One of the United States’ most popular offshore powerboat racing events has changed hands. Tim and Cyndee Hill, founders of the Roar Offshore Fort Myers Beach Powerboat Races, have sold the event brand to four-time F1H2O World Champion Shaun Torrente and fellow offshore racer Cole Leibel.
The Hills announced the sale on Wednesday, June 11, 2026. In a statement, Tim Hill said the decision came down to time rather than appetite.
Tim Hill said:
Roar Offshore was built through years of hard work, relationships, community support, and a shared passion for offshore racing. With the growth of AME Automotive, extensive work travel, and our continued involvement with Fort Myers Offshore, we simply do not have the time required to give Roar Offshore the attention it deserves. Shaun Torrente and Cole Leibel are the right people to carry this forward.
The Plan: Fort Myers Beach, Possibly in 2026
The race has been dormant since Hurricane Ian devastated Fort Myers Beach in September 2022, destroying much of the infrastructure on which the event depended. The island has been rebuilding steadily, and the new owners intend to take advantage of that recovery. The General Manager of Shaun Torrente Racing told Beach Talk Radio News this week that the goal is to return the races to Fort Myers Beach as soon as possible, even within 2026 if they can make it happen.
No dates or sanctioning body have been confirmed. Given that both Torrente and Leibel are competing in the IHRA Offshore National Championship Series, the sanctioning arrangement for a revived event will be worth watching closely. Roar Offshore previously served as the APBA Offshore National Championship.
Shaun Torrente
Torrente, based in Fort Myers, holds four UIM F1H2O World Championship titles, and he brings both racing credibility and deep roots in Southwest Florida to the role.
He has confirmed that 2026 is his final season in F1H2O, racing with the Victory Team as he chases a fifth world title. The season did not begin as planned. Torrente qualified on pole for the Grand Prix of Italy at Cagliari in Sardinia, led the opening lap, then dramatically barrel rolled out of contention. He was one of five drivers to barrel roll out of the race; every one of them walked away.
On the offshore side, Torrente is currently third in the IHRA Offshore Super Stock standings after three rounds, with his Allied-STR Powerboats entry on 279 points, 52 behind leader Team Bermuda on 331.
Cole Leibel
Leibel is a Canadian racer based near Toronto, and the owner of Big East Construction and Big East Marine, a dealership and marina on Lake Simcoe, Ontario, an hour north of the city. He is the nephew of Lorne Leibel, a legendary offshore racer who campaigned the Canada Homes and Bacardi Silver Supercats across more than 35 years of competition. Cole grew up attending the Key West World Championships as a child, watching his uncle race, and the Super Stock class was always where he intended to end up.
He made his Super Stock debut in 2022, racing a 32-foot Victory catamaran with twin Mercury Racing 300R outboards alongside throttleman Gary Ballough, a multi-time world champion with 30 years of experience in the class. The pair built steadily, and 2025 delivered a clean sweep: APBA Super Stock National Championship, World Championship, overall high points, and the reinstated APBA Star Island Trophy. Leibel was inducted into the APBA Hall of Champions Class of 2025.
Off the water, Big East Marine grew from a storage operation into a full marina with a paint and fibreglass shop and two full-time mechanics. In early 2025 it became MTI’s first official dealer outside the United States, a deal that came after Leibel had bought an MTI 390X catamaran as a personal boat. His 2026 IHRA Offshore campaign continues under the Big East/Raymarine banner alongside Ballough.
What Was Roar Offshore?
Before Ian, Roar Offshore had grown into one of the premier offshore racing weekends in the United States, drawing tens of thousands of spectators to Fort Myers Beach each year. A popular parade through the town added to its community character. At its peak it held the APBA Offshore National Championship, one of the most watched domestic offshore events in the country.
Powerboat News will report further when dates and sanctioning are confirmed.
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.
