Ft. Myers Results
06-12-2005, 09:44 PM
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Ft. Myers Results
OSSV Position Number Boat Name Laps Elapsed time Avg Speed
1 8 Spiderman 10 37:38 85.63
2 76 Pier 57 10 38:11 84.39
3 88 Fury 10 38:14 84.27
4 99 The Switch 10 38:23 83.95
5 157 Twisted Metal/Pier57 10 40:44 79.10
6 16 Black Pearl 10 41:15 78.10
7 59 Lightning Strikes 10 43:18 74.42
8 21 JBS Racing 4 15:55 80.96
OSSCL Position Number Boat Name Laps Elapsed time Avg Speed
1 2 Peppers 10 35:52 89.83
2 60 Ettore 10 36:54 87.32
3 27 David Brian Jewelers 10 39:04 82.48
4 13 Popeye's Famous Chicken 10 40:32 79.48
5 00 Motley Crew 10 47:19 68.09
6 31 Page Motorsports 0 00:00 0.00
OSSC Position Number Boat Name Laps Elapsed time Avg Speed
1 7 Team CRC 14 45:18 99.59
2 12 Pro Marine 14 45:26 99.30
3 11 Bacardi Silver 14 45:59 98.09
4 6 JEM 14 46:23 97.26
5 57 Nichols/Pier57 14 46:53 96.20
6 20 Reliable Carriers 3 10:22 93.31
7 55 Out Of Bounds 1 04:43 68.41
8 5 WHM 1 05:07 62.92
9 84 Popeye 0 00:00 0.00
OSSCO Position Number Boat Name Laps Elapsed time Avg Speed
1 9 MOJO 5 20:05 80.19
2 49 Pour It On 5 20:18 79.38
3 18 Bermuda Berrycuda 5 20:31 78.49
4 67 Loan Shark 5 20:52 77.23
OSSVL Position Number Boat Name Laps Elapsed time Avg Speed
1 5 Wild Ride 4 17:41 72.90
2 3 WHM Mini Me 4 17:59 71.68
3 10 Team IMCO 4 18:45 68.72
4 83 Screamin' Eagle 4 23:13 55.50
5 29 Typhoon 2 8:60 71.61
6 149 High Noon 1 4:46 67.52
7 4 Wildcard 1 22:46 14.15
1 8 Spiderman 10 37:38 85.63
2 76 Pier 57 10 38:11 84.39
3 88 Fury 10 38:14 84.27
4 99 The Switch 10 38:23 83.95
5 157 Twisted Metal/Pier57 10 40:44 79.10
6 16 Black Pearl 10 41:15 78.10
7 59 Lightning Strikes 10 43:18 74.42
8 21 JBS Racing 4 15:55 80.96
OSSCL Position Number Boat Name Laps Elapsed time Avg Speed
1 2 Peppers 10 35:52 89.83
2 60 Ettore 10 36:54 87.32
3 27 David Brian Jewelers 10 39:04 82.48
4 13 Popeye's Famous Chicken 10 40:32 79.48
5 00 Motley Crew 10 47:19 68.09
6 31 Page Motorsports 0 00:00 0.00
OSSC Position Number Boat Name Laps Elapsed time Avg Speed
1 7 Team CRC 14 45:18 99.59
2 12 Pro Marine 14 45:26 99.30
3 11 Bacardi Silver 14 45:59 98.09
4 6 JEM 14 46:23 97.26
5 57 Nichols/Pier57 14 46:53 96.20
6 20 Reliable Carriers 3 10:22 93.31
7 55 Out Of Bounds 1 04:43 68.41
8 5 WHM 1 05:07 62.92
9 84 Popeye 0 00:00 0.00
OSSCO Position Number Boat Name Laps Elapsed time Avg Speed
1 9 MOJO 5 20:05 80.19
2 49 Pour It On 5 20:18 79.38
3 18 Bermuda Berrycuda 5 20:31 78.49
4 67 Loan Shark 5 20:52 77.23
OSSVL Position Number Boat Name Laps Elapsed time Avg Speed
1 5 Wild Ride 4 17:41 72.90
2 3 WHM Mini Me 4 17:59 71.68
3 10 Team IMCO 4 18:45 68.72
4 83 Screamin' Eagle 4 23:13 55.50
5 29 Typhoon 2 8:60 71.61
6 149 High Noon 1 4:46 67.52
7 4 Wildcard 1 22:46 14.15
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06-12-2005, 11:59 PM
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Re: Ft. Myers Results
yes with some fresh power and some new wheels!
06-13-2005, 08:21 AM
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Re: Ft. Myers Results
Motor sports: Weather puts a damper on powerboat races
By JEREMY COX, [email protected]
June 13, 2005
Steve Page spent nearly eight months planning a powerboat racing event that would bring the sport back to the waters off Fort Myers Beach. Then, he had to wait another three hours Sunday as an afternoon downpour delayed the start of the race he was scheduled to drive in.
And then came the unthinkable: Some type of debris — seaweed, Page suspects — found its way into his Mercury engine shortly after the race began. The motor overheated, punctuating a long-awaited day with a sudden ending.
"It's like a kick in the stomach," said Page, whose Page Racing, Inc., is based in Cape Coral. "You want to win so bad, but Mother Nature got me today."
His personal loss aside, Page said the Edison Oil Offshore Race for Recovery was a success. Some 35 teams competed in various classes Sunday afternoon in the third event of the Offshore Super Series' season and its first ever at Fort Myers Beach.
"It was fabulous racing," Page said. "I guess the spectators were oohing and aahing over the show the guys put on, so that was pretty cool."
Thousands turned out to watch the races, which ran a 5.6-mile rectangular course that started and ended about 500 yards offshore of the Lani Kai Resort. But a lengthy downpour in the early afternoon reduced the crowd to only a smattering of hardcore fans, the racing crews' families and OSS officials.
The problem was with the rescue helicopters, which need the sky to be clear enough to spot crash victims, said George Linder, the OSS's technical chairman.
The first 10-lap race had to be called off after five laps because a fast-moving squall obscured the boats from view. After waiting about three hours, race officials decided to combine three classes of boats, ranging in speed from 105 mph to 150 mph, into one race to ensure all would be run.
Although some races featured boats that could reach up to 150 mph, there were no serious accidents or injuries, said Kevin Knick of the U.S. Coast Guard's Fort Myers Beach station.
The most dramatic incident came when one boat barrel-rolled, landed on its hull and caught on fire, Knick said. Both racers inside the boat were picked up by the Coast Guard and ferried back to shore.
Skimming across the surface of the Gulf of Mexico's choppy waters, the Wild Ride racing team captured first place in the Vee Lite class, which features 26-to-32-foot-long boats. Jim Thomas, who handles the crew's technical support, estimated the craft traveled 92-94 mph.
He credited the victory to preparation. The crew, based in Harrisburg, Pa., tested the boat Saturday, when seas churned up by a passing Tropical Storm Arlene kicked up waves as high as 8 feet off Fort Myers Beach. In short, the boat was ready for Sunday's 4-foot waves.
"It's the best I've seen it run," Thomas said of the boat.
There were no powerboat races of any kind off Fort Myers Beach last year, and Page wasn't about to let the tradition slip by another year. Weather didn't help matters, forcing a last-minute switch in the location of the dry pits from Tarpon Point Marina in Cape Coral to the Lee County Sports Complex.
The event benefited the Red Cross and its efforts to repair the damage of last year's hurricanes.
This year's soggy weather won't deter the OSS from returning next year, Linder said.
"We're looking forward to coming back next year. This is just one of the freak things that happens," he said.
By JEREMY COX, [email protected]
June 13, 2005
Steve Page spent nearly eight months planning a powerboat racing event that would bring the sport back to the waters off Fort Myers Beach. Then, he had to wait another three hours Sunday as an afternoon downpour delayed the start of the race he was scheduled to drive in.
And then came the unthinkable: Some type of debris — seaweed, Page suspects — found its way into his Mercury engine shortly after the race began. The motor overheated, punctuating a long-awaited day with a sudden ending.
"It's like a kick in the stomach," said Page, whose Page Racing, Inc., is based in Cape Coral. "You want to win so bad, but Mother Nature got me today."
His personal loss aside, Page said the Edison Oil Offshore Race for Recovery was a success. Some 35 teams competed in various classes Sunday afternoon in the third event of the Offshore Super Series' season and its first ever at Fort Myers Beach.
"It was fabulous racing," Page said. "I guess the spectators were oohing and aahing over the show the guys put on, so that was pretty cool."
Thousands turned out to watch the races, which ran a 5.6-mile rectangular course that started and ended about 500 yards offshore of the Lani Kai Resort. But a lengthy downpour in the early afternoon reduced the crowd to only a smattering of hardcore fans, the racing crews' families and OSS officials.
The problem was with the rescue helicopters, which need the sky to be clear enough to spot crash victims, said George Linder, the OSS's technical chairman.
The first 10-lap race had to be called off after five laps because a fast-moving squall obscured the boats from view. After waiting about three hours, race officials decided to combine three classes of boats, ranging in speed from 105 mph to 150 mph, into one race to ensure all would be run.
Although some races featured boats that could reach up to 150 mph, there were no serious accidents or injuries, said Kevin Knick of the U.S. Coast Guard's Fort Myers Beach station.
The most dramatic incident came when one boat barrel-rolled, landed on its hull and caught on fire, Knick said. Both racers inside the boat were picked up by the Coast Guard and ferried back to shore.
Skimming across the surface of the Gulf of Mexico's choppy waters, the Wild Ride racing team captured first place in the Vee Lite class, which features 26-to-32-foot-long boats. Jim Thomas, who handles the crew's technical support, estimated the craft traveled 92-94 mph.
He credited the victory to preparation. The crew, based in Harrisburg, Pa., tested the boat Saturday, when seas churned up by a passing Tropical Storm Arlene kicked up waves as high as 8 feet off Fort Myers Beach. In short, the boat was ready for Sunday's 4-foot waves.
"It's the best I've seen it run," Thomas said of the boat.
There were no powerboat races of any kind off Fort Myers Beach last year, and Page wasn't about to let the tradition slip by another year. Weather didn't help matters, forcing a last-minute switch in the location of the dry pits from Tarpon Point Marina in Cape Coral to the Lee County Sports Complex.
The event benefited the Red Cross and its efforts to repair the damage of last year's hurricanes.
This year's soggy weather won't deter the OSS from returning next year, Linder said.
"We're looking forward to coming back next year. This is just one of the freak things that happens," he said.
06-13-2005, 08:26 AM
#6
Registered
Re: Ft. Myers Results
Rain doesn’t slow down speed, spirits
Five classes, 34 teams compete in event
By Betsy Clayton
[email protected]
Published by news-press.com on June 13, 2005
A four-hour soaking at Fort Myers Beach didn’t stop offshore powerboat racing.
But it left a four-hour gap between races.
It shortened the number of laps racers ran.
And it forced the biggest boats to share the course with two other classes.
The thunderstorm that smothered the Beach with low clouds and dense rain also left many racers thankful to have completed the Offshore Super Series event, the third on their season’s circuit.
“God always lets you have your race if you wait,” said throttleman Jeff Harris, of Greenville, N.C.
He and driver/owner Mike DeFrees of Team CRC showed fans what they waited under umbrellas and rain ponchos for — an average speed of 99.59 mph on the 5.5 mile course just off the beach.
Their No. 7 flashy orange and yellow boat was the headliner in the OSS Cat class, in which boats can run up to 150 mph in prime conditions.
Nothing was prime about Sunday’s conditions, though.
“It was choppy, confused water and it was coming from the side,” said Scot Conrad, throttleman for Spiderman, an OSS Vee boat that placed first in its class with an average speed of 85.63 mph.
Five classes and 34 teams competed in the Edison Oil Offshore Race for Recovery.
It was to have been a race day with a start at noon, another at 1:30 p.m. and a third and final start for the big catamarans at 3 p.m.
Instead, racing began 15 minutes late in the sunshine but ended abruptly 25 minutes later when a bruised sky swelled over the Gulf and beach, sending beach spectators scurrying for cover and dousing those who came by boat to watch.
The sound of rain drops slamming the water mixed with the hot rod-like buzz of competitors engines. A yellow flag turned to a red flag and sent the boats off the course.
Officials determined the two classes had raced enough to count for points in the event, which had a $50,000 purse. They announced the next race would start on schedule at 1:30 p.m.
But Mother Nature had other plans.
Another storm rolled in and sat on the Beach.
Organizers scrambled to extend their race-event permit with the U.S. Coast Guard and got the OK to squeeze in the races if they could do so by 6 p.m.
Racers sat in their boats in the back bay, scanning the sky through drizzled cockpit windows. Spectators either left or stayed and drank.
When the time lightning subsided and skies lightened enough for emergency responders to fly in helicopters above the course — as mandated by racing rules — only hundreds instead of anticipated thousands remained. The green flag waved just before 5 p.m. and OSS Cat, Cat Lite and Vee class boats sped by — each on a mission to complete the course within an hour. (Officials shortened the number of laps each class had to run.)
“I’m excited they finally started,” said 9-year-old Maddie Hague of Marco Island, who wore a drenched offshore T-shirt. “I like to see people compete.”
Spectators like Maddie and her two also-damp sisters, Ellie and Frankie, were treated to intense racing.
Rooster tails shot out of the back of boats, extending several boat lengths back. Engines were so loud when they screamed by, people couldn’t hear the person talking next to them.
Several classes of boats ran so tight, their finish times were mere seconds apart.
Team CRC beat Pro Marine by only six seconds. Spiderman defeated Pier 57 by only 47 seconds.
That’s of note to longtime fans, who watched past events turn into a string of boats in a high-speed parade.
“From my vantage point, the racing was good,” said Steve Page, a Vee Lite racer who also was the event organizer.
“The rain delay was frustrating at best,” said Page, of Cape Coral.
It also was not unexpected.
When Page announced plans to bring Offshore Super Series racing to the Beach, which failed to have races in 2004, he wanted to do it in May.
But a permitting issue with the Town of Fort Myers Beach bumped the event from Memorial Day weekend into rainy June.
“The answer to this whole thing is to hold it earlier next year,” said Page, whose catamaran called Page Motorsports sucked grass in its engine and overheated before completing one lap.
Racers said coping with delays and weather is part of the sport.
“With Fort Myers and Sarasota, it’s always the rain or the sea animals,” said thottleman Grant Bruggemann, an Australian who has run American powerboat races since 1993.
He and driver Stan Perkoski of Team Mojo took first in the Cat Outboard class, which squeezed in its partially run race before the rain came.
“We’re disappointed they had to stop it short,” Perkoski said.
RACE RESULTS
Unofficial results from the Edison Oil Offshore Race for Recovery from the Offshore Super Series:
Top three finishers by class: place, boat number, boat name, driver, throttleman, time
Cat class
1. (7) Team CRC (Mike DeFrees, Jeff Harris) 45:18
2. (12) Pro Marine (Todd Werner, Mike Anderson)45:26
3. (11) Bacardi Silver (David Scott, John Tomlinson) 45:59
Cat Lite class
1. (2) Peppers (George and Mike Stancomb) 35:52
2. (60) Ettore (John Talley, Paul Whittier) 36:54
3. (27) David Brian Jewelers (Bill Beavens, Michael Jordan) 39:04
Vee class
1. (8) Spiderman (Ken Bowen, Scot Conrad), 37:38
2. (76) Pier 57 (Mike Seebold, Reggie Fountain), 38:11
3. (88) Fury (Steve and Ray Delaney) 38:14
Vee Lite class
1. (5) Wild Ride (Larry and John Kostelac) 17:41
2. (3) WHM Mini Me (Eric Cormier, Bruce Seroff) 17:59
3. (10) Team Imco (Matt Reed, George Auriemma) 18:45
Cat Outboard class
1. (9) Mojo (Stan Perkoski, Grant Bruggemann), 20:05
2. (49) Pour It On (Bob Anselmo, John Miller) 20:18
3. (18) Bermuda Berrycuda (Chris Marshall, Dennis Berry), 20:31
Five classes, 34 teams compete in event
By Betsy Clayton
[email protected]
Published by news-press.com on June 13, 2005
A four-hour soaking at Fort Myers Beach didn’t stop offshore powerboat racing.
But it left a four-hour gap between races.
It shortened the number of laps racers ran.
And it forced the biggest boats to share the course with two other classes.
The thunderstorm that smothered the Beach with low clouds and dense rain also left many racers thankful to have completed the Offshore Super Series event, the third on their season’s circuit.
“God always lets you have your race if you wait,” said throttleman Jeff Harris, of Greenville, N.C.
He and driver/owner Mike DeFrees of Team CRC showed fans what they waited under umbrellas and rain ponchos for — an average speed of 99.59 mph on the 5.5 mile course just off the beach.
Their No. 7 flashy orange and yellow boat was the headliner in the OSS Cat class, in which boats can run up to 150 mph in prime conditions.
Nothing was prime about Sunday’s conditions, though.
“It was choppy, confused water and it was coming from the side,” said Scot Conrad, throttleman for Spiderman, an OSS Vee boat that placed first in its class with an average speed of 85.63 mph.
Five classes and 34 teams competed in the Edison Oil Offshore Race for Recovery.
It was to have been a race day with a start at noon, another at 1:30 p.m. and a third and final start for the big catamarans at 3 p.m.
Instead, racing began 15 minutes late in the sunshine but ended abruptly 25 minutes later when a bruised sky swelled over the Gulf and beach, sending beach spectators scurrying for cover and dousing those who came by boat to watch.
The sound of rain drops slamming the water mixed with the hot rod-like buzz of competitors engines. A yellow flag turned to a red flag and sent the boats off the course.
Officials determined the two classes had raced enough to count for points in the event, which had a $50,000 purse. They announced the next race would start on schedule at 1:30 p.m.
But Mother Nature had other plans.
Another storm rolled in and sat on the Beach.
Organizers scrambled to extend their race-event permit with the U.S. Coast Guard and got the OK to squeeze in the races if they could do so by 6 p.m.
Racers sat in their boats in the back bay, scanning the sky through drizzled cockpit windows. Spectators either left or stayed and drank.
When the time lightning subsided and skies lightened enough for emergency responders to fly in helicopters above the course — as mandated by racing rules — only hundreds instead of anticipated thousands remained. The green flag waved just before 5 p.m. and OSS Cat, Cat Lite and Vee class boats sped by — each on a mission to complete the course within an hour. (Officials shortened the number of laps each class had to run.)
“I’m excited they finally started,” said 9-year-old Maddie Hague of Marco Island, who wore a drenched offshore T-shirt. “I like to see people compete.”
Spectators like Maddie and her two also-damp sisters, Ellie and Frankie, were treated to intense racing.
Rooster tails shot out of the back of boats, extending several boat lengths back. Engines were so loud when they screamed by, people couldn’t hear the person talking next to them.
Several classes of boats ran so tight, their finish times were mere seconds apart.
Team CRC beat Pro Marine by only six seconds. Spiderman defeated Pier 57 by only 47 seconds.
That’s of note to longtime fans, who watched past events turn into a string of boats in a high-speed parade.
“From my vantage point, the racing was good,” said Steve Page, a Vee Lite racer who also was the event organizer.
“The rain delay was frustrating at best,” said Page, of Cape Coral.
It also was not unexpected.
When Page announced plans to bring Offshore Super Series racing to the Beach, which failed to have races in 2004, he wanted to do it in May.
But a permitting issue with the Town of Fort Myers Beach bumped the event from Memorial Day weekend into rainy June.
“The answer to this whole thing is to hold it earlier next year,” said Page, whose catamaran called Page Motorsports sucked grass in its engine and overheated before completing one lap.
Racers said coping with delays and weather is part of the sport.
“With Fort Myers and Sarasota, it’s always the rain or the sea animals,” said thottleman Grant Bruggemann, an Australian who has run American powerboat races since 1993.
He and driver Stan Perkoski of Team Mojo took first in the Cat Outboard class, which squeezed in its partially run race before the rain came.
“We’re disappointed they had to stop it short,” Perkoski said.
RACE RESULTS
Unofficial results from the Edison Oil Offshore Race for Recovery from the Offshore Super Series:
Top three finishers by class: place, boat number, boat name, driver, throttleman, time
Cat class
1. (7) Team CRC (Mike DeFrees, Jeff Harris) 45:18
2. (12) Pro Marine (Todd Werner, Mike Anderson)45:26
3. (11) Bacardi Silver (David Scott, John Tomlinson) 45:59
Cat Lite class
1. (2) Peppers (George and Mike Stancomb) 35:52
2. (60) Ettore (John Talley, Paul Whittier) 36:54
3. (27) David Brian Jewelers (Bill Beavens, Michael Jordan) 39:04
Vee class
1. (8) Spiderman (Ken Bowen, Scot Conrad), 37:38
2. (76) Pier 57 (Mike Seebold, Reggie Fountain), 38:11
3. (88) Fury (Steve and Ray Delaney) 38:14
Vee Lite class
1. (5) Wild Ride (Larry and John Kostelac) 17:41
2. (3) WHM Mini Me (Eric Cormier, Bruce Seroff) 17:59
3. (10) Team Imco (Matt Reed, George Auriemma) 18:45
Cat Outboard class
1. (9) Mojo (Stan Perkoski, Grant Bruggemann), 20:05
2. (49) Pour It On (Bob Anselmo, John Miller) 20:18
3. (18) Bermuda Berrycuda (Chris Marshall, Dennis Berry), 20:31
06-13-2005, 08:38 AM
#7
Registered
Re: Ft. Myers Results
Beach boat party no wash
Offshore races finish after 4-hour delay
By Betsy Clayton
[email protected]
Published by news-press.com on June 13, 2005
The bands of heavy rain that temporarily postponed Sunday's powerboat races couldn't drench the party.
Despite hours of delays that prompted much of the crowd to leave Fort Myers Beach, hundreds of die-hard fans waited out the storms, some with an umbrella in one hand and a drink in the other.
The Edison Oil Offshore Race for Recovery was expected to draw thousands and mark a return of offshore powerboat racing to Fort Myers Beach, which hosted races for years until 2004 when spring passed without one. All proceeds go to the American Red Cross to help repair last season's local hurricane damage.
But Tropical Storm Arlene late last week caused some fans to cancel plans. And those who woke to sunshine Sunday and came to watch ended up getting soaked when a thunderstorm parked itself over the beach, forcing a four-hour delay between the day's first race and its final one.
Races started at 12:15 p.m. but ended abruptly 25 minutes later. They didn't resume until just before 5 p.m.
For many, though, the weather didn't matter.
At the Lani Kai Island Resort, the band played on and so did the partying.
Rick and Renee Cooper of Fort Myers shared a large umbrella as they walked along the beach sipping cans of beer.
"We're dancing on the beach, having a good time," Renee Cooper, 37, said. "It's all what you make of it."
Lori Harris of North Carolina peered out at the Gulf from under a beach umbrella. She kept an eye on son Michael, 7, and his friend, Max DeFrees, 9, as they played in the waves. The boys weren't letting the storm keep them from having fun as they waited for their dads to race.
"They're having a blast," Harris said.
Most of those hanging around the bar appeared to be having a good time, too. The atmosphere is part of the races' draw, said Brian Orsine, 35, of Fort Myers.
He comes to the annual races for "the boats, the party, everybody having a good time."
Organizers were disappointed, though.
"It would have been a great event, if not for the weather," said Steve Page, the Cape Coral-based race organizer who also competed.
"We can't control the weather," said Page, who originally wanted to have the race weekend in May — typically a drier month — to avoid this type of situation. A conflict with the Town of Fort Myers Beach led Page to bump the race into June.
Hank Preston wasn't complaining. The North Fort Myers motorcyclist rode to the Beach with wife Bridgette and stayed through the rain delay.
"It's going to rain no matter where we are, so why not be at the beach?" he said.
Offshore races finish after 4-hour delay
By Betsy Clayton
[email protected]
Published by news-press.com on June 13, 2005
The bands of heavy rain that temporarily postponed Sunday's powerboat races couldn't drench the party.
Despite hours of delays that prompted much of the crowd to leave Fort Myers Beach, hundreds of die-hard fans waited out the storms, some with an umbrella in one hand and a drink in the other.
The Edison Oil Offshore Race for Recovery was expected to draw thousands and mark a return of offshore powerboat racing to Fort Myers Beach, which hosted races for years until 2004 when spring passed without one. All proceeds go to the American Red Cross to help repair last season's local hurricane damage.
But Tropical Storm Arlene late last week caused some fans to cancel plans. And those who woke to sunshine Sunday and came to watch ended up getting soaked when a thunderstorm parked itself over the beach, forcing a four-hour delay between the day's first race and its final one.
Races started at 12:15 p.m. but ended abruptly 25 minutes later. They didn't resume until just before 5 p.m.
For many, though, the weather didn't matter.
At the Lani Kai Island Resort, the band played on and so did the partying.
Rick and Renee Cooper of Fort Myers shared a large umbrella as they walked along the beach sipping cans of beer.
"We're dancing on the beach, having a good time," Renee Cooper, 37, said. "It's all what you make of it."
Lori Harris of North Carolina peered out at the Gulf from under a beach umbrella. She kept an eye on son Michael, 7, and his friend, Max DeFrees, 9, as they played in the waves. The boys weren't letting the storm keep them from having fun as they waited for their dads to race.
"They're having a blast," Harris said.
Most of those hanging around the bar appeared to be having a good time, too. The atmosphere is part of the races' draw, said Brian Orsine, 35, of Fort Myers.
He comes to the annual races for "the boats, the party, everybody having a good time."
Organizers were disappointed, though.
"It would have been a great event, if not for the weather," said Steve Page, the Cape Coral-based race organizer who also competed.
"We can't control the weather," said Page, who originally wanted to have the race weekend in May — typically a drier month — to avoid this type of situation. A conflict with the Town of Fort Myers Beach led Page to bump the race into June.
Hank Preston wasn't complaining. The North Fort Myers motorcyclist rode to the Beach with wife Bridgette and stayed through the rain delay.
"It's going to rain no matter where we are, so why not be at the beach?" he said.
Re: Ft. Myers Results
