Episode 70 - Ty Newton Flatbottom K-boat Racer
Powerboat Talk
In this episode of Powerboat Talk, we sit down with veteran flatbottom K-boat driver Ty Newton of Phoenix, Arizona, a multi-time national champion and member of the American Power Boat Association Hall of Champions (2009). With more than three decades behind the wheel and 15 years in K-boats, Newton brings a deep well of experience and perspective to the conversation. Newton shares the story of his recent trip to Australia to compete in the , marking his third appearance in the event after first competing in 2019. He breaks down the unique challenges and joys of racing down under. The...
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Episode 69 - Dave Villwock Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Legend
Powerboat Talk
In this episode, recorded before the 2025 racing season, we sit down with Dave Villwock, the most successful driver in racing history. At the time, Villwock had amassed 67 career wins, 10 national championships, 10 APBA Gold Cups, and multiple world speed records. During the 2025 season, he added to that legacy with his 68th career win and 11th Gold Cup at age 71. Villwock’s story spans decades, from driving flat bottoms and wrenching in the pits to rising as a crew chief, becoming a dominant driver, and ultimately returning to the cockpit at age 70. His career reached another milestone...
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Episode 68- Joe Zelinski Founder of Custom Marine, Inc
Powerboat Talk
As the founder of , Joe Zelinski stands as a central figure and true innovator in the high-performance marine world. For decades, CMI headers have set the benchmark for performance marine exhaust systems. Raised by a father who was a plumbing contractor, Zelinski developed a strong work ethic early on, along with a natural curiosity for anything mechanical. While spending summers digging ditches for his father’s business, he purchased his first boat, a Boston Whaler, at just 12 years old. Not long after, he landed a job at a local boat shop where he was paid in parts, eventually working his...
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Episode 67- Tyler Speer Drag Boat Racer (Part 2)
Powerboat Talk
In this episode, the 2nd of two parts, we talk with racer following the 2025 drag boat racing season as he breaks down the continued progress of his A Fuel Nitro Hydro, Georgia Outlaw, through the 2025 season and his plans heading into 2026. Speer, who works in the family boat business in Woodstock, GA with his father Tim, talks about an early-season change to a different clutch program that required the team to re-establish their baseline setup, which slowed progress as they worked through the learning curve and adjusted to the new combination. We talk about his results competing in both...
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Episode 66- Tyler Speer Drag Boat Racer
Powerboat Talk
Tyler Speer is one of the most versatile racers in modern drag boat competition and a rising force in nitro-powered hydro racing. Today he campaigns an Injected Nitro Hydro in the Top Alcohol Hydro class, pushing the limits of performance while developing one of the most demanding boats in the sport. Speer began racing motocross at age five, later moving through go-karts, the Allison Legacy Series, and stock cars, before making his debut in 2010. After transitioning to drag boats in 2014, he quickly made his mark by winning the 2016 Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series Pro Modified World...
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Episode 65 - Live from Eddie's SoCal Performance Expo opening night
Powerboat Talk
This episode of Powerboat Talk is a recording of a livestream that we did at Eddie Marine in Rancho Cucamonga for Eddie’s SoCal Performance Expo opening night party. We had the privilege of interviewing 23 marine and automotive industry leaders and personalities. Eddie’s SoCal Performance Expo brought together almost 300 cars and 90 performance boats for a great day in sunny Southern California. The line up was INSANE!! To learn more about Eddie’s SoCal Performance Expo visit their website Clint Miglia- / Ray Lee- Ken Johnson- Scott Walters- Rob Torres- Tony Chiaramonte- Jake...
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Episode 64- Racers and Engine builders Gordy Jennings and Paul Fitzgerald
Powerboat Talk
This week’s episode features an inside look at the in Australia with Stock Racing team members Gordy Jennings () and Paul Fitzgerald (). As the crew chiefs responsible for tuning and maintaining , piloted by , Jennings and Fitzgerald found themselves representing the United States alongside and driver Ty Newton. Together, the two American teams faced a formidable lineup of 28 blown alcohol boats from Australia and New Zealand, making for two intense weekends of competition. We explore the realities of taking a race program halfway around the world, the chemistry within a veteran team, and...
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Episode 63 - Tate Ramsey Australian National Drivers Champion
Powerboat Talk
On this episode of Powerboat Talk, we welcome Tate Ramsey, an Australian circuit boat racer, three-time winner, and reigning National Drivers Champion. Ramsey is also the current BAD Boat Challenge champion, and he puts that crown on the line in the upcoming 2026 . There, he’ll face a deep and competitive field of more than 25 Australian racers, along with standout American challengers and and New Zealander . Ramsey’s race boat is a 21-foot powered by a 470-cubic-inch PSI-blown big-block Chevy built by , with top speeds reaching 160 mph. In this episode, Ramsey shares an inside look at...
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Episode 62 - Richie Powers Offshore World Champion Throttleman
Powerboat Talk
In this episode, we sit down with one of offshore powerboat racing’s most accomplished throttlemen, Richie Powers. Over the course of more than three decades, Powers amassed an extraordinary record, more than sixty victories across Superboat and competition, nearly 12,000 miles of race-winning performance, seven World Offshore Titles, and eleven national and international championships. His many successes occurred on some of the world’s most demanding open water courses and conditions. Power’s put his stamp on many of the most important technical advancements in high performance boating...
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Episode 61- Alan Stoker Boat Racer and Founder of Stoker Boats
Powerboat Talk
Alan Stoker is a world-renowned boat racer and the builder of Stoker Boats. An innovator whose career spans the formative decades of Mod VP outboard racing and tunnel-hull development, Stoker was raised in Southern California. This episode was recorded shortly after his third straight victory at the 2024 Parker Enduro. Stoker grew up immersed in boating through his father, John Stoker, owner of John’s Custom Marine, where he began working weekends at just 11 years old. He started racing when his dad purchased a kneel-down racer from Ron Hill and spent time in the pits while his father crewed...
info_outlineIn this episode, the 2nd of two parts, we talk with racer Tyler Speer following the 2025 drag boat racing season as he breaks down the continued progress of his A Fuel Nitro Hydro, Georgia Outlaw, through the 2025 season and his plans heading into 2026.
Speer, who works in the family boat business Proboat in Woodstock, GA with his father Tim, talks about an early-season change to a different clutch program that required the team to re-establish their baseline setup, which slowed progress as they worked through the learning curve and adjusted to the new combination.
We talk about his results competing in both the Southern Drag Boat Association and the Kentucky Drag Boat Association, where he finished second and third in season points, respectively. The conversation also covers the final race in Wheatland, Texas, where Speer and his team put things together to run a 4.22-second elapsed time, setting a class record and winning the event.
For 2026, Speer will continue to be the only naturally aspirated, nitro-burning boat on the circuit and will continue to work with A Fuel drag racing standout Randy Meyer. He will again rely on his FuelTech system for fuel management and data logging, using expanded data to evaluate clutch performance, fuel delivery, and run-to-run consistency.
Speer will continue to focus on the current A Fuel boat and resist the move back to Top Fuel. He also outlines plans to build two additional Warhawk hulls to serve as backup boats and support ongoing testing and development.
We also discuss expectations for the International Hot Rod Association and its involvement in drag boat racing, along with how that could impact participation and event structure moving forward.
Finally, we talk about the usefulness of running a marine engine on a dyno, as well as availability and quality control issues with high-performance racing parts.
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