The championship-winning Dirty Money Racing offshore powerboat team, owned by Beau and Tiffiney Renfroe and piloted by Bill Pyburn and Brit Lilly, have announced a new strategic and powerful alliance with Okuma America Corp., AXEM, and JL Billet, dubbed DMR Performance.
This partnership establishes a new precision manufacturing company dedicated to serving the high-performance marine sector, including offshore racing teams, OEMs and the broader marine industry.
Okuma America Corp., a global leader in CNC machine tools, controls and automation systems, joins DMR as an official technical partner. Okuma's state-of-the-art equipment will form the backbone of the expanded manufacturing facility in Stuart, FL, supporting both the new venture and the ongoing development of Dirty Money Racing's Class 1 and Super Cat programs. Okuma brings proven success from motorsports partnerships, including Richard Childress Racing and Don Schumacher Racing, and now extends its expertise to the demanding world of offshore powerboat racing—one of the most punishing environments in motorsports. This alliance provides Okuma expanded exposure in the high-performance marine sector while showcasing the durability of its technologies.
AXEM and JL Billet—leaders in precision manufacturing from the firearms industry—will contribute their advanced machining processes, technology, and skilled personnel to drive the joint venture's capabilities.
The new entity will focus on developing and producing race-proven, high-precision components that can replace parts currently sourced from other OEMs, delivering superior quality and performance.
DMR Performance is a joint venture between Dirty Money Racing partners and the commercial entities AXEM and JL Billet. As the business ramps up, capabilities will evolve to include advanced solutions such as specialized coatings applied to parts for increased engine and transmission lifespan—benefits that extend to offshore racing teams and marine OEMs alike. The enhanced facility will feature epoxy floors and a clean, sterile environment comparable to top-tier NASCAR or precision machining shops.
"Okuma will serve as a sponsor of DMR Performance by providing special pricing on machines to grow the manufacturing business, in addition to providing resources and manufacturing technology going forward," DMR spokesman Cole McGowan told Speedboat. Mike Dowell of AXEM, a longtime Okuma customer who has invested approximately $20 million in their equipment for his own operations, played a key role in securing the partnership.
“This partnership reflects our core DNA of relentless innovation powered by data and the best technology available," said Pyburn, DMR Performance partner and throttleman of Dirty Money Racing. "We are bringing partners together that share these values and possess an innate passion for performance and winning.”
Pyburn said DMR is making this investment to bring advanced solutions to market for offshore racing and the broader marine sector. "Other teams and OEMs will be able to come to us and benefit from our race-proven research and development," he added.
Dowell, leader of the new manufacturing company in Stuart, emphasized the bigger picture: “We’re trying to take this team and this sport to the next level. Fundamentally, we want to change how this sport is looked at from a manufacturing perspective. I want everyone to get better—we’re all stronger together.”
The long-term expectation is that many of the machined components currently sourced from outside OEM suppliers for race boats could eventually be replaced by parts produced by DMR. As the company continues expanding its manufacturing capabilities, future plans include the use of advanced processes such as specialized coatings designed to extend the service life of engines, transmissions, and other high-performance components, especially under such extreme conditions such as offshore racing.
With these advancements, DMR Performance is positioned not only to support its own racing program’s needs, but also to manufacture parts for OEMs throughout the marine industry, with the goal of delivering a higher level of quality, durability, and consistency across the entire sector.
Fresh off back-to-back National and World Championships in the hyper-competitive Super Cat class, the Dirty Money Racing team will continue racing under its existing name in that class. The Pro Class 1 boat will carry DMR Performance as its title sponsor, effectively branding it as the DMR Performance entry.