KennyOffShore

The first stop of the newly christened AMSOIL Offshore Powerboat Series sanctioned by OPA was Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, just north of exotic Miami. This year marked the 4th annual running of the Sunny Isles Beach Offshore Challenge and the Don Aronow Memorial Miami, FL to Bimini, Bahamas and back endurance record race. Team AMSOIL Offshore made the annual trek from the West Coast with its 368 Douglas Marine Skater to defend its standing Super Cat Lite class record.

The weekend started off quickly, with the AMSOIL Offshore crew preparing the boat on Thursday for the Miami to Bimini record run on Friday. Weather conditions leading up to the race seemed to have limited effect on the water conditions of the 53-mile stretch of Atlantic Ocean to Bimini. Many race teams relied on word of mouth condition reports from pleasure boats and race organizers and the reports were consistent: mild water suitable for high speed. Throttleman Bob Teague and backup Driver John Teague decided to set the boat up to hopefully average greater than 108 MPH and break Team AMSOIL’s current record.

On Friday, the hot and humid Florida weather proved to be a fickle adversary. The wind came up from the southeast mid morning and presented the Bimini run racers with a 3-4 foot groundswell with 2 foot rolling bumps spread on top. What was expected to be a wide open calm water run quickly turned into a full on rough water battle, with seas nearing the intensity of last year’s record run. At the start, Team AMSOIL took off flanked by Twisted Metal, a supercharged Fountain, and Lamborghini of Miami, a supercharged Skater. Both of Team AMSOIL’s class competitors were not at the start. Team Infinity was forced to bow out with steering issues, and Team Loriblu would make the start late after some frantic last-minute work. Twisted Metal missed their setup and could not keep pace with Team AMSOIL and Lamborghini of Miami would be forced to stop with mechanical issues on the way to Bimini. Bob and John Teague piloted their silver Skater on a flawless run over the 106-mile course, finishing 1st overall. Their time was 1:07:15 for an average of approximately 95 MPH, about 3 minutes faster than 2nd place Loriblu. Team AMSOIL has a perfect 4 for 4 class win record on the Bimini Ocean Challenge run.

On Saturday, Team AMSOIL forwent water testing to service some of the race boat’s components and pass safety certifications. This season, the AMSOIL Offshore Powerboat Series requires all canopied race teams to a dunk and swim test before they are allowed to race. Bob Teague, Paul Whittier, and John Teague all spent time at the community pool passing the full regiment of safety tests and procedure reviews.

Regular Team AMSOIL veteran Driver Paul Whittier was back in the boat for Sunday to race in choppy conditions that tested racers’ cornering abilities. Team AMSOIL lined up to start the 11 lap race over a 7-mile rectangle sandwiched between Team PhoenixParts.com and Team Infinity. At the drop of the flag, Bob and Paul were squeezed to the outside and decided to chop the throttles and pass behind PhoenixParts.com for the inside lane at the first turn. After three laps of hard racing and multiple lane and lead changes, Team AMSOIL was able to gain and hold some ground over PhoenixParts.com. Bob and Paul were then able to set the pace and walk away to a second team victory for the weekend.

In addition to becoming the presenting sponsor of the AMSOIL Offshore Powerboat Series, AMSOIL has stepped up to title sponsor the production of a new television program by the same crew that covered the SnowCross series. Cameras followed the Team AMSOIL members throughout the weekend to bring viewers a behind the scenes look at offshore powerboat racing. Coverage of the AMSOIL Offshore Powerboat Series is set to air on the Versus Network this November.

Team AMSOIL thanks Larry Goldman and Brad Schoenwald for their work producing the Bimini Endurance run and would like to challenge more race and high performance pleasure boaters alike to leave the shore behind to race in the open ocean next year.

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!

See you at the races!