Broadco Ready to Take On the Worlds After Second Test Session

Ready to defend their 2014 Superboat-Class World Championship title less from two weeks from now in Key West, Fla., Broadco Category 5 Offshore Racing’s team owner/driver Chuck Broaddus and throttleman/rigger Grant Bruggemann followed up yesterday’s successful test session with another solid sea trial early this afternoon on Sarasota, Fla. Today’s outing was the second for the 40-foot MTI catamaran since it was nearly destroyed—and later completely renovated during the four-and-a-half months it spent at headquarters Marine Technology Inc., in Wentzville, Mo.—in a barrel-roll at the Super Boat International 2015 season-opener in Cocoa Beach, Fla.

Said Grant Bruggemann: “We did notice better top-end with the same props, and that’s due to the new modifications MTI made to the boat.” All photos courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

The owner of Grant’s Signature Racing—home base for the 40-foot cat with twin 750-hp Ilmor Marine Racing engines—in Bradenton, Fla., Bruggemann said that he and Broaddus are ready for Key West after running approximately 36 miles today on Sarasota Bay.

“Everything went great, even better than expected, “he said. “We put in the drive spacers that we want to race with in Key West, and we picked up some handling, acceleration and top speed at the same time, so it was a great day. We made the best of all the boat traffic out there on the bay, made some hard left turns and were even able to figure a ‘small course’ where we could run a few laps.

For more action from today’s Broadco test session, check out the Pete Boden slideshow above.

“We knew what we were looking for based on all the setup notes and data we’ve collected, so it was uneventful,” he continued. “We did notice better top end with the same props, and that’s due to the new modifications MTI made to the boat. With everybody—MTI, Ilmor, all of our sponsors—its been a joint effort. We’re stoked. As we speak, the boat is getting washed and flushed, and then it will get all stickered up for Key West.”

The first race of the SBI Offshore World Championships in Key West is Wednesday, Nov. 11. At present, nine boats—including Broadco—are registered in the Superboat class. A total of 40 boats are registered across all classes.

Broadco Ready to Take On the Worlds After Second Test Session

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