The Palm Beach Post

05-01-1995

Powerboats, Nascar Style, Works

By: Erik Weber - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

The racing wasn't quite as fast or exciting, no makeshift jails were built to restrain any rowdy fans and everyone, for the most part, kept their clothes on. But other than that, it was NASCAR in the water.

And, a rarity in offshore powerboat racing, spectators were able to see the action - including 70-80 mph speeds in the straightaways and plenty of near-flips - no matter where it happened at the first Grand American Series powerboat races at Frederick Douglas Park Sunday.

In most races the boats are visible only for a moment as they pass through the front stretch. Shorebound spectators then are forced to wait 10 or 15 minutes - the boats racing out several miles - before they come by again.

Joe Gates, with help from his company, Gateway Productions, and the American Power Boat Association, has changed the format, taking a big step in making powerboat racing more of a spectator sport. Four more races are planned for other areas of the country, though dates and exact locations have not been chosen.

``I wanted to bring bumper-to-bumper, bow-to-bow action to off-shore racing, so we decided to duplicate a NASCAR-style event,'' Gates said.

``We have the grid start, the yellow flag, the caution situations. We closed the gaps and tightened the races. All these things have never been done before. And it's a sprint to the finish. That's the big plus. . . . It's going to change the world of racing.''

The three-time consecutive national champion Mobil 1 team beat 10 competitors to win the Catamaran class, and the Miami-based Mr. K team won the eight-boat Deep-Vee class.

Each race was 75 miles - 25 laps around a 3-mile, 500-foot wide course. The boats were never farther than 2,800 feet from shore.

Robert Loeffler of Boca Raton, two-time APBA Hall of Champions inductee and owner and throttle man for Mobil 1, said the new format made the race a lot more fun - and a lot more work.

``It was pretty rough out there - I'm already sore. But I think it was a lot better for the spectators,'' Loeffler said at the Harbortown Marina after the races. The marina served as host for the event, and put up the $30,000 purse. The two winners took home $5,000 a piece.

Mobil 1 driver Tom Russell of Fort Lauderdale liked the way the format elevated the drivers' role, but said the race should be shorter.

``You could take Dale Earnhardt out of his car and put Joe Blow the street racer into that same car, and he'd never win a race. . . . Driving is definitely more of a factor in this type of race. We had to make, what, 100 turns? Man, my arms are tired,'' Russell said.

``It went on a little too long, though. All the other drivers agreed that it should be 15, maybe 20 laps, but not 25.''