APBA OFFSHORE/U.I.M. OFFSHORE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Orange Beach, Ala.:
"I'm ready to retire," Tommy Bahama's throttleman said after winning one of the most brutal Super Cat races of the Nov. 2003 season. "That was a rough one." Nemschoff and son Paul beat the National Champions Hugh Fuller and John Tomlinson of Bacardi Silver fame in a race shortened in both laps and distance due to a punishing swell rolling in off of the Gulf of Mexico. "It has been a long time since we have run in anything like that," said Paul Nemschoff. "There were a couple of times when we went into the air that I thought we were never going to come down." The elder Nemschoff, a veteran throttleman and APBA Offshore LLC member, said 2003 will be his last season racing. "It is time to move on to other things," he said. But Fuller, whose victory onWednesday gave him enough points for his third straight World Championship, said he and Tomlinson will be back next year hoping to win an unprecedented set of championship trophies for their mantles. "I know I probably shouldn't, but I'd like to see if we could do it again," saidFuller, who in four seasons has established himself as one of the top drivers in the history of the sport. "I still think we have some unfinished business." In Super Cat Light, Bob Teague and John Talley proved that they are the undisputed kings of their class. "We nailed the set up," said Teague who checked the water at
dawn on Sunday. "I think it showed out there." Teague and Talley, who clinched their first National Championship three weeks ago in St. Petersburg, have dominated the Super Cat light fleet in the latter part of the 2003 season. "I've been lucky to have a great teacher," said Talley, who also won Wednesday's opener. "I've learned a lot this season and am looking forward to next year." In Super Vee, National Champion Team Donzi suffered a series of mechanical failures that relegated it to third place. Bill McComb and Rick Turmel in Pier57/Stainless Marine picked up a second on Wednesday and a first on Sunday to bring home the World title. Bob Bull's H & H Speed and Marine finished first in the opener and those points, combined with a fourth on Sunday, made for the runner up ranking. Steve Miklos and Gary Deciucies continued their unbeaten streak by winning both Super Vee Light races in Orange Beach. The Floridians ran the whole 2003 season on the same GM Vortec engine. "About half way through the race I was thinking that I should have probably at least changed the spark plugs," Miklos quipped. "Fortunately, it held together." Pat Dunn and Jeff Krischano of Let's Play Racing were declared World Champions in a fourboat field after their win on Wednesday combined with a third ofSunday to give them a 1-point edge over James Speros and Greg Hukari in MercuryRacing. National Champions Brian and Wilma Ross of Snap-On-Talk N Tools wonSunday, but a fourth place finish in the opener kept the husband and wife team from adding another title to their race resumes. The Team Winnebago/ Red Devil Drink of Mark Kowalski and Gino Marrone finished
off the season with another title. The factory 1 racers came out on top, twice,in a seven-boat field
Powerboat Magazine-High-Performance Boating 11.05.03 ALLWEISS RESIGNS AS APBA OFFSHORE CHAIRMAN: Michael Allweiss, the controversial chairman of APBA Offshore, announced Wednesday he is resigning from his post, effective immediately. Gordon Kraft will serve as interim chairman until a permanent successor is found. Jim Poplin, vice president of National Race Operations, will take over dayto-day operations for the organization. Allweiss's announcement, first posted on the APBA Offshore Web site, comes on the heels of the World Championships in Orange Beach, Ala. Some teams in the Super Cat and Super Cat Lite division had threatened to boycott the event over fees and other issues. Allweiss wrote in his resignation letter that he wanted to reduce his daily involvement to focus on securing additional sponsors, and execute APBA Offshore's aggressive business plan. Under Allweiss's leadership, he turned the Offshore category into a private venture, reportedly improved competition, brought additional sponsors to the sport and increased offshore racing's exposure through television. But his tenure also was hampered by a constantly changing schedule and a public feud with Mercury Racing, which eventually pulled its sponsorship. He was also involved in a lawsuit with APBA Detroit over fees,
which was settled earlier this year. "Hindsight is always 20/20, so we ask you to judge us by whether the positive results of our efforts out weight the mistakes and wrong decisions," Allweiss wrote. "In short, is the sport of APBA Offshore Powerboat Racing better off now than five years ago? We certainly believe so and we hope you do too." Powerboat Magazine APBA Offshore - Allweiss Chairman 1999 St. Petersburg venue - Allweiss 1999 APBA Offshore Racing, LLC. Allweiss Chairman 2000-2003 KHAMAN HOLDINGS, Inc. Nov. 1, 2003 Gordon Kraft - Acting Chairman Nov. 5, 2003- Dec. 31, 2003 Bob Bull - CEO Jan. 4, 2004 Bob Bull - APBA Offshore Racing Association, Inc. 2004 ORL Offshore Racing League - KHAMAN Holdings, Inc. APBA Offshore Productions, Inc. Allweiss Chairman 2003 KHAMAN = Kraft, Hook, Allweiss, Miklos, Allweiss, Nemshof Allweiss back on OffshoreOnly.com 2005+ Who owns the APBA Offshore Category 99yr. License? How to rid competition? Sue entire boating industry? S.B.I. Competitor to APBA Offshore... and owns/controls Key West venue.