Space Coast Grand Prix - 20+ mph winds provide for exciting racing
by Super Boat International on 22 May 2013
Space Coast Grand Prix 2013 Super Boat International
The Superboat International’s Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix was for the fourth straight year, welcomed by a packed crowd of spectators in Cocoa Beach at The Pier in addition to others who jammed the beach. The only difference this year was that Cocoa Beach forgot to turn off the wind.
Twenty-four super boats, including the debut of the Spirit of Qatar in the Superboat class, took on 4-foot rollers and steady winds gusting to 20 mph as they navigated the 5.4-mile loop just off the beach. The winds were so stiff the
sight of a boat completely out of the water (or sideways on one sponson) was a common occurrence. The first race was even cut a bit short when a spectator’s deck boat took on water and began sinking inside the course. The choppy conditions did, however, provide some very exciting racing.
The battle of the day came in the Superboat class as WHM Motorsports put their 40-foot Skater out front early and held on late for the win. WHM was pressured by JD Byrider and their 38’ Skater most of the race, but managed to finish the 88-mile race with a 29-second margin of victory. For WHM and driver Billy Mauff the win marked three straight years taking the checkered flag in Cocoa Beach.
'On a scale of 1 to 10, the conditions today were a 12. But it was the right water for my boat,' Mauff said. 'We’ve got a fabulous class in Superboat. It’s not so much about my win today as it is about the whole year and all the drama there is going to be. No one guy is going to win every race. Today was a WHM day, but it may not be in Orange Beach.'
Team Stihl, which won the season opener in Biloxi, finished third in the Superboat class. CRC was fourth, followed by The Spirit of Qatar, and Warpaint. The most consistent – and successful theme – Sunday was having a conservative game plan and taking care of your equipment. Speed was important, but smarts held even more of a premium.
Fresh out of retirement, Team Instigator’s owner and driver Peter Meyer had to cut his debut short. 'The waves were big and we had to keep moving fast in the milling circle. We had six inches of water in the cockpit, splashing up in our faces every time we hit a wave. It knocked out our radios with Travis [Lofland] and I just didn’t want to hurt the boat. We were leading the race when we left the course', comments Meyer. Team Lucas Oil ultimately took the victory in the Superboat Extreme class.
In the Superboat Stock class, for example, veteran driver Gary Ballough knew it was a matter of picking the right spots to simply get through the race. Team ATC, Ballough’s 32-foot Doug Wright, kept leader Twisted Offshore in sight and then put his decades of knowledge to good use. 'In rough water there is a strategy and our mission was not to let them get too far away from us that we couldn’t make a move, if we found we were able to make a move. If they had just run away with it we probably would have just settled or second. But we knew we could hang with them if not pass them at will,' Ballough said. 'I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I know they like to shorten these rough races for safety reasons sometimes, so we went ahead and made our move.'
Not long after that pass, Twisted Offshore caught one of the larger waves, rocked way over on its side and was forced to retire. The next race for Super Boat International will be in just two short weeks at The 10th Annual Thunder On The Gulf Super Boat Grand Prix in beautiful Orange Beach, AL.
Other teams that had a successful day and first place finishes in their respective classes were, Team Sun Print (Super Vee Class), Miss Mary Mac (Turbine Class) and Miss Geico (Superboat Unlimited). SBI website
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