SHAUN TORRENTE TAKES OPENING F1-CHAMPBOAT RACE!
FELLOW FLORIDIAN RINKER 2ND; CANADIAN VENTON 3RD!

PORT NECHES, Texas – Sunday, May 03, 2009 – Floridian driver Shaun Torrente showed that maybe in 2009 patience will be his new strategy for winning his first title as he took advantage of Tim Seebold’s engine expiring on the 17th lap and held on to win the opening 50 lap feature event for the 2009 F1-ChampBoat Tour presented by AMSOIL in front of thousands of spectators in Southeast Texas.

The race began with five time champion Tim Seebold of the Seebold Sports Racing Team grabbing a great start off the start pontoon ahead of pole sitting defending champion Terry Rinker of the AMSOIL Racing Team and Torrente who quickly moved into the 2nd position. Seebold, who built up a confortable margin early was dictating the pace until his engine let go in spectatcular fashion catching fire and forcing the driver from Osage Beach, Missouri to put the fire out by sinking the back transom of the hull before the ever quick SPORT rescue team arrived in force to help.

Seebold, who has 27 career victories on the tour was hoping this weekend would be the time he could tie the all-time winning record held by his older brother Michael who has one more and has since retired from full time racing on the F1-ChampBoat series.

“We were running at a good pace and felt this would be a great way to get the season off to the start we were hoping for,” said the veteran. “Now, it’s almost like last season, we are going to have to dig deep, but we haven’t lost faith since we almost pulled the same situation off last year just missing the title at the end and we can hopefully do one better in 2009.”

For Torrente, it was a case of patience and waiting once the race began and finally taking a great win, his first of the season and his fifth overall as he starts his fourth full time season on the tour. “We did everything we needed to in order for us to win this weekend,” said Shaun. “We are happy with the victory and will take this momentum to the next event next in Evansville, Indiana and look for a win on the Ohio River on the weekend of the 20th and 21st of June. It’s a great way to start our pursuit in winning our first F1-ChampBoat title.”

Second went to defending series champion Rinker as his AMSOIL sponsored machine who had done such a great job in qualifying on Saturday just missed getting things right from the start of the flag drop in the 50 lap Grand Prix final battling to stay up in the top three for the first third of the race but getting a fine second place as he chases his record tying fifth title in 2009.

“We were a bit disappointed with our start after having such a great day yesterday, but we hung in there and the bottom line is we crossed the finish line on the podium and are just behind in the points championship chasing the record this season,” said Terry. “The AMSOIL Team this season will be even more prepared at Evansville and I love the race site on the Ohio and am looking for a win in my home state when I return there in June.”
A cinderella story of sorts comes from the final podium position as long time Canadian driver Brian Venton did what he promised to due on Saturday by reaching his first ever podium finish in his Gran Prix boat. The Ontario driver held who has finished twice in the fourth position was delighted with his start to the season;

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this and it’s finally come and we are in third now in the championship with a lot of racing to go before the season ends in November,” said Brian. “It’s a big day for our team, family and for Canadian racing to make it to the podium and we are just over the moon and will be enjoying the fruits of victory tonight and on the way home that’s for sure.”

A team to be on the watch for this 2009 campaign comes from local driver Mike Schubert who despite finishing just one race a season ago came on strong with his Seebold built hull powered by the Johnson engine that was fighting for a lot of the race with Rinker for the final podium spot until the transmission let go ending his dream of his first podium finish. It was a great start of the season for the Sea-Way Racing organization who are trying their best to break the Mercury powered monopoly that has been involved in the sport for the last four decades.

With the victory Shaun Torrente leads the championship. Terry Rinker is 2nd and Brian Venton is in the third place position. The next round of the championship heads to the Ohio River and the lovely south Indiana town of Evansville who is hosting the event on the 20th and 21st of June. Can the South Florida driver Shaun Torrente do what he did last season by winning the first three events? Or will the rest of the field catch up to him as the season now gets ready for back to back races in the month of June in Evansville and Bay City, Michigan. Only time will tell, but it looks as the 25th Anniversary Season of the F1-ChampBoat Tour presented by AMSOIL is already shaping up to being something special.