Movement of one person or another within the high-performance powerboat industry doesn’t usually qualify as news for the average go-fast boat enthusiast. But when someone who is as well known outside the industry as he is inside it makes a change, it’s worth reporting.

That’s the case with Vic Spellberg, the former director of sponsor promotions for Formula Boats/Thunderbird Products who has joined Cigarette Racing Team as director of sales and promotion. Based in Opa-Locka, Fla., Cigarette Racing Team is a short drive—brutal South Florida traffic notwithstanding—from Spellberg’s home in Fort Lauderdale

“Loving the ‘performance’ side of the business, I see Cigarette as a brand, epitomizing that lifestyle,” said Spellberg in a press release from Cigarette, “With my experience in racing and my long affiliation with such a variety of boats in the industry, I think I’m in a good position to help prospective Cigarette customers assess their needs and boating styles.  That’s a key to finding the right boat for the right person.”

Like Skip Braver, the chief operating officer and owner of Cigarette Racing Team, Spellberg is from Chicago and cut his high-performance boat teeth on the waters of Lake Michigan. Unlike Braver, Spellberg is a former offshore racer who teamed up with Scott Porter, the chief executive officer of Formula, to run a 30-foot Formula in the late 1970s. Spellberg continued to race through the mid-1980s, winning back-to-back Southeast Divisional Championships in 1985 and 1986

“As Cigarette’s customer base and business broadens, we need someone who can be the liaison between the factory, customers and dealers,” said Braver in the release. “We need someone who not only knows boating, but also the importance of top-quality customer service.  We think that is where Vic is going to be very valuable to Cigarette.  We work as a team here and he has those teamwork qualities.”

“We have a simple goal here—build the best-running, most reliable, safe and well-designed performance boat on the market,” Braver added. “We work at that every day and look forward to Vic’s contribution to that goal.”