said Miss Geico driver Marc Granet. "The CMS came across the entire fleet for no reason and hosed everybody down. It's a dangerous situation with a lot of pylons and everything out there. You saw what happened to Warpaint, so you can only do what you can do. We pulled back on the throttles and let them do their thing. We know we have a faster boat than they do it's very, very clear, because even from fifth place we were able to reel them in. Come Sunday, its 14 laps; you can't hide. They can play any games they want; they can't hide from us. We are coming. We are coming hard."
It was a scary opening to the midday races with the Warpaint team lost control in the middle of the pack after hitting a floating channel marker as the boats throttled down at the start of the race. Warpaint was unable to continue, but the rest of the races maneuvered around the mishap with the WHM Motorsports team taking to the lead.
"For some reason they started us in the back of the race course on the inside of the race course," said Bob Vesper. "We were in the middle of the pack when we started going and we were stuck in the roster tail. When you get stuck in the wash you can't see where you are going, so we were all running and you kind of look to your side to know you are good. All of the sudden the wash went down and the buoy was right in front of us and we hit it and kind of rode up it.
"The boat was set up right and we spent a lot of time on it this week," added Vesper. "We probably would have been good and that's the most disappointing part. That's fiberglass and that can be fixed, but it's frustrating to do. We could probably do a patch and go out possibly run, but the boat's not going to run as well and it's not going to be safe."
With Stihl riding its wake for the first four laps, WHM Motorsports, averaging 97.12 mph, held the lead until the hairpin Turn 3 by Mallory Square where the Stihl, averaging 98.27 mph, would get to the outside and race in clean water to the finish.
"We got a bad start, some boat kind of did some strange things at the start and we got tied up in the mess and the melee, but after that we just hunted him done," said Sithl driver JR Noble. "He made the course really small, but finally we drove into the turn of the harbor wide open and we went around the outside of him and that was it. We hit boats in the harbor turn and then it was a drag race, we were in open water, we weren't getting cutoff and we pulled away."
The standings were tossed around in the SuperVee class on Friday, with Wednesday's winners falling to the back of the class, and the third place finisher Twisted Metal, with a class high 95.21 mph average on Friday, running in first on Day 2. Reigning World Champion Instigator moved from fourth on Day 1 to second on Day 2, while Day 1 winner Outerlimits dropped to third and second-place finisher Lucas Oil fell to fourth.
"We didn't want to destroy our equipment on Wednesday so we didn't go crazy and took it easy because it is only quarter points," said Twisted Metal driver Brett Furshman. "Today we wanted to run a little bit harder and pump it up a little because you just want to be in contention on Sunday."
With the top four boats in the SuperVee class only separated by 45 points, and a first-place finish 50 points better than second on Sunday, it will be a tight race to the championship.
"I've raced these guys for a long time," said Furshman. "I've raced with one of those guys in my boat, Joe Srgo. I raced with him for a few years. So we all know each other pretty well. We just want to have a good race and all four boats are right there. It's anyone race."
The Talbot Excavating team, which averaged 83.08, had to fight for a first-place finish on Friday after going wire-to-wire on Day 1. In Day 2's race, it was the Hulk team -- averaging 81.12 mph -- that broke out the early lead finishing the first lap with the lead, but by the second lap Talbot was back in front and extended the advance to a comfortable distance by the third circumference of the 4.4-mile loop.
"Obviously set up is a lot of it here and we've been fortunate enough to get the set up that has worked based on the conditions," said Talbot owner/driver Kyler Talbot. "I'd like to make it seem a little more sophisticated than guessing but it's probably not. We made some changes this morning, on today's race from Wednesday's race, it was a little calmer that what we thought it would be and it worked."
Hulk would hold off 5 Brothers for the second-place finish with Tarpon Pointe Grille coming in fourth, which moved the three teams running behind Talbot all 2.5 point with each other and the Talbot team with more than a 90-point lead after the back-to-back first-place finishes.
"The Hulk is real fast and we were all within a couple mile an hour within each other and we got lucky in a couple of turns and were able to get under them," said Talbot. "We swapped leads back and forth and they are a great team and have run great all year. So when you are headed out to (turn) 1 and you are running right with them it's a pretty good sign you have the right set up."
After a clean start-to-finish victory on Wednesday, the Snowy Mountain Brewery team was able to do it again on Friday, running a 77.54 mph average, once again outracing Sun Print to the finish. In fact, the SuperVee teams all finished in the same order Friday as they ended on Wednesday. Dr. Mike Janssen and his squad hold a 50-point lead headed into the final day of racing.
While the fastest two classes in the morning races remained consistent, the production classes had the standings tossed around.
In the Production-3 class, the 2ndAmendment team, which ran to a fourth-place finish on Wednesday, took the checkered flag on Friday to tighten the standings.
"This boat accelerates really well and the other day it just seemed like it was a too rough for the cats," said 2ndAmendment throttleman Neil Wobbe. "We were able to maintain speed on the backside of the course today, where we weren't able to that on Wednesday. It helps when you can get out and run in clean water. Once you get in front, because you can only do 90 in the class, it's hard for the other guys to get it back. We've been there and we know it's all about the start and being consistent on the turns."
The Black Pearl remains atop the class standings, following Wednesday's first place with a second-place finish on Friday. The Black Pearl's lead is less that 40 points ahead of the 2ndAmendment and Microlink team, which finished in second on Day 1 and third on Day 2. Tilted Kilt is also within striking distance less than 100 points back, with the course distance and point totals doubling on Sunday.
"We didn't finish well on Wednesday's race, we got fourth place, which makes it a little more interesting on Sunday," said Wobbe. "It's not going to be a cake walk for anybody. That's what makes it more exciting. Basically we have to run the way we did today."
The Production-4 class once again had the closest finish for the second straight day of racing, this time with the Crazy Chicken edging out Two Cruel by a second. Day 1 winner by a nose against Crazy Chicken took third on Friday, leaving the Chicken in first overall by 22.5 points over Anger Management and 47.5 over Two Cruel.
"You just never know until they post the results what has happened," said Crazy Chicken driver Dee Early. "We don't say win or lose until we know, but it was another tight race today with another opponent. Everybody ran awesome, the whole class did. It was a good start and good close racing and that's why we are here. It makes it fun, it's good for the crowd, it's good for the sponsors and it gets the blood flowing, so it was another great day racing."
jwcooke@keysnews.com
BY J.W. COOKE Citizen Staff
jwcooke@keysnews.com
KEY WEST -- Super Boat International (SBI) officials decided on a shortened course for the second day of racing at the 33rdannual Key West World Championships and the teams looked prepared with the average speeds increasing on the slightly calmer day.
There was only one mishap with the Warpaint boat running into a floating channel marker to start race two, but the crew was safe without any rescue needed.
The CMS team, which averaged 113.92 mph, looked solid from the start pushing out to a sizeable lead through the first three laps. That was until, Miss Geico, Day 1's fastest boat on the water at an average of 92.04 mph, broke free of the pack and began to race on the lead boat. CMS narrowly held off the charging Miss Geico, which averaged 113.80 mph Friday, to the finish on the shortened half-distance course for the victory, with Marine Concepts coming back to top the Spirit of Qatar for third.
"We've had an engine problem all week," said CMS throttleman Randy Scism. "Once we got going really fast the guardian kicks on. It did it today, but it got us to the first turn before it went into guardian mode. Every straight away it would, so we couldn't run full speed but it was enough to fend them off. Late in the race it got worse and worse and we kept slowing down and I know they were getting closer and closer, but it all worked out. Those are some professional drivers and we're just a couple of part timers so we had fun and it was great."
The Miss Geico team, which started the race in fourth place for the first two laps before making its move, was not pleased with the CMS run.
"The start was a poor start," said Miss Geico driver Marc Granet. "The CMS came across the entire fleet for no reason and hosed everybody down. It's a dangerous situation with a lot of pylons and everything out there. You saw what happened to Warpaint, so you can only do what you can do. We pulled back on the throttles and let them do their thing. We know we have a faster boat than they do it's very, very clear, because even from fifth place we were able to reel them in. Come Sunday, its 14 laps; you can't hide. They can play any games they want; they can't hide from us. We are coming. We are coming hard."
It was a scary opening to the midday races with the Warpaint team lost control in the middle of the pack after hitting a floating channel marker as the boats throttled down at the start of the race. Warpaint was unable to continue, but the rest of the races maneuvered around the mishap with the WHM Motorsports team taking to the lead.
"For some reason they started us in the back of the race course on the inside of the race course," said Bob Vesper. "We were in the middle of the pack when we started going and we were stuck in the roster tail. When you get stuck in the wash you can't see where you are going, so we were all running and you kind of look to your side to know you are good. All of the sudden the wash went down and the buoy was right in front of us and we hit it and kind of rode up it.
"The boat was set up right and we spent a lot of time on it this week," added Vesper. "We probably would have been good and that's the most disappointing part. That's fiberglass and that can be fixed, but it's frustrating to do. We could probably do a patch and go out possibly run, but the boat's not going to run as well and it's not going to be safe."
With Stihl riding its wake for the first four laps, WHM Motorsports, averaging 97.12 mph, held the lead until the hairpin Turn 3 by Mallory Square where the Stihl, averaging 98.27 mph, would get to the outside and race in clean water to the finish.
"We got a bad start, some boat kind of did some strange things at the start and we got tied up in the mess and the melee, but after that we just hunted him done," said Sithl driver JR Noble. "He made the course really small, but finally we drove into the turn of the harbor wide open and we went around the outside of him and that was it. We hit boats in the harbor turn and then it was a drag race, we were in open water, we weren't getting cutoff and we pulled away."
The standings were tossed around in the SuperVee class on Friday, with Wednesday's winners falling to the back of the class, and the third place finisher Twisted Metal, with a class high 95.21 mph average on Friday, running in first on Day 2. Reigning World Champion Instigator moved from fourth on Day 1 to second on Day 2, while Day 1 winner Outerlimits dropped to third and second-place finisher Lucas Oil fell to fourth.
"We didn't want to destroy our equipment on Wednesday so we didn't go crazy and took it easy because it is only quarter points," said Twisted Metal driver Brett Furshman. "Today we wanted to run a little bit harder and pump it up a little because you just want to be in contention on Sunday."
With the top four boats in the SuperVee class only separated by 45 points, and a first-place finish 50 points better than second on Sunday, it will be a tight race to the championship.
"I've raced these guys for a long time," said Furshman. "I've raced with one of those guys in my boat, Joe Srgo. I raced with him for a few years. So we all know each other pretty well. We just want to have a good race and all four boats are right there. It's anyone race."
The Talbot Excavating team, which averaged 83.08, had to fight for a first-place finish on Friday after going wire-to-wire on Day 1. In Day 2's race, it was the Hulk team -- averaging 81.12 mph -- that broke out the early lead finishing the first lap with the lead, but by the second lap Talbot was back in front and extended the advance to a comfortable distance by the third circumference of the 4.4-mile loop.
"Obviously set up is a lot of it here and we've been fortunate enough to get the set up that has worked based on the conditions," said Talbot owner/driver Kyler Talbot. "I'd like to make it seem a little more sophisticated than guessing but it's probably not. We made some changes this morning, on today's race from Wednesday's race, it was a little calmer that what we thought it would be and it worked."
Hulk would hold off 5 Brothers for the second-place finish with Tarpon Pointe Grille coming in fourth, which moved the three teams running behind Talbot all 2.5 point with each other and the Talbot team with more than a 90-point lead after the back-to-back first-place finishes.
"The Hulk is real fast and we were all within a couple mile an hour within each other and we got lucky in a couple of turns and were able to get under them," said Talbot. "We swapped leads back and forth and they are a great team and have run great all year. So when you are headed out to (turn) 1 and you are running right with them it's a pretty good sign you have the right set up."
After a clean start-to-finish victory on Wednesday, the Snowy Mountain Brewery team was able to do it again on Friday, running a 77.54 mph average, once again outracing Sun Print to the finish. In fact, the SuperVee teams all finished in the same order Friday as they ended on Wednesday. Dr. Mike Janssen and his squad hold a 50-point lead headed into the final day of racing.
While the fastest two classes in the morning races remained consistent, the production classes had the standings tossed around.
In the Production-3 class, the 2ndAmendment team, which ran to a fourth-place finish on Wednesday, took the checkered flag on Friday to tighten the standings.
"This boat accelerates really well and the other day it just seemed like it was a too rough for the cats," said 2ndAmendment throttleman Neil Wobbe. "We were able to maintain speed on the backside of the course today, where we weren't able to that on Wednesday. It helps when you can get out and run in clean water. Once you get in front, because you can only do 90 in the class, it's hard for the other guys to get it back. We've been there and we know it's all about the start and being consistent on the turns."
The Black Pearl remains atop the class standings, following Wednesday's first place with a second-place finish on Friday. The Black Pearl's lead is less that 40 points ahead of the 2ndAmendment and Microlink team, which finished in second on Day 1 and third on Day 2. Tilted Kilt is also within striking distance less than 100 points back, with the course distance and point totals doubling on Sunday.
"We didn't finish well on Wednesday's race, we got fourth place, which makes it a little more interesting on Sunday," said Wobbe. "It's not going to be a cake walk for anybody. That's what makes it more exciting. Basically we have to run the way we did today."
The Production-4 class once again had the closest finish for the second straight day of racing, this time with the Crazy Chicken edging out Two Cruel by a second. Day 1 winner by a nose against Crazy Chicken took third on Friday, leaving the Chicken in first overall by 22.5 points over Anger Management and 47.5 over Two Cruel.
"You just never know until they post the results what has happened," said Crazy Chicken driver Dee Early. "We don't say win or lose until we know, but it was another tight race today with another opponent. Everybody ran awesome, the whole class did. It was a good start and good close racing and that's why we are here. It makes it fun, it's good for the crowd, it's good for the sponsors and it gets the blood flowing, so it was another great day racing."
jwcooke@keysnews.com
