Race World Offshore’s World Finals in Key West finally got underway on Friday, after the first scheduled day of racing on Wednesday was canceled because of Hurricane Rafael, which was passing by Florida. It was the third offshore race affected by poor weather, after Tropical Storm Helene put the kabosh on RWO’s Clearwater race in September and Hurricane Milton pulled the plug on P1 Offshore’s St. Petersburg race in early October.
“It all worked out well,” said race director Larry Bleil said on Friday morning. “There wasn’t really enough rain to really totally swamp the pits here at Truman Waterfront Park. It was rough yesterday, because we still had a lot of wind going through, and it was a challenge setting up all this outer mole pier for the VIP and vendors. Yesterday, we did the work in one day that we usually spend three days doing.”
Weather had improved significantly by Friday, with water and wind conditions being significantly milder than had been predicted. It was a day pure thrills, with some boats trading off on the lead—sometimes several times in a single race. Here are the highlights:
PRO CLASS 1—Six teams, including reigning World Champions Darren Nicholson and Giovanni Carpitella in 222 Offshore Australia (racing under the MobileX/Walmart banner), faced off in Key West. The 222 team, absent from USA competition this season, immediately reminded spectators of its winning ways by grabbing the lead and keeping it for the entire race. Defalco Racing (with Mike Falco and Billy Moore) held a second-place position, with Morpheus8 (with Carlos De Quesada and John Tomlinson) right behind them in third. XINSURANCE (with Randy Kent and Brit Lilly) finished in fourth place, and Monster Energy/M•CON finished in fifth. Sadly, Richard Wyatt and Alex Pratt in the dfYOUNG/Good Boy Vodka Mystic suffered a broken drive shaft near the beginning of the race and did not finish.
“The boat ran very well,” Carpitella said of the 49' Victory hull. “You know, it's been a year since we’ve jumped into the boat, and it's difficult to figure out the setup, because the Florida weather is constantly changing.” Teammate Nicholson added: “Credit to the guys for getting the boat ready. Giovanni's good because he's raced a bit this season, but I was a bit rusty. I’ve got to get a bit better at it.”
SUPER CAT—Eight competitors in this class (five of which were Douglas Marine Skaters) threw down in Key West. Reigning Super Cat World Champions Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil took the early lead in M•CON Racing/Monster Energy, with Bill Pyburn and Brit Lilly close behind in Dirty Money. But then, after the second lap, M•CON went off plane, allowing Dirty Money to take the lead. CJ Grant Racing/Graydel (with Chris Grant and Billy Moore) moved into second and Austin Homes (a 39' Outerlimits with Vinnie Diorio and Matt Jamniczky) took the third-place position. They held third for a few laps, until taking a spin in turn 2, allowing Billy Mauff and Jay Muller to take third toward the end of the race. CR Racing (with Casey Boaz and Rob Unnerstall) took fourth. Farnsworth Motorsports/Hancock Claims (with Christian McCauley and Anthony Smith) experienced a mechanical issue and went out.
FACTORY STOCK 450R—Six boats (including three MTIs and three Doug Wright hulls) took part in the final 450R bout before the class changes to 500R for the 2025 season. Grabbing an early lead, Logan Adan and Giovanni Carpritella in their 38' Doug Wright Montlick Injury Attorneys were chased by Michel Karsenti and Ervin Grant in Gladiator Canados (another Doug Wright) for a lap before being overtaken by them. Then, with three laps remaining, Montlick regained its lead over the Gladiator. With two laps remaining, Gladiator once again overtook Montlick (after experiencing an apparent Guardian issue) to take the lead. GC Racing (an MTI 390XR with Willy Cabeza and Grant Bruggemann) moved up from fifth to take third place. 151 Express (with Nick Imprescia and Ian Morgan) finished fourth, Hank’s Saloon (with Coby Harrison and Edwin Scheer) finished fifth, and Marine Technology (with Taylor Scism and Johnny Tomlinson) finished sixth.
EXTREME—Micheal Stancombe and his father, George Stancombe, ran uncontested in their 36' Skater with twin Mercury Racing 500Rs, Yardarm Marine Products/Peppers Racing.
SUPER STOCK—With 14 teams, this was the largest field of competitors in Key West. Friday’s Super Stock race was one of attrition—and ultimately, an accident that resulted in a red flag and the end of the race. Team Allen Lawn Care & Landscaping (with Billy Allen and Randy Keys) dominated this competition, leading for most of the race. They were followed by Daren Kittredge and Casey Boaz in Northwing Offshore, which finished second, and AJ and Pete Bogino in Coco’s Monkey in third. Unfortunately, heading into the last lap of the race, Team Celsius (with Chris Hopgood and Jay Muller)—which had been in third place—flipped over and landed upside down. The pilots got out quickly and safely, but the accident ended the race (which happened to be Friday’s final race). Raymarine (with Cole Leibel and Gary Ballough) suffered a mechanical issue, as did Team Bermuda (with David Selley and Steven Bridges) and Mom Ain't Happy (with Tom Kennedy and Scott Blumberg).
“Casey and Daren chased us the whole time,” said owner/throttleman Billy Allen after the race. “Our spotters were in our ear the entire time, saying, ‘They're on you guys!’ I hate being chased, but Randy did a wonderful job getting us through the corner, especially down there in the harbor.” Keys, his driver, added: “It was a tough race. Northwing was in our hip pocket the whole time, but Bill got us through the corners and got me where I needed to be. Having a guy like him on the throttles through this rough water makes my job look pretty easy.”
MOD VEE—One of the most exciting races of the day featured Kyle Miller and Jay Wohltman in Speed Marine, who took an early lead among their eight competitors as they battled 2023 World Champion El Bandido Tequila (with Steven Fehrman and Steve Miklos) for first place. After trading off on the lead several times, El Bandido eventually charged ahead to take the first-place position. Then NMBRV Resort (with Kirk Hanna and Mark Rinda) also managed to pass Speed Marine to take second, leaving third place for Miller and Wohltman.
SUPER VEE—Three teams entered this class, including Farnsworth Motorsports/Hancock Claims. Driver Elijah Kingery and throttleman Anthony Smith took the lead and held onto it for the win. They were followed by Race Winning Brands (with Ed Wendt and William McComb) and Cortez Cove/Fountain Racing (with Kirk Britto and Rob Lockyer).
3X—Michael Chandler and Austin Blocker ran uncontested in Scratch N Sniff, their 1986 Hustler.
3C—Cameron Turk and Micheal Stancombe ran uncontested in TFR/XINSURANCE, powered by a single Mercury Racing 300R.
The following are unofficial results from Bracket Class racing, pending tech inspections:
BRACKET 200—Joey Olivieri and Billy Glueck led from pole to pole in their 39’ Phantom OC Racing to take the checkered flag. Behind them, Two Conchs/Harpoon Harry’s (with Scott Brown and Ed Tamberino) finished in second place, while the other two competitors in the class, Team Woody and Herbott Racing, suffered mechanical issues.
BRACKET 400—SRQ Racing (with Cory Shantry and Larry Fontecha) performed triumphantly, taking an early lead. Competitor Framed Offshore (with John Jeniec Jr. and Michael Flammia) got around SRQ, but Shantry and Fontecha regained their lead to finish in the top position. Framed took second and Trump 2024 (with Mark Fernandes and Damon Marotta Sr.) took third. Laticrete / Relentless (with Travis Pettko and Rob Hartmann) slowed to a stop and was temporarily out of commission, but rejoined the fleet to finish the race.
BRACKET 500—J.J. Turk and Nick Buis took the early lead in their 29’ Phantom TFR/XINSURANCE/Golf N Gator, gradually widening that lead in the seven-boat field as the race went on to take first place in the class. Rum Runners (with Thomas Crowley and Francis Vellutato) finished second, and Seat Equity (with Greg DiRenzo and Ryan Beckley) taking third place.
BRACKET 600—After running in second place for most of the race, Michael Lang and Johnny Saris in Moderation took the lead away from American Hustle and got the checkered flag. Hustle (with Brandon Horrocks and Mike Eyre) was second on the podium, while Velocity Powerboats was third.
BRACKET 700—Bad Decisions/XINSURANCE (with Ricky Harmeyer and 16-year-old Owen Buis) led the entire race to take the checkered flag. Statement/XINSURANCE (with John Iezzatti and Jerry Hartman) finished second, and Proven Marine (with Greg Blutter and Craig Chiddenton) finished third. Jackhammer (with Connor Langheim and Mike Haak) went down briefly, but managed to re-enter the race (minus a cowling).
The World Championships conclude on Sunday, with an exciting double-points race.