The anticipation for this weekend’s Super Cat LOTO Powerfest race was at an all-time high and unquestionably lived up to the hype.  Shortly after the Thunder on Cocoa Beach offshore powerboat race, Wayne Valder, owner of Valder Yachts/Pro Floors, and their 42-foot MTI cataraman called out winners Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil, confidently saying his team would come to the next race at their home water and beat them. True to his words, the anticipated showdown unfolded with both teams getting out to a great start and battling for first the entire race.  As the race continued, Valder Yachts was able to secure the lead and fend off Miller and Coil as their closest attempt to catch up was two seconds.

In the 450R Factory Stock class, defending world and national champions, throttleman John Tomlinson and driver Taylor Scism of TS Motorsports in the #7 MTI were able to squeeze into 1st place, and fellow MTI GC Racing duo Gary Ballough and Willy Cabeza also took to the podium.

Hours after his throttleman and crew chief, Grant Bruggeman, had left the Thunder on Cocoa Beach offshore powerboat race a couple of weeks back, Wayne Valder, the owner of the 42-foot MTI catamaran, Valder Yachts/Pro Floors Racing, called out the race winners, Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil of the M CON/Monster Energy team. At the awards ceremony in Cocoa Beach, Fla., Valder said that he was coming to the next race, the LOTO Powerfest on their home waters of Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri, to beat them.

“I found out a little bit later that week that he said that,” Bruggemann laughed after taking the wire-to-wire win in the Super Cat race today outrunning owner/throttleman Miller and driver Coil in their 38-foot Skater Powerboats cat. When the green flag flew, the two boats pulled away from the eight-boat Super Cat fleet and waged a torrid battle on the five-mile course.

“When I open my mouth, I have to stand on what I say,” said Valder, who flies to the U.S. from New Zealand for every race. “I needed to make sure I followed through on it.”

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Original article on speedonthewater.com