Lilly And Smith Headed For APBA Hall Of Champions

Among offshore powerboat racing’s most colorful, energetic characters and fiercest competitors, Brit Lilly and Kevin Smith of the LSB/Hurricane of Awesomeness/ team are adding another accomplishment to their formidable resumes. On January 25, they officially will be inducted into the American Power Boat Association 2019 Hall of Champions during a ceremony in Seattle.

Never at a loss for enthusiasm on and off the racecourse, Brit Lilly and Kevin Smith will be inducted into the APBA Hall of Champions later this month (click image to enlarge). Photos from Roar Offshore 2019 in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

In 2019, Lilly and Smith ran their 30-foot Extreme raceboat to a Pro Stock V-class title during the inaugural six-race APBA Offshore Championship Series produced by the Offshore Powerboat Association and Powerboat P1. They followed up their outstanding season, which saw them take the checkered flag in five of the six APBA series races, by taking the Pro Stock V world title during the two-race 2019 OPA World Championships in Englewood Beach, Fla.

Though it has no bearing on the Hall of Champions honor as Super Boat International competition is not APBA-sanctioned, Lilly and Smith earned SBI Super Vee-class world titles in 2016 and 2017 and finished second overall behind Marker 17 Marine in the 2018 SBI worlds.

“It was a season for the record book,” said Lilly, who lives in Maryland (as does Smith) and is the son offshore racing great Art Lilly. “I can’t say enough about my man Kevin. On and off the race course, he is just one awesome dude.”

“For both of us, it’s huge,” said Smith. “And for me personally, it’s an accomplishment that means more this year compared to any other time we’ve been in contention for it. From some of the early times I started hanging around the LSB shop and talking to Art, he always held this award up in the highest regard. When he was racing and inducted into the Hall of Champions himself there were some huge names in the sport he was competing with.

Running in often-dominant fashion, Lilly and Smith added an APBA Offshore Championship Series title and an OPA World Championship to their list of accomplishments in 2019.

“To me that was the highest honor in offshore racing you could be awarded with and I hoped to one day achieve that,” he continued. “We ran a great season against some very competitive teams this year and it makes me very proud. The icing on the cake is getting inducted with one of my best friends, and knowing that Art got to see us do it together.”

Lilly And Smith Headed For APBA Hall Of Champions

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