Countdown to Key West: ‘Pressure Off’ Miss GEICO Team

Heading into Key West, Fla., early next month to defend their 2013 Unlimited-class Super Boat International Offshore World Championship, throttleman Scott Begovich, driver Marc Granet, crew chief Gary Stray and the rest of the members of the Miss GEICO Offshore Racing team are more relaxed than they’ve ever been before the event. That, according to Granet, has everything to do with the team achieving its goal of claiming a world title last year.

The Miss GEICO Offshore Racing team, last year’s SBI Unlimited-class world champion, is relaxed heading into this year’s event next month. Photo courtesy/copyright Andy Newman/Monore County Tourism Development Council.

“Our end goal is to win another world title, but we’re really just looking forward to racing and having a good time this year,” he said. “For so many years, there was so much pressure to win a championship. I think winning last year took a lot of the pressure off of us as a racing crew. We’ll do our best, but at least part of the real measure of an offshore racing team is how it does during the season. We’re going to have fun.

“Key West is about reliability,” he continued. “Do we hope it will be a rough water race? Yeah, we do. Flat water is fun, but part of what defines an offshore racing team is how it does in the bump. We just want to race. We’re looking forward to running the boat against the competition in Key West.”

Asked about the team’s plans for 2015, Granet said discussion among the partners in Miss GEICO Offshore Racing are ongoing. Regardless of how the team fares in Key West, those plans won’t be formally announced before next year.

“Our decisions for next year will be made by the members of the partnership after the holidays,” Granet said.

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