Fountains Sweep the 5th Stop on the SBI Tour

August 4, 2003, Washington, NC; Fountain Powerboats cleaned house at the SBI Fountain Superboat Pro-Am race event, hosted by Fountain Powerboats at their factory in Washington, NC, capturing 1st place in Manufactures 1, Manufacturers 2, and Super-V.

The 3-day event began on Friday with the speed trials, where history was made with the 1st ever-offshore powerboat to exceed 200 miles per hour! Bacardi Silver, (piloted by David Scott and John Tomlinson), had a one-way pass of 202.907 miles per hour, and backed it up with a return pass of 193.198 miles per hour, for a two-way average of 198.052 miles per hour. "The 200 mile per hour mark is something we have been after for some time", said team owner David Scott. "There was a cross wind on the return pass that kept us from hitting the 200 mark on the return, but we know that there is still more there. With ideal conditions, we think that 210 is an attainable figure." While 200 miles per hour is not unheard of for the turbine powered unlimited hydroplanes, the fact that this was a piston engine V-8 Big Block Chevy based offshore catamaran, makes this a tremendous milestone.

The Fountain V-bottoms also had a great day in the trials, setting 3 additional marks to add to Fountain's already long list of world speed records. Jeff Harris and Reggie Fountain III debuted their brand new 40' Super-V with Mercury power and a unique "in-line" engine configuration. The boat set the mark with an unofficial 2-way average of over 122 miles per hour. The unofficial status was due to the fact that this was the debut event for the new boat. Jeff Harris then switched boats and reunited with his former driver and fellow hall of champions partner Wyatt Fountain, to set the mark in Manufacturers 2 with a 35 Fountain Poker Run Edition, at an amazing 111.343 miles per hour with twin engine Mercury 525EFI power. In Manufacturers 1, Frank Sarro and Scott O'Connor piloted their 29 Fountain with single Mercury 500EFI power to a new record of 87.684 miles per hour.

On Sunday after a slight delay for a thundershower, racing returned to the Pamilco River with the running of the Fountain Super Boat Pro-Am. At the start, Team Muscle with David Branch and Bruce Kruglick jumped to a strong lead and pulled on the fleet in their 40' Fountain. Running in 2nd place, team Firewater with Rich Wyatt and Bob Oliver kept the Muscle in their sights, and ultimately got past them when Team Muscle threw a propeller blade. They ran flawlessly for the entire afternoon to capture the victory. The battle for 3rd place between Instigator, with Joe Sgro and Peter Meyer, and Shockwave, with Ben Robertson and Wyatt Fountain substituting for an ill Rich Troppoli, pushed to the end in a deck-to-deck fight that ultimately saw Shockwave capture 3rd place after an incredible spin by Instigator.

In Manufactures 2, Ben Robertson III took the helm in his first offshore event in the F2-76 Fountain 35'. With veteran throttleman Martin Sanborn on the throttles, after a last minute move by Reggie Fountain, they ran the production 35' Poker Run Edition Fountain with Mercury 525EFI to an average speed of 95 miles per hour for the entire race. The run gave Ben Robertson III his first offshore win after a flawless run.

In Manufacturers 1, Extreme Marine, piloted by Frank Sarro and Scott O'Connor went on the capture their 5th win of the season in their 29 Fountain. "We ran with the production boats, and had a great time mixing it up with them" said Frank Sarro, who is currently leading the points battle in Manufacturers 1.