Of the all the offshore powerboat racers who descended on St. Petersburg, Fla., for last weekend’s season-opener, none left more stoked than rookie Bracket 500-class throttleman Justin Snook. Devoted readers of Powerboatnation.com and Speedonthewater.com will recall Snook, who lives in Mancelona, Mich., with his wife, Melissa, as a poker-run fanatic who decided to try his hand at offshore racing this season with driver Florida-based driver Chris Hayes, from an early February story.
Snook and Hayes ran their 28-foot, Whiskey Throttle Racing V-bottom to a third-place finish in the seven-team Bracket 500 field. It was the largest fleet of any of the Bracket classes in St. Pete last Saturday, and Snook was ecstatic.
“Chris and I went into the weekend just hoping to make it around the course since we just put in a new engine and were not sure what to fully expect,” Snook recalled. “We were pretty stoked just to get out. Not only did we complete the course, we passed a couple boats and ended up on the podium.”
The next race in the International Hot Rod Association Offshore Racing Series is set for April 10-12. It’s a safe bet that the Whiskey Throttle Racing will be there, and ready once more to take on all comers in the Bracket 500 ranks.
“This has been a dream of mine for a long time and it finally came true,” Snook added. “We are hooked and there will be more to come.”