St. Pete Powerboat Grand Prix: Sunday Results

Tampa Bay was showing its teeth on Sunday, March 29. Four-to-five-foot seas greeted the final day of the 6th Annual Monster Energy St. Pete Powerboat Grand Prix, and the conditions extracted their toll across all four offshore races.

Super Stock – Team Bermuda take the honours from Shaun Torrente

David Selley and Steven Bridges win Super Stock in their 32ft twin-engined catamaran, GL Construction/Team Bermuda (S-25). Bridges, the throttleman and boat owner, and Selley, at the wheel, started from pole position and led every lap. The win was their first at this level.

“This weekend meant a lot — back-to-back wins and a chance to stand on top of the podium, which has been a long time coming. The boat ran well and we have a great boat underneath us. A lot of hard work and effort goes into winning a race at this level, and we appreciate everyone who’s been part of the journey so far.” – Steven Bridges, throttleman/owner, Team Bermuda

“After competing in this race series for three seasons, today represents the result of an extraordinary amount of hard work, dedication and teamwork. This victory is not just a personal achievement, but a reflection of the effort and support of an exceptional team.” – David Selley, driver, Team Bermuda

Shaun Torrente and Matt Jamnickzy in STR-Allied (S-54) pushed hard throughout but finished second, eight seconds behind.

Wozencraft (S-8), crewed by Jeremy Tschida and Julian Maldonado, took third.

Big East Construction (S-89) came through strongly from P9 on the qualifying grid to finish fourth.

Luis Martins and Nick Imprescia finished sixth in Nuff Said (S-12), another Bermudian crew. They had run at the front of the fleet before a turn miscalculation cost them positions, with insufficient laps remaining to recover.

Torrente’s S-45 STR-Car Wash did not start.

Factory Stock – 6 Laps

Nick Imprescia and Ian Morgan in 151 Express (F-66, owned by Jorge Arellano) took the early lead, but Reese Langheim and Julian Maldonado in Jackhammer (F-42) moved through quickly and held the lead for the win. Sunday’s rough water made for a dramatic race: Jackhammer went airborne multiple times as the big seas swept under the boat, to the alarm of spectators on the waterfront. Joe Spoloric and Garrett Coonrod in Lake Wylie Racing (F-44) finished second; Rusty Williams and Chad Rudesill in Say Less MF (F-21) third, completing a demanding weekend for Williams who also competed in Super Stock. Caleb Mead and John Tomlinson in Mead Family Racing (F-5) finished fourth. 151 Express and Good Boy Vodka, with Earl Tucker and Alex Pratt, both retired with mechanical issues.

Super Cat – 6 Laps

Bill Pyburn and Brit Lilly, doing double duty after Pro Class 1, won Super Cat in Dirty Money Racing (#3), leading most of the race. Chris Grant and Jay Muller in Graydel / CJ Grant Racing (#54), who had taken an early lead, finished second – just under two seconds behind. Chase Muller and Jax Muller in Wicked (#6) came third. Kelly Kraiss in EWB Racing (#77) finished fourth. Pole-sitter Rob Unnerstall’s CR Racing (#08) and Howe 2 Live Offshore both retired on lap one.

Pro Class 1 – Race 2 – 7 Laps

With 4-5ft seas running on Tampa Bay, Sunday’s Pro Class 1 race was a different proposition to Saturday’s flat-water heat. Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil in Monster Energy/MCON (#06) take the win after DMR Performance was disqualified post-race for missing a buoy.

Bill Pyburn and Brit Lilly in DMR Performance (#03) had led early before missing a buoy and having to turn back to correct the error, dropping them to last place. They fought back through the field to reach second on the water, but the post-race penalty moved them to fourth. Monster Energy/MCON led throughout once DMR dropped back. Willy Cabeza and Johnny Tomlinson in GC Racing (#32) are elevated to second; Kevin Birrell and Billy Moore in Outta Pocket/XINSURANCE South (#10) to third.

X/Insurance North (#11), crewed by JJ Turk and Nick Buis, barrel-rolled during the race, landing upright. The boat sustained significant hull damage but is reported to be repairable. The crew were checked and found to be uninjured. WHM Motorsports (#5, Billy Mauff and Jay Muller) and Discrete Offshore Racing (#07, Adam Carpenter and Reese Langheim) did not start Race 2.

Pyburn and Lilly won Saturday’s Race 1 in DMR Performance. Miller and Coil take Sunday’s Race 2 for Monster Energy/MCON. The weekend split sets up a close Pro Class 1 championship battle heading to New Orleans.

Modified V

Kirk Hanna and Mark Rinda dominated from start to finish in NMBRV Resort (#33), taking the Modified V win. Steve Kildahl and son Stephen Kildahl in Boatfloater.com (#2) finished second. Dustin Clouatre and Owen Buis in their Louisiana entry (#74) broke down early and had to be towed in.