Key West World Championship Penalty & 7th for Bermuda Boats
IslandStats.com
The 45th Annual Key West Offshore World Championship opened with high drama and red-flag controversy in Florida waters, as the Truman Waterfront Cup delivered an eventful first day of racing for Bermuda's Super Stock contenders.
S-12 Nuff Said, crewed by driver Luis Martins and throttleman Nick Imprescia, looked poised to claim top honours after surging into the race lead on the testing four-mile Key West Harbor circuit.
However, an incident further back in the fleet resulted in a boat flipping, prompting race officials to immediately deploy the red flag and bring competition to a premature halt.
Despite crossing the line in front when the stoppage was called, Nuff Said saw their victory snatched away following a costly earlier infraction. While battling aggressively to seize the lead during the early laps, the boat struck a turn buoy, incurring a mandatory one-lap penalty from race marshals that relegated them to 15th place in the official race-one classifications.
Compatriots GL Construction Bermuda enjoyed a steadier afternoon on the water. Piloted by driver David Selley and throttleman Steven Bridges in the S-1 canopy hull, the crew navigated the choppy conditions cleanly to bring the boat home in seventh place, collecting solid championship points ahead of the remaining two rounds.
The high-stakes opening heats came after a lively start to race week in the Southernmost City, where both Bermudian outfits took part in the traditional "World’s Fastest Boat Parade" down Duval Street before completing rigorous technical scrutiny and mandatory underwater "dunker" safety drills.
The friendly rivalry between the two island camps had spilled onto the football pitch earlier in the week for an informal kickabout, but all camaraderie was set aside once engines fired up for Wednesday's curtain-raiser.
With points weighted heavily across all three heats, both Bermudian boats remain firmly in contention for overall world honours. The fleet will return to Key West Harbor for Race Day 2 on Friday before the world champions are crowned following Sunday's grand finale.
