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 "One of the toughest race courses" commented Nigel Hook about
the 5.5 mile race track with 6 left-hand turns and one right-hander. "After
taking the 90 degree right-hand corner at full speed, you're heading straight
to the left-hand corner in treacherous water under the seven mile bridge."
Marathon, mid-way down in the lovely Florida Keys, has been hosting offshore
powerboat racing for over twelve years and their welcome was clear during
the boat parade through the town. The weather was 85F in temperature,
cooled down by stiff winds. Seas conditions on the Gulf side were calm.
Forty-three race boats registered for the first race in the APBA GMC
Pro Grade National Series, with television coverage on Fox Sports Network.
Eight Super Vee race boats lined up in the first row for the start of
the 12:00 pm race on Sunday.
Jumping to early lead with blasting acceleration was #30 Miccosukee Indian
Gaming with Brett Lee Furshman and Troy Hannon. To the inside was the
#18 Donzi, driven by Ken Bowen and Scott Conrad, and to the outside was
the #7 Lucas Oil driven by Nigel Hook and Nick Pavlicheck.
"I could see the eyes of the #59 Donzi throttleman Michael Flanigan,
as they ran right into us from starboard rear side", said Nick Pavlichek
in the #7 Lucas Oil. The ram from the rookie team of Michael Flanigan
and Alan Green in the #59 Donzi knocked Lucas Oil into third place, and
the lead pack rounded the first two left-hand corners in tight procession.
Heading into the first right-hand corner, turn #3, again the Michael
and Alan pair tried to challenge to the #7 Lucas Oil by cutting inside
only to spin out of control. The Donzi eventually retired from the race
and to make their day worse their driving maneuvers were penalized by
the Chief Referee.
As the leading pack turned in to run parallel along side the famous bridge
a cannon fired and fireworks lit up the bright sunny sky. It was now Bowen
and Conrad in the #18 boat edging past the Miccosukee Indian Gaming pair
of Fursham and Hannon with the #7 Lucas Oil in hot pursuit.
"Once we got clobbered from behind and with the two quickest boats
in the class on the inside lanes, third was actually not a bad place to
be," commented Nigel Hook, Captain of Lucas Oil. "We fought
hard to make up ground so we could have a chance to pass for second and
first place, but it was tricky on such a road course. We would make up
seconds and then lost more coming up on slow traffic being lapped."
In the biggest class and most competitive race of the day, the #7 Lucas
Oil took third-place. "In the money and on the podium - we're pretty
happy with the result", declared Nick Pavlichek in only his fourth
race with the team.
Over 30 race boats competed in the Performance and Outlaw Class
races on Saturday.
The unique aspect of the Performance Class racing is that the top speed
is capped and verified by a sealed onboard GPS.
The Lucas Oil team entered the #7 boat as #P2-7 in Performance 2. This
class is limited to a maximum speed of 99.9 mph. The challenge is to select
the propellers and gear ratios such that this speed is never eclipsed.
"This really shifts all the emphasis to driving skills", said
Nigel Hook, "although let's not take anything away from the Throttleman
who has to make sure we get the most acceleration and speed without getting
a penalty for exceeding the limit for the class".
At the end of the
race the #P2-7 Lucas Oil came closest to the mark recording 99.8 mph.
The next closest competitor was over two miles per hour off the target.
The action persisted for this entire race with positions changing almost
every lap, turn buoys breaking loose and all within such close proximity
to the fans on shore.
This was the first race for the new TV production company led by Gary
Scott. The race will be aired on national TV on FOX SPORTS NETWORK, with
air dates on the weekend and late Friday afternoons. The recording crew
filmed the Lucas Oil Captain Nigel Hook passing the annual dunker safety
test for enclosed cockpit boats and interviewed Nigel specifically on
the unique configuration of the #7 race boat.
"Lucas Oil has always
been recognized for their innovation on the leading edge of technology
and this boat is no exception", said Nigel. "Utilizing the Weismann
surface drives and transmissions we are able to mount both engines facing
each other in the boat. This neutralizes the immense torque of the Mercury
525 Racing Engines and also allows the engines to sit a foot lower in
the boat compared to the competition, drastically improving handling and
safety." Nigel went on to describe how this technology was originally
designed for high-speed military watercraft and is now being pioneered
further in the grueling racing arena.
The team wants to thank the primary sponsor Lucas
Oil for their continued
support and excellence in their lubricants, which keep the ship humming.
Lucas Oil lubricates the brilliant Weismann Surface
Drives and transmissions, which have proven to be indestructible and also
the incredibly reliable Mercury 525 Racing
Engines.
Nick Pavlichek is CEO of the Alton Company,
a custom truck manufacturing company, which has been maintaining the #7
Lucas Oil.
Nick's leadership
and perfection for the mechanicals has resulted in his company's success
and is showing in the flawless record of the race team.
Nick and Nigel wish to thank the onshore crew that keeps on performing
an outstanding feat of making this team successful and retaining such
a high profile for its sponsors: Dean Henne, Keli and Richard Gunn, John
and Adam Hanas, Tony Wiese and Janet Wilson.
The RaceWater team
couldn't run without the support and superb products from the following
leading companies:
- MASTERCRAFT Seats - the finest, off-road and off-shore
- ALCOA Wheels - Hot Forged Aluminum Wheels for the truck, trailer
and motorhome
- GOODYEAR Tire and Rubber, Commercial and Consumer Divisions - truck,
trailer and motorhome tires
- KODIAK trailer disc brakes - stainless steel disc brakes for the
trailer
- ACTIVE Technologies - patented ActiBrake electric over hydraulic
trailer brake actuator
- PPG - paint for the trailer and the raceboat
- DETROIT Flexible Metal
/ Auto Cycle Marine - custom hoses and belts for the "new" boat
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