Seminole Hard Rock Casino overcomes slow start and takes a victory in Vee Class
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind., August 9 – The Super Boat International Great Lakes Grand Prix was everything fans and race teams expected and more. An estimated 40,000 fans turned out and witnessed an exciting day of racing and a tense battle in the powerful Turbine class with Aqua-Mania putting on a spectacular show.
“We came into the first turn and unfortunately, we got squeezed out and had to duck under that first buoy. Rick (Rick Merola-throttleman) was screaming at me ‘left, left, left’ and we just had to shut it down and get back on course. The good thing is that we had two and a half miles to race down the course to catch everybody. It was a tense moment, but we both worked together and got through it,” says driver Gregg Rosen.
Rosen reflected that as the race went on, they had the opportunity to actually have some fun. “While racing hard along the beach, we wanted to show the fans that this is an exciting sport and show them what Super Boat International is all about.”
Peter Meyer (owner Seminole Hard Rock Casino Vee-bottom), was overwhelmed by the big crowd. “I saw about 40,000 fans out there. It looked like a Rose Bowl game. There were spectators on the left, the right, everywhere,” comments Meyer. While overcoming a slow start and knowing it was a long race, Meyer marched on and eventually took the lead and a win in the Superboat Vee unlimited class.
With big crowds and hundreds of boats watching the inaugural event, race producer John Carbonell said it was the biggest spectator fleet he had ever seen for a first-time event. “I think everyone was treated to a great race. Michigan City is a very friendly town and is a great place to hold a race. I would expect that next year it will be even better,” comments Carbonell.
Panasonic Racing took a win in the Superboat Vee Extreme class and throttleman Benny Robertson was amazed by both the city and the large crowd. “This is awesome for a mid-size town to have so many people show up to the event. This is going to be a great addition to the national racing series as well as a fun place to come race,” says Robertson.
For a complete list of race results visit http://www.superboat.com/. The next race on the 2009 schedule is the 19th Annual New York Super Boat Grand Prix on September 11 – 13, 2009, between Battery Park (New York) and Liberty State Park (New Jersey) on the Hudson River.
SOURCE Super Boat International MEDIA CONTACT rodrick@coxgp.com
