Episode 51 - Ron Gordon Founder of American Turbine and Dominator Jet Pumps
Release Date: 09/03/2024
Episode 54 - Billy Moore Class 1 Offshore Racer
Powerboat Talk
Billy Moore stands as one of the most successful offshore powerboat racers competing today. Following in the footsteps of his father, —widely considered the first throttle man in offshore racing—Billy “works the sticks” in both and Super Cat. I spoke with Moore recently, just as his Class 1 team celebrated back-to-back wins at in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In addition to racing for Defalco, Moore throttles the in the Super Cat class. Not only did Moore gain invaluable racing insight from his legendary father, but he also learned the finer points of boat rigging and race boat setup,...
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Episode 53 - Warren Kosikov Vice President of Sales at SEMA
Powerboat Talk
Warren Kosikov is the Vice President of Sales for the , an organization that represents the automotive and marine aftermarket industries while advocating for the interests of both manufacturers and consumers. Before joining SEMA, Kosikov held executive sales management roles at Source Interlink Media, Buckaroo Communications, Petersen Publishing, and Nordskog Publishing. His extensive background in the performance boating industry includes work with Powerboat Magazine, Hot Boat Magazine, and Family and Performance Boating Magazine. Kosikov emphasizes SEMA’s critical role in the automotive...
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Episode 52 - Shane Westerfield Drag Boat Racer, Engine Builder and Tuner
Powerboat Talk
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Episode 51 - Ron Gordon Founder of American Turbine and Dominator Jet Pumps
Powerboat Talk
Ron Gordon, General Manager and Vice President, founded with his boyhood friend, Bruce Simmons, in 1989, bringing decades of experience in the jet drive industry. Ron’s first encounter with a jet pump dates back to 1968, when he began working on his family’s Glastron V174 jet boat. Gordon’s career in the industry officially began in 1976 when he and Simmons founded Dominator Jet in Lubbock, Texas. After running the business for 12 years, they sold Dominator. Gordon stayed on as manager for a few years before he and Simmons left to start American Turbine. Gordon developed American...
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Episode 50 - Tres Martin Owner of Tres Martin Performance Boat School
Powerboat Talk
Tres Martin is the owner of and , where he offers advanced, hands-on, skill-based training for performance boat owners. Martin grew up working with his father, Ralph Martin, at Everglades Marina in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Ralph Martin is credited with organizing the first poker run for boats in 1985. In 1986, Martin began racing offshore powerboats, achieving great success in the class, where he throttled various and race boats. He concluded his career with an impressive 66 wins, including four National Championships and four World Championships. In 1993, Martin founded Tres Martin...
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Episode 49 - Gordy Jennings Circle Boat Racer and Engine Builder
Powerboat Talk
Gordy Jennings is one of the most decorated circle boat racers in history, particularly noted for his excellence in driving blown boats in the . While his boat racing career is remarkable, Jennings is perhaps best known for his expertise in performance engine building, a skill he honed while working for his stepfather, Paul Pfaff, at . During his time at Pfaff, the company excelled at creating power plants for boats and found success in various forms of motorsports, including sprint cars and off-road racing. Today, Jennings works as a dyno operator for and continues to build engines for Tom...
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Episode 48 - Chuck Stearns and Mike Avila Water Ski Racing Legends
Powerboat Talk
Chuck Stearns and Mike Avila are two of Water Ski Racing's most successul competitors. Stearns, who is often regarded as the greatest water skier in history having won National and World Championships in tournament skiing, won his first Catalina Ski Race in 1955 at the age of 16. Stearns went on to dominate the international race winning an unprecendented (at the time) 11th title in 1982 at the age of 44. Stearns also set a multiple world speed records culminating with is run of 122.11 m.p.h. in 1969 at Long Beach Marine Stadium. Avila one the first ski race he entered in 1968 at the age of...
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Episode 47 - Keith Eickert Offshore Race Engine Builder
Powerboat Talk
Keith Eickert is one of the most recognized and successful high-performance engine builders in offshore racing history. With a career that began at Mercury Racing in 1972, Eickert went on to create power for 37 World, International, and National Champions. Eickert was recruited to Mercury by his childhood friend Gary Garbrecht, who was the head of Mercury Racing. Eickert graduated from working on cylinder heads at Mercury to becoming one of their best engine builders. In 1976, Eickert was lured away from Mercury to build engines exclusively for racers Rocky Aoki (Benihana) and Preston...
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Episode 46 - Jerry Gilbreath Boat Builder and Offshore Powerboat Racer
Powerboat Talk
Jerry Gilbreath has made a career out of designing, building, and racing some of the most exotic and well-known boats in the world. His journey began in the 1960s, driving flat-bottom endurance boats in races like the Salton Sea 500 and the . Gilbreath’s father, Jake, founded Gil Marine, which started as a gas tank manufacturer and grew into one of the largest aftermarket performance marine companies in the world, producing iconic Gil Exhaust Manifolds and the first outboard set-back bracket, the Gil Bracket. Gilbreath became one of the most respected and talented custom boat builders...
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Episode 45 - Bob Brown Performance Boating Writer
Powerboat Talk
Bob Brown is widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on performance boating, having reported on and participated in every facet of the industry over the last 50 years. Growing up as an avid boat racer, Brown became the editor of in 1973 through his affiliation with fellow racer . After leaving Powerboat in 1979 to start his own public relations agency, Media Direction, Brown continued to write for the magazine as well as for every major performance boat publication, including Hot Boat, Performance Boats, Sportboat, , , and . Brown has raced endurance inboards in the Salton Sea 500...
info_outlineRon Gordon, General Manager and Vice President, founded American Turbine with his boyhood friend, Bruce Simmons, in 1989, bringing decades of experience in the jet drive industry. Ron’s first encounter with a jet pump dates back to 1968, when he began working on his family’s Glastron V174 jet boat.
Gordon’s career in the industry officially began in 1976 when he and Simmons founded Dominator Jet in Lubbock, Texas. After running the business for 12 years, they sold Dominator. Gordon stayed on as manager for a few years before he and Simmons left to start American Turbine.
Gordon developed American Turbine jets from a “clean sheet of paper,” incorporating innovative designs and proven ideas from his years at Dominator. He was the original designer of key industry innovations such as the shouldered wear ring, Energizer kits, and larger impeller sizes ranging from AA to 9½ inches. American Turbine was also the first to offer high-performance intakes, high-flow bowls, and high-quality investment cast impellers.
In 1993, Gordon sold American Turbine to Travis Garske, owner of Travis Pattern & Foundry (TP&F), ensuring top-quality production through TP&F's aluminum foundry and CNC machine shop. Gordon personally oversees the machining and hand-finishing of every impeller, emphasizing the importance of precision and craftsmanship that machines alone cannot replicate.
Under Gordon’s leadership, American Turbine has continued to innovate, acquiring Dominator Jet in 1998 and Legend Jet in 2007. With over 48 years of experience, Gordon and his highly skilled team remain at the forefront of jet drive technology, delivering unmatched quality and expertise.
This episode is brought to you by: SoCal Jet Boats the #1 online performance boating community forum, manufacturers of the coolest River Attire, hosts of the the Summer Tour with 6+ events along the Colorado River, and owners of The SoCal Jet Boat SpeedShop.
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