A real rush for speed junkies

Super Boat International, offshore powerboat racing's oldest sanctioning body, will host its national championships off Clearwater Beach this weekend.

Organizers are billing this as a family-friendly speedfest with food, entertainment and free fan access to the dry pits.

But when the engines fire up Sunday, all eyes will be on the 50-foot turbine-powered catamaran, some say is the fastest boat ever to run the offshore powerboat circuit.

Turbine power

The Miss Geico is a fan favorite.

"Most race fans are familiar with the standard piston engines," says the boat's driver, Marc Granet. "But they have never seen anything like our turbine boats."

Powerboaters have utilized refurbished helicopter engines for decades, but it wasn't until recently that army surplus turbines gained widespread acceptance.

Owner John Haggin chose turbines because of their durability. "We like turbines for the same reason the military does," Haggin said. "They are dependable."

The 50-foot catamaran built by Deland-based Mystic Powerboats has been clocked in excess of 200 mph. "That is unheard of in offshore racing," said Granet, who has raced in various classes on several circuits and worked his way up to take the helm of the most sophisticated boat in offshore racing.

The pilot

The first time Granet, a St. Pete Beach resident, sat inside a turbine-powered cat he wondered if he had made a wrong turn and ended up at Cape Canaveral.

"I said to myself this is going to be like driving the space shuttle," said Granet, 42. "I knew I had my work cut out for me."

Like most racers, Granet started off in factory-built vee-bottoms. Then one day about 10 years ago a friend took him for a ride in his catamaran.

"We took the boat out in the Gulf of Mexico and hit about 90 (mph)," Granet recalled. "That was it for vee-bottoms."

Granet bought a 36-foot Spectre, built in Pinellas Park by Jay Pilini, a model that had already won several world and national championships.

In 2005, Granet was working his way up the powerboat ranks. Then he got a call from Haggin, a Palm Beach businessman who was putting together a race team.

The throttleman

Scott Begovich also grew up around powerboats. Eventually, the New Jersey native scraped together some money, bought a boat and hit the pro circuit. One day, like Granet, he got a call from Haggin.

"He was putting together a team unlike anything the sport had ever seen before," recalled Begovich, a 43-year-old Jupiter resident.

Begovich thought he would be a running another vee-bottom, but he was surprised to hear Haggin's plan.

"The first time I saw that turbine engine-powered catamaran I thought, what did I get myself into?" Begovich confessed.

Inside offshore racing

Standing on Clearwater Beach, watching boats scream by in the blink of an eye, even seasoned fans can get confused.

Catamarans and vee-bottoms sometimes run together, but they are competing in independent classes.

Most teams are owner-operated. Unlike NASCAR, few teams have national sponsors such as the insurance giant GEICO.

Each boat has a driver (or pilot), more often than not the owner, and a throttleman. The driver's job is to keep the boat on course, while the throttleman controls the speed and trim, or position of the drives.

While top speed is important, the fastest boat doesn't always win. A boat must finish a dozen grueling laps or more to capture the checkered flag. A dozen boats may start, yet only a few may finish due to mechanical breakdowns, which is why offshore racing is often called a "war of attrition."

Most races last 45 minutes to an hour. The bigger, faster boats run longer races; smaller, slower boats run shorter races. The same boats race against each other week after week. Points are awarded for place and accumulate through a season.

The matchups

In the Super Boat International standings, Miss Geico trails another 50-foot Mystic, Aqua Mania G3, driven by John Cosker and throttled by Rick Merola. Aqua Mania finished just 14 seconds behind Miss Geico at a recent race in New York, but the two turbines are evenly matched and should put on a great show.

In the Super Cat class, keep an eye on a 36-foot Skater, points leader Team AMSOIL, driven by Paul Whittier and throttled by veteran offshore racer Bob Teague. In Unlimited, Chris Cox and Joey Imprescia of Super Heat will face a stiff challenge from Randy Scism and Merritt Island's Bob Bull from CMS.

In Vee Unlimited, the Seminole Hard Rock team of John Stanch and Peter Meyer are locked in a tight battle with the Rockstar Energy Drink team of Rick Turmel and Sarasota's Bill McComb. In Stock class, Whittier and Boca Raton's Gary Ballough of Miccosukee Indian Gaming will go deck to deck with Steve Quick and Lee Austin of Throttle Up Propellers.

Miss Geico specs

Manufacturer: Mystic Powerboats

Model: 50-foot catamaran

Material: Carbon, Kevlar, S Glass

Weight: 9,500 pounds

Engines: Whispering Turbine 1850 Race Edition

Horsepower: 3,700

Top speed: 210 mph plus

Web site: www.amfoffshoreracing.com