Fountain Teams Dominate the First Race of the 2004 Offshore World Championships

Key West, Florida; November 17, 2004: In the first "unified" Offshore World Championship event since 1995, Fountain Powerboat offshore racing teams dominated the first race in the 3 race format, capturing 3 of the top 5 positions. Superboat International, in cooperation with the Conch Offshore Racing Association, brought all of the offshore organizations together to settle the championships in Key West under one sanction. This represents a huge opportunity to demonstrate once and for all who builds the best boats in the world, according to Fountain Powerboats President and CEO Reggie Fountain.

With the advent of the current rules dictating the Mercury 525 engine package in 3 of the premier classes in the sport, racer participation has swelled, and the class to see the most significant increase is the Super-V class, featuring 16 twin-engine v-bottom powerboats ranging from 38 to 42 feet in length. This rules configuration has emphasized the hull technology and crew skills, rather than a race to see who can make the most horsepower. It has also proven to be a significant proving ground for Mercury Racing to demonstrate the durability of their powertrain systems.

Fountains jumped to an early lead with Miccosukee Indian Gaming, a 38' Fountain, leading the first 5 laps, but they ultimately dropped back due to a failed propeller blade. Miccosukee maintained the highest average lap speed for the entire event at 83.19 miles per hour, but was forced to retire on the last lap, and settled for a 11th place finish. The 2nd highest lap speed of the event went to the Rodriquez Group, another 38' Fountain, as they marched from a bad start to take the lead in the final laps of the race. Their average lap speed of 82.37 miles per hour secured them a 1st place finish for the race.

4th and 5th place honors went to Instigator and Pier 57, both of which are 42' Fountains, with average speeds of 80.32 and 79.75 miler per hour respectively. The 4th place finish for team Instigator was especially rewarding for them as it marked the debut event for their brand new boat that just saw the water for the first time last Saturday. This new model represents the latest in deck designs by Fountain Powerboats, and features the use of Mercury's Smart Craft technology for the monitoring of all critical engine functions. According to crew chief Jerry Haney, Mercury's Smart Craft display dramatically simplified the cockpit rigging, and ultimately reduced the final weight of the boat.

Racing continues on Saturday and Sunday, and the combined points from all 3 days of racing will determine the 2004 Offshore World Champions. With 4 boats within striking distance, Fountain is in an excellent position going into the weekend.

Live play-by-play coverage of the Superboat International Offshore World Championships, presented by Fountain Powerboats can be heard live at www.talkoffshore.com.