A wrapup of winners and photos from P1 Offshore Grand Prix 2022
SARASOTA — Brit Lilly enjoyed his first trip ripping through the waves of the Gulf of Mexico so much, he decided to do it again.
The results were the same.
The 36-year-old National and World Champion offshore racer was the only driver to step atop the victory stand twice at the 37th annual P1 Offshore Sarasota Grand Prix 2022 over the weekend.
Lilly first joined forces with throttleman Jay Muller, 50, of New Jersey to capture the crown in the Stock V Class aboard LSB Hurricane of Awesomeness/RevXoil in the first race of the day. He followed that up by steering Huski Chocolate to victory in Class 1, which features the loudest and fastest boats on the water.
Lilly, who runs Lilly Sports Boats in Arnold, Maryland., had the good sense to team up with a pair of 33-year powerboat veterans as throttlemen on both rides to victory.
Steve Curtis, who became the youngest ever to to win a Class 1 race at the age of 21, worked the throttle on Huski Chocolate. The 56-year-old Englishman and former motocross racer from Wimbledon is considered the most successful powerboat racer in history with a plethora of National, European and World Championships under his belt.
As for local racers who took part in the Grand Prix, nobody can top Sarasota throttleman Steve Kildahl, 64, and his 32-year-old son and driver Stephen Kildahl.
Competing together for the past 15 years, the duo once again successfully defended their Sarasota title in the Mod V Class aboard Boatfloater.com. Despite all the wins they have piled up around the country, the most amazing thing remains the fact Steve Kildahl is the lone person to have raced in all 37 editions of the Sarasota Grand Prix.
Also, driver Wayne Valder, of New Zealand, and throttleman Grant Bruggeman, of Bradenton, finished first in the Super Cat Class, riding Pro Floors Racing.
Iowans Randy Keys and Billy Allen, atop Klovar Motorsports, won the two-boat race against Taylor Scism and Johnny Tomlinson on MTI in the 450 Factory Stock Class.
The Bracket Class 700 race went to Offshore Ohmies with Ben Osypan of Flagler Beach steering and St. Petersburg’s Joel Murawski controlling the throttle and the boat’s speed.
The only boat racing in the Bracket Class 600 was Power House Racing with Key West’s Nelson Sawyer and Damon Marotta Jr., on board.
Driver Dean Stahlman and throttleman Nate Hunt, both from Naples, claimed victory in the Bracket 400 Class atop Predator/Stahlman Motorsports.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: A wrapup of winners and photos from P1 Offshore Grand Prix
