The AMSOIL Offshore racing team traveled to Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. last weekend to compete in the inaugural OSS Don Aronow Memorial Offshore Powerboat Challenge.
The first event of the weekend was an endurance race from Miami to Bimini and back. Team AMSOIL entered the 2008 Bimini Run a
nd was looking to set an official OSS speed record. Twenty-two boats in various classes and configurations started the long range race. The boats were started at ten second intervals and were each timed separately. Team AMSOIL drew the 10th starting spot. During the 106 plus mile race, Bob Teague and Paul Whittier ran at a consistent pace, passing all of the boats that started ahead of Team AMSOIL with the exception of one from the Unlimited class. Team AMSOIL finished as the second fastest boat overall and placed as the first officially-OSS-sanctioned boat, with a completion time of 1 hour, 4 minutes and 47 seconds. Team AMSOIL’s average speed during the record run was 98.381 miles per hour. This excellent performance resulted in Team AMSOIL being declared the winner and record holder of the OSS Cat Lite Class for this event.
The water and wind conditions changed overnight and some adjustments had to be made based off what was learned on Saturday. Prop selections were adjusted and weight was moved in the boat to accommodate the rougher conditions.
For the OSS points race, Team AMSOIL was assigned the number two lane in the starting position with Peppers on the inside and Team PropStop.net and Popeye’s Famous Chicken in the next two lanes to the right. When the pace boat threw the green flag, a battle ensued with Peppers down the first straightaway and into turn number one. The battle continued down the back stretch with Team AMSOIL gaining momentum on the inside lane. Peppers pulled in front of Team AMSOIL at turn four and Bob Teague and Paul Whittier intentionally drove through Peppers’ rooster tail to carry speed on an outside line. The maneuver resulted in Team AMSOIL passing Peppers at the exit of the turn. From there, Team AMSOIL continued to extend the lead over the Cat Lite fleet. During the race, Bob and Paul continued to dominate the class and ended up approximately 2 1/2 miles ahead of the second place boat. Team AMSOIL completed the 13 lap race in a total time of 46 and a half minutes with an average speed of 95.33 miles per hour.
The Bimini Record run and OSS race at Sunny Isles bring Team AMSOIL's win total to five in a row. Currently, Team AMSOIL is in first place in the points race in POPRA, OPA Triple Crown, and OSS. Up next for Team AMSOIL will be an SBI race in Sarasota, Fla. on the Fourth of July weekend.
nd was looking to set an official OSS speed record. Twenty-two boats in various classes and configurations started the long range race. The boats were started at ten second intervals and were each timed separately. Team AMSOIL drew the 10th starting spot. During the 106 plus mile race, Bob Teague and Paul Whittier ran at a consistent pace, passing all of the boats that started ahead of Team AMSOIL with the exception of one from the Unlimited class. Team AMSOIL finished as the second fastest boat overall and placed as the first officially-OSS-sanctioned boat, with a completion time of 1 hour, 4 minutes and 47 seconds. Team AMSOIL’s average speed during the record run was 98.381 miles per hour. This excellent performance resulted in Team AMSOIL being declared the winner and record holder of the OSS Cat Lite Class for this event.The water and wind conditions changed overnight and some adjustments had to be made based off what was learned on Saturday. Prop selections were adjusted and weight was moved in the boat to accommodate the rougher conditions.
For the OSS points race, Team AMSOIL was assigned the number two lane in the starting position with Peppers on the inside and Team PropStop.net and Popeye’s Famous Chicken in the next two lanes to the right. When the pace boat threw the green flag, a battle ensued with Peppers down the first straightaway and into turn number one. The battle continued down the back stretch with Team AMSOIL gaining momentum on the inside lane. Peppers pulled in front of Team AMSOIL at turn four and Bob Teague and Paul Whittier intentionally drove through Peppers’ rooster tail to carry speed on an outside line. The maneuver resulted in Team AMSOIL passing Peppers at the exit of the turn. From there, Team AMSOIL continued to extend the lead over the Cat Lite fleet. During the race, Bob and Paul continued to dominate the class and ended up approximately 2 1/2 miles ahead of the second place boat. Team AMSOIL completed the 13 lap race in a total time of 46 and a half minutes with an average speed of 95.33 miles per hour.
The Bimini Record run and OSS race at Sunny Isles bring Team AMSOIL's win total to five in a row. Currently, Team AMSOIL is in first place in the points race in POPRA, OPA Triple Crown, and OSS. Up next for Team AMSOIL will be an SBI race in Sarasota, Fla. on the Fourth of July weekend.
Until then, we'll see you at the races.
