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Miami Herald
POWERBOAT RACING
Competition -- not money -- drives racers'It's an adrenaline rush,' Troy Hannon said after his crew's win in the Fountain Dania Beach Super Boat GP.
BY SUSAN COCKING
[email protected]
The two-man crew of Miccosukee Indian Gaming happily waved a checkered flag above their heads Sunday in the jai-alai fronton parking lot, celebrating their squeaker victory in the Stock class of the Fountain Dania Beach Super Boat Grand Prix.
Driver Daren Schwartz of Miami and throttleman Troy Hannon of Davie had overcome a key mistake at the start and a blown powerhead late in the race to beat their friends and chief rivals on Deep V Cats by less than 30 seconds.
They would share a prize purse of $75,000 with the winners of six other classes, but by the time they figured in race entry fees, fuel, maintenance and repairs on their $130,000 boat with its twin 300-horsepower engines, the money wouldn't mean much.
''Absolutely not,'' Hannon said when asked if he races for money. ``Even if we won every race and got paid first-place points, we wouldn't make money.''
Then why race?
''It's an adrenaline rush. You can't feel it till you've been in it,'' Hannon said. ``Going 100 miles per hour, going 45 feet in the air -- unless you're a speed junkie, it won't do anything for you.''
Interviews with other racers on the Super Boat International Productions/APBA/UIM circuit -- now halfway through its 2006 season -- revealed similar attitudes, even by one whose business is to make money off high-performance boats.
PROUD FOUNDER
Reggie Fountain, founder and chairman of Fountain Powerboats and title sponsor of the series, was extremely pleased with Sunday's victory of Frenchmen Michel Karsenti and Serge Allegre, three-time world champions, aboard Yachts Fountain, in the Super Vee class. They pushed their 38-footer with twin 525-horsepower engines to a 21-second victory over Lucas Oil -- a 37-foot Skater with similar power.
''These guys did a great job,'' Fountain said of the crew. ``They trimmed it perfect, steered it perfect and ran good lines.''
But after the TV cameras were turned off, Fountain apologized to the crew that they ''had to run too hard.'' He promised to make numerous modifications to the $600,000 boat before the next Super Boat race.
''We are going to cut the sides, lower the deck and try to lose near 400 pounds,'' Fountain declared. ``That's probably worth half a lap.''
Fountain cheerfully estimated he spends between $1 million and $3 million each year sponsoring the Super Boat circuit and his own company's entries.
''Whatever it takes to win,'' he said. ``I'm not going to let those other boats outrun our guys. Whatever it costs. I'd rather die poor and a champion than rich and a loser.''
Nigel Hook of San Diego, owner and driver of Lucas Oil, who spends about $400,000 per year on the racing circuit, agrees with his competitor.
''It's the passion to win,'' he said. ``The money is irrelevant.''
CAN BE DANGEROUS
Powerboat racing not only is an expensive sport, but a very hazardous one: Imagine bumping over five- to six-foot waves doing 100 miles per hour plus. But racers and officials say it has gotten a lot safer in the past decade.
The Super Boat International Productions circuit, which bought the rival American Power Boat Association offshore franchise last year, has suffered no race fatalities since 1995. Numerous racers have been ejected or trapped inside their sunken craft, but in most cases injuries were minor.
John Carbonell, president of SBIP/APBA Offshore and a former racer, said it's because of rule changes, setup of the race course and safety improvements to boats.
There are ''angels'' or diver/paramedics trained to jump out of helicopters at every race, along with trauma doctors and nurses stationed in boats. The courses themselves are rectangular, with turns designed to be not too sharp to navigate safely. When entering turns, boats must maintain their lanes, and not cross each other.
''Accidents happen, but we try to make sure it's not our fault,'' Carbonell said.
Race boats, though lighter than in past years, are made of stronger materials such as carbon fiber or Kevlar, with polyester resins. They don't break apart as easily or impale racers with sharp shards like regular fiberglass.
Said Bryan Haupt, throttleman of Super Cat-class Pour It On -- Sunday's overall winner: ``These boats today -- you can put them through just about anything.''
Competition -- not money -- drives racers'It's an adrenaline rush,' Troy Hannon said after his crew's win in the Fountain Dania Beach Super Boat GP.
BY SUSAN COCKING
[email protected]
The two-man crew of Miccosukee Indian Gaming happily waved a checkered flag above their heads Sunday in the jai-alai fronton parking lot, celebrating their squeaker victory in the Stock class of the Fountain Dania Beach Super Boat Grand Prix.
Driver Daren Schwartz of Miami and throttleman Troy Hannon of Davie had overcome a key mistake at the start and a blown powerhead late in the race to beat their friends and chief rivals on Deep V Cats by less than 30 seconds.
They would share a prize purse of $75,000 with the winners of six other classes, but by the time they figured in race entry fees, fuel, maintenance and repairs on their $130,000 boat with its twin 300-horsepower engines, the money wouldn't mean much.
''Absolutely not,'' Hannon said when asked if he races for money. ``Even if we won every race and got paid first-place points, we wouldn't make money.''
Then why race?
''It's an adrenaline rush. You can't feel it till you've been in it,'' Hannon said. ``Going 100 miles per hour, going 45 feet in the air -- unless you're a speed junkie, it won't do anything for you.''
Interviews with other racers on the Super Boat International Productions/APBA/UIM circuit -- now halfway through its 2006 season -- revealed similar attitudes, even by one whose business is to make money off high-performance boats.
PROUD FOUNDER
Reggie Fountain, founder and chairman of Fountain Powerboats and title sponsor of the series, was extremely pleased with Sunday's victory of Frenchmen Michel Karsenti and Serge Allegre, three-time world champions, aboard Yachts Fountain, in the Super Vee class. They pushed their 38-footer with twin 525-horsepower engines to a 21-second victory over Lucas Oil -- a 37-foot Skater with similar power.
''These guys did a great job,'' Fountain said of the crew. ``They trimmed it perfect, steered it perfect and ran good lines.''
But after the TV cameras were turned off, Fountain apologized to the crew that they ''had to run too hard.'' He promised to make numerous modifications to the $600,000 boat before the next Super Boat race.
''We are going to cut the sides, lower the deck and try to lose near 400 pounds,'' Fountain declared. ``That's probably worth half a lap.''
Fountain cheerfully estimated he spends between $1 million and $3 million each year sponsoring the Super Boat circuit and his own company's entries.
''Whatever it takes to win,'' he said. ``I'm not going to let those other boats outrun our guys. Whatever it costs. I'd rather die poor and a champion than rich and a loser.''
Nigel Hook of San Diego, owner and driver of Lucas Oil, who spends about $400,000 per year on the racing circuit, agrees with his competitor.
''It's the passion to win,'' he said. ``The money is irrelevant.''
CAN BE DANGEROUS
Powerboat racing not only is an expensive sport, but a very hazardous one: Imagine bumping over five- to six-foot waves doing 100 miles per hour plus. But racers and officials say it has gotten a lot safer in the past decade.
The Super Boat International Productions circuit, which bought the rival American Power Boat Association offshore franchise last year, has suffered no race fatalities since 1995. Numerous racers have been ejected or trapped inside their sunken craft, but in most cases injuries were minor.
John Carbonell, president of SBIP/APBA Offshore and a former racer, said it's because of rule changes, setup of the race course and safety improvements to boats.
There are ''angels'' or diver/paramedics trained to jump out of helicopters at every race, along with trauma doctors and nurses stationed in boats. The courses themselves are rectangular, with turns designed to be not too sharp to navigate safely. When entering turns, boats must maintain their lanes, and not cross each other.
''Accidents happen, but we try to make sure it's not our fault,'' Carbonell said.
Race boats, though lighter than in past years, are made of stronger materials such as carbon fiber or Kevlar, with polyester resins. They don't break apart as easily or impale racers with sharp shards like regular fiberglass.
Said Bryan Haupt, throttleman of Super Cat-class Pour It On -- Sunday's overall winner: ``These boats today -- you can put them through just about anything.''
