OSO News

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (August 20, 2007) – Dave Scott and the Budweiser Select Offshore Team will compete in the 19th annual Lake Rescue Shootout this weekend, bringing all three boats in the fleet. Presented by Budweiser and Powerboat Magazine, the Lake Rescue Shootout will host boats from across the United States, all vying for the coveted ‘Top Gun’ award for the fastest boat overall.

This weekend’s drag-race style event is the largest boat race in the United States not managed by an offshore powerboat racing sanctioning body and is a must-see for race fans everywhere. Scott and crew are excited about this year’s shootout and know it will be a busy time for everyone involved.

“We’ll have all three of our boats in the race this year,” Scott began. “We’re bringing the piston-powered 50’ Mystic, the 44’ MTI piston-powered Extreme Boat and the 44’ MTI Turbine Boat. The crew is going to be stretched very thin trying to maintain all three, but we have a plan.”

Scott will make one pass with the 50’ Mystic first thing Saturday. From there, he plans to get the attention of the crowd with the 44’ MTI piston-powered boat and also make several passes each day with the Turbine Boat. Even with such a successful year so far and three powerful boats in his fleet, Scott knows this year’s ‘Top Gun’ could be determined by water conditions and not the boats themselves.

“Water conditions will play a major factor in who wins the ‘Top Gun’ this year,” Scott said. “I say that because we must have good, flat water to reach the speeds our Turbine Boat is capable of running. Hopefully we’ll have some really flat water, and we’ll be able to let this thing fly.”

In 2006, Scott and crew won their ninth National Championship on Lake Mead in Las Vegas. They also brought home the checkered flag in seven regular season races. In last year’s Lake Rescue Shootout, the Budweiser Select Team won its class with a speed of 178 mph, and later in the year took second at the OSS World Championships in Destin, Fla. Scott and the Budweiser Select Team’s most recent win of 2007 came during the 2007 Thunder on the Gulf in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Obviously speed is always a main factor at a powerboat race, but it is especially important at the Lake Rescue Shootout. Scott and his crew are constantly busy with research and development, finding ways to add another 5 MPH to the top-end speed.

“We try to push both boat development and engine development simultaneously,” Scott explained. “It’s a big task, takes a lot of time and is extremely expensive. We know if you don’t constantly set the bar higher and higher, you’re going to get caught. With the help of our sponsor, we are able to do just that.”

With a race of this magnitude, Scott and throttleman, Johnny Tomlinson have more than one thing running through their minds as the races begin. With everything from water conditions, the bluffs lining the left of the course and the thousands of spectators on the right, Scott and Tomlinson have their hands full.

“We’re definitely aware of the bluffs and the crowds, but more subconsciously,” Scott said. “We are really focused on what is going on in the boat. We have 20 seconds on any given pass, and the boat is constantly accelerating during that time. It’s going through the numbers so fast, both Johnny and I have to stay totally focused on the boat and on what we hear, feel and see. It doesn’t sound like a long time, and I know those passes go by quickly, but there is a lot going on in that boat.”

With next year being the 20th anniversary of the Lake Rescue Shootout, Scott and the Budweiser Select crew are very proud to be a part of a great event and a worthy cause. During the past several years, the event has grown significantly and continues to provide the surrounding water rescue teams and fire departments with much needed equipment.

“This is really exciting and very rewarding, especially because it is on my home lake,” Scott concluded. “We worked with the Lake Ozark fire districts for years on the Shootout. Any event that benefits them is certainly worth our time and energy. It has been in existence for many years now and has continued to grow. The area fire districts deserve a lot of credit for their planning and execution of such a great event. As a team, we are really proud to be a part of the Lake Rescue Shootout, year after year.”

Festivities for the Lake Rescue Shootout will begin Wednesday with the Official Poker Run Pre-Party at Shorty Pants. Poker Fun Runs will take place throughout the weekend, and racing will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. at Shooters 21, continuing through 5 p.m. Sunday.

The Dave Scott Budweiser Select Offshore Race Team is one of the most successful offshore race teams in history, having earned seven world championships and nine national championship titles since 2001. The team is also the proud owner of six offshore speed records. Dave Scott and throttleman Johnny Tomlinson have more than 32 years of combined experience in offshore powerboat racing.

Budweiser Select, launched nationally in February 2005, is a new kind of beer brewed longer for a bold taste that finishes clean. Budweiser Select boasts a unique full-bodied flavor with light beer statistics that appeal to sophisticated beer drinkers.

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.4 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine’s Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2007. Anheuser Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum cans. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com