Miss GEICO Racing Retools Engines and Racing Program for Comeback Season

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Apr 28, 2016, 08:50 ET

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla., April 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Miss GEICO Offshore Racing Team brings a new philosophy to the 2016 powerboat racing season in what team owners expect to be a "comeback year" after a frustrating 2015.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160427/360655
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160427/360656

"We've hit the reset button for the 2016 season," said Miss GEICO Crew Chief Gary Stray.

The Miss GEICO team's 2016 approach includes a fresh engineering crew that will emphasize consistency and reliability instead of wringing more and more power out of the engine platform on the 50-foot-long Victory catamaran.

The organization had regressed from winning multiple world championships on the Super Boat International (SBI) and Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) circuits to struggling to finish races in 2015. "Last year, we had issues that were plain to see," Stray shared.

Scott Colton, Team Manager, said the team will start the season with four identical race engines, two on the boat and two as backups.

The Miss GEICO Victory is made of carbon, Kevlar and S-glass for high performance. The boat sports a pair of 1650 RACE Sterndrive engines producing 3,300 horsepower and top speeds of 200 mph.

Colton said the team plans to develop another pair of engines - expected to produce additional horsepower while maintaining reliability - by November for the World Championships in Key West.

On the water, Miss GEICO is under the control of driver Marc Granet and throttleman Scott Begovich, who have been working together since the team was formed in 2004.

Miss GEICO's quest for a ninth world title begins May 13-15 at the 7^th Annual Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix in Cocoa Beach, FL.

The team then heads north to New Jersey for the first two of three events in the GEICO Triple Crown competition organized by the OPA.

The GEICO Triple Crown includes races May 20-22 in Point Pleasant, NJ; June 17-19 in Atlantic City, NJ; and Nov. 17-20 in Englewood, FL.

SBI races are scheduled for June 24-26 in Marathon, FL; Aug. 26-28 in Mentor, OH; Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in Clearwater, FL; and Nov. 7-13 in Key West, FL.

In addition to the race schedule, the Miss GEICO team will appear at air shows on Aug. 17 in Atlantic City, NJ, and Oct. 15-16 in Baltimore, MD. The air show appearances will feature boat-versus-airplane races in a sea-sky duel with the GEICO Skytypers air show team.

New in 2016, the Miss GEICO team has added a P1 race boat to their fleet. The P1 is a "one design" boat that is 31-feet long and powered by a 250-horsepower Evinrude race engine. P1 races feature 10 identical boats, which emphasizes the operators' expertise over horsepower and boat design. Micah Paul known will drive the P1 Team GEICO craft while Craig Wilson operates the throttles.

The P1 schedule include races April 8-9 in Tavares, May 20-21 in Kissimmee, June 3-4 in Jacksonville, and July 1-3 in Sarasota.

"The 2016 race season is expected to be our best ever," states Marketing Manager Gary Goodell. "We look forward to winning our ninth world championship title!"

2016 Miss GEICO Race Schedule

May 13-15	Cocoa Beach, FL
7TH ANNUAL SPACE COAST SBI GRAND PRIX

May 20-22	Point Pleasant, NJ,
POINT PLEASANT OPA POWERBOAT RACING

June 17-19	Atlantic City, NJ
ATLANTIC CITY OPA POWERBOAT RACING

June 24-26	Marathon, FL
ANNUAL MARATHON SBI GRAND PRIX

July 1-3	Sarasota, FL
Suncoast Charities Powerboat Extravaganza

Aug 17	Atlantic City, NJ
ATLANTIC CITY AIR SHOW

Aug 26-28	Mentor, OH
ANNUAL SBI GRAND PRIX

Sept 30-Oct 2	Clearwater, FL
8TH ANNUAL CLEARWATER SBI CHAMPIONSHIPS

Oct 15-16	Baltimore, MD
BALTIMORE AIR SHOW

Nov 7-13	Key West, FL
36TH ANNUAL KEY WEST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (3 RACES)

Nov 17-20	Englewood, FL
OPA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (2 RACES)