Mike Lovro is the Director of Instrumentation Sales for AutoMeter Products, one of the few companies that manufactures performance marine instrumentation. Lovro has been with Autometer for 21 years and is in line to become the company's longest standing employee when he reaches the end of his tenure. 

In our conversation, we talk about some of the things that make marine gauges unique. We also discuss the history behind some of AutoMeter’s marine gauges including GPS speedos and stepper motor instruments.

Founded by Vern Westberg in 1957 and based in Sycamore, IL, AutoMeter has developed many industry-leading products during their 60+ year history. In 2002, AutoMeter was acquired by a private equity firm, the Harbour Group and has changed hands since. Lovro talks about the adjustments and changes with corporate ownership but the company continues to embrace the family feel that its founders established. 

In addition to the more commonly known AutoMeter High Performance division focused on performance and racing automotive instrumentation and electronics, AutoMeter also includes divisions in OEM, motorcycle, test equipment, and of course, marine. Autometer also owns Spek-Pro gauges, Stack, Ltd. instrumentation and Dedenbear drag racing products

You can visit AutoMeter online @ www.autometer.com

You can follow AutoMeter Products on Instagram @autometerproducts and on Facebook @Autometer Products, Inc.

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Speed on the Water is an online magazine/website owned and edited by co-publishers Matt Trulio and Jason Johnson. The pair have nearly 50 years of combined experience reporting on high-performance boating and its community. Both writers began their boating careers as employees of Powerboat Magazine and have been important figures in that magazine’s legacy. 

Founded in 2009 by Trulio, Speed on the Water publishes daily news features, a weekly newsletter, and an annual print magazine called "Speed on the Water’s Year in Review." The publication focuses on the “Big Boat” community of manufacturers and the Offshore Racing and Poker Run events they frequent. 

In recent years, Trulio and Johnson have steered Speed on the Water into the arena of video creation. Their first two series, "In the Lead" and "Water Street Confidential," were co-produced by their video partner, Scrapyard Media, and sponsored by Mercury Racing. The series have been great successes and have set a high bar. 

The team’s newest productions document Jim Schultz and his record-breaking Factory Billet race boat, as well as the construction of the Class 1 Monster Energy/M CON Skater race boat. These videos coincide with Speed on the Water’s distinctive storytelling. Trulio and Johnson promise many more of these videos in the future.

You can follow Matt Trulio and Jason Johnson on Instagram @speedonthewater and on Facebook @Speedonthewater.com

Visit the Speed on the Water website at www.speedonthewater.com

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Rusty Wyatt, a Canadian F1 racer, recently signed with the new Sharjah Team for the 2024 UIM F1H2O World Championship season. The team, previously owned by four-time F1 Champion Scott Gillman, now has Gillman as its acting Team Manager.

Wyatt boldly announced his arrival to the foreign grid with a rare rookie win in his very first F1H2O race on Lake Toba in Indonesia. Wyatt grabbed the checkered flag with a calculated and timely move from the outside lane on the finishing stretch of the race. 

Wyatt, a 28-year-old elevator technician from Innisfil, Ontario, Canada was named the 2012 Canadian Boating Federation’s Rookie of the Year in the T-850 category. He secured High Point titles in both 2013 and 2015.

Wyatt’s journey didn’t stop there. In 2016, he emerged as the top rookie in the Superleague Tour. Last year, he clinched fourth place in the US F1 Powerboat Championship Series with his lone win coming at the Loto Powerfest on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.

You can follow Rusty Wyatt on Instagram @rustywyattracing and on Facebook @Rusty Wyatt Racing

Learn more about F1 Powerboat Racing @ www.f1h20.com

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In this conversation, I talk with Nick Imprescia, the son of renowned throttle man Joey Imprescia, and Ian Morgan, Nick’s longtime friend and driver of the 151 Express 450R Factory Stock class MTI offshore boat. We discuss what it’s like being the “new kids” in the sport. 

We also talk about the pair’s journey in the marine industry and the influence of their families on their racing careers, and their transition from racing a garage-built, low budget bracket class boat to competing in the ultra-competitive Mod-V and 450R Factory Stock classes with a fully funded and supposed race team. 

The conversation touches on their opportunities to learn from some of the best racers in the world like Shaun Torrente, who Imprescia and Morgan work for, John Tomlinson, and, of course, Imprescia’s dad.

The boys also share stories about attending Mercury service school, re-powering with the new 500 hp Mercury outboards, the importance of data analysis, collaborating with Patrick Weismann, and their fascination with How It's Made and MythBusters TV shows.

You can follow Nick Imprescia on Instagram @nick_imprescia and on Facebook @Nick Imprescia

You can follow Ian Morgan on Instagram @ian_morgan and on Facebook @Ian Morgan

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Corey Ferguson is the driver of Tom Buckles’s Bucks Up K-Boat. Ferguson is a veteran circle boat driver, starting in the ranks driving for Jim Mobley’s OutaPlace racing team. Ferguson has also been a successful participant in the Parker Enduro and also competed in the US and internationally as a water ski race driver.

Ferguson drove in the Southern California POPRA offshore series with his dad in their Skater Ferguson is also a seasoned boat rigger and engine builder after having spent time working for Bob Teague and Mobley. 

Join us in this episode of Powerboat Talk where Ferguson tells us how it all started and where it’s going. 

You can follow Cory Ferguson on Instagram @c_ferguson38 and Facebook @Cory Ferguson

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Michael Reagan is the eldest son of the former President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. Reagan is also a boat racer with a history dating back to the mid-sixties when he made his mark competing in famous marathon races such as the Colorado River Nine Hour Enduro and the Salton Sea 500. In this episode, Reagan discusses his renowned father and the path that led him to powerboats.

Reagan informed us that his original marathon race boat was the first glass boat constructed by Bob Patterson of Patterson Boats. The flatbottom was equipped with a V-drive and a single overhead cam Ford engine built by Holman and Moody.

In the early '80s, Reagan collaborated with Larry Smith, the owner of Scarab boats, and initiated a series of endurance runs as fundraisers for charitable organizations. Reagan's most notable achievement was his "Assault on the Mississippi" where he broke the record for the 1,027-mile run from New Orleans to St. Louis, making the trip in 25 hours. With financial backing from sponsors Bud Light, W.R. Grace, Descente Clothing, and Justice Brothers, the run raised $500,000 for the US Olympic Committee. Reagan's 38 ft. Scarab was powered by three of the newly released 430hp V-8 Evinrudes.

Following an illustrious career as a conservative radio talk show host, bestselling author, and political speaker, Reagan now serves as the president of the Reagan Legacy Foundation, which he established to commemorate his father's achievements and to educate and inspire people worldwide to cherish freedom and liberty.

Follow Michael Reagan on Twitter @ReaganWorld and Facebook @Michael Reagan

Visit the Reagan Legacy Foundation at www.reaganlegacyfoundation.org

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Boat racing doesn’t have a decathlete division, but if it did, Andrew Tate would undoubtedly lead the pack. During the 2023 race season, Tate piloted boats in a number of classes, including Stock Outboard, 350 Hydro, Grand Prix Hydro, Formula 1, and, of course, Unlimited Hydroplane. In this episode, Tate delves into the details of his experiences racing the different types of boats.

Tate, a fourth-generation boat racer, began his driving career at the age of 11 in the APBA Stock and Modified Outboard classes. His talent quickly emerged, leading him to multiple National Championships. In 2023, Tate clinched the Hydroplane Racing League (HRL) Grand Prix Season Championship for the second consecutive year. As the driver of the Miss Madison Racing U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate Unlimited Hydroplane, he stepped into the shoes of the retiring champion, Jimmy Shane, after the 2022 season.

Following in his father Mark’s footsteps, who boasts four driving championships and two gold cup victories during his Unlimited career, the younger Tate has made his mark. Since his debut in the Unlimited category in 2016, Andrew has garnished an impressive nine wins, including a coveted driver’s championship and a Gold Cup victory.

Tate’s passion extends beyond the inboard hydroplanes. In 2023, he began competing on the F1 Championship Powerboat circuit, where he drives a tunnel boat owned by his close friend and fellow racer, Dylan Runne.

In the offseason, at his Michigan home, you’ll find Tate swapping the water for ice. He continues to enjoy competitive ice hockey, a sport he has pursued since childhood and into his college years. Alongside his racing endeavors, Tate contributes to the family business, Sun Coating Company, working in Sales and Marketing.

Visit Andrew Tate's website at www.andrewtateracing.com

Follow Andrew Tate on Instagram @andrewtate101 and Facebook @Andrew Tate

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Fred Kiekhaefer, former president of Mercury Racing and son of Mercury Marine founder Carl Kiekhaefer, shares stories of his journey in the marine industry. He now owns K.Lab Design Works, a design and consulting firm, and discusses his latest project: a surfacing drive with a cockpit-controlled variable-pitch propeller. The drive, known as Project Dolphin, was designed for performance diesels in the recreational and military markets. Kiekhaefer received a patent for the drive in 2022 but canceled the project due to low demand for diesel-powered boats.

After his father's death in 1983, Kiekhaefer took over the family business, Kiekhaefer Aeromarine Motors, which was famous for its successful racing engines. He decided to shift the business from engine building to performance products, drive systems, and propellers. He also developed products such as Zero Effort Controls and K-Plane trim tabs, which are still industry standards today.

In 1988, Aeromarine launched their Sterndrive by Kiekhaefer, a drive that could handle extreme horsepower. Kiekhaefer recounts how the drive dominated offshore racing for years. In 1990, Mercury Marine bought Aeromarine and named Kiekhaefer president of Mercury Performance. The Aeromarine drive was rebranded as the Mercury Number Six drive.

Mercury Performance later became Mercury Racing, where Kiekhaefer led the division to great success. He oversaw the development of the QC4V engine, a 9.0-liter quad-cam, four-valve engine that is arguably the best performance marine engine ever.

Kiekhaefer retired from Mercury in 2012 and lives in Colorado, where he enjoys his exotic car and does work for various charity organizations including AeroAngel and the Morgan Adams Foundation.

Follow Fred Kiekhaefer on Facebook @Fred Kiekhaefer

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In this episode, I welcome Australian Champion Circle Boat Racer Chris Palmer who is also the promoter of the Australian BAD Boat Championship. 

The Australian Blown Alcohol Displacement (BAD) boats are some of the most exciting pieces of equipment in boat racing. The V-bottomed V-drives are powered by up to 600 cu. in., 2000 plus horsepower engines and race on tight courses on rough narrow rivers throughout Australia. 

In researching the subject matter, I discovered that in Australia, flatbottoms and v-bottoms are considered displacement hulls because they displace water (pushing it out of the way) when they run as opposed to tunnel boats and hydros which run over the top of the water.

This year’s championship is a continuation of Palmer’s USA vs. Australia B.A.D. Boat Challenge that he started in 2007. Unfortunately, none of the US based K-boat teams were able to make the trek Down Under for the 2024 event. Round one of the event will be run January 20-21 in Windsor, New South Wales while the final round will culminate the following weekend, January 27-28 in Berri, South Australia.  You can watch a livestream of the event on the event’s Facebook page Australian BAD Boat Championship

In the episode, we discuss the many differences between Australian and American sprint boats and racing. Palmer talks about Australia’s recent tragic years of loosing many racing legends and their new found commitment to safety that included legislating mandatory safety cells in the upper classes of displacement hulls. 

In the episode, Palmer talks about his family’s history in racing and his journey from driving hydros to BAD boats where he has won Australia’s coveted Marj Watson Trophy five times.

It was interesting to learn of the time that Palmer spent competing in Judo. Palmer told stories about training all around the world. He has won multiple International, Continental and National championships and is currently a coath at the Ulverstone Judo Club.

You can follow Chris Palmer on Facebook @Chris Palmers Outlaw Racing You can follow the event on Facebook @Australian BAD Boat Championship and on Instagram @AUSPowerboat Promotions

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In November, the National Jet Boat Association (NJBA) and the Southern Drag Boat Association (SDBA) came together to co-produce the biggest drag boat race in recent history, The Drag Boat Nationals at Firebird Lake in Chandler, Arizona. 

I am joined on this episode of Powerboat Talk by NJBA President, Mike Declark, and Financial Secretary/Race Director, Joe Shelfo, and SDBA Owner and Series Director, David Carroll, to discuss the challenges in bringing the sport’s two most prominent organizations together to organize the event. 

The Drag Boat Nationals saw 156 drag boats travel to Arizona where they competed for almost $83,000 in prize money. The event was highlighted by the weekend’s final twilight pass by the two Top Fuel Hydros in attendance, Nitro Nuts, driven by Mike Robbins, and Liquid Voodoo, piloted by Kebin Kinsley.

The elite group of drag boat racing’s leaders shared their experience of joining two sanctioning bodies with their separate rule books and varying classes in producing the event. My guests also shared their vision of growth for the sport which includes continued and expanding unification of the various sanctioning bodies and the creation of a Pro Series for racers. 

Follow NJBA on Instagram @njba_racing and on Facebook @National Jet Boat Association

Visit their website at www.njbaracing.com

Follow SDBA on Instagram @sdbaracing and on Facebook @SDBA Southern Drag Boat Association LLC

Visit their website at www.sdbaracing.com

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