Clearwater National Championships
10-18-2010, 10:39 AM
#1
Clearwater National Championships
Team AMSOIL Offshore traveled south from Atlantic City, NJ to compete in the SBI Clearwater Super Boat National Championship races. This was the second annual running of this very popular and well publicized event put on in Clearwater and Clearwater Beach, Florida. Event promoter Frank Chivas, along with Super Boat International’s John Carbonel and staff, worked together to provide an awesome race venue for teams and fans alike.
The race course was a 4 1/2 mile clockwise oval situated in front of the Clearwater Beach hotels and pier. Viewing was excellent from the many VIP areas of the hotels, the entire beach, as well as from an estimated 1000-plus spectator boats.
Testing conditions on Saturday were relatively calm. Bob Teague with driver Mike Defrees tried several different set-up combinations to create the best competitive race boat. Unfortunately, the conditions did not hold for Sunday, which presented a new set of challenges due to increasing winds from the North.
Bob Teague served as a radio announcer for a broadcast that was aired locally on AM radio station1040 and streamed live on ESPN1040.com during the first of the two races which started at 11 AM. The conditions started to deteriorate on the course during the first race and worsened during the break before the 1 PM start of the second, main event race. Having viewed these condition changes, Bob Teague notified the crew to go down in propeller pitch and move ballast weight forward in the boat while it was still sitting in the wet pits.
Once Bob Teague and Mike Defrees took the boat out of the harbor and into the Gulf of Mexico, it was obvious that the conditions were rougher than it appeared from the beach. Accordingly, once Team AMSOIL got to the milling area, Mike jumped out of the cockpit and moved all of the ballast (lead weight bags) all the way to the bow in both sponsons while Bob idled the boat in the milling area. Once the weight was moved, Mike jumped back in the cockpit and strapped in with 15 seconds to spare before the start of the race. The last minute adjustments proved to be the right ones.
When the green flag dropped, Team AMSOIL took the lead down the first straight-away and increased their lead steadily during the race. The Team AMSOIL number 77 Skater performed perfectly in good balance carrying good speeds over the rough and sloppy seas. Team Stihl, in their 388 Skater, ran in a strong second place position, requiring Team AMSOIL to run hard for the entire race while both teams lapped many of the other competitors on the course. Team AMSOIL, powered with stock Mercury Racing 525EFI engines, finished the 80-mile race with the second overall fastest time of all classes, only 47 seconds behind the supercharged Superboat Unlimited Class winner.
AMSOIL’s great sponsorship package, dedicated racing department team and superior lubricants all make it possible for Team AMSOIL Offshore Racing to achieve success! The AMSOIL Dominator Racing Oil continues to be proven as the best choice for the Mercury Racing 525 EFI engines. The Team has also proven that the absolute best oil for a Mercury dry-sump VISSM drive is AMSOIL “MCF.” Teague Custom Marine is an authorized AMSOIL dealer and offers the complete line of high performance lubricants in its store and for purchase over the phone. There are also opportunities available for you to become a dealer!
The race course was a 4 1/2 mile clockwise oval situated in front of the Clearwater Beach hotels and pier. Viewing was excellent from the many VIP areas of the hotels, the entire beach, as well as from an estimated 1000-plus spectator boats.
Testing conditions on Saturday were relatively calm. Bob Teague with driver Mike Defrees tried several different set-up combinations to create the best competitive race boat. Unfortunately, the conditions did not hold for Sunday, which presented a new set of challenges due to increasing winds from the North.
Bob Teague served as a radio announcer for a broadcast that was aired locally on AM radio station1040 and streamed live on ESPN1040.com during the first of the two races which started at 11 AM. The conditions started to deteriorate on the course during the first race and worsened during the break before the 1 PM start of the second, main event race. Having viewed these condition changes, Bob Teague notified the crew to go down in propeller pitch and move ballast weight forward in the boat while it was still sitting in the wet pits.
Once Bob Teague and Mike Defrees took the boat out of the harbor and into the Gulf of Mexico, it was obvious that the conditions were rougher than it appeared from the beach. Accordingly, once Team AMSOIL got to the milling area, Mike jumped out of the cockpit and moved all of the ballast (lead weight bags) all the way to the bow in both sponsons while Bob idled the boat in the milling area. Once the weight was moved, Mike jumped back in the cockpit and strapped in with 15 seconds to spare before the start of the race. The last minute adjustments proved to be the right ones.
When the green flag dropped, Team AMSOIL took the lead down the first straight-away and increased their lead steadily during the race. The Team AMSOIL number 77 Skater performed perfectly in good balance carrying good speeds over the rough and sloppy seas. Team Stihl, in their 388 Skater, ran in a strong second place position, requiring Team AMSOIL to run hard for the entire race while both teams lapped many of the other competitors on the course. Team AMSOIL, powered with stock Mercury Racing 525EFI engines, finished the 80-mile race with the second overall fastest time of all classes, only 47 seconds behind the supercharged Superboat Unlimited Class winner.
AMSOIL’s great sponsorship package, dedicated racing department team and superior lubricants all make it possible for Team AMSOIL Offshore Racing to achieve success! The AMSOIL Dominator Racing Oil continues to be proven as the best choice for the Mercury Racing 525 EFI engines. The Team has also proven that the absolute best oil for a Mercury dry-sump VISSM drive is AMSOIL “MCF.” Teague Custom Marine is an authorized AMSOIL dealer and offers the complete line of high performance lubricants in its store and for purchase over the phone. There are also opportunities available for you to become a dealer!
