Opinion Poll: Sbi Press Release
 

JASON PRIESTLEY LOOKS FOR FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON AT FT. MYERS BEACH
OFFSHORE GRAND PRIX, MAY 16-19

KEY WEST, Fla. – May 9, 2002 – Star of the hit television series
Beverly Hills 90210, Jason Priestley, will be racing in the 8th annual
Ft. Myers Offshore Grand Prix May 16-19, 2002.

The Jason Priestley Racing Team will be making its second start of
the season and making its Ft. Myers debut. More than 100 miles of
high-speed racing is scheduled to take place approximately 100
yards off the shore of Ft. Myers Beach. The start and finish line will
be behind the Diamond Head Hotel, while the wet pits will be at the
Gulfstar Marine Bridge Restaurant and the dry pits located at Gulf
Water RV Resort. On Saturday and Sunday race times are at 1
p.m. After the race on Sunday an awards ceremony will take place
at 5 p.m. at The Bridge Restaurant, 708 Fisherman's Wharf. This
year the drivers will be racing for prize money totaling $75,000.

“Everyone is fired up for this year’s race as it showcases the most TALENTED and EXPERIENCED DRIVERS
in superboat racing and six to eight of The World’s Biggest, Fastest Boats(TM),” says John
Carbonell, President, Super Boat International.

The Priestley Racing Team will race a 50-foot Jaguar, housing four, 1200-horsepower engines in
the Superboat Unlimited Class were boats are capable of speeds of more than 160 mph. IN HIS FIRST SUPERBOAT RACE PRIESTLY SET A NEW LAP SPEED RECORD of 147.4 mph in the boat Planetman
driven by Tim Ciasulli, of Far Hills, NJ, and Russ Houston of St. Cloud, Fla. The record was
previously held by Miami Vice actor, Don Johnson.

The costs of these machines are enormous, in the Superboat Unlimited Class boats can costs
more than $1,000,000, just to maintain the boat for a year costs more than $800,000. In SBI’s
Superboat Unlimited Class, boats with four engines have 4,800-horsepower. In a comparion to
Nascar it would take more than six, 750-horsepower racecars to equal one superboat.

During the off season last year’s national champion in the Super Limited Class Snack Attack,
driven by Nicholas Lok-Jak and Joe Pires, purchased last year’s national champion in the
Superboat Unlimited Class, Planetman, automatically giving them a slight edge on the
competition. Planetman is a 46-foot Douglas Skater, powered by twin supercharged 1,250-hp
engines and currently holds the world speed record of more than 169 mph.

“We are very excited about the level of competition now with SBI, the racers are committed to
winning and providing a good show for the fans in Ft. Myers and the millions of viewers across the
country,” says Ft. Myers race producer, Dean Clausen.

The rest of the racing field features more than 40 racing boats, racing in 10 classes on a 5.9-mile
racecourse. The classes include Superboat, Superboat Vee, Superboat Unlimited and Superboat
Vee Unlimited, which race 17 laps or 101 miles. Superboat Vee Limited, Superboat Limited,
Super Stock and Super X, which race 14 laps or 83 miles. Manufacturer 1,2, which race 12 laps
or 70 miles and Local 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 racing 7 laps or 41 miles.

“In the 1980’s racing stars like Don Johnson, Chuck Norris and Kurt Russell have all helped grow
the sport of superboat racing, Priestley follows in that tradition and will excite racing fans not only
with his star power, but also his racing ability,” says Carbonell.

Carbonell has been an innovator in the sport of offshore racing by introducing the “inshore” racing
format in 1989. The inshore format allows fans access within 60 feet of a racecourse at some
venues. The course was also shorten increasing the number of laps from 4-5 times to 15-20 times
a race. The new structure has popularized the sport both for the fans and for sponsors, and has
changed the visibility of offshore powerboat racing.

The 2002 SBI racing schedule will continue at Marathon, June 14-16; Sarasota, July 5-7; Deerfield
Beach, July 12-14; Washington, NC, Aug. 2-4; New Jersey, Aug. 14-16; New York, Sept. 6-8;
Bahamas, Nov. 26-28; New Orleans, Nov. 3-10.

For more racing information, call SBI at (305) 296-6166, or visit the Web site at
www.superboat.com.

Note to Editors: Digital artwork is available of Priestley and the superboats at
www.superboat.com/download. To arrange an interview with Priestley contact Tom Decker at
(305) 971-7353 or [email protected].





2002 RACE RESULTS
Miami, FL:rolleyes:

Seems to me like there are a couple of contradictory statements in this release. Funny how they forgot to mention Jasons first REAL experience behind the wheel of a superboat. LOL I'm also sure that Ciasulli and Houston are truly grateful for the exposure their getting for being gracious enough to allow John Carbonell to put Jason in the back of the boat with them when setting that truly unbelievable record.

Ft. Meyers race is on Sunday the 19th and I doubt that there will be enough boats to have two races which means that all classes will race at the same time at 1:00pm Sunday afternoon.

CATMANDO : Not looking for him to write anything negative but after Jasons first race where he could have almost killed someone and the fact that he has NO experience, how does Mr. Carbonell come out with a statement that the SUPERBOAT drivers are the most TALENTED and EXPERIENCED in the world? Not only is this guy not experienced but from what I understand his throttleman told him it wasn't his fault that the Pier 57 boat cut him off and he believes him. YIKES!!! That's scary :eek:

FEVER: Yea that's what they always say to make it sound like the race is going to be bigger than it actually turns out to be, at least that has always been my experience. You have APBA running down in Marathon that weekend so I would look for a small turnout 20 maybe 25 boats tops.:rolleyes:

Additionally I can only think of 4 superboats that may show 1) Jason Priestly race team 2) Planetman 3) Jaws 4) Riviera

I though the SBI races all took place on Sunday not Saturday? Can someone list a race schedule of the classes racing and on what days? SBI webstie say's NOTHING!
Mike C.

The P classes will race on saturday. All the other classes race on sunday
L.A.

I find that hard to believe being that were virtually no Pro stock boats racing in Miami. Especially when you consider that there is a simultaneous race down in Marathon through APBA. I hope your right at least the P boats won't have to worry about getting run over by anyone:D

P-class
 

Executor,

..by P-class, I think DeepV means the Performance/Local class boats..P1 thru P5 will be running Saturday, with the SuperBoats, SuperV and S-class (?) running Sunday...

:cool:

Thanks for the clarification. That makes sense and sounds alot safer. Sounds like this is the class Jason and his throttleman should be racing in. Leave the Superboat racing to the pros not the wannabe's. By the way, has Jason's throttleman Dan Campbell ever won a race where all the other boats in his class didn't break down first? Just wondering....