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PRESS RELEASE
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Tim
Seebold Scores 20th Career Win At Bay City
Chris Fairchild 2nd; Shaun
Torrente Reaches Podium In 3rd
BAY CITY, Michigan – June 24, 2007
Tim Seebold of the Bud Light Racing Team pursued race leader Todd
Bowden of Los Angeles, California for 30 laps and took over the lead
to record his second win at the 20th Annual Dobson Industrial Bay
City River Roar on the Saginaw River in front of thousands of race
fans in downtown Bay City.
The 2nd Round of the 2007 ChampBoat Grand Prix Series saw drivers
from throughout North America battle their way on the rough 1.25
mile circuit as Todd Bowden in the Bowen/GLBC/Red Line sponsored
boat led from the pole and weaved his way around traffic almost
effortlessly until his trim failed him just past the halfway point
of the 50 lap event to open the door of the pursing Seebold who was
looking for his 2nd win in the last three years in Bay City. The
resident of Osage Beach, Missouri made his way around the 36
year-old driver and never looked back even taking control on a
restart that was caused by driver Wyatt Nelson’s crash trying to
pass Terry Rinker for 3rd place on the 40th lap.
The win for Seebold was his 20th of his career and his first in 10
races dating back to his last win in St. Louis in 2005. “We worked
hard all weekend to get this boat right,” stated Tim. “We spent a
long time switching things around on the bottom of the boat at least
four times trying to get this right on the 2006 hull and it worked
today.”
Finishing up in 2nd place was point’s leader Chris Fairchild who
guided his Kroger Foods sponsored boat to a well earned podium
holding off Shaun Torrente on the late race restart with 10 laps to
go to keep his points lead.
“We were doing what we could to stay in the top three and it
happened for us t! oday,&rd quo; said Chris. “We are going into the
next race in St. Louis with a lot of confidence and want to keep
these results going.”
Shaun Torrente battled his way to a satisfying 3rd despite
intermittent trim problems throughout the race and now keeps him
right in the mix for the title run after two races in his Bowden
Development/GLBC/Red Line sponsored Gran Prix boat.
Illinois driver Lynn Simburger who started 7th on the start dock had
a nice 4th place at the end of the day in his Simburger Racing
Seebold hull, while Ontario driver Mark Major who was forced to
borrow a boat from the Bud Light Team after damaging his on
Saturday’s qualifying race came home a fine 5th.
Jeff Shepard, who started 8th finished 6th in his Shepard
Construction sponsored Pugh hull, while Randy Rinker who began in
10th place came home seventh. Brother Terry Rinker, last year’s race
winner, had more bad luck in his Amsoil/Rinker Boats Leecraft hull,
when he was hit from behind from Wyatt Nelson on the 40th lap and
damaged his steering necessitating a pit stop and losing valuable
time before entering the race a lap down eventually taking 8th. It
was the first race in three years that the Tampa, Florida driver
didn’t finish a full race distance.
Canadian Brian Venton in the Don Jenkinson Telecom sponsored boat
struggled all afternoon with handling starting 11th and finishing
9th. Pole sitter Todd Bowden finished 10th with Louisiana driver
Brian Normand came home a disappointing 11th in his Dobson/Swipes
Seebold hull. Rounding out the field was Wyatt Nelson who failed to
finish along with rookie Chuck Unkle in his Florida Lottery/Sunoco
boat.
The Champ2 Championship 30 lap final saw last year’s Champion, Kris
Shepard of Antioch, Illinois dominate the event with Texas’s Glynn
Matthews coming home 2nd and pole sitter Kevin Ladd of Whitemore
Lake, Michigan taking 3rd after his win in Augusta, Georgia! a month
ago. Shepard’s victory marks his 2nd win in three tries in the
series this season.
The next round of the 2007 ChampBoat Grand Prix Series will take
place on Creve Coeur Lake in St. Louis, Missouri on the 4th and 5th
of August for the Bud Light Grand Prix of St. Louis presented by the
Concord Village Lions Club and the Professional Firefighters of
Eastern Missouri.
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