<B>Competitive Champ Boat Series Headed for New Roads
The Advocate’s False River Powerboat Championships Hit the Water June 7-8</b>
By Rick Stoff
Richmond, Texas (May 28) – Mike Seebold and Greg Jacobsen were the winners when the 2003 Champ Boat Series opened two weeks ago in Tampico, Mexico, but there were plenty of contenders in both classes of tunnel-hull outboard powerboats.
Heat, humidity, gusting winds, rough water and tough competition prevented any driver from dominating his class in Mexico. The competition should be wide open as the series goes to New Roads, La., for the second running of The Advocate’s False River Powerboat Championships on June 7-8. Several teams from Louisiana are looking forward to the opportunity to race before their own fans and enjoy the home cooking. The race will be the second of the season for the Champ Boat Series presented by Mercury Racing.
“We saw that there are going to be a lot of competitive teams in both Champ and SST-120 this year. The competition is so close within each class that the slightest slip can open the door to five or six boats nipping at the leader’s tail,” said Bob Schubert, executive of the Champ Boat Series.
Mike Seebold did not race in New Roads last year because he was racing on the international Formula One circuit based in Europe. He will make his first visit to the waters of False River for this event.
Brother Tim Seebold of Osage Beach, Mo., won at New Roads in 2002 and went on to win the inaugural series championship. In Tampico, however, his team struggled to find a good boat setup and he finished fourth.
Vince Voisin of Atlanta, Ga., the defending series champion in SST-120, experienced engine problems at the start of the final event in Tampico and had to battle from the back of the field to finish fourth.
Several teams showed promise in the Champ class, the world’s highest level of outboard boat racing. In qualifying, Todd Beckman of St. Louis, Mo., set the fast time – and a new Mexican water speed record – but broke down after only 15 laps of the 50-lap final.
Jason Campbell of Chandler, Ariz., stepped up to the plate in heat races, blistering the rest of the field to earn the pole position for the final. But his boat failed to start for the main event.
Todd Bowden of Monrovia, Calif., led the majority of the laps in the final with Greg Foster of Orange, Calif., in chase. Mike Seebold took the lead late in the going when Bowden was briefly bottled up in lapped traffic and Foster lost nine laps to an electrical problem. Bowden recovered to finish second and Terry Rinker of Riverview, Fla., was third. Rinker was Powerboat Magazine’s pre-season pick to win the 2003 Champ Boat title.
Max Toler of Baton Rouge hopes to rebound from his misfortune at Tampico, where he finished 10th in the Champ class after a mechanical problem. His sponsor, The Advocate newspaper of Baton Rouge, also sponsors the race at New Roads.
Jason Campbell’s team, Lamb Racing Technologies, is based in Lafayette, Louisiana. His ground-breaking boat, a Mercury-powered Lee Aero-Slot, showed blinding speed in Mexico and will be among the contenders on False River.
Johnny Fleming of Woodlands, Texas, was second in SST-120 at Tampico. Terry Rinker, running in both classes, was third.
Champ boats are 17 feet long and powered by a 2.5-liter, fuel-injected Mercury Racing engine. The V-6 engines produce about 375 horsepower and push the boats over 130 miles per hour. The SST-120 boats are similar in size and carry a stock, 2.0-liter, carbureted Mercury Racing engine that produce speeds of more than 110 miles per hour.
Three of the country’s top drivers in the SST-120 class also are from Louisiana. Darren Rube, who finished tenth in Tampico, is from Baton Rouge. Byron Harris, 12th at Tampico, lives in French Settlement and Robert Murphy lives in Prairieville. Murphy had mechanical troubles in Mexico and was scored 19th.
New Roads Info
The False River race course will be set up along Morrison Parkway in New Roads. Proceeds from The Advocate’s False River Powerboat Championships support the Pointe Coupee Kiwanis Club and New Roads Lions Club, which donate their funds to the community through scholarships, teacher grants and classroom assistance. Daily admission is $5.
In addition to the Champ Boat Series’ champ and SST-120 classes of boats, the event will include the super stock tri-hulls that raced in New Roads in 2002.
Boat testing begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Heat races and qualifying begin at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, racing begins at 12:30 p.m. and is capped off by a 30-lap final for the SST-120 boats and a 50-lap final for the Champ boats.
In time trials last year, Tim Seebold averaged 121.3 m.p.h. to set the fast qualifying time on a triangular, 1.125-mile course on False River.
Champ Boat Series Supporters
Mercury Racing returns as presenting sponsor of Champ Boat in 2003. Other sponsors returning to the series are Telmex, Polaris Personal Watercraft, Sunoco Racing Fuels, XG-Ad, Craftsmen Industries and Racing Communications. Sea-Way Marine, Hydro-Tec and Sport Marine are joining the series in 2003 as sponsors of the SST-120 class.
Additional information can be found at the web site: www.champboatracing.com, and at the New Roads event web site, www.frpowerboats.com.
2003 Champ Boat Series Points
After Tampico, Mexico
Champ
1. Mike Seebold, Frontenac, Mo. 580
2. Todd Bowden, Monrovia, Calif. 558
3. Terry Rinker, Riverview, Fla. 521
4. Tim Seebold, Osage Beach, Mo. 520
5. Nathan Worthy, Brookline Station, Mo.510
6. John Jensen, Windsor, Colo. 501
7. Chris Fairchild, N. Aurora, Ill. 482
8. Lynn Simburger, Elsah, Ill. 465
9. Pete Nydahl, Bristol, Wisc. 446
10. Greg Foster, Anaheim Hills, Calif. 435
11. Max Toler, Baton Rouge, La. 432
12. Carlos Kuri, Mexico City, Mexico 417
13. Todd Beckman, St. Louis, Mo. 412
14. Scott Jensen, Ft. Collins, Colo. 406
15. Jason Campbell, Chandler, Ariz. 392
16. Jimmy Ablott, Des Moines,Wash. 377
17. Ray Anderson, Nashville, Tenn. 355
18. Shaun Torrente, Miami, Fla. 260
19. Darren Rube, Baton Rouge, La. 220
SST-120
1. Greg Jacobsen, Kirkland, Wash. 589
2. Vince Voisin, Atlanta, Ga. 550
3. Johnny Fleming, Woodlands, Tex. 549
4. Terry Rinker, Riverview, Fla. 512
5. Scott Landgraf, Maple Plain, Minn. 496
6. Shaun Torrente, Miami, Fla. 493
7. Garrett Armstrong, Hartland,Wisc. 492
8. Jeff Holgate, Davis, Calif. 480
9. Darren Rube, Baton Rouge, La. 447
10. Bill Rucker, Oakdale, Calif. 441
11. Glyn Mathews, Richmond, Tex. 431
Kris Shepard, N. Antioch, Ill. 431
13. Byron Harris, French Settlement, La. 427
14. Curtis Nunez, Nedrerland, Tex. 394
15. Gerald Kowalski, Rochester Hills, Mich. 392
16. Michael Schubert, Richmond, Tex. 376
17. John Jorewicz, Houston, Tex. 368
18. Mike Higginbotham, Deer Park, Tex. 340
19. Robert Murphy, Prairieville, La. 270
Champ Boat Series 2003 Schedule
May 16-18 Tampico, Mexico Champ (Mike Seebold) & SST-120 (Greg Jacobsen)
June 7-8 New Roads, Louisiana Champ & SST-120
June 20-22 Bay City, Michigan Champ, SST-120 & SST-45
July 18-20 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Champ
August 15-17 St. Louis, Missouri Champ & SST-120
August 23-24 Windsor, Colorado Champ & SST-120
September 20-21 San Diego, California Champ
The Advocate’s False River Powerboat Championships
Tentative Schedule
Friday, June 6th
Registration and inspection at race site 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday, June 7th
Registration 8 a.m. -- 9 a.m.
Testing Tri-Hulls 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
SST-120 9:30 a.m. – 10:15
Champ 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Drivers Meeting 11:30 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies 12 p.m.
Tri–Hull: Two five-lap heats 12:30 p.m.
Champ Qualifying Laps: 1 attempt 1:00 p.m.
SST-120 Qualifying Laps: 1 attempt 1:30 p.m.
Champ: Top Five Shootout 2:15 p.m.
SST-120: Two ten-lap heats
(reverse order of finish on second heat) 2:45 p.m.
Champ: Two ten-lap heats
(reverse order of finish on second heat) 3:45 p.m.
Drivers Party 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 8th
Testing Tri-Hulls 9:00 am
SST-120 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Champ 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Drivers Meeting 11:30 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies 12:00 p.m.
Tri – Hulls: Two five-lap heats 12:30 p.m.
SST-120: 30-lap final 1:00 p.m.
Tri Hulls: 10-lap final 2:00 p.m.
Champ – 50-lap final 3:00 p.m.
Awards immediately following final heat
The Advocate’s False River Powerboat Championships Hit the Water June 7-8</b>
By Rick Stoff
Richmond, Texas (May 28) – Mike Seebold and Greg Jacobsen were the winners when the 2003 Champ Boat Series opened two weeks ago in Tampico, Mexico, but there were plenty of contenders in both classes of tunnel-hull outboard powerboats.
Heat, humidity, gusting winds, rough water and tough competition prevented any driver from dominating his class in Mexico. The competition should be wide open as the series goes to New Roads, La., for the second running of The Advocate’s False River Powerboat Championships on June 7-8. Several teams from Louisiana are looking forward to the opportunity to race before their own fans and enjoy the home cooking. The race will be the second of the season for the Champ Boat Series presented by Mercury Racing.
“We saw that there are going to be a lot of competitive teams in both Champ and SST-120 this year. The competition is so close within each class that the slightest slip can open the door to five or six boats nipping at the leader’s tail,” said Bob Schubert, executive of the Champ Boat Series.
Mike Seebold did not race in New Roads last year because he was racing on the international Formula One circuit based in Europe. He will make his first visit to the waters of False River for this event.
Brother Tim Seebold of Osage Beach, Mo., won at New Roads in 2002 and went on to win the inaugural series championship. In Tampico, however, his team struggled to find a good boat setup and he finished fourth.
Vince Voisin of Atlanta, Ga., the defending series champion in SST-120, experienced engine problems at the start of the final event in Tampico and had to battle from the back of the field to finish fourth.
Several teams showed promise in the Champ class, the world’s highest level of outboard boat racing. In qualifying, Todd Beckman of St. Louis, Mo., set the fast time – and a new Mexican water speed record – but broke down after only 15 laps of the 50-lap final.
Jason Campbell of Chandler, Ariz., stepped up to the plate in heat races, blistering the rest of the field to earn the pole position for the final. But his boat failed to start for the main event.
Todd Bowden of Monrovia, Calif., led the majority of the laps in the final with Greg Foster of Orange, Calif., in chase. Mike Seebold took the lead late in the going when Bowden was briefly bottled up in lapped traffic and Foster lost nine laps to an electrical problem. Bowden recovered to finish second and Terry Rinker of Riverview, Fla., was third. Rinker was Powerboat Magazine’s pre-season pick to win the 2003 Champ Boat title.
Max Toler of Baton Rouge hopes to rebound from his misfortune at Tampico, where he finished 10th in the Champ class after a mechanical problem. His sponsor, The Advocate newspaper of Baton Rouge, also sponsors the race at New Roads.
Jason Campbell’s team, Lamb Racing Technologies, is based in Lafayette, Louisiana. His ground-breaking boat, a Mercury-powered Lee Aero-Slot, showed blinding speed in Mexico and will be among the contenders on False River.
Johnny Fleming of Woodlands, Texas, was second in SST-120 at Tampico. Terry Rinker, running in both classes, was third.
Champ boats are 17 feet long and powered by a 2.5-liter, fuel-injected Mercury Racing engine. The V-6 engines produce about 375 horsepower and push the boats over 130 miles per hour. The SST-120 boats are similar in size and carry a stock, 2.0-liter, carbureted Mercury Racing engine that produce speeds of more than 110 miles per hour.
Three of the country’s top drivers in the SST-120 class also are from Louisiana. Darren Rube, who finished tenth in Tampico, is from Baton Rouge. Byron Harris, 12th at Tampico, lives in French Settlement and Robert Murphy lives in Prairieville. Murphy had mechanical troubles in Mexico and was scored 19th.
New Roads Info
The False River race course will be set up along Morrison Parkway in New Roads. Proceeds from The Advocate’s False River Powerboat Championships support the Pointe Coupee Kiwanis Club and New Roads Lions Club, which donate their funds to the community through scholarships, teacher grants and classroom assistance. Daily admission is $5.
In addition to the Champ Boat Series’ champ and SST-120 classes of boats, the event will include the super stock tri-hulls that raced in New Roads in 2002.
Boat testing begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Heat races and qualifying begin at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, racing begins at 12:30 p.m. and is capped off by a 30-lap final for the SST-120 boats and a 50-lap final for the Champ boats.
In time trials last year, Tim Seebold averaged 121.3 m.p.h. to set the fast qualifying time on a triangular, 1.125-mile course on False River.
Champ Boat Series Supporters
Mercury Racing returns as presenting sponsor of Champ Boat in 2003. Other sponsors returning to the series are Telmex, Polaris Personal Watercraft, Sunoco Racing Fuels, XG-Ad, Craftsmen Industries and Racing Communications. Sea-Way Marine, Hydro-Tec and Sport Marine are joining the series in 2003 as sponsors of the SST-120 class.
Additional information can be found at the web site: www.champboatracing.com, and at the New Roads event web site, www.frpowerboats.com.
2003 Champ Boat Series Points
After Tampico, Mexico
Champ
1. Mike Seebold, Frontenac, Mo. 580
2. Todd Bowden, Monrovia, Calif. 558
3. Terry Rinker, Riverview, Fla. 521
4. Tim Seebold, Osage Beach, Mo. 520
5. Nathan Worthy, Brookline Station, Mo.510
6. John Jensen, Windsor, Colo. 501
7. Chris Fairchild, N. Aurora, Ill. 482
8. Lynn Simburger, Elsah, Ill. 465
9. Pete Nydahl, Bristol, Wisc. 446
10. Greg Foster, Anaheim Hills, Calif. 435
11. Max Toler, Baton Rouge, La. 432
12. Carlos Kuri, Mexico City, Mexico 417
13. Todd Beckman, St. Louis, Mo. 412
14. Scott Jensen, Ft. Collins, Colo. 406
15. Jason Campbell, Chandler, Ariz. 392
16. Jimmy Ablott, Des Moines,Wash. 377
17. Ray Anderson, Nashville, Tenn. 355
18. Shaun Torrente, Miami, Fla. 260
19. Darren Rube, Baton Rouge, La. 220
SST-120
1. Greg Jacobsen, Kirkland, Wash. 589
2. Vince Voisin, Atlanta, Ga. 550
3. Johnny Fleming, Woodlands, Tex. 549
4. Terry Rinker, Riverview, Fla. 512
5. Scott Landgraf, Maple Plain, Minn. 496
6. Shaun Torrente, Miami, Fla. 493
7. Garrett Armstrong, Hartland,Wisc. 492
8. Jeff Holgate, Davis, Calif. 480
9. Darren Rube, Baton Rouge, La. 447
10. Bill Rucker, Oakdale, Calif. 441
11. Glyn Mathews, Richmond, Tex. 431
Kris Shepard, N. Antioch, Ill. 431
13. Byron Harris, French Settlement, La. 427
14. Curtis Nunez, Nedrerland, Tex. 394
15. Gerald Kowalski, Rochester Hills, Mich. 392
16. Michael Schubert, Richmond, Tex. 376
17. John Jorewicz, Houston, Tex. 368
18. Mike Higginbotham, Deer Park, Tex. 340
19. Robert Murphy, Prairieville, La. 270
Champ Boat Series 2003 Schedule
May 16-18 Tampico, Mexico Champ (Mike Seebold) & SST-120 (Greg Jacobsen)
June 7-8 New Roads, Louisiana Champ & SST-120
June 20-22 Bay City, Michigan Champ, SST-120 & SST-45
July 18-20 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Champ
August 15-17 St. Louis, Missouri Champ & SST-120
August 23-24 Windsor, Colorado Champ & SST-120
September 20-21 San Diego, California Champ
The Advocate’s False River Powerboat Championships
Tentative Schedule
Friday, June 6th
Registration and inspection at race site 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday, June 7th
Registration 8 a.m. -- 9 a.m.
Testing Tri-Hulls 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
SST-120 9:30 a.m. – 10:15
Champ 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Drivers Meeting 11:30 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies 12 p.m.
Tri–Hull: Two five-lap heats 12:30 p.m.
Champ Qualifying Laps: 1 attempt 1:00 p.m.
SST-120 Qualifying Laps: 1 attempt 1:30 p.m.
Champ: Top Five Shootout 2:15 p.m.
SST-120: Two ten-lap heats
(reverse order of finish on second heat) 2:45 p.m.
Champ: Two ten-lap heats
(reverse order of finish on second heat) 3:45 p.m.
Drivers Party 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 8th
Testing Tri-Hulls 9:00 am
SST-120 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Champ 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Drivers Meeting 11:30 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies 12:00 p.m.
Tri – Hulls: Two five-lap heats 12:30 p.m.
SST-120: 30-lap final 1:00 p.m.
Tri Hulls: 10-lap final 2:00 p.m.
Champ – 50-lap final 3:00 p.m.
Awards immediately following final heat
