Team Pro Boat Regains SuperStock Championship Lead / P1 Superstock

Florida’s Space Coast served up the toughest race conditions of the season to produce some absorbing action this weekend, and once again Team Pro Boat managed to do enough to edge out Pier 57 and Morton Water to take top spot on the podium. Nature played its part in proceedings with dolphins, turtles and the weather all causing delays over the two days of racing.

The final race was a real thriller as the teams battled the three-foot swell to give the big crowd on Jetty Beach, Cape Canaveral an unforgettable display of one-design racing. Andy Biddle and Tracy Blumenstein of Pro Boat were going deck-to-deck with local favourites Scott Utah and Lee Baker in the aptly named Space Coast boat before Biddle accidently stopped his engine. “I was bopping up and down so high that my kill switch came right out” explained Biddle. “At one point Tracy was so far out of the cockpit that it looked like he was about to join the space programme.”

Pro Boat’s dramatic exit led to an enthralling battle between Space Coast, Elijah and Bill Kingery of Pier 57, Jason Morton and Walton Cox of Morton Water and championship leaders, Cynthia and Craig Belfatto of Team Livorsi. The captivated fans watched as all four boats traded fastest laps and, with only 3 seconds separating them at the end of lap 6, Space Coast found some extra pace and pulled away to win. The father and son Kingery team in Pier 57 capped off a solid race weekend with their fourth consecutive podium finish, claiming second position overall. A delighted Bill Kingery said: “We've been working real hard on our Pier 57 boat since the last round in Pahokee to get a bit more from it and I think we showed that today.”

Livorsi struggled in the big swell in heat three, but an adjustment to their ballast tank saw them far more competitive in the final heat, but it was not enough to maintain their position at the top of the championship table.

Gene and Paula Weeks in the CL Alpha boat battled with technical problems on Saturday. This kept them out of contention and, after a promising start in heat three on Sunday, further engine failure dashed their hopes. Thomas and Tom Courtney of AO Coolers experienced an mounting problem that brought their weekend to a premature end on Saturday.

 

P1 SuperStock USA moves on to Marathon next month for the final round of the 2013 series with the title still up very much up for grabs. Just 9 points separate the top four teams (see table below), but reigning USA and UK champions Biddle and Blumenstein are the boys to beat.

Championship Points from Space Coast: Team Pro Boat 20 pts, Pier 57 17 pts, Southern Lighting Solutions/Morton Water 15 pts, Space Coast 14 pts, Livorsi 13 pts, P1 Marine Foundation 12 pts, Cl-Alpha.com 11 pts, AO Coolers 10 pts, Boat Wrench 0 pts.

Overall Championship Standings: Team Pro Boat 20 pts, Pier 57 66pts, Southern Lighting Solutions/Morton Water 63 pts, Space Coast 62 pts, Livorsi 56 pts, P1 Marine Foundation 47 pts, CL.Alpha.com 40 pts, AO Coolers 20 pts, Boat Wrench 0 pts.

OVERALL RESULTS
1-Pro Boat, 2-Pier 57, 3-Morton Water

SATURDAY
Heat 1
1st - Pro Boat
2nd - Pier 57
3rd - Livorsi
Fastest Lap - Pro Boat (2.15.50)
Heat 2
1st - Morton Water
2nd - Pier 57
3rd - Space Coast
Fastest Lap - Pro Boat (2.17.71)

SUNDAY
Heat 3
1st - Pro Boat
2nd - Space Coast
3rd - Pier 57
Fastest Lap - Morton Water (2.25.25)
Heat 4
1st - Space Coast
2nd - Pier 57
3rd - Morton Water
Fastest Lap - Space Coast (2.23.96)