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By TOM RIFE (Contact)
Originally published 9:06 p.m., Saturday, November 1, 2008
Updated 9:32 p.m., Saturday, November 1, 2008
Full article link with video & photos
NAPLES — The transition was completed Saturday. What years ago was a watery East Naples rock pit made its debut as an ideal racing venue for the some of the fastest, sweetest-handling tunnel boats in the country.
With time trials and qualifying heats completed on Day One, the big races will be this afternoon at the Sugden Regional Park’s Lake Avalon. The inaugural Naples Grand Prix will bring down the curtain on the ChampBoat Series season, with crowns in both the F1 and F2 classifications up for grabs.
Not so surprisingly, the F1 leaders — they are the faster of the two classes — were familiar names and faces. Terry Rinker of Riverview, the season points leader going into Sunday’s 4 p.m. 60-lap finale, was the fastest of 15 F1 qualifiers at 28.62 seconds. He triumphed in one of his two 15-lap qualifying heats and finished second in the other.
Homestead’s Shaun Torrente, who went into the weekend just 49 points behind Rinker, had a good day Saturday. He won both of his qualifying heats after posting a third-best time of 28.75 seconds during the two-lap time trials.
Then there was Tim Seebold of Osage Beach, Mo., who came into the weekend in third place 160 points behind Rinker. Seebold equaled Torrente’s qualifying time (28.75 seconds), then went out and finished second in his first heat and first in his second, beating Rinker.
The driver’s heat times were combined to determine the starting order for Sunday’s final. And it was Seebold who came out with the No. 1 starting spot with a total time of 14:44.03.
Torrente will start second when the F1 screamers line up on the Lake Avalon beach Sunday for their exciting LeMans-style countdown standing start. Torrente’s total elapsed time Saturday was 14:53.80.
Rinker will start third today, with Lynn Simburger of Elsah, Ill., and Chris Fairchild of Paw Paw, Ill., rounding out the top five.
Seebold had an adventuresome day early Saturday, having engine problems on his first practice run. By day’s end, he was pleased with the way his boat performed on the .8-mile, rectangular course.
“We lost our best motor on the first test and I really didn’t know how qualifying would go because we hadn’t run with our qualifying prop,’’ Seebold said. “When we were in the heat races, the boat got better as each race went on. As soon as some gas got out of the boat, we really ran better.”
Saturday was not without some thrills and chills in both the F1 and F2 competition.
In the final race of the afternoon, Todd Beckman of Fenton, Mo., was the leader and holding nothing back. But near the end of the race, Beckman was maneuvering around the turn farthest from the starting line and “stuffed” the front end of the boat into the water trying to regain control.
Beckman attributed the spill to tight racing on the course and said the inner mechanics of his boat were badly damaged, even though there was no hull damage.
Beckman had emerged the No. 2 qualifier in time trials but by just .01 second (28.63) to Rinker.
“The bottom’s still on it,” he said after begin given a ride to the scorer’s stand by Torrente. His accident resulted in some confusion on the course and among scorers. The race was not red-flagged although some drivers thought it was. It took considerable time after the racing to untangle the timing process.
The F1 division Saturday was divided into two groups. Sunday, all 15 F1 Boats will be on the water at the same time.
In the second heat of the F2 class, a three-boat mishap created a scare. Going down the backstretch, Tom Kendrick of Tampa suffered a blowover (backward flip) and Bill Rucker turned sharply trying to avoid Kendrick. But when he turned, Rucker’s boat was nailed by Howie Nichols of Cocoa Beach.
The hulls of the Rucker’s and Nichols’ machines were damaged, and Rucker was taken to the hospital complaining of some back pain. It was just a few years ago that Rucker suffered a broken back while racing in Detroit. He was not expected to compete Sunday.
“I ran into Rucker, who was trying to avoid Kendrick,” said Nichols. “I turned out and he turned in and I gave him a love tap.”
In the F2 heat races, Rucker won the opening 10-lapper, followed by John Fleming of Woodlands, Texas. Third went to Jay Fox of Bay City, Mich. When the second F2 heat was re-run, Fleming was first, followed by Fox and Jimmie Merleau of Fenneville, Mo.
In the F2 division, Mark Proffitt of Lake City, Tenn., is the frontrunner, followed by Merleau and Jose Mendana Jr. of Miami.
The weekend racing caps a six-event season that began May 3-4 in Pickwick, Tenn. Other venues included Bay City, Mich., Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Algonac, Mich.
The ChampBoat Series awards banquet will be held Sunday night at the Cedar Hammock Golf Club.
Gates at Sugden open Sunday at 10 a.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 12:30. The F2 championship will be a 50-lapper at 2, with the 60-lap F1 final at 4 p.m.
Admission is $20 and parking is $10. Proceeds go to Childspeed, a charity organization founded by race chairman Brian Ohlis of Naples to help special needs children
Originally published 9:06 p.m., Saturday, November 1, 2008
Updated 9:32 p.m., Saturday, November 1, 2008
Full article link with video & photos
NAPLES — The transition was completed Saturday. What years ago was a watery East Naples rock pit made its debut as an ideal racing venue for the some of the fastest, sweetest-handling tunnel boats in the country.
With time trials and qualifying heats completed on Day One, the big races will be this afternoon at the Sugden Regional Park’s Lake Avalon. The inaugural Naples Grand Prix will bring down the curtain on the ChampBoat Series season, with crowns in both the F1 and F2 classifications up for grabs.
Not so surprisingly, the F1 leaders — they are the faster of the two classes — were familiar names and faces. Terry Rinker of Riverview, the season points leader going into Sunday’s 4 p.m. 60-lap finale, was the fastest of 15 F1 qualifiers at 28.62 seconds. He triumphed in one of his two 15-lap qualifying heats and finished second in the other.
Homestead’s Shaun Torrente, who went into the weekend just 49 points behind Rinker, had a good day Saturday. He won both of his qualifying heats after posting a third-best time of 28.75 seconds during the two-lap time trials.
Then there was Tim Seebold of Osage Beach, Mo., who came into the weekend in third place 160 points behind Rinker. Seebold equaled Torrente’s qualifying time (28.75 seconds), then went out and finished second in his first heat and first in his second, beating Rinker.
The driver’s heat times were combined to determine the starting order for Sunday’s final. And it was Seebold who came out with the No. 1 starting spot with a total time of 14:44.03.
Torrente will start second when the F1 screamers line up on the Lake Avalon beach Sunday for their exciting LeMans-style countdown standing start. Torrente’s total elapsed time Saturday was 14:53.80.
Rinker will start third today, with Lynn Simburger of Elsah, Ill., and Chris Fairchild of Paw Paw, Ill., rounding out the top five.
Seebold had an adventuresome day early Saturday, having engine problems on his first practice run. By day’s end, he was pleased with the way his boat performed on the .8-mile, rectangular course.
“We lost our best motor on the first test and I really didn’t know how qualifying would go because we hadn’t run with our qualifying prop,’’ Seebold said. “When we were in the heat races, the boat got better as each race went on. As soon as some gas got out of the boat, we really ran better.”
Saturday was not without some thrills and chills in both the F1 and F2 competition.
In the final race of the afternoon, Todd Beckman of Fenton, Mo., was the leader and holding nothing back. But near the end of the race, Beckman was maneuvering around the turn farthest from the starting line and “stuffed” the front end of the boat into the water trying to regain control.
Beckman attributed the spill to tight racing on the course and said the inner mechanics of his boat were badly damaged, even though there was no hull damage.
Beckman had emerged the No. 2 qualifier in time trials but by just .01 second (28.63) to Rinker.
“The bottom’s still on it,” he said after begin given a ride to the scorer’s stand by Torrente. His accident resulted in some confusion on the course and among scorers. The race was not red-flagged although some drivers thought it was. It took considerable time after the racing to untangle the timing process.
The F1 division Saturday was divided into two groups. Sunday, all 15 F1 Boats will be on the water at the same time.
In the second heat of the F2 class, a three-boat mishap created a scare. Going down the backstretch, Tom Kendrick of Tampa suffered a blowover (backward flip) and Bill Rucker turned sharply trying to avoid Kendrick. But when he turned, Rucker’s boat was nailed by Howie Nichols of Cocoa Beach.
The hulls of the Rucker’s and Nichols’ machines were damaged, and Rucker was taken to the hospital complaining of some back pain. It was just a few years ago that Rucker suffered a broken back while racing in Detroit. He was not expected to compete Sunday.
“I ran into Rucker, who was trying to avoid Kendrick,” said Nichols. “I turned out and he turned in and I gave him a love tap.”
In the F2 heat races, Rucker won the opening 10-lapper, followed by John Fleming of Woodlands, Texas. Third went to Jay Fox of Bay City, Mich. When the second F2 heat was re-run, Fleming was first, followed by Fox and Jimmie Merleau of Fenneville, Mo.
In the F2 division, Mark Proffitt of Lake City, Tenn., is the frontrunner, followed by Merleau and Jose Mendana Jr. of Miami.
The weekend racing caps a six-event season that began May 3-4 in Pickwick, Tenn. Other venues included Bay City, Mich., Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Algonac, Mich.
The ChampBoat Series awards banquet will be held Sunday night at the Cedar Hammock Golf Club.
Gates at Sugden open Sunday at 10 a.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 12:30. The F2 championship will be a 50-lapper at 2, with the 60-lap F1 final at 4 p.m.
Admission is $20 and parking is $10. Proceeds go to Childspeed, a charity organization founded by race chairman Brian Ohlis of Naples to help special needs children