Powerboat races and series are still being disrupted leaving governing bodies, organisers, teams, drivers, and sponsors trying to navigate the impacts and implications of event cancellations and modifications.

When PRW spoke to Tim Seebold, one of the men who are trying to guide the United States based F1 Powerboat Championship back onto an even keel he had this to say,

The last three years have been exceedingly difficult. Ever since the pandemic came out everything has changed so quickly. One of the main problems was that we were not sure whether the races could even take place. From state to state the environment differed, our only option was to postpone the whole series and bring it out of hibernation later.

Finding a sponsor was another huge task that Seebold and partner John Schubert had to contend with as no one sponsors an event when they are laying off people due to the pandemic. It’s a fine line for any corporation in this unique time and the public’s perception of how they are navigating through it responsibly.

The whole landscape of sponsorship has changed over the last few years, it’s now more about business to business. Long gone are the days when a huge corporation like Anheuser-Busch came along and offered sponsorship money to have your raceboat branded with their product or back your series just for media coverage. They are now more interested in paying to bring fifty to one hundred of their corporate guests to meet up with other corporate guests and exchange contacts details in a VIP environment alongside the race circuit.

This is where the Formula 1 – two-seater boat race ride experience comes into its own. With Seebold offering the attraction of ride experience for dignitaries, invited media, sponsors, and VIPs with dragster like acceleration along with its five plus G’s cornering ability. Plans are now well underway so that the two-seater can be branded in whatever corporate colour scheme is necessary for that weekend’s guests. Videos footage of themselves strapped in alongside Seebold, showing them lapping the course with telemetry displaying speed and G-Force will then be available to download.

It has become a vitally important side of what we are doing as I see the two-seater ride becoming the ‘Crown Jewel’ in the way we promote the series to corporations and sponsors. You can’t lose sight of the fact that we are both an entertainment business/sport business. When guests leave the VIP Marquees, they want to see action on the water. It’s extremely hard to sell an empty space of river, so that’s the beauty of the different classes that run during our weekend minimizing down time.

We can always put something out on the water, it doesn’t have to be tunnel boats that why the Texas Tri-Hull are an integral part of the series. Don’t forget that both Chris Rinker and Jeremiah Mayo started out in the Tri-Hull’s.

With the first round at Port Neches River Fest all wrapped up Seebold was pleased with the outcome.

From a positive point of view having four different heat winners shows the parity of the field and I’m very encouraged by the performance of the Mercury APX 200. The final results didn’t quite tell the whole story after qualifying third RJ jumped the gun in the final and Dustin Terry hit two buoys. It will be the right fit and it won’t make the other engines ‘obsolete.’ We are making every effort to improve race on race. We are always working on the live-stream and social media aspect, it’s a lot of work to undertake and everything you do has a cost.

Another positive the series can take credit for is the race format that differs completely from the one used for decades by the UIM World Championships.

It all used to be marathon races, fifty, sixty laps which we realised lost its attraction after twenty minutes. We have found that the shorter action-packed sprint format holds the audience attention right up to the chequered flag. Utilizing timed races rather than number of laps allows us latitude to race on a variety of course lengths and shapes while not jeopardizing our competitors fuel load capacities. We want to shuffle the deck and run at different venues to vary the lap length.

To underline the popularity of this concept this race format has been successfully adopted by the Australian Formula Powerboat Grand Prix series.

To assist them they brought me over to Australia to avoid a lot of heartache and growing pains and now it’s proving to be remarkably successful for them. Sprint races with good vantage points works really well.

Amongst the highlights in Port Neches was the outstanding performance put in by Mayo during the F1 Final. Finishing second behind Terry Rinker with not only blades missing from his propeller but also the skeg missing was truly remarkable.

There are still many questions to be answered in this ‘post’ covid situation. Can Seebold simultaneously manage fan expectations, minimise operational costs and disruption, and plan for a future that, in both the short and long term, may not look anything like the past but at the same time keep those involved content?

I genuinely feel that we are finally heading in the right direction and a lot of that is down to having more than a one-year contract with the race venues. Multiyear deals mean that the drivers and teams can then go to their sponsors in July and discuss next season with confidence. Once that confidence is shared then we have the base to build the series up from. Switching to promoting the series is one of the biggest challenges of my life, but it was the right time for me to step out of the cockpit and give something back into the sport that as a family we have been involved with for decades now and will continue to be involved with.

Images supplied by the Formula 1 Powerboat Championship.

Series Promoter Tim Seebold said

We apologise for the late release of the schedule, but it has been difficult securing the race sites this off season. All of us are looking forward to seeing everyone and getting back on the water. Thank you for your continued support as we build powerboat racing.

2022 F1 Powerboat Championship

April 3                                 Highlands, Texas.             F1, F-Light, Tri Hull, J-Hydro (Non-Series Points Race)

April 29- May 1                 Port Neches, Texas.         F1, F-Light, Tri Hull, J-Hydro.

July 28-31                           Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.              -F1, F-Light, Tri Hull.

Sept. 30-Oct. 2                  Highlands, Texas.                            F1, F-Light, Tri Hull, J-Hydro.

October 14-16                  Lake Havasu, Arizona.                    F1, F-Light, Tri Hull.

The upbeat F1 Series Promoter is certainly looking forward to a constructive season.

New relationships have blossom because of the Lake Havasu Classic’s sponsoring partners. We continue to work with Mercury Racing as we navigate the future of our sport and their involvement. Testing was completed with the APEX 200 engine with three of our teams giving us a better understanding of how the new engine package can fit into our existing program. Rest assured we are not abandoning our current program or any of the equipment that is being currently used. The goal is to offer an additional engine choice for the people who wish to utilise it while more importantly attracting new people to Formula 1 powerboat racing.  Our goal has been and will continue to be the growth of Formula powerboat racing through supporting all our competing teams and drivers. That’s our only agenda, no one gets left out!

David Moore said

I am delighted to join JRM Racing following Dillard signing with them earlier this year and I will be helping him with his comeback in the UIM F2 World Championship. The support of his parents Teresa and Steve is amazing and it already feels good to be part of the Dillard family, plus I can’t wait to see Dillard and Bjerknæs racing side by side this year in Moore hulls.

JRM’s Mette Bjerknæs has been racing Moore hulls since her debut in the World Endurance Championship back in 2012 and has been working closely with him ever since.

Whilst Dillard first got the taste of Rouen’s finest back in 2018 when he purchased Pierre Lundin’s F2 Championship winning Moore hull. So, having built world championship winning boats for decades he now brings with him that vast knowledge which will of course be of immense value to the team.

Bjerknæs said

Having David’s expertise at every race is going to be invaluable to me and all at JRM Racing.

PRW understands that Dillard will first be competing at the opening round of this year’s NGK Spark Plugs Formula 1 Powerboat Championship, which will be roaring into Southeast Texas on April 30. The 19^th  annual ‘Thunder on the Neches’ powerboat race will be the highlight of the five-day Port Neches ‘River Fest’.

Following that race weekend Dillard will begin testing with his new team prior to the 2022 UIM F2 season opener in Portugal in June. Before that though JRM Racing, who are currently working on their brand-new team livery, will be competing at Carr Mill Dam in England at the end of May. PRW understand that negotiations are currently under way to allow Dillard to compete at the opening round of the CPA British National Championship.

JRM Team Principal Jamey Stallard told PRW that to have David Moore joining their team is an honour.

Not only is he a prominent figure in powerboat racing but also, he’s a first class raceboat constructor, with many world championships titles achieved in his Moore designed boats. He is just what JRM values as a team member, always striving for victories while promoting professionalism and the future of our Sport.

The American driver said

I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to compete at a World Championship level again. The British based JRM Racing is a first-class team, and I am thankful to Jamey Stallard, Mette Bjerknaes, and all at JRM for welcoming me and my sponsor Dillard Financial Solutions as we have un-finished business to attend to at the UIM F2 World Championship.

During his break from competing overseas the 35-year-old driver from South Carolina has turned a corner in his driving style and attitude to win. This was demonstrated late last year in winning the NGKF1 Series race at Lake Havasu as well as finishing second in the APBA Formula 200 National Championship. This year Dillard will be competing in a brand new 2022 Moore boat completing the two-boat line up alongside Bjerknaes.

Bjerknaes said

We are delighted to have Dillard join the team. JRM Racing grows stronger every year and I’m thrilled to welcome new, resourceful people to it. I am also pleased that he shares my confidence in Moore Formula and that we can present an all-Moore line up in the coming season. With the strong World Championship calendar, I am confident this will be a fun year for JRM Racing.

Everyone at JRM Racing welcomes Dillard to their team, as they know he is of a winning pedigree and with the backing of his parents, who play a huge role in Dillard Racing we should be seeing some good results this season for the team.

With the start of season just over two months away the team will begin testing later this month in the UK. Their plans calendar permitting would be to compete the full season in the UIM F2 World Championship along with some rounds of the CPA British Formula GP and Sprint Championships.

JRM Team Principal Jamey Stallard added

We would love to see both boats competing on the fabulous UK waters helping support the already growing fleet of Formula GP boats, and we are hoping that Bjerknaes gets the opportunity to defend her CPA British Sprint Championship title in August. I appreciate that currently people’s attention are elsewhere and of course our thoughts and prayers go out to all the people affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.