Dylan Anderson won Round 4 of the IHRA F1 Powerboat Series at Marble Falls, Texas on Sunday, taking the Battle on the Colorado victory after championship leader Spencer Love’s motor failed with 13 laps remaining, handing the Anderson Marine Racing machine the lead it would not relinquish.
Love had controlled the race from pole, running the fastest laps of the opening phase and building a clear advantage over Anderson in second. Then, on lap 14 of 29, his Firefly Aerospace #24 slowed dramatically coming off the front straight and pulled off the course. Anderson inherited a lead he managed without drama to the flag.
Dylan Anderson, driver of the number 17 Anderson Marine/Elite Direct Finance entry, said:
“Those guys definitely don’t hand it to anybody. They’ll make you work for every single position. I’m really happy to come up from fourth to first. Unfortunately it looks like Spencer broke — that’s part of it in this sport, you don’t always have your stuff stay together the whole time. I have no doubt he’d have stayed out front. He’s a pretty good driver and he’s back at full attention, making a hard run at that championship.”
Chris Rinker pushed Anderson hard to the end, closing to 1.627 seconds at the flag with the fastest lap of the race at 34.192 seconds. Rinker’s weekend had been defined by adversity — a power steering failure in Heat 3 left him wrestling the boat through eight laps before he dropped back — yet the Sylvan Pontoon Boats #52 and its crew kept finding answers.
Chris Rinker, second in the number 52 entry, said:
“We lost power steering in that last heat race — it was like wrestling an alligator in there. We’ve had a rough weekend all weekend. I don’t think you could have any more challenges, but my team rose to the challenge and we got it done. Family doesn’t always make a great team, but my family does.”
Jeremiah Mayo completed the podium in third, 11.151 seconds back, having climbed from fifth at the start with a measured, consistent drive that brought him past Jensen in the closing laps.
Jeremiah Mayo, third in the number 8 boat, said:
“We started off qualifying about as bad as you could, then worked our way up. Whenever you’ve got a little bit of speed, hang on their hip, and if they make a mistake, jump on it. You’ve got to look two boats ahead, not just the guy you’re racing.”
Grant Schubert produced the drive of the day without winning it. Starting from the back of the grid after recording no laps in Heat 3, the Captain March Racing #13 ran the fastest single lap of anyone in the final at 34.117 seconds and carved his way from 11th to fourth, only for a problem in the closing laps to drop him momentarily before he held on to finish 4.2 seconds behind Mayo. Schubert had gate problems off the dock in Heat 3 after his collision with Tate in qualifying, starting the final from a position that made his recovery all the more notable.
Jared Jensen finished fifth. It was a difficult weekend for the Island Lake Marine #29, who barrel-rolled in Heat 2 on Saturday and ran his third motor of the weekend in the final, managing the situation rather than gambling. Jensen held third briefly after Love’s retirement before Mayo squeezed past him through the dog leg, and he finished 25.277 seconds behind Anderson.
Kyle Maskall, making his Battle on the Colorado debut, finished sixth, recovering from the steering failure that ended his Heat 3 before a lap was recorded. Johnny Fleming, also running the event for the first time, was seventh. Jeff Reno eighth, Travis Yates ninth, Aiden Benton tenth.
Andrew Tate did not start the final. His #14 Fenom Venture boat, a former Alberto Comparato F2 hull now powered by a Mercury Racing APX 250 four-stroke, sustained damage in a collision with Maskall during Heat 3 qualifying and his weekend was over. Tate had won the series opener at Bradenton before damaging the hull badly at Port Neches, and was absent at Shreveport. He arrived at Marble Falls having spent the previous weekend testing his U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate unlimited hydroplane ahead of the H1 Unlimited season, which opens at Madison, Indiana on July 3.
Qualifying
Anderson was the class of the field through the three qualifying heats, taking pole in Heat 1 with a fastest lap of 33.388 seconds, the quickest single lap recorded across the entire qualifying day. Schubert won Heat 2 from the reversed grid with a 34.055-second best, the standout performance of the session. Jensen won Heat 3, running from second for the first ten laps before moving to the front on lap 11 and taking the session.
Wind was the story of Heat 3. A sustained south-easterly made the Colorado River increasingly choppy through Sunday morning, and four drivers recorded zero laps in the session. Tate and Maskall were involved in a collision. Schubert had dock issues after his own contact with Tate. Travis Yates also did not record a lap. Benton led the heat for the first ten laps before retiring with motor trouble and being towed in.
F-Light: Bobalik Leads 24 Laps, McKee Goes Airborne in Last-Turn Incident
Brandon Bobalik led every lap of the Formula Light final from the front before a coming-together with Jake McKee #01 at the final turn mark on lap 25 ended his race. Bobalik’s #60 had been untouchable across 24 laps, running consistent mid-34-second laps while the field chased. The contact sent McKee’s boat airborne. Both drivers were unharmed. McKee limped to the finish in seventh, two laps down.
Jose Mendana inherited the lead and held off Jared Wallach by 0.378 seconds at the flag, with Addison Dumford third. Mendana had run third throughout the entire race before the incident promoted him, his 34.002-second fastest lap the second quickest in the class behind Wallach’s 33.428.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Laps | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Jose Mendana | 27 | – |
| 2 | 69 | Jared Wallach | 27 | +0.378 |
| 3 | 52 | Addison Dumford | 27 | +3.938 |
| 4 | 93 | Bryston Sherman | 26 | +1 lap |
| 5 | 82 | Kolby Crook | 26 | +1 lap |
| 6 | 12 | Jack Schubert | 26 | +1 lap |
| 7 | 01 | Jake McKee | 25 | +2 laps |
| 8 | 24 | Shelby Love | 25 | +2 laps |
| 9 | 2 | Travis Thompson | 25 | +2 laps |
| 10 | 6 | Karissa Sadl | 25 | +2 laps |
| 11 | 60 | Brandon Bobalik | 24 | DNF |
| 12 | 35 | Mark Schmerbauch | 23 | DNF |
Tri-Hull: Marsh Wins from Flag to Flag
Neal Marsh led the Tri-Hull final from start to finish, crossing the line 2.246 seconds ahead of Cole Wehring after 20 laps. Mason Rinker was third, 6.965 seconds back. Tanner Rinker, Mason’s brother, ran fourth for the opening five laps before retiring.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Laps | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Neal Marsh | 20 | – |
| 2 | 69 | Cole Wehring | 20 | +2.246 |
| 3 | 37 | Mason Rinker | 20 | +6.965 |
| 4 | 54 | Darren Ware | 20 | +20.496 |
| 5 | 63 | Aaron Green | 19 | +1 lap |
| 6 | 33 | John Ottinger | 19 | +1 lap |
| 7 | 93 | JB Jensen | 19 | +1 lap |
| 8 | 56 | Klint Dillard | 19 | +1 lap |
| 9 | 26 | Bryston Sherman | 19 | +1 lap |
| 10 | 42 | Wyatt Zoeller | 19 | +1 lap |
| 11 | 88 | Josh Wells | 19 | +1 lap |
| 12 | 13 | Gerald Shelton | 18 | +2 laps |
| 13 | 10 | Tanner Rinker | 5 | DNF |
Talent Cup: Brown Wins, Addy Love Second
Luke Brown won the five-lap Talent Cup final from pole, leading throughout to finish 11.260 seconds clear of Addy Love, daughter of F1 points leader Spencer Love. Jaxon Kresse was third, Colton Shane fourth.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 69 | Luke Brown | – |
| 2 | 24 | Addy Love | +11.260 |
| 3 | 36 | Jaxon Kresse | +18.402 |
| 4 | 77 | Colton Shane | +45.894 |
F1 Final Result
| Pos | No. | Driver | Laps | Gap | Fast Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Dylan Anderson | 29 | – | 34.374 |
| 2 | 52 | Chris Rinker | 29 | +1.627 | 34.192 |
| 3 | 8 | Jeremiah Mayo | 29 | +11.151 | 34.196 |
| 4 | 13 | Grant Schubert | 29 | +12.531 | 34.117 |
| 5 | 29 | Jared Jensen | 29 | +25.277 | 35.261 |
| 6 | 22 | Kyle Maskall | 29 | +27.236 | 34.831 |
| 7 | 9 | Johnny Fleming | 29 | +35.175 | 35.283 |
| 8 | 34 | Jeff Reno | 28 | +1 lap | 36.049 |
| 9 | 99 | Travis Yates | 27 | +2 laps | 36.534 |
| 10 | 98 | Aiden Benton | 26 | +3 laps | 37.278 |
| 11 | 24 | Spencer Love | 14 | DNF | 34.471 |
| DNS | 14 | Andrew Tate | – | DNS | – |
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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.
