A rain day made for a wild finish to the 2024 Key West World Championship.
Photos Courtesy of Race World Offshore
Race World Offshore founder and president Larry Bleil is one of the friendliest and most optimistic people you’ll ever meet in offshore racing.
Bleil’s optimism was put to the test by Mother Nature when tropical storm Rafael cancelled the first day of racing at the 2024 Key West World Championships in Key West, Fla. Only weeks earlier, Race World Offshore called off its Clearwater Nationals because of Tropical Storm Helene.
Dirty Money won both races en route to the Super Cat World Championship.
Weather is always the great unknown when staging an outdoor event, but Bleil’s run of weather luck was next level. It would work out in the end, as they got two days of racing in what was one of the most entertaining World Championship in years.
“Even though we had that one day racing off on Wednesday, the city was ecstatic,” Bleil said. “Maybe because we didn’t race on Wednesday, everybody was in the bars and restaurants spending money. It worked out better than anyone had thought.”
Here’s a few stories from the 43rd Key West World Championship in November.
Pro Class 1 Race Shines
Team DeFalco was on a roll when two offshore races were cancelled in September and October because of hurricanes, so Mike Falco and Billy Moore were looking to restart their Pro Class 1 momentum in Key West.
Because of the lost day of racing and with double points being awarded, Sunday’s race was winner-take-all. Australian 222 Offshore team won Friday’s race, buoyed by a hot first lap to beat second-place finisher Team DeFalco.
It looked like it was going to be much of the same on Sunday with 222 Offshore team grabbing the early lead through the first five laps, before Team DeFalco took the lead. That’s because a deck hatch fell out, sending a rush of wind through the cockpit for driver Darren Nicholson and throttleman Giovanni Carpitella.
222 Offshore’s 15-second lead vanished, giving the time Team DeFalco needed to bring home the checkered flag.
“I learned long ago to never give up because anything can happen,” Moore said. “We kept them in our sight and took advantage when the time came.”
Joining Team DeFalco and 222 Offshore on the podium was third-place finisher Monster Energy/M CON.
Dirty Money Scores a Championship
The Dirty Money Super Cat has come a long way in a short period of time and it showed at the World Championship. After founding the team in 2023, Beau and Tiffiney Renfroe won their first World Championship in 2024.
It helps to have Britt Lilly and Bill Pyburn in the cockpit of the Skater 388, which the team had humming during the 2024 season. Going into Key West, Lilly and Pyburn notched two wins and two seconds during the season.
Dirty Money showed its season was no fluke, winning both Super Cat races in Key West. When Dirt Money’s main rival, Monster Energy/M CON had an engine failure in Friday’s race, it made the job a little easier on Sunday. Eight Super Cats teams started in Key West and just five finished catamarans finished the race.
When the points were added up, Dirty Money was joined on the podium by Monster Energy/M CON and Austin Homes.
Super Stock Magic
Team Allen Lawn Care & Lawn Care entered Sunday’s race at the Key West Worlds knowing exactly what was at stake. After winning on Friday, throttleman Billy Allen and driver Randy Keys needed at least a fourth-place finish to clinch the Super Stock championship.
For much of the race, they ran third, chasing leader Raymarine’s Cole Leibel and Gary Ballough and second-place Jackhammer. Coco’s Monkey was in second and Jackhammer slipped to third, moving Team Allen Lawn Care to fourth. That’s where they stayed through the finish, securing Team Allen Lawn Care’s second world title in three years.
When the points were added up, Jackhammer took second and Coco’s Monkey rounded out the podium. Raymarine was fourth.
Bracket Classes
Key West always attracts a large bracket class looking to race at one of the world’s premier offshore venues. The 2024 Key West Championship was no different and the bracket class winners were:
OC Racing (Class 2), Framed Offshore Racing (Class 4), Rum Runners (Class 5), Velocity Powerboats (Class 6) and Bad Decisions/XINSURANCE (Class 7).
All the offshore classes raced under the watchful eye of current American Power Boat Association president Chris Fairchild, who served as the interim chair of the Offshore Racing Commission. Previous commissioner Rich Luhrs left the position in September.
Changing Outboards
The APBA Factory Stock offshore racing class will transition to the Mercury Racing 500R outboard starting this season. Replacing the discontinued 450R, the change also renames the class from Factory Stock 450 to Factory Stock 500.
“We’ve worked with race teams on this move for over a year, and the excitement is clear,” said Jeff Broman, director of Mercury Racing. “Racers crave more power and want to compete with the latest technology. The 500R delivers that, plus humidity compensation for consistent performance in varying conditions.”
With 50 more horsepower and 10 percent more torque than the 450R, the 500R’s 4.6-liter, 64-degree DOHC V8 is supercharged. Weighing just 720 pounds, it features R-Drive and R-Drive Sport gearcases, the Advanced Racing Core (ARC) midsection, and an upgraded engine and cooling system. Its ECM maximizes power output even in extreme humidity, providing up to 30 additional horsepower.
The Factory Stock 500 class promotes tight competition with 35- to 40-foot catamarans from Marine Technology Inc. (MTI), Doug Wright Powerboats, and Skater Powerboats. Each runs twin Mercury Racing 500R outboards and must come from a certified production mold, per Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) Racing rules. Custom-built hulls are not allowed, and all engines remain stock and factory sealed.
Plans for Toronto Grand Prix Race Postponed
As trade friction has heated up between the United States and Canada, a proposed offshore race set for July in Toronto has been postponed.
Race World Offshore’s founder Larry Bleil was working closely with Canada’s Chris Grant, and his race team, C J Grant Racing, to make the Toronto Grand Prix on Lake Ontario happen. But recent tensions between the North American neighbors and cross-border logistics led to the postponement.
“This was not a decision we made alone, and it weighs heavily on all of us,” Bleil said in a statement. “The Toronto Grand Prix held tremendous promise and the realization of making the series truly international. However, the climate has recently changed and implied unpredictability of border crossings for our teams and their equipment.
“Together with our Canadian race partners we agreed it was best to act decisively now, sparing all of our RWO team, supporters and participants from further uncertainty and investment.”
Ultimately, the tour wasn’t sure it could ensure smooth border transit for crews and equipment. With a tight racing schedule for many of the teams, the uncertainty of the logistics was too much.
“We are extremely disappointed that the Toronto Grand Prix had to be cancelled due to the uncertainty between our two countries,” Grant said in a statement. “When we embarked on this incredible journey to host an international race in Toronto, there were no tensions between nations, and the city welcomed us with open arms, approving the event without hesitation.”
Grant thanked the City of Toronto and its stakeholders for their support with the goal of rescheduling in July 2026.
