Super Boats amaze at Clearwater GP 2014

Posted on October 10, 2014 by World Sports Boats

Conditions were perfect for the 6^th Annual Bright House Super Boat National Championships this past weekend. With the exciting 3-race format, lasting hours into the sunny afternoon, Superboat Class winner Team STIHL took home first place and the National Championship title. This race exhibited rollovers and spin-outs which ultimately left the crowds in awe as these powerful boats raced up and down Clearwater Beach.

With the growth of the Superboat class, President and founder of Super Boat International (SBI), John Carbonell, is encouraged by the direction it is headed. “We have been working hard to really grow this class to be our premier class.

First, it is economical for the teams, very competitive among our professional drivers and it’s the staple twin-hull catamaran that fans are used to seeing. When you saw the action in this race nearly on every turn, its what the fans want to see. And now we have grown the number of boats in that class so that we can run a stand-alone race and make a show of it. Everyone seems to love it,” comments Carbonell.

Team STIHL owner, JR Noble, was pleased with his win. “We came and won the National title and we are extremely happy about that, but what was even more exciting is the competition and fun we had racing the other teams. It’s so exciting out there, you just can beat it anywhere.”

Team Broadco was close all year with a victory in Michigan City and close second place finishes. This race they saw despair as they spun out on the last lap and saw the chance for a win slip through their hands. The team was fine, but their boat saw major damage that will have to be repaired before the Key West World Championships.

Miss GEICO Racing, the popular favorite among new and old fans alike, saw a rough start to the weekend but took first place in the Superboat Unlimited Class. After testing on Saturday, the team saw some mechanical issues that required a late night to repair the boat and get it ready for Sunday’s race. After a strong team effort, the familiar neon yellow catamaran was in the race putting on a show.

The Hulk in the Super Stock Class took a win and the National Title as well during the Championship weekend. This class with their twin outboard engines always makes the crowd on the beaches stand up and cheer. Another team that ran all season with SBI and saw some great action wins in the win column is Team Black Pearl. With 6 wins on the season, the unique paint scheme and familiar vee design stole the show in the Manufacturer P3 Class this season. Other class winners included; Hooters/Instigator (Superboat Extreme), Absolutley Not (Superboat Vee) and Two Cruel (P4).

The local Clearwater event producers, Frank Chivas and Brian Aungst, delivered another remarkable event that was supported by a great sponsor, Brighthouse and an entire team that helped put on the National Championship event. Chivas commented, “It was a really good event, lots of fans on the beaches, in hotels, on spectator boats and the team that is here working behind the scenes did a great job. I know I appreciate what they do and what it means to the city of Clearwater. Brian and I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s time and commitment.”

If you missed the action from the 6^th Annual Super Boat National Championships this past weekend, you can watch it here on livestream at http://new.livestream.com/sbi/clearwater2014.

The next race on the Super Boat circuit is the 34^th Annual Key West World Championships, the week of November 2^nd – 9^th. Join us in Key West, Florida or watch it live online at http://new.livestream.com/sbi/keywest014.

National Champions:

Lucas Oil – Superboat Unlimited
Instigator – Superboat Extreme
Team STIHL – Superboat
Absolutely Not – Superboat Vee
The Hulk – Super Stock
Black Pearl – P3
Two Cruel – P4