Panama City Beach, FL Races 1987-1990.....

[profile26v]

Anyone have any pics form these races?? Was a pretty big Southeast race in those years, with a lot of big name boats. Wet pits were at Bay Point Marriott and was a GREAT venue at the time! Panama City quit hosting the race after the "Spirit of Miss Liberty" crash I believe. Great childhood memories of mine, and hard to find old pics of. I love the old school 80's offshore racing!

 

[h2oMag]

This is what I rember of Panama City, it was around 1992 & our first race of the year. We led most of the race & it was ruff. With about 600 feet to go we broke a trim ram & rolled the boat & it sunk. Here are some pic's of what our cat looked like after that. Once we got all the bad washed out & rebuilt she went on to win many races..

 

[profile26v]

Eastern Express!! Always loved your guys boat. Not such a great day though in this pic. Thanks for posting.

 

[profile26v]

Was the race in 92 ran in the gulf? or the bay that year? In the late 80's, the dry and wet pits were at the Bay Point Marina, and the race was ran offshore. Then they moved it to the St. Andrews marina, and ran it in the bay. Was never as good

 

[h2oMag]

The race was in the gulf right off the beach. We thought that would be the day we were going to finally beat Agitator. As it was the first race of the year I just installed a pair of new 75k 368cu Katech small blocks, what a mess. Katech had them ready for the next race that we won & finally beat Agitator the best team out there.

 

[profile26v]

Agitator was always my favorite boat as a kid. I still love the color scheme, and even have one of the US-1 hats form the 80s! I finally remembered the names of the races here in those days. It was the "Century-Glastream Offshore Classic," and the "Sheffield Oil Unocal 76 Offshore Classic."

 

[Ratickle]

1989 Entries in the Century-Glasstream Offshore Classic

Modified
Agitator (M-10)

-- Allan Dunteman, Oak Brook, Ill., owner and driver; Kirk Dunteman, Fort Lauderdale, throttleman. Boat is a 32-foot Skater with two 650-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 122 mph.

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Pro-Stock

Low Bid (P-12)

-- George Gill, Lawton, Ok., owner and driver; Trey Gill, Panama City, navigator; Barney Welch, Oklahoma City, Ok., throttleman. Boat is a 30-foot Shadow Cat with three 260-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 101 mph.

Panama Jack (P-19)

-- John Carbona, Fort Myers Beach, owner and driver; Terry Hill, Fort Myers, throttleman. Boat is a 31-foot Conquest with three 265-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 100 mph.

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ET

Thin Ice (S-12)

-- Robert Beasley, Fort Myers Beach, owner and driver; Steve Skorupski, Fort Myers, throttleman. Boat is a 24-foot Douglas Skater with two 200-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 90 mph.

Spirit of America II (S-15)

-- John Antonelli, Fort Lauderdale, owner; Scott Barnhart, Hollywood, driver; Nick Antonelli, Fort Lauderdale, throttleman. Boat is a 24-foot Skater with two 200-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 92 mph.

Hat Trick (S-17)

-- Marshall Buder, St. Charles, Mo., owner and driver; Terry Ayres, St. Charles, Mo., throttleman. Boat is a 24-foot Skater with two 200-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 92 mph.

Conch Attack (S-40)

-- Scott Cates, Key West, owner and driver; Craig Cates, Key West, owner and throttleman. Boat is a 24-foot Skater with two 200-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is unknown.

Rave On (S-43)

-- Peter Fuchs, Teaneck, N.Y., driver; M.J. Inganamort, Teaneck, N.Y., owner and throttleman. Boat is a 25-foot Talon with two 200-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 90 mph.

Party's Over (S-611)

-- Mark Shannon, Davie, driver; Gary Ballough, Boca Raton, owner and throttleman; Roy Metz, Boca Raton, navigator. Boat is a 28-foot Seahawk with two 200-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 75 mph.

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Sportsman A

Snakebite (A-1)

-- Richard Misiti, Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y., owner, driver and throttleman; Wayne Amman, Nesconset, N.Y., navigator. Boat is a 28-foot Sleekcraft with one 500-horsepower Mercruiser engine. Top speed is 78 mph.

Rampage (A-9)

-- Ralph Hutson, Dadeville, Ala., driver; Roberr Corum, Altamonte Springs, owner and throttleman. Boat is a 27-foot Cigarette with one 525-horsepower engine. Top speed is 75 mph.

Rainmaker (A-15)

-- Dennis Shea, Sarasota, driver; John Armstrong, Sarasota, owner and throttleman. Boat is a 26-foot Corsa with one 300-horsepower Mercury engine. Top speed is 65.

Turn of the Century (A-16)

-- A.L. Kirkland, Panama City Beach, owner and driver; Sammy Neal, Panama City Beach, throttleman; Johnny Drake, Panama City Beach, navigator. Boat is a 26-foot Century with two 350-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 83 mph.

Miss Shipwreck Shirts (A-18)

-- Brian Bogwell, Panama City Beach, driver; Joe Fletcher, Irwin, Calif., throttleman. Boat is a 21-foot Glasstream with one 320-horsepower Chevy engine. Top speed is 70.

Protector (A-26)

-- Frank Pase, Topeka, Kansas, owner and driver; Kurt Richter, Topeka, Kansas, throttleman. Boat is a 25-foot Protector with one 500-horsepower Chevy engine. Top speed is unknown.

First Choice Haricutters Shortcut (A-32)

-- Thomas Herring, Cape Coral, owner and driver; Don Dumont, Fort Myers, throttleman. Boat is a 24-foot Cigarette with one 600-horsepower Mercury engine. Top speed is 80 mph.

Air Time (A-45)

-- Brent Friehofer, Clearwater, owner and driver; Ron Weber, Clearwater, navigator. Boat is a 22-foot Velocity with one 375-horsepower engine. Top speed is 75 mph.

Renegade (A-67)

-- Rick Houston, Valrico, owner and driver; Mike Connor, St. Petersburgh, navigator. Boat is a 21-foot Rally Sport with one 220-horsepower Mercury engine. Top speed is 65 mph.

Velocity (A-37)

-- Keith Barco, Jacksonville, owner and driver; Chip Matthews, Jacksonville, navigator. Boat is a 20-foot Velocity with one 200-horsepower Johnson engine. Top speed is unknown.

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Sportsman B

Phantom (B-11)

-- William Smith, Clearwater, owner and driver; Anthony Roach, St. Petersburgh, throttleman. Boat is a 29-foot Phantom with two 240-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 85 mph.

Wet Willie (B-12)

-- Craig Reeder, Panama City, owner and driver; Richard Conti, Miami, throttleman. Boat is a 24-foot Douglas Skater with one 300-horsepower Johnson engine. Top speed is 85 mph.

It's Quick (B-14)

-- John Brimer, Metarie, La., driver; Mickey Weiser, New Orleans, owner and throttleman. Boat is a 29-foot Maelstrom with two 200-horsepower Suzuki engines. Top speed is 75 mph.

Turn of the Century (B-16)

-- Joe Sorrentino Sr., Lauderhill, driver; Joe Sorrentino Jr., Lauderhill, navigator; Skip Kriner, Hollywood, throttleman. Boat is a 26-foot Century with two 400-horsepower Mercruiser engines. Top speed is unknown.

Lady L (B-22)

-- Anthony Luccaro, Port Washington, N.Y., driver; Peter Meyer, Port Washington, N.Y., owner and throttleman. Boat is a 28-foot Signature with two 400-horsepower Chevy engines. Top speed is 85 mph.

Head Hunter (B-40)

-- Carmen Morono, Pembroke Pines, driver; Mike McCrary, North Miami Beach, navigator; Peter Lloyd, Miramar, throttleman. Boat is a 26-foot Corsa with two 200-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is unknown.

Bad Influence (B-78)

-- Robert Schultz, St. Petersburg, owner and driver; Kenny Gorbel, Sarasota, navigator. Boat is a 30-foot Wellcraft with two 450-horsepower Chevy engines. Top speed is 70.

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Sportsman C

Fish Peddler (C-4)

-- Marc Mercury, Miami, driver; Craig Maudsley, Miami, owner and throttleman. Boat is a 30-foot Shadow Cat with two 250-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 80 mph.

Borderline (C-6)

-- Daniel Rocco, Houston, Texas, driver; Dan Rocco, Houston, Texas, owner and throttleman. Boat is a 33-foot Excaliber with three 220-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 80 mph.

Bodacious (C-11)

-- Lin Dawson, Windemere, owner and driver; Alan French, Largo, throttleman. Boat is a 24-foot Motion with two 250-horsepower engines. Top speed is 100 mph.

The Heat Is On (C-100)

-- Glen Donnatelli, Pembroke Pines, driver; John Provenzano, Tampa, owner and throttleman; Gene Stephens, Tampa, navigator. Boat is a 32-foot Manta with two 650-horsepower Bandit engines. Top speed is 96 mph.

Blackjack (C-37)

-- Dale Simmons, Miami, driver; Marshall Ives, Miami, owner and throttleman; Allen Brenner, Miami, navigator. Boat is a 28-foot Manta with three 240-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 82 mph.

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Sportsman D

Enterprise (D-2)

-- Jim Babcock, Fort Lauderdale, driver; A.J. Schwencke, Fort Lauderdale, owner and throttleman. Boat is a 30-foot Triton with three 240-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 100 mph.

Hawk Marine Power (D-26)

-- Ed Sheer, Miami, driver; Mandy Fernandez, Miami, owner and throttleman; John Tomlinson, Miami, navigator. Boat is a 38-foot Cigarette with two 350-horsepower engines. Top speed is 93 mph.

Risky Business (D-27)

-- Stephen Dorcich, Lake Tahoe, Calif., owner and driver; John Bruno, Tahoe Paradise, Calif., throttleman. Boat is a 32-foot Skater with three 260-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 110 mph.

Miss Don Q (D-32)

-- Richie Holzhaver, Howard Beach, N.Y., driver; Felix Serralles, Ponce, Puerto, Rico, owner and throttleman; John Sherlock, St. Cloud, navigator. Boat is 32-feet long with three 265-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 112 mph.

E&B Marine (D-70)

-- Kevin Reaume, Lake George, N.Y., driver; Nicky Cutro, Lake George, N.Y., owner and throttleman. Boat is a 30-foot Shadow Cat with three 250-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 104 mph.

(D-87)

-- Bob Erickson, Minnetonka, Minn., driver; Rajah Rodgers, Fort Myers, owner and throttleman. Boat is a 32-foot Skater with three 275-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 110 mph.

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Run What You Brung

Rare Form (26)

-- Lavoy Anderson, Panama City, owner and driver; David Steele, Panama City, owner and throttleman; John Atwell, Panama City, navigator. Boat is a 26-foot Chris Craft with two 260-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 60 mph.

Gone Bananas (69)

-- George Smith, Panama City Beach, driver; David Webb, Panama City, driver and throttleman. Boat is a 28-foot Cigarette with two 300-horsepower Mercury engines. Top speed is 76 mph.

 

[profile26v]

B-12 "Wet Willie" was my Uncle and Dads boat. The former "Don Q Rum" 24 Skater of the Serralles's. I saw an old APBA flyer on here for 88 and 89. It showed the official one way pass speed records for those years in all classes. We could have set the record for those years in B-class, as the little Skater consistanly ran 90-91 on radar at OMC's Lake Hamiltons "Second Effort" test site. The record for B-class that year was a Formula called "Secret Formula" at 78.505. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Would have been cool to been in the book. We had the boat to beat as far as speed in B-class, but we broke unfortunetly....all the time... everytime!! lol That was a great race in those years. Some big names. John Tomlinson in "Hawk Marine Power," Gary Ballough in "Party's Over," Peter Meyer in "Lady L," the Serralles's in "Don Q" and the Dunteman's in "Agitator." Forgive me if I left anyone else out! "Turn of the Century" B-16 was an awesome boat. We teamed with them in 89, and won the southeast division championships. That boat is still here in PC. She looks the same, but the bright red has faded to pink dust. Sad to see Lavoy Anderson from PC in "Rare Form" moved to a 24 pantera "Plum Loco" the following year, and did pretty well. It is still here in town, still "plum" and looking good! I've rode in it several times since the new owner Scott put a big block in it. George Smith in "Gone Banana's" was a friend of ours with his 28 Cigarette in the "Run what you brung" class. Boat is still around here too. Those were the days. I wish it could be like that again, but as we all know, it probably won't ever be. Good memories though!

 

[profile26v]

Heres a pic from the start in 89

 

[profile26v]

Our boat. The ONLY pic I can find, that isn't ruined over the years I need more if you guys come across any!
View attachment 75263

 

[profile26v]

"Turn of the Century" in the pits.
View attachment 75264

Catching air in PC..
View attachment 75265

 

[profile26v]

Our BEST engine came off the "Evolution" APBA pace boat in this pic. Dyno'd at 425hp screamin machine! That always.....BROKE
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