HIGHLIGHTS:
Saturday Racing,
     1st Place Px Class Bacardi Silver #Px1
     1st Place P2 Class LUCAS OIL #271
Sunday Racing,
     6th Place Super Cat Bacardi Silver US1
     10th Place Super Vee LUCAS OIL #7

Frankly this is what motoring racing fans love to see: the excitement, the action and plenty of thrills and spills. The St. Pete GMC Pro Grade Super Series and the final race in the APBA National Series delivered prime time!

Sunday, mid-day, 80 degrees Fahrenheit, just one-foot speed bumps rippling across on the five-mile track featuring 6 turns, the first two heading directly into the outer basin of the St. Pete harbor and forming a hair-pin corner right in front of the thousands of spectators on the Pier and in the GM Vortec viewing areas. Eighty-eight of the best and fastest Offshore race boats in the USA.

Taking next to poll position, the #16 UTZ QUALITY FOODS jumped from the start into an early lead of the largest class racing, Super Vee. On the inside of UTZ, was #30 MICCOSUKEE INDIAN GAMING, and on the outside, the #7 LUCAS OIL SCARAB. Flanked further out in the line by #1 PIER 57, #8 SPIDERMAN, and #75 ETTORE SQUEEGEE trying to make a clean sweep.

At over 100 mph, the Super Vee race boats stormed into the St. Pete harbor basin for the first corner of Turns 1 & 2, which created a hair-pin right in front of the thousands of fans on the multiple floors of the Pier. "This has to be one of the most challenging race tracks this year, but with us taking first place yesterday in the Outlaw Performance Class, we feel we have a huge advantage today", Nigel Hook said the morning of the Sunday race.

Making the 180 degree turn at full throttle proved more than exciting, especially for Mitch Miller driver of UTZ, and one of the best drivers on the circuit. Their 38' Fountain spun out breaking off their starboard Bravo drives and ripping the propeller and prop-shaft right out of the port side Bravo! Pulling out first from the depth charge like fountain of water and spray, was #30 MICCOSUKEE INDIAN GAMING, with the rest of the Super Vee class in hot pursuit.

The action only got more intense as the fleet of 100+ mph Super Vees came around for the start of lap two. With the UTZ boat still under tow in front of the Pier, the race officials were flying the yellow caution flags. MICCOSUKEE slowed, #193 TEAM DONZI caught in the rooster tail cloud missed the caution flags and at the last second took evasive actions to get around MICCOSUKEE, only to spin out itself and this time hooking into the GMC Official Pace boat. Leaving a huge gouge in the side of the beautiful new Cigarette and knocking a couple of officials into the water, the TEAM DONZI pressed on in order to avoid another pile up, although dropping back to 8th position. No one was injured.

The torrid pace took it's toll on the next leader as #30 MICCOSUKEE INDIAN GAMING tore off a blade from one of their propellers forcing them to early retirement. #7 LUCAS OIL SCARAB also slowed to crawl having broken the port side universal joint. "It was a real blow" said Nigel Hook, Captain of the Lucas Oil Scarab. "We normally rebalance drive shafts and R&R u-joints before the World's, but this year it caught us one race too soon", he went on to say. "We have been doing so many more hours hard testing this year. With the indestructible Weismann Drives and the run-for-ever GM Vortec engines, it is easy to overlook the more mortal parts in the drive train".

Climbing to the front of the pack, the comic magazine sponsored and children pleaser #8 SPIDERMAN claimed control, but #75 ETTORE SQUEEGEE was never far behind. With all the other race boats in close trail, the race ended in that order. Todd Welling, driver of #8 SPIDERMAN was so excited at the win he treated the thousands of fans on the Pier to a couple of Jeff Gordon style doughnuts. While intentionally spinning the boat on its axis, he got a little carried away and took out the Turn Buoy, thus causing a delay to the following race of Super Cats.

The Super Cats not to be outdone and probably perturbed at the delay in their start created their own spectacle, in the same place, in the same first lap. This time it was Barcardi Silver who had the lead heading into Turn 1 & 2, with Rookie Tom Abrams of Reliable Transportation hanging on the their transom. Expert driver, Hugh Fuller, executed a precision cut through the first corner, leaving Reliable Transportation, who was trying to draft too tightly, a gulp of Bacardi Silver Rooster Tail! Losing control of his boat, Reliable Transportation, launched skyward 50' baring its bottom to the crowds in the grandstand. Seemingly looking for a quick cure to the impending hang-over, Reliable stabs its starboard picklefork, like piercing an olive in a cocktail jar, into the belly of #6 Super Cat "Brioschi", obviously wanting an immediate ant-acid cure for his stomach nerves. Miraculously or with beginner's luck, Reliable landed right-side-up with just his starboard nose broken off like a bee leaving behind its sting. After making the fastest start of their season, the #6 Brioschi fared less fortunately, and limped off the race track with its gaping hole in the side of the boat, taking on water and listing like the Titanic.

Thanks from the team go out to Lucas Oil Products "The world's leader in high-performance and heavy-duty lubricants", Weismann Traction Products, GMC and General Motors Professional Grade, The Alton Company - masters of custom and show trucks, Alcoa "hot Forged Wheels", Sea & Sea dive and rescue equipment. Special thanks also from the in-boat crew to the Lucas Oil Team leaders of TC Miller, John Hanas, Nick Pavlichek and Keli Gunn.

Thank you to Alan and Suzanne Lucas of Moon Under Water, the official host of the Lucas Oil Racing Team and the country's best British Pub!"

Thanks from the team go out to Lucas Oil Products ( world leader in high-performance and heavy-duty lubricants), Weismann Traction Products, GM Professional Grade, Alton Company (masters of custom & show trucks), Bully Dog (performance products), Alcoa (hot forged wheels), and Sea & Sea (dive and rescue equipment).

Thanks also from the in-boat crew to the Lucas Oil Team leaders — TC Miller, John Hanas, Nick Pavlichek, and Keli Gunn.

Watch out for the #7 LUCAS OIL Scarab's next two races at the 2003 World Championships in Orange Beach, Alabama on Wednesday, November 12th and Sunday, November 16th.