Speed is a tantalizing thing. It demands of its suitors power, control, and skill. And while each seeks his or her own way of chasing it, few seem to be immune to its allure.
For some, the pursuit of speed is more than an individual calling—it is a family tradition.
Such is the case with Tim Seebold: world-renowned F1 powerboat racer; brother of champion racer Mike Seebold; son of Bill Seebold Jr., who raced for 46 years and also helped birth the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout; and grandson of Bill Seebold Sr., who began racing on the Mississippi River in 1938.
Tim says the catalyst in his pursuit of speed is his competitive spirit, and that even applies to his family.
“It’s competition... At one time, my dad, my brother, and I were all on the same course, racing against each other,” he said. “So I wanted to beat the best, which was those two.”
The F1 boat Seebold races is engineered to push the limits of speed, but in a manner very different from the 50-foot catamarans breaking 200 mph at the Shootout. Seebold’s tunnel hull catamaran is 17 feet long, weighs 1,155 pounds including the driver, and packs around 400 HP.
“The power-to-weight ratio of our boats is out of sight,” he mused.
This ratio allows Seebold’s boat to accelerate from zero to 100 mph in about three and a half seconds. The speed combined with the relative lightness of the boat ends up lifting almost the entire vessel out of the water. Only a few inches of the sponsons touch the water on the straightaways. “You’re trying to fly them as much as [you are] trying to drive them,” Seebold said.
But F1s are not just built for going straight. Racing around corners—especially when other boats are jockeying for position—might be one of the most challenging parts. The boat slows some, and the sponsons dip back into the water to allow for turning power and control. But, Seebold explained, “they’ll pull five to six G’s in a corner. They’re the hardest cornering race vehicle there is.”
Such a vessel seems perfectly suited for the Shootout, which draws boats built for speed, racers who crave it, and spectators who travel for hundreds or thousands of miles just for a glimpse of it. What has kept F1 boats away is the water conditions, Seebold explained. With the boat’s small size, the water has to be “glass smooth,” according to Seebold. “There’s not a lot of forgiveness there,” he said.
This year though, Seebold, who has previously raced his pleasure boat in the Shootout, plans to bring his F1.
“We’re going to do some exhibition runs,” he said. “If I get to do some testing, I would like to be up around the 150-mile-an-hour mark.”
This will be the first time an F1 boat has run in the Shootout, but event organizer and owner of Captain Ron’s Bar and Grill, Ron Duggan, noted there are no plans to add an F1 class to future lineups. This year, Duggan said, Seebold is coming just to give spectators a show.
The Lake of the Ozarks is home for Seebold; he runs Seebold Sports in Osage Beach, dealing motorcycles, ATVs, and utility vehicles. He took over the business 21 years ago, and has guided its growth ever since.
Seebold’s favorite boats to watch at the Shootout are the big catamarans. “When they go 200-plus, that’s impressive,” he said.
But few could dispute that when he climbs into the cockpit of his F1 at this year’s Shootout, the eyes of the racing world will be on Seebold. Just as they have been for three generations.
