Kevin Birrell and Outta Pocket Racing (#10) won Pro Class 1 Race 1 at Thunder on Cocoa Beach on Saturday, May 16, ending Monster Energy / M CON’s unbeaten run through the opening two rounds of the 2026 IHRA Offshore National Championship. Monster Energy / M CON (#06), which had taken all four Pro Class 1 races at St. Petersburg and New Orleans, started from pole and finished fourth. Racing continues on Sunday, May 17, with Pro Class 1 Race 2, Super Cat, Modified Vee, Factory Stock, Super Vee and Extreme, and Super Stock.
Pro Class 1 — Race 1
Dirty Money Racing (#03) led from the green flag and held first place through two laps before Birrell came through on lap three. Birrell posted the fastest lap of the race on lap four (4:08.669) and completed the five-lap distance in 22 minutes 42 seconds. Dirty Money Racing held second to the flag, 23.967 seconds behind.
GC Racing (#32) came from fourth at the start to take third, 2 minutes 10 seconds back. Monster Energy / M CON ran third through the first two laps before dropping to fourth, where it stayed to the end, 2 minutes 44 seconds off the winner. XINSURANCE (#11) posted a holeshot but did not complete a lap. Seven boats started the race — GC Racing, Discrete Offshore Racing (#07), and WHM Motorsports (#5) were among those not pre-registered for the event.
| Pos | # | Team | Laps | Time / Gap | Fast Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Outta Pocket Racing (Kevin Birrell) | 5 | 22:42.226 | 4:08.669 |
| 2 | 03 | Dirty Money Racing | 5 | +23.967 | 4:17.517 |
| 3 | 32 | GC Racing | 5 | +2:10.208 | 4:39.444 |
| 4 | 06 | Monster Energy / M CON | 5 | +2:44.032 | 4:42.500 |
| 5 | 07 | Discrete Offshore Racing | 5 | +4:34.872 | 5:03.712 |
| 6 | 5 | WHM Motorsports | 4 | 1 Lap | 5:33.034 |
| DNF | 11 | XINSURANCE | 0 | Holeshot DNF | — |
Race 1 — Bracket 600
Scott McCormick and Ride Legal Velocity (#611) won Class 600 over four laps in 30 minutes 17 seconds, moving from third on lap one to lead from lap two to the flag. Hammerhead Jackson and Hammerheads (#628) completed three laps in second, one lap down. One Design Racing (#603, Michael Sadlon) was third, also three laps. Ultimate Boat Racing (#602, Robert Goodwin) retired after one lap. Bad Attitude Racing (#688, Ricky Taylor) and First Responders (#609, Charles Weidner) did not complete a lap. Island Escapes (#605, Cassie Dziatlik) did not start.
| Pos | # | Team | Laps | Time / Gap | Fast Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 611 | Ride Legal Velocity (Scott McCormick) | 4 | 30:17.317 | 6:52.556 |
| 2 | 628 | Hammerheads (Hammerhead Jackson) | 3 | 1 Lap | 9:58.678 |
| 3 | 603 | One Design Racing (Michael Sadlon) | 3 | 1 Lap | 13:02.989 |
| 4 | 602 | Ultimate Boat Racing (Robert Goodwin) | 1 | 3 Laps | 9:53.034 |
| DNF | 688 | Bad Attitude Racing (Ricky Taylor) | 0 | DNF | — |
| DNF | 609 | First Responders (Charles Weidner) | 0 | DNF | — |
| DNS | 605 | Island Escapes (Cassie Dziatlik) | 0 | DNS | — |
Race 1 — Bracket 700
Pist’n Broke (#744) won Class 700 by 0.254 seconds over Fuel 1 Team (#746) in the closest finish of the day. Both completed three laps in just over 32 minutes. Dirt Legal Velocity (#789, Brad Christopher) led the first lap before falling back to complete two laps in third. Safecash / XINSURANCE (#742) also completed two laps in fourth. Team Progression REDRUM (#730) set the fastest opening lap before retiring after one lap. Five further entries did not complete a lap.
| Pos | # | Team | Laps | Time / Gap | Fast Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 744 | Pist’n Broke | 3 | 32:12.107 | 10:04.128 |
| 2 | 746 | Fuel 1 Team | 3 | +0.254 | 10:06.065 |
| 3 | 789 | Dirt Legal Velocity (Brad Christopher) | 2 | 1 Lap | 8:52.136 |
| 4 | 742 | Safecash / XINSURANCE | 2 | 1 Lap | 12:08.660 |
| 5 | 730 | Team Progression REDRUM | 1 | 2 Laps | 8:21.222 |
| DNF | 777 | Mad Max Racing (Max Zeldich) | 0 | DNF | — |
| DNF | 717 | Proven Marine | 0 | DNF | — |
| DNF | 700 | The Punisher (Derek Dawson) | 0 | DNF | — |
| DNF | 767 | Cory Shantry | 0 | DNF | — |
Race 2 — Bracket 400
Chris Colson and Shocker (#421) won Class 400 over four laps in 27 minutes 11 seconds. Shocker ran third through the opening three laps before pulling clear on lap four to take the class win. Unleashed Racing (#436), a new entry not pre-registered for the event, finished second, 23.921 seconds behind. John Iezzatti and Hartman / Xinsurance (#409) completed four laps in third, 1 minute 11 seconds back. Zacko Gerzeny and Killin It Offshore (#435) were fourth. Andy Foster and Team 07 Racing (#407), the class winner at the Round 1 season opener at St. Petersburg, retired after two laps. Burning Man Offshore (#499, Kyle Dietzen) did not complete a lap.
| Pos | # | Team | Laps | Time / Gap | Fast Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 421 | Shocker (Chris Colson) | 4 | 27:11.580 | 5:32.587 |
| 2 | 436 | Unleashed Racing | 4 | +23.921 | 6:36.311 |
| 3 | 409 | Hartman / Xinsurance (John Iezzatti) | 4 | +1:11.615 | 6:37.995 |
| 4 | 435 | Killin It Offshore (Zacko Gerzeny) | 4 | +1:55.509 | 6:52.491 |
| 5 | 407 | Team 07 Racing (Andy Foster) | 2 | DNF | 8:05.258 |
| DNF | 499 | Burning Man Offshore (Kyle Dietzen) | 0 | DNF | — |
Race 2 — Bracket 500
Superboat (#568) won Class 500 over four laps in 25 minutes 9 seconds, leading from the green flag. J.J. Turk and XINSURANCE (#574) finished second, one lap down. Gavin Jaffari and Tough Noogies (#511) were third, also one lap down. Darren Threlkeld and Back in Action (#576) were fourth. Fran Vellutato and Rum Runners (#522) completed two laps in fifth. Randy Moore and Blackbeard Offshore (#517) and Chris Hayes and Whiskey Throttle Racing (#549) both completed one lap. Team Yabbadabbadoo (#577, JD Ivines) and the #588 entry did not complete a lap.
| Pos | # | Team | Laps | Time / Gap | Fast Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 568 | Superboat | 4 | 25:09.062 | 5:55.311 |
| 2 | 574 | XINSURANCE (J.J. Turk) | 3 | 1 Lap | 6:44.493 |
| 3 | 511 | Tough Noogies (Gavin Jaffari) | 3 | 1 Lap | 6:22.299 |
| 4 | 576 | Back in Action (Darren Threlkeld) | 3 | 1 Lap | 6:39.169 |
| 5 | 522 | Rum Runners (Fran Vellutato) | 2 | 2 Laps | 6:55.716 |
| 6 | 517 | Blackbeard Offshore (Randy Moore) | 1 | 3 Laps | 7:49.250 |
| 7 | 549 | Whiskey Throttle Racing (Chris Hayes) | 1 | 3 Laps | 8:51.486 |
| DNF | 577 | Team Yabbadabbadoo (JD Ivines) | 0 | DNF | — |
| DNF | 588 | — | 0 | DNF | — |
Race 3 — Brackets 200 and 300
Race 3 ran to one lap. OC Racing (#221) won Class 200; Don Urfer and Justice League (#208) did not complete the lap. Zachary Kramer and Wehaulboats.com (#313) won Class 300; Team Woody (#327) — not pre-registered for the event — did not complete the lap.
| Pos | Class | # | Team | Laps | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 200 | 221 | OC Racing | 1 | 6:42.979 |
| DNF | 200 | 208 | Justice League (Don Urfer) | 0 | DNF |
| 1 | 300 | 313 | Wehaulboats.com (Zachary Kramer) | 1 | 7:54.393 |
| DNF | 300 | 327 | Team Woody | 0 | DNF |
Sunday
Racing resumes on Sunday, May 17, with six further races on the programme: Super Cat (Race 5), Modified Vee (Race 6), Factory Stock (Race 7), Super Vee and Extreme (Race 8), Pro Class 1 Race 2 (Race 9), and Super Stock (Race 10).
Thunder on Cocoa Beach 2026 — Event Guide
Tickets, venue information, full entry list, and schedule for Thunder on Cocoa Beach.
Event Guide2026 IHRA Offshore Championship Standings
Updated after every round of the national championship.
View Standings
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
