For the past eight years, the organizers of the Texas Outlaw Challenge in the Seabrook, Texas, area, have distributed a GPS unit to each competitor in its Friday morning top-speed shootout. Those GPS units have been used to determine to the winner of the event. But starting with the year’s speed contest, the Texas Outlaw Challenge—slated for June 22-26—will be capturing speeds with radar equipment.

GPS units will still be distributed to competitors. “They’ll be used as backup,” said Paul Robinson, the chief organizer of the five-day event.

Win Farnsworth will defend his 2015 top-speed title in Low Altitude at the Texas Outlaw Challenge this year. Photo courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

Robinson said the move is one of several the event is making to accommodate the increasing number of “shootout specialists” such as local hero Kenny Mungle of Gone Again and last year’s winner Win Farnsworth, who posted a 201-mph top speed in Low Altitude, his turbine engine-powered 50-foot Mystic Powerboats catamaran.

“Our track will be one mile long this year—ours has always been a bit longer,” Robinson explained. “We’re also adopting the 40-mph run-in speed for entering the track. We want to support this growing group of shootout specialists.”

Editor’s Note: A comprehensive feature on top-speed shootouts is included in the upcoming issue of Speed On The Water digital magazine, which will go live on Monday, March 21.

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