|
Class 1, Class 2, APBA Super Cat and
APBA Super Stock teams travelled last weekend to Michigan City, Indiana (USA),
for the popular XINSURANCE.com Great Lakes Grand Prix, Round 2 of the XINSURANCE
UIM World Championship Series produced by Race World Offshore and sanctioned by
both the UIM and APBA.
On Saturday, following the victory
of the BPR Racing Team in Atlantic City, seven teams lined up on the starting
grid last weekend on Lake Michigan. The BPR team, rebranded to Club Car Wash
/ BPR and joined by the 2023 Class 1 World Champion Darren Nicholson from
Australia, encountered technical issues in qualifying and was unable to record
a time. It was the Xinsurance-sponsored Outta Pocket Racing Racing Team
led by throttleman Billy Moore and driver Kevin Birrell that dominated
qualifying with their Victory boat, with a solid margin over the Discrete
Offshore Racing team of Reese Langheim and Adam Carpenter. Marine
Technology / GC Racing, Monster Energy / MCON, Xinsurance and
WHM Motorsports completed the qualifying order.
Outta Pocket Racing then confirmed it had found the right
setup by winning Race 1. Club Car Wash / BPR, with Billy Pyburn on the
throttles and Darren Nicholson at the wheel, finished second while
Marine Technology / GC Racing, with John Tomlinson and Willie Cabeza completed
the podium in third. Discrete Offshore Racing suffered an accident on
the final lap, and Monster Energy / MCON was forced to retire due to a
broken drive shaft.
Class 2, APBA Super Cat and APBA
Super Stock also held qualifying sessions on Saturday to determine the starting
order for their races.
In Class 2, Team Montlick,
led by renowned throttleman Giovanni Carpitella and driver Logan Adan, posted
the fastest time ahead of the Lake Wylie Racing Team of throttleman Joe
Spoloric and driver Garrett Coonrod. Pulling double duties, driver Myrick Coil
and throttleman Tyler Miller qualified third in Monster Energy / Hurt. Say
Less MF was another team to suffer an accident and could not record a time.
The APBA Super Cat category featured
six boats in Michigan City, with the CJ Grant Racing / Graydel Racing
team of Canadian Chris Grant and throttleman Jay Muller posting the fastest
time. CR Racing, with driver Rob Unnerstall and throttleman Casey Boaz,
qualified second, while driver Brit Lilly and throttleman Bill Pyburn were
third in Dirty Money Racing.
APBA Super Stock recorded the
largest entry of the weekend, with thirteen boats on the starting list.
Renowned throttleman Gary Ballough and Canadian racer Cole Leibel set the
fastest qualifying time aboard Raymarine. Driver Jeremy Tschida and
throttleman Julian Maldonado of Wozencraft qualified second, while Diggin
Deep, with driver Andy Miller and throttleman Billy Moore, was the
third-fastest boat.
Unfortunately, deteriorating weather
conditions on Saturday meant that none of the races for Class 2, APBA Super Cat
or APBA Super Stock could be completed. On Sunday, even worse conditions forced
the cancellation of the entire day's racing and, ultimately, of the whole
event, which also included an APBA National Championship round for several APBA
classes.
The next event of the 2026 XINSURANCE
UIM World Championship Series will be held in Cleawater, Florida (USA), on
dates 25/27th September.
Photos: Timeless Aerial Photography
|