Just two weekends ago, the Atlantic Ocean conditions off Cocoa Beach, Fla., returned to their notoriously evil ways for the Thunder On Cocoa Beach affair. For fans, the action was simply wild. For competitors, they were simply brutal. A number of teams departed with significant repair-work to do before the next International Hot Rod Association event June 11-14 at the Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri.
Thunder On Cocoa Beach was veteran throttleman Ryan Beckley’s third Super Stock-class event with rookie driver Sloan Langston. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
“Those weren’t the worst conditions I’ve seen in Cocoa Beach,” said Kevin Pruett, a longtime member of the original local organizing group. “But they definitely make my top five.”
But for veteran Super Stock-class throttleman Ryan Beckley of Bradenton. Fla., it may have been his finest Thunder On Cocoa Beach event to date. That’s because the entire 2025 season saw him without a Super Stock ride. It was the first time in almost 20 years, Beckley noted, that he had to catch the race as a spectator.
This time around, things were different. Not only did Beckley throttle the 32-foot Super Stock-class Doug Wright catamaran dubbed HBS Motorsports with Sloan Langston, he throttled a 39-foot MTI catamaran of the same in the Factory Stock ranks with rookie driver Hampton Langston, Sloan’s older brother.
It was Beckley’s third event with the younger Langston and his first with Langston’s sibling.
In the Super Stock contest, Beckley and Sloan Langston finished ninth overall. Sharing the cockpit with Hampton Langston, Beckley finished fourth in the Factory Stock class.
Beckley shared a Factory Stock-class raceboat cockpit with Hampton Langston.
He was delighted with both results.
“We finally cracked the top-ten in Super Stock,” he noted. “And fourth place in what was an attrition-riddled Factory Stock race wasn’t bad at all.”
Both boats departed Cocoa Beach in need of repairs. Both will be ready in time for the next IHRA event.
As for Beckley, no further “repair” is needed. He’s back where he wants to be and expects to throttle both boats for the rest of the season.
“It felt like redemption,” Beckley said, then chuckled. “Last year, I didn’t have a ride all season except for one with a Bracket 500-class team at the Key West Worlds. It was a really long year.
“In Cocoa Beach, I had two of them,” he added. “I’m looking forward to the next races with Sloan and Hampton.”