Wazzup, the famed 30' Phantom owned and raced by OPA President Ed “Smitty” Smith and his son Anthony Smith in Stock Vee class, has been purchased by the Fuel 1 Team.
Florida-based Fuel 1 Team specializes in optimizing fuel quality and operational efficiency with tailored products like durable fuel tanks and custom additives for marinas, gas stations and distributors.
Throttleman Damon Marotta Sr., who has been campaigning the #588 Offshore Outlaw 29' Warlock (previously campaigned as Bulletproof) in Bracket Class 500, plans to run the Phantom in Mod Vee class at the upcoming RWO World Championships in Key West (Nov. 2-9). The "Wazzup" emblem will be removed and replaced with the Fuel 1 Team logo.
"We're going to campaign the boat next year in Mod Vee class," Marotta told Speedboat. "We'll run it in Key West as well, but mostly just for the seat time. The boat will not be competitive—we're probably going to get smoked. We'll use it as a learning curve."
In addition to the Mod Vee and Bracket 500 Class competitors, Fuel 1 Team is sponsoring the Super Stock entry Diggin' Deep (a 32' Doug Wright piloted by owner/driver Andy Miller and throttleman Todd DeFilipps), as well as the Super Cat entry Wicked Performance Marine (piloted by driver Chase Muller and throttleman Jax Muller).
As for the Mod Vee and Bracket 500 boats, Marotta Sr. controls the sticks with alternating drivers: his son, Damon Marotta Jr. and Mike Geraud.
Between 2007 and 2019, Wazzup won numerous National Championships, and in 2012, it won the World Championship in Class 3 at the Palm Beach World Offshore Championship in Jupiter, FL.
Campaigning the Phantom in Mod Vee will be both challenging and exciting, Marotta says. "Stepping up into Mod Vee, a national class, is pretty cool," he says. "I've been racing for 21 years—I started out racing stock boats, and kind of went backwards into bracket classes. Usually, you're supposed to go the other way!"
Accomplishments of Marotta Sr. include an undefeated season in 2023 with a National Championship in Class 400, and back-to-back World championships in Class 600 in 2020 and 2021, along with multiple checkered flags in various classes.
Through its website, Fuel1Direct.com, the company provides advanced fuel management solutions for construction, transportation and maritime industries, offering real-time monitoring software, fuel delivery services, and HydroGuard, a proprietary ethanol-free fuel additive that enhances engine efficiency, reduces emissions, and minimizes moisture-related issues. It is also an authorized distributor of PurFuels 93 Octane Ethanol Free Fuel and a dealer of Slipstream, a premium marine fuel brand additive developed by Advanced Fuel Solutions, Inc., formulated for both gasoline and diesel marine engines to address challenges like ethanol-related phase separation, moisture contamination and carbon deposits.