Tag: offshore racing

Bud Light Boat Stomps by 28 Seconds

As mentioned earlier, the Bud Light Offshore Racing Team was truly in a class of their own Sunday.  Out of the 5 boats that raced in the Superboat Unlimited class, the Bud Light Team averaged an astounding 28 second lead ahead of the second place boat, winning first place.

Around 10 am the boats started arriving at Marina Landing on Panama City Beach, just at the foot of the Hathaway Bridge.  The boats were lifted from their trailers and lowered into the water, sometimes right into their respective slips.

“It was a great race. We got to the crane early, so we changed the gears and the props. That was definitely the right call,” said Johnny Tomlinson, Throttleman.

With 12 scheduled laps, the checkered flag was thrown on the 11th lap due to overwhelming mechanical failure of other boats.  24 boats competed in National Championships on this 6 mile course.

The wind was a gusty 15 knots early in the day and the seas had a moderate chop, but calmed as the day wore on.

“It just goes to show you, give us a little rough water and that’s the key. In this kind of race, the boat has to do some of the work and the motors don’t have to do it all. If you give us 2- to 3-foot seas, we’ve got an even playing field,” said Dave Scott, owner/driver.

The Bud Light Offshore Racing Team has a total of 67 wins with 10 National Championship Titles, 8 World Championship Titles, 6 Top Gun Titles, and 6 Official Speed Records.

The next and last scheduled race this year will be in Key West, Florida November 2 – 9.

Bud Light to Race this weekend

This weekend, the Bud Light Offshore team returns to Florida’s Gulf Coast for the Panama City Beach Super Boat National Championship. Dave Scott and team are looking to steer the Bud Light 50’ Mystic to another win in the Superboat Unlimited class.

This race could hold even more importance, as it will give the team a chance to check out other teams they will likely see at the World Championship in Key West, Fla., next month. Throttleman Johnny Tomlinson will be  watching closely to size up the competition.

“It will be good to get back in the ocean,” Tomlinson said. “Since it’s an SBI venue, there will be some boats there that we’ll go up against in the world championship. We’ll be able to get a feel for the competition that will be down in Key West and have a better idea of what we need to do to win.”

“I was there my second or third time racing, in 1987 or 1988,” Tomlinson said. “I haven’t been back there in years, but it’s very similar to racing Destin or Orange Beach. With that in mind, I feel confident that we’ll do well. We’ve got a good team, and we just need to continue on with our momentum.”

In 2007, Scott and crew won their tenth National Championship at Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. They also brought home the checkered flag in six regular season races. The team won its classes at the Lake Ozark Fire Rescue shootout and secured its eighth World Championship in Key West, Fla. The team’s most recent win of 2008 came at the Captain Ron’s Shootout, securing the Top Gun title with a speed of 178 mph.

Festivities for the Panama City Super Boat National Championship begin Friday, Oct. 3 as the race village opens at 9 a.m. On Saturday, all classes take to the water for testing at noon. National Championship racing begins Sunday at noon.

The Dave Scott Bud Light Offshore Race Team is one of the most successful offshore race teams in history, having earned eight world championships and ten national championship titles since 2001. The team is also the proud owner of six offshore speed records. Dave Scott, Johnny Tomlinson and Mike Seebold have more than 40 years of combined experience in offshore powerboat racing.