Team AMSOIL #77
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| Bob Teague – Owner/Throttles | Paul Whitier – Driver | ||||||||||||||||
| Valencia, CA | Yarrow Pt., WA |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2010
Contact: Cherilyn Teague
661.295.7000 ph
661.295.7007 fax
TEAM AMSOIL OFFSHORE WINS ANOTHER CHECKERED FLAG AT THE SUPERBOAT SUNCOAST OFFSHORE GRAND PRIX IN SARASOTA
One of the most popular races annually, now for 26 years, is the Superboat Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix held on the 4th of July weekend in Sarasota, FL. The week-long event involves the entire community, which has now risen over $14 million dollars to support local children’s charities. Included in the week’s events is a parade of boats down the main streets of Sarasota, which then turns into a street party with tens of thousands of people in attendance.
Team AMSOIL Offshore participated in the parade and delighted the fans as the defending World and National Champions. Team AMSOIL was the Super Cat winner at the 2009 Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix in Sarasota. After the parade, the Team AMSOIL Skater race boat and hauler were positioned in the intersection of the middle of the annual street party which gave fans a chance to talk to the Team and have a close look at the boat.
Friday was spent preparing the boat for Saturday’s test sessions and ended with Team AMSOIL participating in a “Meet and Greet” event where fans were given the opportunity to donate to the charities in order to come in and have pictures taken with, and get autographs from, a handful of the race teams.
Team AMSOIL tested over 100 miles on Saturday in the calmer than normal conditions for the Gulf of Mexico. A great set up for the conditions was developed.
A morning rain storm on Sunday, in combination from swells coming in from a tropical depression in the Gulf, resulted in a significant change in the conditions compared to the day before. When Bob Teague and Mike Defrees took the AMSOIL Skater to the Gulf for the first race of the day, it was immediately apparent that it was going to be a tough day in a boat that was set up for calmer conditions.
When the green flag dropped, Team AMSOIL got stuck in traffic going into the first turn and one of the boats in the pack crossed in front of Team AMSOIL and took out the turn buoy. The new Stihl 388 Skater had a cleaner line on the outside and took the early lead in the Super Cat class. From that point on, there was a close deck to deck battle between the Stihl team and Team AMSOIL which ended up being one of the most exciting races of the day. Team AMSOIL was able to catch and pass Team Stihl and extend a lead of about 11 seconds. As the nearly 90-mile race progressed, Team AMSOIL was slowed a couple of times while lapping traffic and took a couple of huge flights in the rough conditions which enabled the Stihl team to come within a boat length heading into the final outside turn of the race. Team AMSOIL hit a large rogue wave which caused the boat to hook violently and end up on the wrong side of the turn buoy. Team AMSOIL was then forced to go back and “make up” the turn, allowing Stihl to cross the finish line first.
Post race inspections revealed that Team Stihl’s propellers did not meet the required specifications for thickness resulting in a disqualification for the Stihl team. Team AMSOIL was then awarded the checkered flag with Team Popeye’s placing second, and Team Dark Dog Energy Drink, running their new MTI, finishing in third place.
Team AMSOIL Offshore #77 welcomes Team Stihl and Team Dark Dog Energy Drink to the Super Cat/Cat Lite ranks and looks forward to more deck to deck racing with these great competitors.
AMSOIL’s great sponsorship package, dedicated racing department team and superior lubricants all make it possible for Team AMSOIL Offshore Racing to achieve success! The AMSOIL Dominator Racing Oil continues to be proven as the best choice for the Mercury Racing 525 EFI engines. The Team has also proven that the absolute best oil for a Mercury dry-sump VISSM drive is AMSOIL “MCF.” Teague Custom Marine is an authorized AMSOIL dealer and offers the complete line of high performance lubricants in its store and for purchase over the phone. There are also opportunities available for you to become a dealer!
Next stop: OPA/GEICO Race, Harrison Township, MI – July 16-18
See you at the races!
Official Amsoil Site: http://www.amsoil.com/racing.aspx
Official Teague Custom Marine Site: http://www.teaguecustommarine.com
Follow both Teague Custom Marine & AMSOIL Offshore Racing #77 on Face Book!
Photos provided by Steve Lippincott, Hal Wood (www.speedstylemagazine.com), & John Teague
