2:12 AM Fri 16 Sep 2011 GMT
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''Team Cintron' averages 111mph to claim overall victory in the New York Grand Prix on the Hudson River. - NY Grand Prix'
Rodrick Cox
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America's offshore racers have remembered those lost in the World Trade Centre terrorist attack of 9/11 when they contested the New York Grand Prix on the Hudson River last weekend. Super Boat International (SBI) organisers completed the event on September 10 to allow race crews and fans to attend commemorative services in Liberty State Park.
It was the ever-reliable 'Team Cintron', the 50' (15.24-metre) Mystic catamaran with its dual 1500 supercharged Stotler race engines, added to its season victories with a clear cut overall win.
With Rich Wyatt on throttles and Hugh Fuller at the wheel, 'Team Cintron' covered the 93-miles (150km) race in 44.5 minutes at an average speed of 111mph (178.5km/hr).
Near perfect conditions greeted the crews and many established race records around the five-mile (8km) circuit.
The sleek silver hull of 'Team Cintron' screamed around slower boats and ran some incredible lap times; some debris in the water caused problems for a few boats, but although it played havoc with some propellers and rudders for some, there was no structural damage sustained.
Race fans gathered to view the action on both the New York and New Jersey waterfronts. Many teams honoured those affected by 9/11 with decals placed prominently on their vessels, with 'Team Stihl' for example boasting decals proclaiming 'Offshore Racing, Tough as Steel.'
'Team Stihl' won the Super Cat class, but only after an all-race battle with 'Loriblu'.
'We trailed 'Loriblu' throughout, but we just hung in there and as the water got rougher our boat started gaining little by little,' the team's owner/driver Jay Noble explained.
Hugh Fuller, at the wheel of 'Team Cintron', described the race as 'a really great one for us'.
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It did not come easy, but after a race-long battle with 'Loriblu' 'Team Stihl' claimed the honours in Super Cat. - NY Grand Prix - Rodrick Cox
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'The team was awesome, our engines never missed a beat and we just worked our way around the track all day, even lapping a couple of boats.
'We were just flat out hauling it, it was certainly a good day for 'Team Cintron', ' he added.
Super Boat International has been racing on the famous Hudson River for more than 20-years.
John Carbonell, Founder and President of SBI, said that with New York's towering skyline and the Statue of Liberty as the backdrop, the New York GP provided 'an awesome feeling.'
'No one felt more humble and a part of history than I,' he declared. 'It was certainly an interesting day and with all the law enforcement personnel present I felt safer here than anywhere I've ever been.
'With the SWAT vehicles and all the special equipment that has surrounded the 9/11 commemorative ceremonies it made me feel very proud to be a part of it.
'When I was asked to move the event forward because of the commemorative ceremonies, I agreed without hesitation; our team did a great job, from the boys at the rig to the team on the water, everyone worked together and the end result was a wonderful event,' he added.
Other class winners on the day included the uniquely-named 'Two Cocks Fighting Apparel (Superboat Vee Extreme), 'Team Instigator' (Superboat Vee Unlimited', 'Absolutely Not' (Superboat Vee Limited), 'Twisted Metal Motorsports' (P1), 'Team Kilt' (P3) and 'Immaculate Mighty Mac' (P4).
The Super Boat International teams gathered again this month with the staging of the third Bright House National at Clearwater Bach, Florida, over the weekend of September 29-October 1.
Early days will be devoted to testing an setting up with racing scheduled for October 1 and 2.
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What's in a name? 'Two Cocks Fighting Apparel' emerged victorious on the Hudson River to claim Superboat Vee Extreme. - NY Grand Prix - Rodrick Cox
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'Twisted Metal Motorsports' showed its class to surge to victory in P1 at the New York Grand Prix. - NY Grand Prix - Rodrick Cox
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John Carbonell, Founder and Predisent of Super Boat International. - NY Grand Prix - Rodrick Cox
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For further information, visit the website,
www.superboat.com
by Bob Wonders
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Nilma North (Warragul)
