St. Petersburg Grand Prix Delivers A Solid Start To The New Season

Driver Brit Lilly and owner/throttleman Bill Pyburn in the 47-foot Victory, DMR Motorsports, had started the weekend in St. Petersburg, Fla., on a high note. First, they qualified for the coveted pole position, Lane 1, for the first Pro Class 1 race of the Monster Energy St. Petersburg Grand Prix on Tampa Bay off St. Petersburg, Fla.

Monster Energy/M CON Racing team owner/throttle Tyler Miller (right) and driver Myrick Coil took top honors in Pro Class 1. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

They continued their success by winning that race on Saturday afternoon, taking advantage of their starting position. Second on Saturday went to owner/throttleman Tyler Miller and driver Myrick Coil in the 43-foot Skater, Monster Energy/M CON, while owner/driver Willy Cabeza and throttleman John Tomlinson took third in the 48-foot MTI, GC Racing.

The Pro Class 1 fleet was the only one racing on both days of the first offshore powerboat race produced by the International Hot Rod Association. More than 65 boats arrived in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 27 to race on Saturday and Sunday in conjunction with the organization’s personal watercraft racing series. The IHRA series is the first to offer competitors a prize purse and the second to pay tow money that will be distributed after each race. “Hats off to IHRA for a hell of an event,” said Miller, owner of the Monster Energy/M CON team. “Everybody’s going home in one piece. It’s the first time I’ve raced in March in my career.”

Added veteran throttleman John Tomlinson, “For the first weekend, I think they did great. Other than a delay for testing on Saturday, everything went right on schedule.”

A Tale of Two Days
While Saturday served up calm conditions, Sunday brought 20-mph winds and white-capped chop on top of steady 3-foot swells and occasional larger waves.

Monster Energy/M CON flew level and rode consistently on the way to the checkered flag.

When the Pro Class 1 boats started, Lilly and Pyburn were in lane one heading for the first turn with Monster Energy/M CON giving close chase off their stern quarter to port. When Lilly arrived at the buoys, he shockingly cranked a hard turn and headed in the wrong direction. Ever the professional, he owned the mistake, saying, “I locked in on the second turn. I flat out missed the first one.”

He and Pyburn gathered themselves quickly and turned around, restarting in last place in the seven-boat fleet. Attrition took out a few boats in the class and to those watching on the livestream and on shore, it appeared that DMR had acquitted itself and finished second after charging hard through the fleet. IHRA Offshore chief referee Bob Teague had different news after the race. DMR Performance was disqualified for going against the course to get back in the race. “If you can take anything good out of today, it was a hell of an experience in the new Class 1 boat,” said Lilly. “We ran the boat so hard, I figured out what would have normally taken five races.”

When his rivals made their navigational error, Miller said, “I thought, ‘OK, Let’s just go run our race.’ I think we could have gone up a pitch, maybe two (on propeller size), but when we pushed off the wall my thought was, ‘It’s not going to be the guy who runs the fastest speed, it’s going to be the guy who finishes the course.’”

Enjoy more images from yesterday’s action.

Fans watching on the livestream and from the St. Petersburg Pier were struggling to see the boats on certain parts of the course and the drivers were fighting to see marks of the course, especially the green buoys that blended in with the waves. The conditions likely played a role when the 48-foot MTI, XINSURANCE North, with driver J.J. Turk and throttleman Nick Buis, barrel-rolled. The boat landed upright, but sustained significant damage to the port side and nearly sunk before the cranes pulled it out. The driver and throttleman were OK, but the boat’s future is probably in question given the repairs that have previously been made on it. The 50-foot Mystic, Discrete Offshore Racing, also pulled out with problems.

Monster/M CON took the win in the race that was shortened according to storm rules to seven laps. Second went to throttleman Tomlinson and owner/driver Willy Cabeza in the 48-foot MTI, GC Racing, who were racing together for the first time. Tomlinson had raced in the Factory Stock race earlier in the afternoon and he set up the Pro Class 1 boat accordingly. “It wasn’t as rough as in the (Factory Stock) race so we were short on propeller pitch,” he said. When DMR passed GC Racing while the former was trying to get back to the front, Tomlinson knew, “It didn’t matter that they were coming and passed us. I knew they weren’t a factor.”

Coming into St. Pete, Tomlinson and Cabeza burned 650 gallons of fuel in testing and on Friday, they put in 13 laps testing. Cabeza, who has raced with some of the best throttlemen in the sport, said “I’ve driven with the best and I’ve molded my driving style to the best input from all of them.”

Owner/driver Kevin Burrell and throttleman Billy Moore in the 45-foot Victory, Outta Pocket/XINSURANCE, picked up the rookie driver’s first podium finish in St. Pete.

A Rivalry Continues
Six Super Cats were separated by tenths of seconds in qualifying on Saturday, which set the stage for some close competition on Sunday. With new Sterling Engines power in their 38-foot Skater, CR Racing/Southeast Service, owner/driver Rob Unnerstal and throttleman Casey Boaz grabbed the pole position. Pyburn and Lilly started in lane two in Beau and Tiffiney Renfroe’s 38-foot Skater, Dirty Money, and owner/driver Chris Grant and throttleman Jay Muller were in lane three in the 38-foot Skater, C.J. Grant/Graydel.

Brit Lilly (left) and Bill Pyburn claimed the Super Cat-class checkered flag.

With storm course rules in place, Super Cat ran six laps. CR Racing took an early lead for the first lap, but pulled off with mechanical problems. Lilly and Pyburn moved to the lead, renewing their rivalry with Graydel.

CR Racing’s departure also moved 22-year-old Jax Muller (throttles) and 24-year Chase Muller (driver) into third place in their dad Jay’s 40’ Motion, Wicked, which was loaded with a fresh set of Sterling engines and converted from the old Y-pipe exhaust to tractor pipes. They were in their own battle with driver Kelly Kraiss and throttleman Ron Gibbs in the 36-foot Skater, EWB Racing. Throttleman Mike Howe and driver Cade Wilson ran fifth, but wound up pulling off with problems in the 38-foot Skater, Howe 2 Live.

Steve Kildahl and his son, Stephen, started the Mod V season with a win yesterday.

Staying in communication with their land-based spotters, Lilly and Pyburn did what they needed to do to stay ahead of Graydel to take the win in Super Cat. Graydel finished second and Wicked took a hard-fought third in the team’s best performance to date.

With the IHRA New Orleans race only two weeks out, the Dirty Money team won practically. “We ran fast enough not to hurt the boat,” said Pyburn. “Every time Graydel challenged us, we just pulled ahead.”

He called the conditions 3-footers with nasty windblown chop on top, adding “In different areas of the course you were really getting thrown around.” After finishing second, Jay Muller called the afternoon “a great race.”

Jax Muller was pleased with the podium finish and with the progress he and his brother have made. “With the boat being a little heavier, we chose a better setup for the rough,” he said. “The teamwork that my brother and I displayed in the boat felt phenomenal.” Unlike most of the Super Cat fleet, the Wicked team had to race without land-based spotters. Even the boat’s GPS screen went blank during the race.

Validation for the Valor
After showing that their 38-foot Valor, Jackhammer/Manatee Marine Unlimited, had speed during Saturday’s calm-water qualifying, owner/driver Reese Langheim and throttleman Julian Maldonado wasted little time demonstrating the boat’s rough-water capabilities on Sunday.

The Factory Stock-class Jackhammer Racing team proved itself in the season-opener.

The duo charged to front with throttleman Nick Imprescia and driver Ian Morgan in the 39-foot MTI, 151 Express, as the two boats quickly separated themselves from the other four boats in the Factory Stock class.

Soon after, 151 Express pulled off with problems and at one point, Jackhammer stood up nearly straight after launching off a wave. When it settled, the unflappable Maldonado got back on the gas and continued to run hard. The boat flew level and landed cleanly. Driver Joe Spoloric and throttleman Garrett Coonrod had moved up to second in their 38-foot Doug Wright, Lake Wylie Racing, and were doing everything they could to challenge Jackhammer. A little farther back, throttleman Rusty Williams and owner/driver Chad Rudesil held third in the 39-foot MTI, Say Less MF. After an engine cowling sustained damage and was running intermittently, driver Caleb Mead and throttleman John Tomlinson were in fourth in the 39-foot MTI, MF Racing.

Completing the required laps for a short course, Jackhammer took the convincing win followed by Lake Wylie, Say Less and MF.

“That was a rough race and that Valor kicked ass,” said Langheim. “We ran her hard and proved the boat was going to work well in rough water.”

The Bottom Line
The largest class fleet in St. Pete was the Super Stocks with 16 entries. One of the oldest boats in the group made the most of its new bottom courtesy of Scott Porta when David Selley and throttleman Steven Bridges took the pole position in the 32-foot Doug Wright, GL Construction.

Throttleman Scott Blumberg and driver Tom Kennedy qualified second in the 32-foot Doug Wright, Mom Ain’t Happy, while Maldonado and owner/driver Jeremy Tschida (pronounced Schee-da) were in lane three in their 31-foot Victory, Wozencraft.

With so many boats entered, Super Stock was the only class to run a parade lap for its race on Sunday afternoon, which was the last competition of the day for the offshore races. Once the drivers picked their landmarks, IHRA safety director Justin Smith lined them up and sent them off on a four-lap sprint.

Early on, 2025 world champions throttleman Shaun Torrente and driver Mat Jamniczky took the lead in the 32-foot STR, Allied-STR. GL Construction ran second followed by Wozencraft, owner/driver Cole Leibel and throttleman Gary Ballough in the 32-foot Victory, Raymarine, and throttleman Imprescia and driver Luis Martens in the 32-foot Doug Wright, Nuff Said.

GL Construction earned a hard-fought win the Super Stock class.

With only four laps, there was no time to sit back and strategize. The theory behind the Porta bottom is to improve the efficiency of the water flow along the boat’s running surfaces, which should help in rough water. GL Construction passed Allied-STR and held the point until the checkered flag waved. The smallest boat in the fleet, Wozencraft, held on for third.

“We went out early and tested this morning and we had water rolling over the bow,” said Tschida. “This afternoon it wasn’t as rough when we headed out.” He admitted that he and Maldonado had forgotten the race had been shortened so they didn’t push as hard as they might have otherwise.

Setting the Stage
The first teams to take on Sunday’s rough conditions were the three boats in Mod-V. Because there were so few boats entered in the class, it was only one that didn’t earn a purse from the IHRA.

At the start, the familiar red rocket, NMBRV, blasted out to the lead with owner/driver Kirk Hanna and throttleman Mark Rinda. Within seconds, the 29-foot Extreme was flying through the air as it pulled out to a lead ahead of throttleman Steve Kildahl and his son/driver Stephen Kildahl in their 29-foot Extreme, Boatfloater.com. In their first race, owner/driver Dustin Clouatre and throttleman Owen Buis didn’t make the start in the 29-foot Extreme, Louisiana, because of electrical problems.

IHRA officials shortened the lap count to five and NMBRV flew often and level en route to its first victory of 2026. The Kildahls ran a smart race, setting as comfortable a pace as possible and keeping the boat intact with New Orleans looming in two weeks.

“It was a little rougher than we thought,” said a victorious Hanna, who estimated they were running in solid 2-to-3-foot rollers. “Hitting them in the corners tossed us sideways. We were running with full ballast the whole race.”

Stephen Kildahl was pleased with second to start a long 2026 campaign. “We just set a pace that was comfortable once the Louisiana boat dropped out and managed the boat until the finish,” he said. “NMBRV ran a great race.”

Luck of the Draw
The Bracket classes drew the lucky straw in terms of conditions for the weekend. Winds were light and seas were calm on Tampa Bay Saturday afternoon.

Because the 40-foot Outerlimits, DSK, was the only boat registered for Extreme class, it ran with the Bracket 200 class boats. Despite an impressive start, driver Tim Linden and throttleman Gary Aldington of the UK pulled off with problems. That left owner/driver Joe Olivieri and throttleman Billy Glueck in the 39-foot Phantom, OC Racing, to battle with Don Urfer and throttleman Richard Davis in their Phantom, Justice League. Olivieri and Glueck took the win followed by Justice League and third went to driver Alex Baumgartner and throttleman Lil Bill Reeves in their Fountain, MarineEngineSurplus.com.

In Bracket 300, owner/throttleman Chad Woody and driver Billy Shipley got out to a hot start in their newly wrapped 35-foot Fountain, Team Woody, but one of the boat’s engines surrendered. That left driver Nick Fanelle and throttleman Michael Ogden to take the unchallenged win in their 38-foot Bad Boy, WeHaulBoats.com.

Usually a much larger fleet, Bracket 400 only had four entries and in the end driver Andy Foster and James Norvill of the United Kingdom, took first in their 32-foot Phantom, Go GPS. Driver John Iezzatti and owner/throttleman Jerry Hartmann in their freshly wrapped 30-foot Phantom, XINSURANCE, placed second. Owner/driver Ray Evans and throttleman Chris Colson took third in the Fountain, Shocker.

Strong winds made for rough water throughout the day on the Tampa Bay course.

The Phantom charge continued in Bracket 500 with the 30-foot Phantom, Back in Action, driven by Luke Getardot and throttled by owner Jimmy Jensen, taking the win. Second went to Damon Marotta and Damon Marotta Sr., in the 29-foot Warlock, Fuel 1 Team, while newcomers Chris Hayes and Justin Snook took third in their 28’ Zero Tolerance, Whisky Throttle.

One of the better battles of the day took place in Bracket 600. From the start, throttleman Dwight Farr, Jr. and driver Ricky Taylor in the 26-foot Joker, Bad Attitude, battled with throttleman Scott McCormick and driver Bob Spitulski in the 26-foot Velocity, Team Velocity/Ride Legal. When the breakouts were deciphered, Bad Attitude won the day with Team Velocity/Ride Legal in second. Third went to driver Larry James and throttleman Dan Jackson in their new-to-them 24-foot Pantera, Hammerheads. As always, results are unofficial. Check the IHRA website for the full tally.

Bracket 700 was another battle with the boys from Nova Scotia, Canada, Jeff Pritchard and Scottie Young taking the win in the 22-foot Activator, Pist’n Broke. The 22’ Progression, Team Progression/RedRum, took second with its new team of throttleman Bobby Barneschi and driver Lou LaFerrara. The familiar 22-foot Velocity, Team Velocity/Dirt Legal, with driver Brad Christopher and Connor Langheim, spent much of the race out front, but wound up third in the standings.

At the first race of the IHRA offshore series, the 65-boat fleet put on a stellar show, taking on the best and worst that Mother Nature could dish out.

Factory Stock-class winners Reese Langheim and Julian Maldonado had plenty to cheer about.

Tags: