In an announcement made Friday evening at the Overland Park Boat Show in Kansas, Lake Race spokesperson Mike Shepherd said that Big Thunder Marine is going to be the title sponsor of this year’s Lake Race, which is scheduled for June 1-2 in Lake Ozark, Mo.

Big Thunder Marine is presenting the 2018 Lake Race on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks. Photo by Clint Schaffnit

Jeremy Anderson, general manager of Big Thunder Marine, sent me a “heads-up” text on Friday afternoon before the announcement and told me to check out the Big Thunder Facebook page at 6 p.m. Of course, I was consumed with work followed by my kids, but once the kids were in bed I jumped on my favorite Lake of the Ozarks news site—LakeExpo.com—and read Nathan Bechtold’s story and watched a video of the announcement courtesy of LakeExpo’s Deb Wolfe (right).

Along with Shepherd’s introduction, Anderson spoke about Big Thunder Marine’s excitement in increasing its involvement with the race as did his boss, Fred Ross—the man behind the rapid growth of Big Thunder Marine, which recently purchased Wake Effects, as well as the rebirth of the Baja Marine, Donzi Marine and Fountain Powerboats brands through Iconic Marine Group in Washington, N.C.

“We’re really excited to be sponsoring the Lake Race—it’s a big event and we’re happy to do it,” said Ross, who also expressed his enthusiasm for some of the new things shaping up for the Baja, Donzi and Fountain lineups in the near future. “We’re happy to grow with this event and be more and more a part of the Lake of the Ozarks.”

The Overland Park Boat Show, which is put on by the Lake of the Ozarks Marine Dealers Association, runs through Sunday at the Overland Park Convention Center.

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