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Competition and uncertainty keep New Port Richey's Steve Miklos hooked on power boat racing

 
Steve Miklos, the throttle man and owner of the No. 51 Sun Print Racing boat, poses at his shop in Holiday. [CHRIS URSO   |   Times]
Steve Miklos, the throttle man and owner of the No. 51 Sun Print Racing boat, poses at his shop in Holiday. [CHRIS URSO | Times]
Published June 29, 2017

HOLIDAY — If Steve Miklos could have it his way, every power boat race would take place in rough water. He finds the turbulent conditions calming, an attitude he's developed during a professional power boat racing career that spans hundreds of races dating back to 1991.

Miklos' mindset may seem counterintuitive for a dangerous sport where the margin for error is razor thin. Teams often win 60-mile races by a single boat length; speeds approach 100 miles per hour in Miklos' Super Vee Limited racing class.

"I've had a lot of friends die," Miklos said. "Every one of them's got an ironic, terrible twist, something they did a thousand times that always worked."

But to Miklos, one of the most accomplished power boat throttlemen in the world, a choppy ocean presents a competitive advantage.

"It's as dangerous as you make it," he said. "I'm controlling the speed and the attitude of the boat. So, that responsibility lies on me to keep the guy next to me safe."

On Sunday, Miklos and his driver, Steve Fehrmann, of Sun Print Racing, will hit the water for the Sarasota Power Boat Grand Prix, the 33rd edition of the annual race. The two work in tandem: Fehrmann must steer predictably, so Miklos can anticipate his moves, while Miklos' throttle control determines the ease with which Fehrmann can maneuver.

"He borders on being a genius," said Ernie Pollock, the team manager. "He can make all these calculations in his head, if we're trimmed too high or trimmed too low. A lot of people can't see that and really take it all in and make it work. And he can."

• • •

Miklos, who turns 56 in July, sports eyeglasses with black, rectangular frames. On the Wednesday before the race, he wore a shirt with his No. 51 logo plastered on the front. His round face, topped by gray hair, lit up as he discussed his craft, one in which he's earned seven world championship titles.

"You know, I like all forms of racing," Miklos said. "I race go karts, I race cars. But the boats have a certain romantic thing to it."

During the day, Miklos, of New Port Richey, works for Sun Print Management, a printing supply company he owns in Holiday. But his real office is in the garage behind the Sun Print building, inside the 29-foot boat he'll race Sunday. Miklos sits on the left side of the cockpit, a panel of switches, dials and buttons within reach. His workspace measures only 62 by 42 by 50 inches, the front window panels smaller than a large flatscreen TV.

Miklos' comfort zone lies within this small enclosure, like a Pro Bowl quarterback in the pocket or an ace on the pitcher's mound. As he explained the utility of each gauge, Miklos promised that, belying appearances, it's all relatively straightforward.

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Power boating's unpredictability is part of what keeps Miklos hooked. He cannot afford to fall into a rhythm with his thrust angle or the amount of throttle he applies, because conditions in the ocean change constantly.

"No two laps are ever the same," he said.

Like many other athletes, it's also Miklos' addiction to competition that compels him to keep racing. He retired in 2003 after reaching the apex of the sport, winning every race he entered that year while setting a world speed record. But his retirement lasted only until 2007.

"I'm not a good spectator," Miklos said. "I race 55-mile-an-hour go-karts. The speed doesn't matter. It's just if the racing and the competitiveness is there."

Miklos began power boat racing professionally in 1991, but it took him awhile to win anything — six years, in fact.

"It was pretty terrible," Miklos said. "We had to learn how to lose to learn how to win. There's a hundred ways to lose a race, and so you have to learn how to make the fewest mistakes. There's no such thing as a perfect race."

Miklos finally won his first race in 1997, then captured his first world title five years later. He won three years in a row from 2008 to 2010, and again in 2015.

Miklos said his success boils down to strong preparation: The 4,750-pound boat contains more than 6,000 pieces that must each operate for Miklos and Fehrmann to cross the finish line.

"It's all prep," Miklos said. "That's half the fun. We've got an all-volunteer team here; everybody working on that boat is doing it because they want to. It's not about the show for us. It's about racing."