OPA Racing held their Grand Prix National Race and World Championships in Solomons, Maryland this year as a combined event, October 2-5. The Solomons race was declared a double header cumulative points event, with the first race deciding the season’s National Points Champions, and the first and second races combined deciding the OPA World Champions. Team AMSOIL said goodbye to Michigan and the ever-hospitable Rivers Bend Marina and made the trek to Maryland to compete for the OPA SuperCat World Title.
Team AMSOIL arrived by truck and plane overnight Wednesday to prep the boat Thursday. The Skater 368 with Teague Custom Marine SuperCat Spec engines was given a complete going over. Fluid changes, valve lash check, and a full hardware torque session were in good order after Port Huron and Detroit.
Preparations lead to testing on Friday. With a twisty course involving 5 right turns and an inside left turn dogleg, the team would not be able to rely on the same formula as the other smooth water top speed races for success. Propeller choices and weight setups were planned for the day, which had SE 10 mph wind, creating some slop on the course.
Testing went well, setup wise, but Bob Teague and Paul Whittier noticed one engine’s fuel pressure was not keeping up with the other. The fuel system in the boat is way overkill for a single carburetor, with an EFI pump feeding a bypass regulator, which feeds a carburetor deadhead regulator, with double the GPH capacity as the engine needs. In short, fuel pressure is usually rock solid. An investigation into the fuel system lead to a discovery of some resin drips that had been sucked up from the Skater fuel tanks. The Team checked all the lines and changed the filters and added a secondary supply from the tanks’ bottom pickups. Changing the filters and plumbing the second pickup to the filter head as a backup redundant pickup seemed to solve the fuel supply issue.
The first of two races was held on Saturday. Three SuperCats made the call, with Cleveland Construction and #NoFilter lining up against the AMSOIL Skater. A larger than usual fleet of unlimited cats also showed up, including the turbine MTI Marymac. The SuperCats started behind the larger boats, and all 3 barreled down the front straight. Right when they were about to enter turn one, AMSOIL slowed and pulled off course. The crew caught the boat at the crane dock to bad news: no fuel pressure.
The fuel system was double checked with only one conclusion: dead fuel pump. The pump was changed on the dock, but the race was only 40 miles, and there was no time to get back out on the course. The AMSOIL Team had to take a disappointing DNF for the day. It was not the only drama on the race course: the 57 MTI #NoFilter collided with the Marymac MTI while attempting to overtake on the inside lane, seriously damaging both boats, then ran over a turn buoy in the chaos. The AMSOIL Team knew they had the setup nailed for Saturday, so they came into Sunday looking to prove a point.
As the SuperCats took the green flag, the silver Skater flew ahead of the competition, on pole and in the inside lane for turn one.
As Bob and Paul scrubbed speed off the boat to make the first pin, the Skater took a hard bite at about 100 MPH and hooked inside. Paul countered with the wheel as hard and quickly as possible, but they were too close and the boat’s left sponson ran over the turn bouy. There was no damage done, but inside the boat there was another dilemma: what was the penalty for that? Bob and Paul were not sure if it was a cash fine, a one minute or one lap penalty. So off they went on the warpath to lap the entire field. Barreling past the SuperVees and P1 boats, the duo eventually caught and lapped the Cleveland Construction boat.
Due to AMSOIL’s DNF the day prior, Cleveland Construction only had to finish the Sunday race to win the weekend. After Cat Can Do retired on one engine, the AMSOIL boat had literally lapped every boat on the course.
All the boat’s systems performed to perfection. The setup could not have been any better, ultimately resulting in a 1st overall finish on Sunday and overall second place for the two race event. Although a DNF is never satisfactory, the Team was able to sort out some gremlins in the new setup that could have hampered their efforts at the next event: the 3 race SBI Key West World Championships.
AMSOIL’s great sponsorship package, dedicated racing department team, and superior lubricants all make it possible for Team AMSOIL Offshore Racing to achieve success! Team AMSOIL is “one of the most accomplished offshore racing teams ever” and has captured the prestigious Stugots Cup, awarded to the Team for an OPA Overall High Points Championship in 2011.
The AMSOIL Dominator Racing Oil continues to be proven as the best choice for all extreme performance marine engines. The Team has also proven that the absolute best oil for a Mercury dry-sump VISSM drive is AMSOIL Severe Gear for the ultimate in gear protection with minimal parasitic power loss. Teague Custom Marine is an authorized AMSOIL dealer and offers the complete line of high performance lubricants in its store and for purchase over the phone. There are also opportunities available for you to become a dealer!
See you at the races!
Next Stop: Key West World Championships – November 2-9, Key West, FL
Official AMSOIL Site: http://www.amsoil.com/racing.aspx
Official Race Series Site: http://www.oparacing.org
Official Teague Custom Marine Site: http://www.teaguecustommarine.com
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Photos provided by:
Steve Lippincott
Tim Sharkey, www.Sharkey-Images.com
Andrea Teague