Bill Seebold, the most successful closed-course powerboat racer in history, has passed away at age 84, Speedboat has learned.
A titan of outboard racing, Seebold’s unparalleled career spanned decades, leaving an indelible mark on the sport through his competitive brilliance, innovative designs, and enduring legacy as a family patriarch and team leader. Born in Fenton, MO, Seebold’s passion for speed and precision on the water defined his life. His career, which included over 900 race wins and more than 70 world and national championships, established him as a towering figure in Formula outboard racing. Flying the Bud Light colors for over 17 years, Seebold piloted lightweight tunnel boats to victory with a competitive fire that became the benchmark of his era. His achievements included outboard world championship titles in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1987, and 1990, as well as sweeping the APBA Champ Boat and Mod U titles in 1993. Internationally, he claimed the prestigious Duke of York trophy five times (1975, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983) and the Harmsworth Trophy in 1980.
One of Seebold’s most memorable triumphs came in 1997, at age 56, during his final race in his hometown of St. Louis. Despite a season where his sons, Mike, Tim, and Billy III, had taken the spotlight, Seebold summoned his bottomless competitive resolve to win the St. Louis race—an event he helped establish 26 years earlier, raising over $1.5 million for local charities. The victory, his sixth in St. Louis, clinched a hard-fought championship title and was dedicated to his late crewmate and friend, Ron “Moe” Haloftis, who had passed earlier that year. This moment, perhaps the sweetest of his career, underscored Seebold’s ability to defy expectations and cement his legacy as a champion.Seebold’s singular most important contribution to powerboat racing was his revolutionary Seebold tunnel hulls, designed and built at his Fenton factory. These boats dominated the sport for decades, unmatched by any competitor, and remain celebrated on vintage racing circuits today, though they are no longer used in active professional racing.
His Seebold Engineering division pioneered safety and performance technologies, and while the recreational sport boats derived from his racing designs are no longer in production, their impact endures. His contributions earned him induction into the Gulf Marine Hall of Fame, the APBA Hall of Champions in 1985, Hot Boat Magazine's Hall of Fame, and the Motorsports Hall of Fame in Detroit in 1999, an honor he cherished for recognizing him alongside his motorsport heroes.
A standout memory in Seebold’s international career was his 1979 victory in Milan, Italy, where he outran a field of twin-engine, three-liter OMCs with a single 3.5 Mercury, defeating hometown hero Renato Molinari in what he called “one of the best boat races I’ve ever run.” Such moments defined a career that blended raw talent with relentless determination.As owner of the Bud Light/Anco Racing team, Seebold managed a stable of the world’s fastest race boats, guiding his sons to the forefront of the sport. His competitive fires never dimmed, even as he shifted focus from racing to team leadership in his later years. Seebold is survived by his sons Mike, Tim, and Billy III, who carry forward his racing legacy, as well as a daughter, Kim Dochwat. His influence on powerboat racing—through his unmatched tunnel hull designs, mentorship, and record of victories—will endure for generations.