For the past fifteen years Tony Marcantonio has focused his attention on offshore racing. The Dover Ohio resident entered offshore racing as a spectator and now is a champion. We had the privilege of talking with Tony about his loves, passions and philosophies on racing.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your family?
A: We are from Dover Delaware. I married my wife Jessica last year in Key West. She is the love of my life. I also have a 2 1/2 year old daughter named Olivia. Her birthday is April 5th and that is why our boat is #45 I own a JD Byrider franchise with 2 locations in Ohio.
Q: How did you get into boat racing?
A: As early as 16 years old I owned boats. I had a $180 Gremlin and a $1200 boat I ran on the Ohio river. I began watching offshore racing as a spectator in 1992 and fell in love. In 1996 I bought a Cobra Cat outboard and began racing the Silver Cup Series in Michigan. I met Billy Mauff in Key West at the World Championships that same year. I found Billy to be very entertaining and friendly. Billy was willing to talk about boat racing and boats in general at any time. It seemed we shared the same passion. I was invited to join his entire team and entourage for dinner at Benihana's in Key West. I told Billy of my love of boat racing and laid out my plan for getting behind the wheel. I planned on starting out in smaller classes and working my way up. Billy's advise was "You need a big boat". For several years after meeting Billy Mauff, I continued racing in the smaller classes tuning my racing skills. Billy's words almost haunted me. I kept looking for just the right opportunity to get into a big boat. Mid-year 2002 the Don Q cat was put up for sale and I made my move buying it on the spot. I finished racing that season with APBA in the Super Cat series and haven't looked back since.
Q: What does your family think of your racing?
A: My wife is at every race. She finds it just as exciting as I do. My parents are a different story. They really don't understand it. My dad is concerned for my safety but is supportive. His advise has always been to "Live your life".
Q: What would you say is your finest moment in offshore?
A: Winning the world championship in Key West without a doubt was my finest moment. Words can not describe how that feels.
Q: Who do you think your toughest competition is?
A: Reliable Carriers. Tom Abrams just pushes through every race. It seems he is always on the ragged edge. If I want to be competitive I need to be there as well.
Q: Can you tell me a bit about your current boat?
A: Our current boat is a 38 foot Skater 388 with dual 750hp CC Performance engines and Weisman #6 drives with Tubi headers.
Q: Why CC Performance engines?
A: Chuck Cice has been around a long time. He is probably the most meticulous person I have ever met. He takes every engine build personally and pours his heart into it. When it is done it is definitely done right. He takes it personally and backs up every engine build with his word. Having watched the winning results of other teams in years gone by like American Dream, Agitator and How Sweet It Is I felt strongly that I would try and follow success.
Q: Why Weisman Drives?
A: Years ago there was a company called Victory Big Blocks that built some of the hottest engines going. Chuck Cice worked there with another guy named Pat Weisman. These two guys were incredible at building engines. Pat started on his own building drives. Now that Chuck owns CC Performance, It just makes sense to continue the matched set. I have never regretted the decision. If I need anything at any time these guys are there for me. CC Performance Engines and Weisman Drives have proven to a very durable combination. We have had very few problems.
Q: Can you tell me a little about your crew?
A: My chief mechanics are Ed Self and Bob Nelson. It's kind of funny. They were actually working for me as auto mechanics. I got them both into boats. These guys are like family. They are very dedicated with a "whatever it takes" attitude. Andy Katusin and Blake Oreto are crew members that take care of virtually everything else. We couldn't race without any one of them. It is truly a team effort. These guys have a lot of heart. Mark Kowalski joined me in the boat in 2006. This guy had a ton of experience in V-bottom with boats like Spiderman. When we got together in 2006 something just clicked. We started a bit rough. Mark had never been in a big boat before. After a few hours in the seat we just seemed to get it together. The guy is a true professional in every sense of the word. I mean, think about it. We won a world championship after only 1 year together. The future kind of looks good if that is any indicator. Jim Dyke and Pete huliden from Skater for great guidance through thge years. And the Great friendships of John tommlison,Mike Thomas of tnt marine,Tom Abrams and Steve Curtis of Reliable, Bob Bull of CMS, Gerry Gilbreath ,Bob Teague.. their freindships are very near and dear to my heart next to my own family.
Q: Do you have a different strategy this year?
A: Yeah! Win some more!
Q: What do you think of the current state of offshore racing?
A: It has always been a roller coaster ride. I started with Silver Cup Series and then got into APBA racing. When Offshore Super Series spun off from APBA I followed the guys I was racing with. I pretty much had no idea what the politics were at the time. I just followed Billy Mauff and several others. The only thing I wanted was to race. Everything else didn't mean that much to me. After a while racing with just OSS kind of limited my options. I was located in Ohio and a lot of the races were in the south. Unfortunately racing with other associations was frowned upon. I was sitting there knowing there were great races happening all around me on the East coast, Detroit, and even Tennessee. They just weren't OSS races . When Tom Abrams approached me about being part of something a bit more politically neutral, I was all ears. Offshore Pro Series presented an opportunity that I hadn't seen up until now. With OPS I can race with anybody. While I was still a member of OSS, it allowed me the freedom to race with OPA, SBI or OSS. I really like the concept of keeping the politics out so we can race. Tom Abrams and John Haggin have inspired offshore racing. It allows us to race as a group and presents an ability to oversee the sanctioning bodies. If they are always fair with the racers, then the show comes to town. If a sanctioning body wants to play games with the rules, then we can move as a group to another association. It is just a great way to keep racing.
Q: Where do you see offshore racing in the years to come?
A: I think offshore racing is headed in the right direction. John Haggin I believe has the right idea. Geico is pouring a bit of money into this season as a test. If we as a group can bring the show to the 3 races of the Geico Cup, we have a very bright future for the teams and the associations. It is time again for events with 100 boat counts to happen. We have TV coverage, potentially a ton of sponsorship dollars and a list of great racing venues. John's philosophy on offshore racing is dead on the money. United We Race is not just a saying but is also the future of offshore. These cities want to see the show pull into town. Long lines of semis, boats, support trucks and vendors. That is what brings in the crowds. Look at St Clair Michigan, Sarasota and Key West. Thousands of spectators, a carnival atmosphere. The towns that have seen the success of these events are towns that have confidence in offshore racing. They have seen the results. Full motels, restaurants packed, and people in the streets spending money. John Haggin has brought a lot of us together to accomplish this same pattern across a lot of other cities. It is what the teams, the sponsors, the sanctioning bodies and most of all the fans want to see. Supporting John Haggin's efforts to bring about the Geico Cup and parody in racing is the future of offshore. People have tried it in the past with varying degrees of success. GMC enjoyed a short run with APBA several years ago. If we can as a group show Geico that we can come together as professionals and put on successful and profitable events, they get the advertising and exposure and we get to race at high visibility venues. Television would definitely be there. It is within our grasp to accomplish this. I say to heck with the politics, lets race!!
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