Husband and wife duo top PowerBoat P1 Superstock field in Jacksonville
by Gene Weeks on 12 Jun 2014
2014 P1 Superstock Jacksonville - CL-Alpha Cheoy Lee
Racing a points series like PowerBoat P1 Superstock becomes a numbers game, and the husband and wife team of Gene and Paula Weeks were able to do the math this past weekend in Jacksonville, FL, for their first finish atop the podium this season.
In their second year as a racing duo, the Weeks were able to run their #33 boat, the CL-Alpha, through snotty conditions on the St. Johns River to finish second, third, fourth and fifth, which sounds like a disappointing weekend until you add up the points that equal a first place finish in the 11-boat field.
'The trick is to finish fourth or better every time you go out,' said Gene Weeks, a veteran racer and Project Manager for the Cheoy Lee Ship Yard's, Fort Lauderdale, FL, office. 'If you can get a good start and get to the first turn first, it's hard for the pack to catch you, the boats are so evenly matched. But if you can finish better than the middle of the pack, you always have a shot at the podium,' Weeks said.
Describing the confined river space and boat wakes rebounding off the sea walls as 'bumper car conditions,' racing with Mrs. Weeks seems easier than any partner her throttleman husband has ever had before. 'We have a natural chemistry and we are much alike,' Gene says. 'We can finish each other's thoughts and sentences, and it helps in the boat to know what the other is thinking. Like any good husband and wife team --and not just racing -- communication is key.'
Paula Weeks, in her second year at the helm of the P1 Panther race boat, says she defers more to Gene in the boat than on shore, because of his vast racing experience. 'I pretty much do what he says, but he trusts my judgment. If I'm not comfortable taking a turn as tight as he would like, I can tell him that and he lets me drive the boat to my ability,' Paula says.
There isn't the drama in the boat one might suspect from a married couple 'Because there is no drama in our lives,' Gene says. Gene and Paula Weeks even worked together in China for two years while they were jointly consulting with Cheoy Lee on the design of the new Alpha Express Yacht series, the shipyard's latest addition to its extensive motoryacht lineup. Cheoy Lee has built yachts ranging in size and type under the same family ownership for over 143 years.
The CL-Alpha 33 team will head into the Tampa Grand Prix of the Sea on July 12 tied for first place with Team Pro Boat with the next three boats just six points behind.
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