Third-Generation Miss GEICO a Total Loss
Miss GEICO, a 50-foot Mystic Powerboats catamaran powered by twin turbine engines, was burned to the waterline on a test run this July. A high-pressure fitting on one of the gear boxes failed and caused a mist of oil to revert back into the exhaust system, starting the fire. She was practicing for the 28th annual Sarasota Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival.
Driver Marc Granet and throttleman Scotty Begovich escaped the situation unharmed, but Granet called the incident "devastating—a total loss. By the time we stopped the boat, the whole cockpit was engulfed in smoke. One of the safety boats tossed us two industrial-size fire extinguishers, but that those, along with the boat's Halon fire suppression systems, didn't make a dent. It was searing hot standing on the deck. When we heard the fuel tanks starting to hiss, we knew it was time to get into the water."
State-of-the-art communications and safety features on
Miss GEICO warned the racers of critical internal problems. Years of event-mandated practice and a world-class safety program allowed Granet and Begovich to quickly and saafely escape to a nearby support boat.
The six-time world champion racing team introduced their newest and latest
Miss GEICO Offshore Race Boat during the St. Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race July 27-29.
Plans for a fourth-generation Miss GEICO boat were expedited given the unfortunate incident. The technical team's championship winning DNA sprung quickly into action to prepare the new
Miss GEICO race boat for competition, unveiling her several months ahead of schedule. Look for her in Solomons September 14-16 during the Solomons Offshore Grand Prix.
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