Miami Herald

July 28, 1991

VANILLA ICE WINS POWERBOAT RACE

JORDAN BRESSLER - Herald Writer

Saturday afternoon's running of the first Fort Apache- Hooligans Offshore Grand Prix of Miami had just about everything: calm waters, splashing speed and a victory for a famous rapper in his first time behind a powerboat wheel.

Star Island resident Robert Van Winkle, otherwise known as Vanilla Ice, drove the 48-foot Apache Express, which won the Local II division, one of seven classes contested in the American Powerboat Racing Association-sanctioned event. The race was run on a 15-mile oval course parallel to the coastline between Government Cut to the south and Haulover Cut to the north.

"I felt the need for speed," said Ice, who flew in from Panama, where he had a concert Friday night. Ice had virtually no experience piloting a powerboat before Saturday, save a late- night training session in darkness early last week.

Ice, along with navigator Jay Castline and throttleman Philip Feldman, piloted the 3,000-horsepower craft to speeds of up to 130 miles per hour on their way to taking the checkered flag in the two-hour race.

The top finish in the offshore "D" class, the largest of the four national racing divisions, was recorded by the 32-foot Chill Out, owned and throttled by Miami-based racer Fernando Morales and crewed by driver Humberto Rodriguez and navigator Pedro Garcia.

"The water was flat for the whole race," Morales said. "We were running good from the start, and (the followers) couldn't get to me."

The most-contested division, the "C" class, was won by 31- year powerboating veteran Alex Schwencke, who, along with former hydroplane star, driver Bob Doerr, piloted the 30-foot Trinton named Enterprise over eight other challengers. Enterprise led for three of the five laps, and held off a late challenge by The Forge, a Miami-based Skater, which finished a close second.

Results

The top finishers (place, boat name, size and type, owner and crew, home port):

Stock: 1. Sundance Skater, 24-foot Skater, Robert Loeffler, Jim Bistline, Boca Raton; 2. Violator, 25-foot Warlock, Steve Dorozewski, Tim Steiner, Naples, Florida; 3. Conch Attack, 25-foot Motion, Craig and Scott Cates, Key West. D-Class: 1. Chill Out, 32-foot Scorpion, Fernando Morales, Humberto Rodriguez, Pedro Garcia, Miami; 2. Panama Jack, 37-foot Talon, Terry Hill, Joe Sorrentino, Fort Myers; 3. Caloosa Isle, 30-foot Chris Craft, James Carroll, Gary Leonhard, Ken Stead, Fort Myers. C-Class: 1. Enterprise, 30-foot Trinton, Alex Schwencke, Robert Doerr, Fort Lauderdale; 2. The Forge, 24-foot Skater, Shareef Malnik, Phil Lipschutz, Miami; 3. Marine Machine, 32-foot Midnight Express, Brett May, Pedro Medina, Jesus Asqueri, Opa Locka. B-Class: 1. Too Intense, 27-foot Magnum, Robert Wohl, Scott Mander, Lee Baker, Miami; 2. Team Scarab, 31-foot Scarab, Jim Gregg, Chris Nichols, Allan Buitenwert, Sarasota; 3. Runnin' Wild, 33-foot Sutphen, John Kiely, Ray Hanke, Barry Spielfogel, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Local II: 1. Apache Express, 48-foot Express Cat, Philip Feldman, Jay Castline, Robert Van Winkle, Juan Almeida, Golden Beach; 2. Hooligan's, 38-foot Cougar, Ugo Columbo, Jeff Soffer, North Miami. Local I: 1. Slippery When Wet, 21-foot Donzi, Bob Christie, Troy Hamilton, Orlando; 2. No Name, 28-foot Baja, Sammy Archer, Joe Pasuit, Coconut Creek; 3. Condor, 25-foot, John Kross (Athlete's Foot), Hollywood.