VIDEO: LOTO Shootout Wraps Up With Big Crowds

This year's Lake of The Ozarks Shootout closed out on Sunday as thousands of spectators from all over the country turned out to witness one of powerboating's most exciting events. Here's a brief wrap-up from local Television news station KYTV. Some Sunday speed numbers had the Nauti-Marine boat clocked at 196mph, Dirty Duck - 141mph, Pure Platinum at 169mph, and the Mercedes boat hit 157.

Organizers were extremely pleased with the big turnout for the event. Ron Duggan, owner of the event host site, Capt. Ron's Bar and Grill, said crowd estimates were around 50,000 people. "We obviously are going to break some records with the number of people we have and the economic impact should be very significant...I'm hoping for over $2 million to the lake's economy this weekend."

Earlier in the week, the Shootout also featured a high performance powerboat poker run and a golftournament. It was the 21st year for the event, which raises funds for Lake Area Rescue Teams, Habitat for Humanity, and other charitable organizations.

Cinzano Takes the Checkered Flag Again at 2009 Cowes-Torquay-Cowes Race

For the third time, Cinzano, piloted by Marcus Hendricks, Tim Grimshaw and Eric Smilie took the checkered flag at Britian's 2009 Cowes-Torquay-Cowes Race with a time of 3hrs 35.20, just seconds ahead of Hot Lemon. As weather conditions in the race deteriorated, Austrian Hannes Bohinc and his Wettpunkt.com team were denied the victory after a ruptured fuel tank forced their boat from the competition with just 1.5 miles to go.

PHOTO CREDIT: BYM Sailing & Sports.

On of the highlights of this year's race was the fact that 70-year old sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first sailor to circumnavigate the globe single-handed and non-stop in 1969, teamed up with female powerboat champion Shelley Jory. Racing as Team Scorpion, they finished the race in fouth place, with Sir Robin navigating.

PHOTO CREDIT: BYM Sailing & Sports.

Once again, Europe’s oldest offshore endurance powerboat race lived up to its legendary reputation. Gordon Oliver, chairman of the Torbay Hospitality Association, said that a special series of celebrations would be held next year to celebrate Cowes-Torquay's 50th anniversary:

"For 2010 we're looking to bring together people who have played a part in Torquay-Cowes in the past. There have been lots of famous people who have participated. We really want to make it something to remember."

2009 Cowes-Torquay-Cowes - Official Race Results

1. - 558 - Cinzano - CUV/Ilmor
2. - R2 - Hot Lemon - Scorpion/Yanmar
3. - 47 - Relentless - Revenger/Mercury
4. - R14 - Team Scorpion - Scorpion/Yanmar
5. - 343 - Carbon Neutral - Revenger/Mercury
6. - 18 - Power Products - Phantom/Yamaha
7. - 130 - The Fugative - Shakespear/Yanmar
8. - 100 - Blastoff - Fountain/Mercury

It's Come to This: Fountain Files for Chapter 11

Clearly, times are still tough in the boating industry. Fountain Powerboats, which had just acquired Baja Powerboats last year, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization this past Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Company founder Reggie Fountain, who started the company in 1979 near Washington, N.C., told the UK news Agency Reuters that the company is talking to as many as nine possible buyers of their current marine inventory to help pay off liabilities. “Business has been very, very weak,” he explained.

PHOTO CREDITS: Fountain Powerboats

According to the filing, the company lists $18.4 million in assets against $50.2 million in liabilities. If a sale of the inventory assets is successful, the company will continue its search for new investors; court papers indicate that if the sale is not approved, the next move would be toward an "orderly" liquidation.

VIDEO: Old School Classic - 1968 Bahama 500 Offshore Race featuring Odel Lewis

I just came acroos this gem of a video, posted by Greg Terzian on Vimeo. It's a wonderful vintage documentary that gives you an inside look at the preparation that went into classic offshore races like the 1968 Bahamas 500. Directed by Mabry Edwards, the story of the 11-hour 530-nautical mile race features offshore icon Odel Lewis and is ably narrated by Dick Stratton.

While things have changed a lot over the past 40+ years -- especially regarding the speeds and technologies -- a lot of things haven't changed, either. The intense focus, dedication and fearlessness of competitors like Lewis (who won this particular race) is clearly evident, and that's something you can still see today.

For fans of real old-school offshore racing, the video is a real treat. These boats are not as big as today's monsters, and they don't have GPS, but you will see that they DO get a lot of air! The video also makes one wonder what happened to all of those great racing boats, and if any are still around.

To see more of Greg's posted videos, go HERE.

Lake of The Ozarks Shootout Just a Week Away

Last month, we told you a little bit about the great boating action to be found at Missouri's huge Lake of the Ozarks, otherwise known as LOTO. The eagerly-anticipated Lake of The Ozarks Shootout is the largest unsanctioned boat race in the United States, and was named by Powerboat Magazine as one of the "8 boating events that you must see." With speeds reaching well over 150mph on a mile-long drag course, boats from all across the United States, Canada, and beyond to vie for the honor of being “Top Gun”.

Last year's 20th Anniversary event, which was held at the new location of Captain Ron's brought a new and exciting chapter to the shootout. Crowds over the two-day wekend were estimated at over 60,000 spectators, watching David Scott & John Tomlinson re-captured Top Gun Honors with a top speed of 178 mph. This year's Shootout will continue to benefit the Lake Area Rescue Teams, as well as Habitat for Humanity, and other charitable organizations.

PHOTO CREDIT: www.lakeshootout.com.

This year's event, scheduled for August 27-30, promises to be another exciting weekend, filled with high speed fun and lots of serious partying. Accommodations throughout the region tend to fill up fast, so if you're planning on heading out there, you better get on the phone now and find out what's available. Check out the event web site HERE for more information.

2009 Shootout Schedule - Friday / Saturday / Sunday

Friday, August 28, 2009

7:30am-7pm Poker Run
8am Registration and Start at Franky & Louie's
9am-6pm On-site Registration on Cannonball Beach
9am-5pm Racer Village open to public at Captain Ron's
9am-5pm Vendor Booths open to public at Buccaneer Bay
6pm Stereo Shootout presented by Waves & Wheels at Dog Days
8pm-12am Platinum Powerboat Club Party at Cannonball Beach

Saturday, August 29, 2009

8am-4pm Registration on Cannonball Beach
8am-4pm Safety Inspections and Class Identification
9am-5pm Racer Village open to public at Captain Ron's
9am-5pm Vendor Booths open to public at Buccaneer Bay
8:30am Driver's Meeting on Cannonball Beach
10am Opening Ceremony
10am-11:30am PWC classes run
11:30am-12:30pm Professional/Manufacturer classes run
12:30-2:30pm Open Classes Run
2:30-4:30pm Professional/Manufacturer classes run
7pm Live Entertainment at Captain Ron's

Sunday, August 30, 2009

8am-3pm Registration on Cannonball Beach
8am-3pm Safety Inspection & Class Identification
8am Driver's Meeting on Cannonball Beach
9am-5pm Racer Village open to public at Captain Ron's
9am-5pm Vendor Booths open to public at Buccaneer Bay
10am National Anthem
10am-12pm Professional/Manufacturer classes run
12pm-2pm Open classes run
2pm-4pm Professional/Manufacturer classes run
4pm-4:30pm Final Top Gun runs
6pm Awards Ceremony at Captain Ron's
7pm Live Entertainment at Captain Ron's

Darren's Offshore Photo Gallery is a Feast for Powerboat Racing Fans

Not long ago, we came across Darren's Offshore Photos - a remarkable site that features some incredible shots of offshore powerboat racing from the past three decades. Not only is the site a treat for fans of racing and great action photography, it's a great repository of examples of racing boat design -- as you'll see some images of the hottest high-performance boats to ever hit the water.

Darren Luhrs, who took many of the photos, is well-known around the offshore racing circuit as "the world's number one fan." Darren has traveled all over the United States attending offshore races with his father, lifelong boat racer Rich Luhrs. Rich has also enjoyed a long career as a commentator for offshore racing telecasts, on networks such as TNN, ESPN and SpeedVision. Father and son can both be found prowling performance boat venues all over the world.

PHOTO CREDIT: Darren's Offshore Photos.

A lot of offshore racers and photographers also contribute to Darren's site. In fact, he will add your photos to the site if you like; send them to him in JPEG format and tell him how you want the credits listed. All submitted photos are posted on the "Racers Photos" page, with full credit for the shot and a link to your website. It's clear that Darren understands how important it is to preserve the history of offshore racing...as he notes on the site:

"My trips to the races have allowed me to assemble a huge collection of offshore racing photos and now the Internet allows me to share them with you. This site has been built for your viewing pleasure, so stop by often and send your friends."

PHOTO CREDIT: Darren's Offshore Photos.

The site features a wide range of subjects, including race action from Key West, New Jersey, Sarasota, SBI Bahamas, NBPA New York '03, St. Clair MI '06, World Record attempts and much, much more. If you find yourself sitting around this winter after your boat's in storage, and want something to get your adrenaline flowing once again -- be sure and drop by Darren's photo galllery for a quick pick-me-up. And don't forget to say "hi."

Fear of Water; No Experience - It Didn't Stop Rose Lores from Becoming a Powerboat Racer

Women-sports blog Girlracer [UK] has a fascinating story about Formula 4 Stroke Offshore Powerboat racer Rose Lores. Prior to starting her racing career in 2006, Rose had never driven a boat of any kind and actually had a fear of going underwater. Now, at 50, she's celebrating by unveiling a new boat - sporting a bright orange livery and a new name, reflecting her sponsors, Berkshire, UK-based relationship marketing company, Eclipse Marketing. In the midst of her fourth year of competion, Rose has her eyes firmly set on getting her hands on some silverware, and is working to boost her team's overall stamina and navigation skills to make that a reality.

PHOTO CREDIT: www.girlracer.co.uk

The article explains how, after some NLP sessions (neuro linguistic programming) to cure her fear of water, and a crash course in powerboat racing with 7-time world champion Neil Holmes, Rose set out to prove that she had what it takes. The story also goes on to report some of the challenges she and navigator Sharyn Brown have faced since then, as well as the team's involvement in the current long-distance Cowes races. Check out the full article HERE.