Story and select photos by DinaRella / Additional images from A.F. Thunderbirds, Cigarette, Lucas Oil, Mike’s Aerial Photography and F1
An over-the-top series of horsepower-packing, people-pleasing, fast-moving objects roared into Miami and beyond, fueling the streets, seas and skies for 2022 Speed Week. A week prior and a county north of the Formula One Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix main event happening from May 6 to 8 on the home turf of the Miami Dolphins, the Fort Lauderdale Air and Sea Show pilots were first to fire up their engines.
A whirl around the waters opening the show and warming things up for the SOCOM Para-Commandos parachuting down during the National Anthem was Class One offshore powerboat racing team Huski Racing, under the command of veteran throttleman Sir Steve Curtis and Patrick Cleaveland.
With thousands watching from beachside hospitality tents, hotel rooftops and raft-up viewing parties, adding to the aquatic action above the cockpit of the 50’ Victory cat powered by Mercury Racing 1,100s, was PenFed Elevation Tour’s aerobatic national champion aviator Mike Goulian, performing his trademark twirls in a German-made Extra 300. The high-flying action continued with a lineup of carefully crafted solo moves and combo formations of inverted rolls, come-togethers and hairpin vertical dives.
Top speed turning tactics from the Navy F-35C Lightning II team and signature sonic booms from the crowning U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds kept heads in the clouds and hearts skipping a beat, up until the arrival of the humungous heart-shaped vapor trails trickling through the air making for a sweeter spectator treat.
Announcing the high-speed U.S. Navy Blue Angels F-18 Super Hornets closing in on each other at 1,000 mph were confirmed for the 2023 show, only further sweetened the airborne feats before squadrons returned for their final landing at the airport and the speed-induced agenda moved on to what was supposed to be the inaugural LuminSea Offshore Powerboat Race, presented by John H. Ruiz, attorney and owner of Cigarette Racing Team since 2021, and coordinated meticulously by fellow offshore boat racer Pete Riveiro.
The Launch of LuminSea
The evolution of the dead-end plot of swamp land on NE 188th Street INTO the legendary Thunderboat Row, original home of Don Aronow’s Formula, Donzi, Magnum and Cigarette, and rival Apache Powerboats, dates back six decades. Today, Miami remains the epitome and eternal epicenter of the go-fast lifestyle and as a result of adding the aquatic element to Speed Week by joining forces with F1 and its attractive 10-year commitment to the city, Ruiz is returning racing to its roots!
In true Miami-centric style, the curtain to the launch was lifted at the Friday night fiesta at One Herald Plaza sponsored by Chief Marine Group, Florida Yachts International, The Firm Realty Group and Top Gun Yacht Sales. Multi-fold in function, the get-together celebrated not only the race revival, but the arrival of the technologically-driven contrivances also concocted by Ruiz which include: LuminSea the pioneer marine lighting firm that produces illuminated channel markers and navigation technology; and the LifeWallet app that stores easily retrievable health history and information on individuals’ mobile devices to assist first responders and healthcare providers.
Besides his status as a serial entrepreneurial designer, the Floridian is also a proud University of Miami alumnus and committed advocate of the school’s sports programs, which explains the marching band performance and attendance by numerous UM athletes. The UM-themed Orange-U-Fast 51’ Cigarette pace boat and complementary orange and green opulent marques from Braman Miami made the evening even brighter.
Post party, Saturday morning started like any other big race day with sunny skies, sticky temps and excitement filtering through the air, as the Factory class competitors prepared for the first foray, and Class One contenders geared up for the second sea scrimmage featuring veteran racers-slash-podium champions Nigel Hook in the Mystic Lucas Oil and Mike Stancombe in the MTI JBS Racing.
As the crane lowered V-bottoms like Control Freak, Dramatized Offshore Racing, Elite Game Rooms, Fastboys Racing and Team Woody into the water, all was good until word spread of the mating sea turtles answering their seemingly ritualistic “race course roll call.” Cue up… delay number one. Plagued by further distress from increasingly strong winds, a frothy ocean decorated by bursts of lightning and thunder, and a course marker that broke free and had to be retrieved and re-secured – per a United States Coast Guard Small Craft Advisory order, safety helicopters carrying the rescue divers were grounded. Cue up… race cancellation!
Wildlife and weather patterns can’t be predicted; races or not, Ruiz, Riveiro and the rest of the team put forth a superb effort with commendable intentions for the inaugural go around. One amazing addition which I hope to see more of was the collaboration with theveteranstrust.org, and getting to meet the veterans paired up with the respective professional teams.
A win-win unison to add to any motorsports competition, the organization rallies industry leaders to create unique leadership opportunities for military to partake in and to promote awareness of service members transitioning back into civilian life. But with the LuminSea production under wraps, for the last blast it was time to transition to the tarmac for the F1 veterans to do battle.
Faux Water Fuss at the “Winning Formula” One
Judging from the trio of F1 United States venues spanning cities from its 2021 visit to Austin, its November of 2023 Sin City touchdown in Las Vegas, and most notably the buzz the build-up around the exuberant Miami motorsport and makeshift marina madness… there’s no doubt the wildly addictive and instantaneously popular “Drive to Survive” docu-series on Netflix played a role. Apparently, the behind-the-scenes portrayal of the danger, the drivers and their off-track drama “driving the rivalries” was a winning formula contributing to the feverish uptick in interest from the American fan base!
On the other hand however, local Miami residents showed less than favorable interest loudly objecting to the original proposal for a downtown track which would have extended over the bridge to the Port of Miami. Upon squashing this idea to replicate what was dubbed as an “American version of the Monte Carlo waterfront,” Miami Dolphin’s stadium owner Stephen Ross stepped in. Deep-pocketed, passionate and persistent, Ross would not back off until a purpose-built circuit carved around the concrete parking complex of the Hard Rock Stadium known as the Miami International Autodrome became reality.
Miami is not an ordinary city; hence it made perfect sense that the 3.36-mile grid with 19 corners and three straights would also be far from ordinary. One way or another – wet or not – Ross together with Tom Garfinkel, Miami Grand Prix managing partner, would turn the suburban landscape 15 miles west of the beach into a sun-drenched maritime miracle. Why the obsession? The Sunshine State metropolis is looked upon as the boating capital of the world by loads of affluent admirers, which happen to be the same high-profile F1 frequenters.
Five-star hospitality components positioned inside turns 6 to 8, consisting of – a 25,000 square feet artificial marina of plywood placed at the waterline to give the appearance boats are floating due to pixilated vinyl matting; and a yacht club with sandy beach and resort-style swimming pools – prompted roaring Twittercism and bashing before engines were even revved, claiming the Miami Gardens location was too, turning into a carnival-like Monte Carlo Grand Prix knock-off.
The pre-game social media mocking quickly dissipated as F1 watchers from around the world witnessed more than a few of the 255,000 guests inside the gates flocking to the must-see phenomenon for their walking-on-water Jesus-like simulation selfie. Throughout the three-day, high-octane outing featuring practice rounds on Friday, qualifiers on Saturday and the Sunday finale – the MIA Marina morphed into a steady aquamarine stream of compelling yet comical photos from both fans and foes alike flexing their floating on flat water skills.
Rippled stickers might have represented the waves, but the fleet of ten dry-docked yachts dropping anchor from Barton and Gray Mariners Club, Sunseeker, Azimut, Midnight Express and Denison Yachting were REAL. They were also REALLY the best place to be, to see the spins and wins up-close, including the unfortunate wheel-to-wheel track tussles with German nationals Mick Schumacher crashing into Sebastian Vettel on lap 53, and the collision of McLaren’s Lando Norris into Pierre Gasly on lap 41.
After the wrecks and rain showers cleared, 2021 Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen sealed the deal securing the inaugural Miami F1 win for Red Bull Racing by overtaking Charles Leclerc (who prior to the race sat on top of the standings with a 27-point lead) in the Prancing Horse on lap nine of 57. The supercar superstar’s victory was impressive and well applauded, but rather bizarre was the open-top police escort the “Flying Dutchman” received to the winner’s podium, ending the weekend with as much excessive flash (literally) as its Super Bowl-esque opening ceremony, thanks to the indelible blaring sirens and blinking blue lights.
Get Your Motors Running
Not everyone gets to indulge in a private Verstappen-style escort (the police type), but it’s no secret greed exceeds speed when it comes to the Formula One experience. The faithful are fascinated by the façade of glitz, glamour and gimmicks. Case in point: the cheapest grandstand entrances cost FU money to the tune of thousands, while a premium “Yacht Club” pass for four was priced up to $38,000… and I should add, the hottest 2022 sports tickets sold out in 40 minutes!
Miami’s fake-take took the cake! American-style excess beat out the authenticity of technical racing. Only time will tell if the motorsport has left building. In the interim, enjoy your Netflix; “Drive to Survive” has been extended for a fifth and sixth season.
Car racing fans not feeling like forking over a small fortune were in luck too. The entire city was abuzz with screening or more like screaming parties amplified by cool gearhead activities to get your motors running. At 10th St. on Ocean Drive in South Beach, FTX Off The Grid pitched up an “electric beach” immersive experience combining crypto, cars and culture in conjunction with Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Off the beach, at the Bayfront Park Watch Party complex you could practice your skills in the pit stop challenge, pose for pix with racing legends, and then plop back on a couch and pop open a few brews in the Ciroc VIP beach club.
Inland in the heart of Wynwood, the Racing Fan Fest, hosted by SWARM and US Weekly, featured a Red Bull Fan Zone, cutting-edge VR racing simulators, kid-friendly collaborations and DJs spinning on multiple stages all weekend long. And long it was! What are the odds Cinco de Mayo fell on the same day as the F1 kick-off concert with Colombian performer Maluma at the Hard Rock Casino, only to be overtaken with poolside vibes from Calvin Harris and David Guetta headlining “Miami Race Nights at the famed Fontainebleau. And since this is Miami, long after the checkered flag was snagged, the debauchery was destined to go till dawn on Monday as Miami F1 champion Verstappen and friends partied the night away to Dutch DJ Tiësto at E11even.
