Crazy Chicken Plucky Heading Into Key West Worlds

Although the next week’s Super Boat International Offshore World Championships in Key West, Fla., will be their first race in 2015, the Crazy Chicken team of driver/owner Dee Early and throttleman Anthony Silveria are ready to defend their 2014 Manufacturer 4 Class World Championship title. The team’s 28-foot Extreme V-bottom was stored at Silveria’s shop in Baltimore, Md., for most of the 2015 season before Early brought it back to his home in Buford, Ga. He began the long haul to Key West this morning.

“Key West is probably my favorite venue,” said Early. “I feel good about it.”

Crazy Chicken heads into next week’s Key West Worlds with three new sponsors. Photo courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

The 2014 SBI Key West Worlds took their toll on the boat. During the Wednesday race, the team damaged their drive and had to run their backup unit for the Friday and Sunday races. By the time Sunday’s race had ended, they had to add the gimbal ring and transom housing to their off-season repair list.

“That last race in Key West was a little rough,” said Early. “Our boat is set up for rough water, but that was right at the edge of being a little too rough for it.”

The off season didn’t just find the Early and Silveria making repairs to their boat—it found them in need of new sponsorship as their former backer departed. The team’s new sponsors are Babcock Service in Baltimore, and Aims Construction and Carol’s Body Shop, both of which are based in Maine. Early and Silveria met and became friends with their Maine sponsors in Key West.

“They come down for the races every year,” said Early. “They’re great folks.”

Early said he expects close competition next week. “Our class is always very competitive—we’re all right there together,” he said. “But I’m confident with our boat and throttleman and myself. We haven’t been in the boat since last year, so on Tuesday we’ll test and ‘get out the spider webs.’ I am excited to be going back to Key West with the Super Boat family.”

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