Greetings, and I hope I'm not out of line in posting this here, apologies if so. I'm a journalist in San Francisco, and I'm looking for any information related to the 1978 Benihana Grand Prix West, or anyone who might remember that race. The seas were pretty extreme that year, and a lot of boats retired. I'm trying to find anyone who might have memories of that race to share, or who might be able to point me to people who do, or better yet, to people who participated in the race in some way. Many of the pilots and crew have since passed away, of course, but I'm hoping there are people out there, whether archivists, historians, or just fans, who might have memories to share. So, thanks in advance for any help you might be able to provide! Feel free to drop me a private message if you prefer. And again, my apologies if this is the wrong place for a post like this, for whatever reason.

Give Mr. Errol Lanier a call and see if he'd like to share his experience of the race. He was on the throttles for Rocky Aoki himself. I guess only three open class boats finished due to very big seas and strong winds. Rocki Aoki, Errol Lanier and their navigator Bill Vogel broke the boat apart while heading out past The Golden Gate. Best of luck in your writings and please share it here once completed. With Travolta playing Don Aronow in the full feature film coming up, there will be some renewed interest in these offshore powerboat racing legends that imho endured some hard to fathom punishment during their racing.
Regards, Lars.

Contact info for Mr. Errol Lanier: Lanier Custom Boats - ABOUT US

Thank you! I will certainly seek out Errol Lanier. I'm curious: Do you remember the race in such detail yourself, or is there a place that the information you mention is available? I'd love to know more. Thanks again!