Evolution of powerboat racing showcased in Lake Havasu Classic – Today’s News-Herald

Engines revved up along Thompson Bay as people watched powerboat racings return in Lake Havasu City on Saturday.

The Nautical Beachfront Resort hosted the Lake Havasu Classic Outboard Championships a contemporary version of the Outboard World Championships that used to occur annually in the early days of the city. The World Championships was once known as the premiere outboard race in the world.

The event had 39 racers across three classes Formula 1, Formula Lights and Tri-Hull. Saturday featured heat races for all three classes. Finals for each class will take place on Sunday.

Compared to endurance racing during the events heyday, the revived event features more fast-paced action. The original event served as more of a showcase for boat engine manufacturers whereas now its about entertainment for the spectator.

Back then, the course was bigger and longer and it was a marathon race, NGK Spark Plugs Formula 1 Powerboat Series Director Tim Seebold told the News-Herald in June. They would race four hours at a time and have co-drivers and switch and then theyll come back the next day and do the same thing.

What we do now is the course is more condensed. Its about 8/10 of a mile and its all in one spot and it's fast action, and theyre quickie races. You see several races in the day rather than one long one.

Saturdays action was indeed fast-paced for attendees, who watched from various areas at the resort. The Formula 1 class raced in two different groups, with each cohort driving in two heats. Each race lasted around five to six minutes.

Even though powerboat racing has changed over time, competitors from this years event have great respect for legends who paved the way during the historic World Championships.

They made history, really, Wyatt Zoeller said. They flew around in those classic F1 boats and they didnt have the Tri-Hull class back then, obviously, they had the F1s and those guys are the greatest. They really are. Theyre the guys who invented this sport.

Zoeller drives in the Tri-Hull class and is fairly new to the sport, as this weekends event serves as his third race. Zoeller, who is from Texas, said he drove over 16 hours to Havasu to compete this weekend.

The Texas racer, who drives the No. 42 vessel in his class, hopes to be back in Havasu next year, as Havasu Mayor Cal Sheehy announced Friday at the London Bridge Beach Party that the event is set to become a recurring annual event. The original World Championships used to serve as an annual Thanksgiving tradition in Havasu, taking place during that weekend.

Im hoping to be here repeatedly, Zoeller said. Its a beautiful place. A lot of people out here, they seem to enjoy this stuff. So were just here to give them a good show.

Troy Zoeller, who owns the No. 42 Tri-Hull vehicle, commented on the style of todays racing, saying the technology has come a long way.

Now its more of time and speed, Troy said. Its crazy watching these guys. Its just totally different.

Troy didnt want to take anything away from past drivers, as he described them as tremendous racers. When he arrived in Havasu, Troy noticed the historical significance of the event with pictures of past racers displayed at the Nautical.

Its tremendous looking at those pictures, Troy said at Fridays beach party. A lot of those people I met today, theyre in those pictures. This is also an old racers reunion. I met some of those guys and its crazy to talk to them.

Grant Schubert, who is one of this weekends youngest drivers at 17, said the fast-pace races today are dramatically different compared to the endurance format years ago.

You dont have to make the fastest lap every lap because youre trying to make it over a period of four hours, Schubert said about endurance racing. But with the sprint races, you have a guy right next to you, racing as hard as you can for like 20 minutes. So it makes it more competitive and more deck-to-deck, as I like to call it, and it makes it more entertaining for viewers and even the racers in the boat.

Schubert came in second Saturday during his Tri-Hull heat race, behind Cory Walker. The 17-year-old is also competing in the Formula Lights class this weekend. Hes another driver from Texas, hailing from Richmond, a town near Houston. Schubert, who has raced since he was 11, drives the No. 13 vessel in both classes.

Sundays action of the Lake Havasu Classic begins at 10 a.m. with the third heat for the Formula Lights class. Finals in each class will take place Sunday starting with the Formula Lights at 2:30 p.m. A 20-lap final for the Tri-Hulls and a 17-minute race for the Formula 1 finals will follow.

Awards will immediately begin after the conclusion of the final race at the Nautical. Full results can be viewed online at ngkf1.com.

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Evolution of powerboat racing showcased in Lake Havasu Classic - Today's News-Herald