Once In A Lifetime
Thanks to her entire offshore racing family, Kellie Hibdon-Broaddus’ racing dream came true last weekend. Photo courtesy/copyright Cody Edmunds/Edmunds Photography.
After a solid five-year run that included a Super Boat International Superboat-class world championship in 2014, Chuck Broaddus, the owner/driver of the Broadco offshore racing team, and his wife, Kellie Hibdon-Broaddus decided they were done with the sport. So at the end of the 2015 season they put their 40-foot Marine Technology, Inc., catamaran with 750-hp Ilmor Racing engines and the rest of their racing equipment up for sale.
That was the easy part. Taking leave of the many friends they made during their offshore racing pursuit—not to mention all the family members who worked on the Broadco team crew—has proven more challenging. The MTI, which has not yet sold—no surprise given the somewhat limited demand for offshore raceboats these days—and is housed in a storage facility not far from their home in St. Clair Shores, serves as a bittersweet reminder of the extended offshore racing family they’ve mostly left behind.
Late last week, Chuck and Kellie headed to nearby St. Clair to catch up with their many offshore racing friends at the Offshore Powerboat Association St. Clair River Classic. And per tradition, they ended up at the Murphy Inn with a large group on Friday night.
and then