For more information, contact:
Bill Seebold, (314) 616-4589, bseebold7@sbcglobal.net

Tim, however, is one of only four drivers who have scored repeat victories on the Saginaw River at Bay City. He won the race in 2005 and 2007 and will attempt to defend his 2007 ChampBoat Series season championship when the 2008 Dow Bay City River Roar is held on June 21-22. The Bay City race course is considered one of the toughest in North America on which to drive a Formula One boat due to the tight corners, long straights, unpredictable wind gusts and the close sea walls that bounce rollicking boat wakes back into the river.

“The water at Bay City is really hard to read,” Tim said. “The reason is that the chop isn’t from the wind. You’ve got it from the boats. You’ve got it from the sea wall on your outside. Then you have it coming all the way across from the other sea wall.

“You get some wind coming through at the ramp at the end of the front straight, then you get some wind on the other side of the course right at the end of the hospitality tents. Then you’ve got some wind coming through the buildings at the end of the back straightaway. For whatever reason, it always seems like there’s a cross wind there.” If those waves and winds don’t get you, the Bay City course has yet another evil trick, said Bill Seebold, owner of the Bud Light Racing Team. “A lot of times the wind is blowing from the west, then it hits those big brick buildings at the end of the back straight and suddenly bounces back at you from the east.”

Even the most experienced drivers in Formula One racing, including Tim and Bill, have crashed on the Saginaw. “There are only four people who have won there more than once,” Tim said. “That tells you right there how tough it is.”
Including the five Bay City victories earned by Mike Seebold, who now races offshore boats, the Bud Light Team won seven of the first 20 River Roars.
However, one of the racers who never won at Bay City is Bill Seebold, who retired in 1997 after compiling one of the most successful international careers in powerboat racing. His resume includes 10 Bay City appearances – and no victories.

“I can’t remember how many other places I raced without winning, but Bay City sticks in my mind more than any other because I helped start the race 21 years ago and I really wanted to win it,” Bill said. “One of the years when Felix Serralles won it, I led most of the race until my seat harness came loose and I couldn’t hold myself in the boat good enough to stay ahead of him.
“One of the last years I ran Bay City I blew over in testing. Another year I was leading in the final and barrel-rolled in the pit turn. The rough water brings out some weird things and is hard on equipment. A lot of guys are scared of that race because of the water conditions.

“Through your racing career you have places where things always fall your way. And you have places where you struggle. Bay City never was a good-luck place for me.” Tim Seebold comes to Bay City seventh in the series points after suffering mechanical problems in the season-opening race on Pickwick Lake in Tennessee on May 4. His boat threw a propeller blade during the 50-lap final there. He continued running until vibrations from the imbalanced prop destroyed the gear case. The team did a day of testing a week ahead of the Bay City trip to evaluate a few tweaks to the set-up that won last June. The Bay City course is one of the few that bring out the largest propellers in the Bud Light trailer.

“We use a bigger prop because the straightaways are so long,” Tim said. “With the bigger prop, when you get in the really rough water you’re not banging the engine off the rev limiter so hard. The boat handles better over the rough water, too, because you can carry a little more trim to keep the front of the boat up.”

Formula One and ChampBoat Winners at Bay City
1988 Don Johnson, Riverside, Calif.
1989 Steve DeSouza, Lynwood, Wash.
1990 Mike Seebold, St. Louis, Mo.
1991 Felix Serralles, Ponce, Puerto Rico
1992 Felix Serralles, Ponce, Puerto Rico
1993 Rick Adamczyk, East Rockaway, N.Y.
1994 Felix Serralles, Ponce, Puerto Rico
1995 Ben Robertson, Summerville, S.C.
1996 Mike Seebold, St. Louis, Mo.
1997 Alden Thornton, Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
1998 Terry Rinker, Riverview, Fla.
1999 Greg Foster, Anaheim Hills, Calif.
2000 Mike Seebold, St. Louis, Mo.
2001 Mike Seebold, St. Louis, Mo.
2002 Mike Seebold, St. Louis, Mo.
2003 Terry Rinker, Riverview, Fla.
2004 Jason Campbell, Chandler, Ariz.
2005 Tim Seebold, Osage Beach, Mo.
2006 Terry Rinker, Riverview, Fla.
2007 Tim Seebold, Osage Beach, Mo.

2008 F1 ChampBoat Series Points Standings
1. Shaun Torrente, Homestead, Florida 400
2. Lynn Simburger, Elsah, Illinois 380
3. Jeff Shepherd, Woodlawn, Tennessee 360
4. Nithat Kunjeng, Pattaya, Thailand 350
5. Matt Sadl, Pacific, Missouri 340
6. Chuck Unkle, Thomasville, Georgia 330
7. Tim Seebold, Osage Beach, Missouri 320
8. Brian Venton, Bowmanville, Ontario 310
9. Terry Rinker, Tampa, Florida 300
10. Todd Beckman, St. Louis, Missouri 290
11. Michael Schubert, Richmond, Texas 280
12. Chris Fairchild, Paw Paw, Illinois 270
13. Randy Rinker, Syracuse, Indiana 260

-more-
Bud Light Racing Team/ Page Four
2008 F1 ChampBoat Series Schedule and Winners
May 3-4 Pickwick Challenge, Pickwick, Tennessee Shaun Torrente
June 21-22 Dow Bay City River Roar, Bay City, Michigan
July 3-4 Three Rivers Regatta, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
August 2-3 Bud Light St. Louis Grand Prix, St. Louis, Missouri
August 16-17 Grand Prix of Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut
September 20-21 Thunderboat Regatta, San Diego, California
September 27-28 F1 ChampBoat of Tempe, Tempe, Arizona
October 18-19 TBA
November 1-2 F1 ChampBoat of Naples, Naples, Florida


Schedule: 2008 Dow Bay City River Roar

Saturday, June 21
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. F3 Testing
9:00 a.m. --9:45 a.m. Champ-F2 Testing
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. F1 Champ Testing
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Super Lights Testing
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Drivers’ Meeting
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Driver Autograph Session
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. F3 Time Trials, 2 laps
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. F3 Heats (2-10 laps)
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Champ-F2 Time Trials
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Champ-F2 Heats (2-10 laps)
3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Super Lights Heat (10 laps)
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. F1 Champ Time Trials (2 laps)
4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. F1 Champ Heats (2-15 laps)

Sunday, June 22
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. F3 Testing
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Super Lights Testing
9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Champ-F2 Testing
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. F1 Champ Testing
11:30 a.m. – 12: 00 p.m. Drivers’ Meeting
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. LPM Church Services (Open to All)
12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Driver Autograph Session
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Super Lights Final (20 laps)
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. F3 Final (30 laps)
2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. K. Ladd Memorial Hot Lap (#4 boat)
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Champ-F2 Final (30 laps)
3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Opening/National Anthem
4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Champ Final (50 laps)
5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony

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