As the UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship heads into the business end of the season with round 4, the thrilling title race between 222 Offshore and Huski Ice Spritz is about to reach fever-pitch, with the added pressure of back-to-back races at this weekend’s Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge (Aug. 12-13) on Lake Michigan.
The front-runners in the title race are locked in a titanic, two-way fight after exchanging blows in the previous rounds, trading race wins and podium spots, with 222 Offshore’s Darren Nicholson and Giovanni Carpitella on 55 points and holding a slender five-point advantage over Steve Curtis and Brit Lilly in Huski Ice Spritz after their victory in Michigan City last weekend.
In the all-important qualifying sessions, Nicholson and Carpitella have dominated and will be looking for their fourth successive P1 slot, with Carpitella ready for whatever the conditions. “We had a small issue with one engine so dropped in a spare and are ready to go again. Now the weather looks like we will have a flat race so we will focus on setting up for that, but of course things can change. The course is longer so it will be crucial to get ratio and prop choice right. I think we can see speeds of 150+ mph. If it is flat or maybe a little rough, we will be ready,” he said.
Pothole Heroes’ Johnny Tomlinson and Carlos de Quesada will be looking for their second podium of the season and showed they are a real threat after challenging 222 Offshore and Huski last time out before trim issues scuppered their podium chances. They lead a chasing pack of three, with Rich Wyatt and Hugh Fuller chasing a second podium and hoping for a trouble-free run to unleash the full potential of their Mystic, the first of the non-Victory runners, while XINSURANCE/Good Boy Vodka’s Grant Bruggemann and Randy Kent are confident that they can only improve after finishing on the podium in the MTI in their first outing together last time out.
Team Defalco duo Mike Falco and Billy Moore will also be hoping that they have sorted out the gremlins in their Outerlimits that have frustrated their season, with Monster Energy/M CON Racing’s Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil looking to build on their first points finish of the season in the Skater. “We hit our first target of going the full race distance in Michigan. We feel we have the boat running well in all areas and are now making little adjustments here and there to really dial it in and go after that podium.”
The added pressure for teams and crews will be two races in 24 hours and little turnaround time to resolve any issues; testing on Friday morning is followed by official qualifying at 3.30 p.m. CST, with the races on Saturday and Sunday starting at 1.30 p.m. (race 1, 12 six-mile laps, race 2, 14 laps).
With 40 points out of 60 from the season’s remaining three races on offer in Sheboygan, this weekend’s Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge could well hold the key to unlock and decide the title race. The permutations are almost endless, but if 222 Offshore wins both races and outscores Huski Ice Spritz by 24 points, they will be champions; if Huski wins both and outscores 222 by 34 points, they are champions.
It would be a fitting finale to what promises to be a spectacular weekend of powerboat racing that includes F1 tunnel-hulls, Super Stock and F450R classes, all part of a year of celebrations to mark Mercury Racing’s 5anniversary. “P1 was asked in January of 2022 to stage a powerboat race in Wisconsin to celebrate Mercury Racing’s 50anniversary. Not only to stage a race but also to include various types of powerboat racing and to work alongside Tim Seebold and the F1 Powerboat Championship. Sheboygan was the perfect fit where we were able to stage both racing disciplines in the same vicinity with enough space to host them all,” said Powerboat P1 CEO, Azam Rangoonwala.
“The Mayor of Sheboygan as well as the entire City have been extremely accommodating and this venue has the potential to become a long-standing powerboat racing event venue,” he added. “The competition will be fierce this weekend with two days of racing featuring more than 30 offshore powerboats and eight F1 powerboats. All boats with the latest Mercury Racing equipment. Our VIP section is close to sold out and we are expecting large crowds in the vendor village.”
The season finale will be in St. Petersburg on Florida’s Gulf coast on the weekend of Sept. 2-3.
All the action from qualifying and both races will be streamed live on class1world.com and social media channels.