On Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Race World Offshore XINSURANCE Clearwater Offshore Nationals, a stroke of bad luck for one of their competitors turned into some good fortune for owner/throttleman Tyler Miller and driver Myrick Coil in the 43-foot Skater, Monster Energy M CON.

In the season finale for Race World Offshore, familiar names to offshore powerboat racing fans returned to the top of the podium. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

While the duo admitted they didn’t have the speed to challenge throttleman Grant Bruggemann and owner/driver Willie Cabeza in the 48-foot Marine Technology Inc., GC Racing/Marine Technology, they were close enough to take advantage when the latter rolled in the turn in the northern end of the 5-mile course in the Gulf of Mexico off Clearwater Beach, Fla.

After a two-lap restart, Coil and Miller returned to a place they hadn’t been in a little bit, the top spot of the podium in Pro Class 1. Second went to driver Brit Lilly and throttleman Bill Pyburn in the 47-foot Victory, XINSURANCE South, and GC Racing/Marine Technology was credited with third. Throttleman Nick Buis and driver J.J. Turk took fourth in the 48-foot MTI, XINSURANCE North and throttleman John Tomlinson and driver Carlos de Quesada ran fifth in the 42-foot Victory, Pothole Heroes.

“It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve gotten a checkered flag,” said Miller, who along with Coil had grown used to collecting those black-and-white pieces of fabric in the past three years. In Super Cat, the Graydel team continued to show impressive speed en route to a convincing win over an arch-rival. The winners in Factory Stock defended the inside lane for a wire-to-wire victory and the Super Stock race was a lesson in perseverance. The Mod-V class competition was a testament to getting back on the horse that bucked you off.

Coming into the season ending event that would decide national champions for the new World Powerboat Racing Association, the points chases were tight in Pro Class 1, Super Cat, Factory Stock and Super Stock classes. Some 46 teams registered for the event, but two boats in Mod-V, Relentless and Punisher, pulled out when the sister of Relentless throttleman Tom Maddalena was admitted to the hospital late in the week of September 22^nd. Additionally, the Mod-V entry Bronx Phantom withdrew with a blown engine and Cat 300 entry, TFR/XINSURANCE, scratched due to technical issues.

A Helluva Start
When competition started on Saturday afternoon, Bruggemann and Cabeza threw down the gauntlet, running the fastest lap on the course at 2:33:21 to take pole position. Second went to throttleman Pyburn and Lilly in XINSURANCE South, while driver J.J. Turk and throttleman Nick Buis ran third fastest in the 48-foot MTI, XINSURANCE North. Pothole Heroes qualified fourth and Monster Energy M CON ran fifth, earning the outermost lane in the start in the first race Saturday afternoon.

The Pro Class 1 GC Racing team looked like the team to beat heading into Sunday’s contest.

Miller knew that getting his team into a realistic challenging position would take a big change in setup. He, Coil and crew chief Jake Leckliter put their heads together and came up with a game plan. “We switched (drive) rotation, lowered the drives and put on new props,” said Miller. “What would normally take an hour or two was completed in less than an hour.”

When the green flag waved to start the six-lap Saturday race, GC Racing took advantage of its pole position to move out to an early lead ahead of Monster Energy and XINSURANCE South.

For Cabeza, the last three years have been a steep learning curve. He started in Factory Stock class with veteran throttleman Gary Ballough and then moved up to Factory Stock with Bruggemann last season before the duo talked to Marine Technology Inc. founder Randy Scism about building a Pro Class 1 boat.

“Gary Ballough is very talented, so I think when they first got together, it was the perfect pairing,” Bruggemann said. “He’s a good teacher and it was a good base for Willie to build upon.”

In December 2023, Scism called Bruggemann asking him to take over the throttleman’s position in the GC Racing Factory Stock boat.

“It’s like any new driver,” Bruggemann said of teaming with Cabeza. “You need to figure out what he likes and what he doesn’t like and how to convey your message to your driver. Once you figure out the small things with the driver, you can jell better and see how he reacts.”

A roll-over knocked the Pro Class 1 GC Racing team out of contention in Sunday’s race.

Bruggemann explained that the team worked hard on the balance of the boat and the team’s ensuing success has been based on that foundation. “We have to make sure changes we make are going to work,” said Bruggmeann. “We’re not here to waste Willie’s money and at the same time, we’re not here to save him any money.”

The duo’s checkered flag was a first win in Pro Class 1 for the driver and throttleman. “To actually get the win, that’s a feather in your cap,” said Bruggmeann.

The Pro Class 1 race on Sunday started out similarly. After winning on Saturday, GC Racing had the pole position and, despite an early charge from Monster Energy M CON, GC Racing defended its pole position in lane one and slowly pulled to the lead, building separation from the other boats in Pro Class 1.

The Monster Energy/M CON team’s Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil ran strong all weekend.

While leading comfortably, GC Racing entered the turn at the north end of the course. In what looked like a slide and hook, the 48-foot catamaran rolled gently, coming to a rest upside down in the middle of the turn. Cabeza and Bruggemann emerged unscathed from the incident, but the crash took them out of contention for the 2025 national championship in Pro Class 1.

Because the national championship in Pro Class 1 was so close coming into Clearwater and the two boats vying for the title were still in contention, RWO officials decided to restart the race and have the teams run two laps.

After the restart, Monster Energy/M CON led the two-lap shootout with XINSURANCE South finishing second. Because it had been leading before it rolled, GC Racing/Marine Technology was credited with third while XINSURANCE North came across in fourth while Pothole Heroes finished fifth.

“We need a little different water and both boats that ran ahead of us had great top speed,” said Pyburn. The tighter turns on the Clearwater course favored the boats that could use tunnel tabs and GC Racing and Monster Energy have that equipment.

After the points were tallied, Monster Energy M CON and XINSURANCE South were tied for the national points championship and the final tally was still under review.

Their Own Way
The two national championship contenders made up the Super Cat fleet in Clearwater with Pyburn and Lilly campaigning the 38-foot Skater, Dirty Money, and owner/driver Chris Grant and throttleman Jay Muller strapping into the 38-foot Skater, C.J. Grant/Graydel. The two boats had claimed all the checkered flags for 2025 and when the green flag waved, they drag raced to the first turn.

When the boats headed south, Graydel pulled ahead of Dirty Money and never looked back, leading all 12 laps in a wire-to-wire win.

Graydel prevailed in Sunday’s two-team Super Cat contest.

“We dialed in the boat last year and since then when I got in the boat with Jay, it was like putting on an old pair of gloves,” said Grant. “We just fit.”

He also acknowledged the move to Austin Blocker’s Outlaw Performance shop in Fort Myers, Fla., near the team’s engine builder, Hameetman Racing Engines in Cape Coral, Fla. “We created our own shop that focuses totally on our raceboat and the proof is in the pudding,” said Grant.

While Pyburn has had issues with how some races have been called in 2025, he said there was no question about who won the Super Cat race in Clearwater. “Graydel handed it to us today. They kicked our butt,” he said. “Jay and Chris did a phenomenal job.” The national championship for the class has yet to be determined.

Pole Position Dominance
Three boats competed in the Factory Stock race, but GC Racing had the national championship pretty much in hand when the team arrived in Clearwater. Bruggemann and Cabeza took their 39-foot MTI, GC Racing, to the front from the beginning and held the lead throughout the 10-lap race. Coming into the final race of the 2025 season, the MF Racing team decided to take advantage of an opportunity to have Caleb Mead switch seats in the cockpit of the team’s 39-foot MTI catamaran and get a lesson in throttling from one of the best throttlemen in the sport. John Tomlinson took the driver’s seat and coached Mead around the course, giving the teenager an invaluable one-on-one instruction session.

“I talked to him the whole way,” said Tomlinson. “When he caught on as quickly as he did, I wished we had put on more competitive props. I thought we were going to finish third.”

With yet another victory, the Super Stock-class Nautical Ventures team has found its footing and looks strong heading into the Race World Offshore Key West World Championships.

Instead, MF Racing held a solid second place throughout the race and the 38-foot Valor, Jackhammer/Manatee Marine Unlimited, with owner/driver Reese Langheim and throttleman Julian Maldonado finished third.

If there’s been one constant in the Super Stock class this year, it’s that Shaun Torrente and driver Matt Jamniczky in the 32-foot STR, Team Nautical Ventures, are tough to get around when they start a race in lane one. That was proven again in Clearwater when the duo pulled out to an early lead in the 10-lap race and maintained its advantage until the checkered flag waved. Owner/driver Jeremy Tschida and throttleman Maldonado gave chase in the 30-foot Victory, Wozencraft, followed by owner/throttleman Chad Havens and driver Leanna Shadlow in the 32-foot Doug Wright, Demon Bikini. Throttleman Greg Reichman and driver David Whelan made their debut in the 32-foot Victory, XINSURANCE/Moxie Racing, and pulled off the course after a few laps while running in fourth.

The Super Stock-class Wozencraft team continues to make strides.

For Torrente, every race in 2025 has been an opportunity to massage his one-of-a-kind 32-foot catamaran to improve its handling. “It was always fast, but now it turns really well,” he said. “We made another change so we wanted to come here to test it. For the first time in three years, going into Key West, I feel like we’re prepared.” The team is also the 2025 WPRA Super Stock national champion.

The Wozencraft team also made a big change for Clearwater, installing a tunnel tab on its boat and the throttleman noticed the difference right away. “We were catching Team Nautical Ventures,” said Maldonado. “We needed one more lap.”

Added boatowner Tschida, “I’m happy with the progress. Shaun’s always going to be a fierce competitor.”

Shadlow has quietly worked to improve her driving and that was rewarded with the team’s first WPRA podium finish in Clearwater. “It’s a matter of getting more time behind the wheel and Chad being patient with me,” she said. “In Michigan City, I felt like I earned people’s respect.”

Back in the Saddle

As the old saying goes, when you get bucked off the horse, you need to get back in the saddle as soon as you can to get your confidence back. That certainly looked like the approach that owner/throttleman Steve Miklos and driver Steven Fehrman took in their 29-foot Extreme, El Bandito Tequila, that took them for a wild ride a couple weeks ago.

Mod-V had its largest fleet registered for Clearwater with eight boats registered, but late in the week leading up to the race, the sister of Tom Maddalena, throttleman for the Relentless team was taken to the hospital. Relentless team owner Travis Pettko opted to skip the race as did Charlie McCarthy, who owns the Punisher boat. Then the Bronx Phantom boat blew an engine during testing, leaving five boats to take the green flag.

The El Bandido Yankee El Bandito Tequila team shook off a wild wreck in St. Petersburg to claim victory in Clearwater.

When that flag waved, owner/driver Kyle Miller and throttleman Jay Wohltman took an early lead in the 29-foot Extreme, Speed Marine. Defending national and world champions Buis and Turk ran a close second in their 29-foot Extreme, XINSURANCE/Statement Marine. Starting in an outside lane, Miklos and Fehrman were in third and the throttleman admitted he took things a little easy going into the first turn.

Fehrman, on the other hand, got right back on the horse, making an aggressive move that got him around XINSURANCE/Statement and into the lead. The team steadily stretched out its lead throughout the eight-lap race and claimed a much-needed checkered flag. “I told Steven, ‘I guess St. Pete didn’t scare you much,’” said Miklos. “He drove such a solid race, driving the boat deep into turns.”

Turk and Buis held second place, which was enough to earn them the WPRA Mod V national championship. Speed Marine finished third. Miller said the boat’s Marine Design Corporation trim indicator failed and the team was having communication problems.

In the national standings, Steve and Stephen Kildahl and their 29-foot Extreme, Boatfloater.com, finished second followed by Scott Jobin and Rick Raab in the 32-foot Phantom, XINSURANCE/Safe Cash.

Perfect Attendance
In Bracket 200 class, owner/driver Joey Olivieri and throttleman Billy Glueck continued their winning ways in the 39-foot Phantom, OC Racing. Owner/throttleman Chad Woody and driver Billy Shipley returned to the pits early in their 35-foot Fountain, Team Woody. Attending every WPRA race this season earned Team Woody the national championship for the class.

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Enjoy more images from this weekend’s offshore racing action in Clearwater, Fla.

A familiar name took top honors in Bracket 400 when driver Jake Coons and throttleman Jason Zolecki piloted the 34-foot Phantom, Simmons Marine, to victory. The team had been waging a good battle with the 29-foot Extreme, Drink Nauti.com/Framed, but throttleman Michael Flammia and driver John Jeniec, Jr., had to pull into the middle of the course after they hit something and the boat started taking on water. According to a text from Flammia, a 4-foot by 12-foot section of the bottom started leaking water into the boat. This moved the Boston-based 34-foot Phantom, Perdition, with driver John Thornton and throttleman Brian Williamson, up to second place. Because attrition had taken out three of the six boats in the class before Drink Nauti.com/Framed had its problems, the boat still finished third. The safety team did get the boat back to the docks before it sank. The victory gave Simmons Marine the national championship in the class followed by Miss Stress and XINSURANCE/Hartmann.

Bracket 500 and 600 classes ran the first race on Sunday and driver Matt Resca, the owner of Supreme Marine on New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee, joined throttleman Gavin Jaffarian in the Saris Racing-powered 30-foot Superboat, Tuff Noogies, to take the win. Second went to Damon Marotta and Damon Marotta Jr. in the 29-foot Warlock, Fuel 1 Team.com, and Darren Threlkeld and Jimmy Jensen finished third in the 30-foot Phantom, Back in Action. In the team’s rookie campaign, Tuff Noogies claimed the national championship followed by Pump It and Back in Action.

In Bracket 600, throttleman Jason Govatos and driver Mike McColgan took the checkers in the 26-foot Protector, MDG Fuel 1 Team. Owner/throttleman Scott McCormick and driver Bob Spitulski took second in the 26-foot Velocity, Velocity Powerboats, and Charlie Weidner and Bruce Dudley ran third in the 26-foot Armada, Team First Responders. These results are unofficial because the race was under review per WPRA officials.

The Jackhammer team continued its strong run in the Cat 300 class with another victory.

Seven boats in Bracket 700 class to race in Clearwater and there was no shortage of action or competition. When the spray settled after the seven-lap race, driver Greg Blutter and throttleman Craig Chiddenton took the checkers in their 21-foot Superboat, Proven Marine. Second went to Chris Colson and Raymond Evans in the 21-foot Superboat, Shocker and driver Brad Christopher and throttleman Connor Langheim took third in the 22-foot Velocity, Dirt Legal/Velocity Powerboats.

A close call that turned out with a positive ending safety-wise took place when owner/driver Dustin Clouatre and throttleman Owen Buis in the 22-foot Activator, Blind River Bar, tried to dive inside the team of Anthony Cruz and Robert Barneschi in the 22-foot Progression, Redrum. Blind River Bar got upended in the washing-machine-like water and ran up on the latter, making contact with Cruz who was driving. Fortunately, all involved were OK but the incident resulted in officials hitting Blind River Bar with a 1-minute penalty. In the national standings, Dirt Legal/Velocity Factory Racing took the top spot followed by Redrum and XINSURANCE/Safe Cash.