Produced by Race World Offshore, the 42nd annual Key West World Championships finished up its final suspenseful day of competition with 222 Offshore (Class 1), M CON (Super Cat), GC Racing (450R Factory Stock), Jackhammer (Super Stock) and Sun Print (Modified Vee) capturing World Championships. It was a day of mostly good weather, although whitecaps and stronger winds became an issue as morning turned into afternoon—which may have contributed to the day's sole accident.
Class 1 racing saw the 222 Offshore team of driver Darren Nicholson and throttleman Giovanni Carpitella complete 14 laps and take the win for the third consecutive day, handing them the World Championship. Owner/throttleman Tyler Miller and driver Myrick Coil finished second in Monster Energy/M CON, and in third place were driver Carlos De Quesada and throttleman John Tomlinson in Pothole Heroes. It was the first time Nicholson and Carpitella have raced together in Key West.
Running with the Class 1 boats were three Vee Extreme competitors. Today's winner was points leader Team Farnsworth/Hancock Claims Consultants, with driver Christian McCauley and throttleman Jay Healy, who snared the World Championship. In second place was Race Winning Brands, with driver Edward Wendt and throttleman William McComb. Team 25, with driver Kirk Britto and throttleman Robert Lockyer, went out with a mechanical failure. Also competing was the lone Extreme Class competitor, JBS Racing (with driver Jeff Stevenson and throttleman Micheal Stancombe).
Super Cat class saw points leaders Miller and Coil, driving their M CON/Monster Energy entry, follow 222 Offshore's trajectory of a three-peat win on Sunday, earning them the World Championship. Dirty Money (with driver Brit Lilly and throttleman Bill Pyburn) finished second, and CR Racing (with driver Rob Unnerstall and throttleman Casey Boaz) finished third. All three boats on the podium were 388 Skaters.
Yet another three-in-row story involved driver Reese Langheim and throttleman Julian Maldonado in Jackhammer, who continued to school their Super Stock competitors. The field of 11 boats had completed two laps when owner/throttleman Bill Allen and driver John Strama flipped in Team Allen Lawn Care, landing upside down after Team Performance Boat Center/FASS Fuel Systems with throttleman Rusty Williams and driver Myrick Coil launched off a swell and came down, hooked and veered left across the course in front of Allen and Strama—halting the action with a red flag. After the rescue team quickly extracted the pilots and the boat was towed off the course, points leader Jackhammer regained its early lead and retained it, capturing a World Championship. Northwing, with driver Daren Kittredge and throttleman Casey Boaz, finished second only a second or two behind Jackhammer, while Coco's Monkey, with driver AJ Bogino and throttleman Scott Porta, finished third. Big East Construction, Allied and Performance Boat Center all fell off pace and did not finish the race.
In 450R Factory Stock class, all driver Taylor Scism and throttleman John Tomlinson needed was a second-place finish in T/S Motorsports to clinch the World Championship, and second place was where the team stayed for nearly the entire race. But in the last turn of the last lap, driver Willy Cabeza and throttleman Shaun Torrente in GC Racing managed to get around them, and their second-place finish (behind winner Gladiator Canados, with driver Ervin Grant and throttleman Michel Karsenti) earned them suffient points to win them the World Championship.
UIM Class 3X competitors Michael Chandler and Austin Blocker ran unopposed all week in their Scratch N Sniff entry.
Four bracket classes brought up the rear in today's race action and for the weekend:
Bracket Class 2: Today's winner was OC Racing (with Joey Olivieri and Chris Volosin), followed by second-place finisher Batman Racing (with Eliot Toth and Jax Muller). But third place was all Predator needed to win the World Championship, and that's just where Dean Stahlman, Nate Hunt and Connie Hunt wound up at the end of the race. Congratulations, Team Predator!
Bracket Class 4: Simmons Marine (with Jim Simmons and Jason Zolecki) chalked up another win and captured the World Championship. They were followed by Team Woody and Allied (the former Shocker competitor).
Bracket Class 5: XINSURANCE/Golf n Gator, with J.J. Turk and Micheal Stancombe, took the win today, and the World Championship. They were followed by Bronx Phantom and Sweat Equity.
Bracket Class 7: #747 Statement/Bad Decision took the win today; they were followed by H:Craft in second and #720 XINSURANCE/Golf 'n' Gator in third. But third place was all the #720 team of Cameron Turk and Robert Bryant needed to take the World Championship.