SilverHook^® news

April 15, 2014

77 Lucas Oil SilverHook :: Charlotte Harbor :: 3rd on the Podium, 1st in the Press

The biggest and fastest boats on the water lived up to the hype Sunday at the inaugural Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix. Nigel Hook, Captain of the #77 Lucas Oil SilverHook said "Of course we love to win, but we wouldn't be racing without Lucas Oil and parts.com, so to dominate the media, especially against the GEICO juggernaut, was a monumental indicator for the launching our 2014 season. Plus we did it in style, with  Parliament Motor Coach!"

The first annual Charlotte Harbor Grand Prix was a huge success with 31 boats registered, more than doubling the expected boat count. Over five thousand fans attended the Punta Gorda boat parade and street party Friday evening, and over the weekend, thousands more visited Englewood Beach to walk through the dry pits and view the Super Boats up close and personal.

On Sunday, the #77 Lucas Oil SilverHook, was in the second race of the day, featuring eighteen of the baddest superboats on the circuit. When the green flag was flown, over 200,000 horsepower roared across the Gulf of Mexico thrilling the estimated ten thousand fans lining the beach and rocking the fleet of one thousand spectator boats lining the 4.3-mile course.

Photo by by Nikon Miami

Sandwiched between #113 Miss GEICO and #3 CMS, with the Norwegian entry, #8 Gasse on the outside of the track, pilots Hook and Silfverberg in the #77 Lucas Oil SilverHook battled for position in the Superboat Unlimited class sharing the battlefield with three classes; the Supercats, the Stock Cats and an Extreme V. The race was broadcast live on WENG AM 1530, FM 107.5 and via LiveStream and if you missed any of the coverage, click to rewatch.

The winner of the Superboat Unlimited class was #8 Gasse, driven by Tor Staubo of Norway, who is a fellow Scandinavian of our Swedish driver, Michael Silfverberg. "The water was flat and perfect for catamarans. Tor told me he was hitting 189mph down the back stretch!" said Silfverberg.

The #77 Lucas Oil SilverHook ran strong until the checkered flag, which is a testimony to the 2008 Mercury 1075hp engines running on pump gas. "These engines have proven to be super reliable, in fact we are still running on the original heads and blocks," said Silfverberg and beside him throttleman, Nigel Hook added “a drop or two of Lucas Oil Stabilizer must take some of the credit!"

April 7, 2014

77 Lucas Oil :: SilverHook 48GP :: 2014 Season Opener :: Charlotte Harbor

Commencing their 2014 season, the 77 LUCAS OIL team will be testing their SilverHook 48GP this week on Lake Monroe near their race shop in Sanford, FL before heading down to participate in the Super Boat International season opener, the Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix April 11-13.

The big announcement for our team is  the addition of PARTS.COM as a major sponsor. “We are very excited to have signed a three year partnership with PARTS.COM and this is a natural fit for us after what we’ve learned from the last
14 years with Lucas Oil. PARTS.COM is a fast growing company with great people with whom we have close synergies”, commented Nigel Hook. “They were the naming sponsor of our  Golden Gate to Queen Mary Lucas Oil Cup endurance record last year, so this is logical progression”, Hook added.

Also joining forces with Nigel Hook and his team this season is the Clearwater based Parliament Motor Coach Company. General Manager, Ken Robertson says, “As a full service RV Center and premier manufacturer of Prevost Luxury Coaches, the name Parliament has been synonymous with quality and service nationwide since 1992. Collaborating with Lucas Oil, a company that has built its reputation on Quality and Performance is a natural fit. We are looking forward to another championship year for #77!”

Manasota Key, located halfway between Tampa and Naples on the Southwest Florida Gulf Coast, will be the focus of the inaugural Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix, which will feature two races on Sunday taking place in the Gulf of Mexico between Stump Pass and Englewood Beach. Race promoter, Jerry York has done an outstanding job and Super Boat International expects a bigger team turn out than last year’s season opener with over thirty race boats registered.

"We’ve made a few minor improvements during the offseason to optimize the balance of our SilverHook race boat, good balance is key for handling in multiple types of seas. We’ve clearly been the best boat in rough waters and we are aiming to carry this over into the calmer races”, says driver Michael Silfverberg. “Our Mercury 1075 engines have been incredibly reliable and we’ve taken advantage of the offseason to refresh them.”

Photo by Emilia Hillerström

Many international race boats are joining in, Qatar (#13 Qatar), Norway (#99 Gasse), and Dubai (#3 Fazza), to take on the likes of #113 Miss GEICO and many others, including #77 Lucas Oil SilverHook, driven by Michael Silfverberg and throttled by Nigel Hook, who are stepping up to the Superboat Unlimited Class.

Race coverage including pre-race interviews will begin airing on Livestream at 10:45 EDT on Sunday, April 13. With over 16,000 registered followers of Super Boat International, boat racing is becoming a popular online sport to watch.

The team will be streaming live video of their preparations during the week via UStream.tv. Click here to view the SilverHook Powerboats channel and then click Follow to be notified whenever streaming activity starts.

November 26, 2013

77 Lucas Oil :: SilverHook 48GP :: 2nd 2nd 2nd and 2nd Overall :: 33rd Annual Key West World Championships YouTube Video

The 77 Lucas Oil SilverHook competed in what is arguably the best-known race site in the world – Key West, during the 33rd Annual Key West World Championships – taking second on Wednesday, second on Friday, and second on Sunday to earn second place overall in the Superboat Extreme class.

  photo by Mohamed Bin Jabor Al Thani

“Thanks to the impeccable prep work of our team, we had a perfectly running boat for all three races. During Wednesday’s race, we had the lead with the Outerlimits behind us, but then we got ourselves boxed in trying to overtake three super cats on the outside which allowed the Outerlimits to slip past us on the inside, forcing us to settle for a 2nd place” said Hook. “Water conditions went flat on Friday and Sunday and although our boat will out accelerate the other boats in 2-footers and above, it is simply underpowered in the flat. It just wasn’t our water this year. ”

The official entry list recorded over 40 boats participating and the Super Boat International live streaming saw
record numbers with over 30,000 visits from 103 countries. Belgium, Malta, Qatar, Netherlands, Australia, Italy
and Puerto Rico each had over 100 visits. Bermuda, Trinidad, Germany, Sweden and Norway had over 300 visits
each; Canada had over 700 visits; and the United Kingdom exceeded 1000 visits just to name a few.

Fans unable to attend the race in person were able to watch it live on television as it was carried on cable
throughout Monroe County by WEYW19 and was seen in 50,000 homes via Comcast and U-verse. Super Boat
International proudly boasts that over 250,000 people saw the World Championships live. If you missed the
race, you can still watch it at new.livestream.com/sbi/keywest2013.

Kieran Ironmonger, Ryan Zivitski, Nigel Hook, Michael Silfverberg, Sammy Dile, and Tim Pattison

Nigel Hook and driver, Michael Silfverberg, would like to thank the team of experts who continue to keep this first SilverHook 48GP competitive and are proud of the 13 years of continued support by Lucas Oil.

October 2, 2013

77 Lucas Oil :: SilverHook 48GP :: National Champions :: Clearwater National Championships

With a front page splash welcoming the team and knowing the National Championship was theirs for the taking, the 77 Lucas Oil SilverHook team arrived in Clearwater, FL to compete in the 5th Annual Bright House National and Florida Championships. The race weekend had the typical ups and downs but the team departed with the National Championship, which earned them a new name and they will be starting 2014 as the 01 Lucas Oil SilverHook.

 
There was plenty of action on the relatively flat course with 10-knot winds. Hulk Hogan joined Stan Lane, the voice of SBI, providing both live commentary and entertainment as the two former wrestlers compared notes about Stan’s world wrestling championships when he was a tag team specialist. We learned that Stan is best known as one-half of The Fabulous Ones, The Midnight Express, and The Heavenly Bodies.

The fastest boat of the day was the new 50' Mystic Turbine, 96 Spirit of Qatar, driven by Sheikh Hassan and throttled by Sir Steve Curtis with an average speed of 112.69 mph. The highly competitive Superboat class was controlled by 13 Stihl and they secured the Superboat National Championship in the catamaran class.

Five boats started the Extreme class with a deck-to-deck race between 05 Broadco Property Restoration and the 01 Instigator driver, Travis Lofland, who was doing his utmost in the corners to “catch” Broadco. Team 41 Two Cocks Fighting Apparel, throttled by owner Andy Copeland and driven by Joe “Cat Killer” Lamberti put up a ferocious fight dueling it out with 99 Watt-Ahh driven by Nate Hunt and Edward Tamberino. And for the second year in a row, it was mission accomplished for 77 Lucas Oil SilverHook, who successfully defended their National Championship title, albeit not in their preferred fashion.

Be sure to listen to the Nostalgic Radio and Cars program on the Tan Talk Radio Network, hosted by Robert who will be broadcasting a radio interview with Nigel Hook tonight, Wednesday, October 2 from 7-8pm EST.

Nigel Hook, captain of the team and throttle man for the 77 Lucas SilverHook 48GP congratulated his crew and praises them for all their hard work which keeps the Mercury powered SilverHook in shipshape throughout all the 2013 national events.

Next up is the 33rd Annual Key West World Championships November 3-10

2013 Season Summary (click to watch video):
1st place – Biloxi, MS – 9th Annual Smokin’ the Sound Grand Prix
1st place -- Cocoa Beach, FL – 4th Annual Space Coast Grand Prix
1st place -- Orange Beach, AL – 10th Annual Thunder on the Gulf Grand Prix
5th place – Sarasota, FL – 29th Annual Suncoast Grand Prix
Lake of the Ozarks Poker Run
1st place -- Michigan City, IN – 5th Annual Great Lakes Grand Prix
3rd place – Clearwater, FL – 5th Annual Bright House National Championships

Hook and driver, Miles Jennings, would like to thank the team of experts who continue to keep this first SilverHook 48GP competitive and are proud of the 13 years of continued support by Lucas Oil.

May 31, 2013

77 Lucas Oil :: SilverHook 48GP :: 1st Place :: Cocoa Beach Grand Prix

Team race video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vidZWbZWtfk

Jerry Hume, Reporter NEWS13: “Tens of thousands of people packed Cocoa Beach for the 4th Annual Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix this weekend. More people meant more rescues for lifeguards... An estimated 60,000 people lined the beach for the boat races”.
"That's a lot of people, a lot of parking, lot of hotdogs, so a lot of good business for the local community," said Kerry Bartlett, founder and director of the Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix.
“Spectators were in awe of the boats. It looks rough, boats are getting like 5 feet out of the air," said John Honeywell of Satellite Beach.

Photo by Lucididee Fast Boats

The Cocoa Beach Grand Prix’s fleet of 42 race boats participated in two races under overcast skies. There were strong winds and the confused seas were quartering the race track but it was not rough enough to give the mono-hulls an edge over the catamarans. The early leader in Superboat Unlimited, 113 Miss GEICO, set the pace, alongside 01 Instigator in Superboat Extreme driven by new team member Travis Lofland of The Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch. Although Travis is a new driver with Instigator and racing with veteran Pete Meyer, Travis clearly showed he was at home in rough conditions!

"By nature, we are the predator, not the prey and we relish the role of hunting down the lead boats" commented Miles Jennings driver of the77 Lucas Oil SilverHook. Throttleman, Nigel Hook, captain of the team added "In these tough conditions we counted on being able to reel in our [deadliest] catch!"  Sure enough after their furious start sprint, both 113 Miss GEICO and 01 Instigator succumbed to the gremlins limping home on single power due to breaking a drive shaft and succumbing to taking too much water on-board.

Hook acknowledged the diligent work of Sam Dile and Ryan Zivitski in preparing the 77 Lucas Oil SilverHook by saying "This is an endurance sport and we are proud to have now finished every lap of each race this season with an unbeaten record so far". Hook went on to comment "Our team and Mercury power have given us the reliability we needed; now we've got to focus on improving the different weight distribution and balance of our SilverHook Powerboat".

The reliability of the Mercury engines has been greatly assisted by the telemetry pioneered by Kieran Ironmonger of Race Technology. Sitting comfortably from his hotel balcony, Kieran monitors all of the engine data and is in constant communication with the cockpit crew who were getting slammed around by the 3-4 foot seas. Although F1, Indy Car and NASCAR have been using telemetry systems and real-time analytics for years, it's a challenging venture in the brutal environment of high speed ocean racing. Kieran has been incrementally adding sensors to supplement mechanical gauges, the most recent addition is a water pressure gauge at the rudder pickup to be compared to engine block water pressure for deeper post-race analytics.  This is an R&D endeavor to create a commercial onboard virtual mechanic.

This win in the rough waters of Cocoa Beach has doubled the team points already earned in the flat water race during the first SBI event, the Biloxi Grand Prix which started as a drag race between 41 Two Cocks Fight Apparel, a martial arts clothing line,  and 77 Lucas Oil. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8-W4PxaPQ0

The third stop for the SBI National Series race circuit will be Orange Beach, Alabama for the 10th Annual Thunder on the Gulf Super Boat Grand Prix May 31st  through June 2nd when the teams arrive and prepare their boats for the ‘Thunder on the Gulf’ event which will be live streamed. http://new.livestream.com/sbi/orangebeach2013

Nigel and Michael would like to thank the team of experts who continue to keep this first SilverHook GP48 competitive and is proud of the 13 years of continued support from Lucas Oil.

April 22, 2013

77 Lucas Oil :: SilverHook 48GP :: 2013 Season Opener :: Biloxi Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Miller Race Photos

Commencing their 2013 season, the 77 LUCAS OIL team will be testing the SilverHook 48GP  at their race shop near Lake Monroe, FL before heading to Biloxi, Mississippi where they are competing in the 9th Annual “Smokin’ the Sound” Super Boat Grand Prix April 26-28. As a warm up to Sunday’s race, the team is looking forward to participating in the “Smokin’ the Sound” Poker Run on Saturday, April 27.

Comprised of a long straightaway with sweeping corners where most of the action is sheltered by the sound protecting the course from any of the Gulf of Mexico turbulence, the Biloxi Grand Prix’s racecourse may prove to be a very smooth, fast track. “Typically this is not my favorite type of course”, says Hook “as we prefer the open ocean and the potential for big seas, but this venue has the attraction of all the casinos and great viewing for the fans”. The dry pits are based at the Grand Casino and the start/finish line in front of the Hard Rock Casino.

From Sanya, China, host of the UIM Class 1 season opener, English pilot, Miles Jennings, will be making his USA debut in Biloxi standing in for Swedish pilot, Michael Silfverberg. Miles, a veteran international powerboat racer, is also racing with the FENDI Racing Team where their next Class 1 race is mid-June in Istanbul, Turkey.

“Stepping into Michael’s shoes won’t be easy”, says co-owner of SilverHook and throttleman Nigel Hook, adding “I have a lot of respect for Miles. We have raced against each other for many years, in many countries, and he has his own very special shoes”.  Miles is often compared to former English Formula One Champion, James Hunt and his reputation of always being accompanied by two beautiful models.
What else is new with the 77 LUCAS OIL SilverHook?

• New engines for the SilverHook GP48. We swapped the Mercury 850hp out of the 17 LUCAS OIL Skater into the SilverHook. These engines were originally acquired by the team for the European Powerboat P1 power-to-weight ratio series and run conveniently on pump gas, which makes the 2013 plan of including Poker Runs in to the season more attainable and economical.

Chief Mechanic Ryan Zivitski from Florida and Kieran Ironmonger from Race Technology (UK) are in charge of telemetry.  The 77 LUCAS OIL SilverHook team will be extending the offseason R&D to gain knowledge from the new telemetry system to identify issues during the racing to preempt expensive failures and improve efficiencies from high performance analytics.

• The team will once again be streaming live video of their preparations via UStream.tv. Click here to follow the channel and to be notified when streaming activity starts.

What is new with Super Boat International?

• Livestream.com has included Super Boat International in their Sports drop down menu under ESPN and ESPNW. They have also included our Event Posters in their featured events. With nearing 12,000 registered followers, Super Boat is becoming a popular online sport to watch.

What is new in Lucas Oil Marine Products?

• Designed for stern-drives, outboards, 2-stroke and 4-strokes, synthetic and semi-synthetics, gear oils, grease and even fishing reel oil all benefiting from our rigorous research and application and benefiting all boating requirements. The lubricants used are optimized for use in high-performance boats with the ultimate protection from a fortified exclusive additive package even under the most severe conditions.

Nigel and Michael would like to thank the team of experts who continue to keep this first SilverHook GP48 competitive and is proud of the 13 years of continued support from Lucas Oil.

Lucas Oil is the leading producer of high performance lubricants, made in America and sold to the World!