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www.pokerrunsamerica.com ALEX ALEX RUIZRUIZ CIGARETTE RACING TEAM’S CEO MIAMI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW ISSUE TM SPECTRE POWERBOATS MAKING MOVES N.P.P.A. RACE LEGENDS CATCHING UP WITH MTI FASTBOYS RACING BUILDS NEW PHANTOM 30SV NEWS FROM:NEWS FROM: ELIMINATOR & NORDIC Cover 25-1 MIBS.indd 1Cover 25-1 MIBS.indd 12022-02-09 12:52 PM2022-02-09 12:52 PM85500 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, Florida Keys www.chiefmarinegroup.com 515 CIGARETTE AD.indd 1CIGARETTE AD.indd 12022-02-10 5:29 PM2022-02-10 5:29 PM1000 ISLANDS CAN/AM POKER RUN TWO OF THE BIGGEST EVENTS CONTACT 1-800-354-9145 ext: 252 WWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM WWW.POWERBOATING.COM SANCTIONED BY GANANOQUE POKER RUN JULY 8-1O KINGSTON POKER RUN AUGUST 5-7 shootout PBC.indd 2shootout PBC.indd 22022-02-11 12:28 PM2022-02-11 12:28 PMFerrari HR.indd 1Ferrari HR.indd 12022-02-08 1:55 PM2022-02-08 1:55 PMBill Taylor PUBLISHERS NOTE 4 WWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COMWWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM IT’S SHOW TIME… WITH BREAKING NEWS! VOLUME TWENTY FIVE / NUMBER ONE PUBLISHER William E. Taylor bill@pokerrunsamerica.com EDITOR Gregg Mansfield info@pokerrunsamerica.com TECHNICAL EDITOR Price Turner CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tim Banse, Zenon Bilas, Bob Brown, Sarah Gregg, Bill Jennings, Bobbye Kenyon, Chris Kourtakis, Mark Rothermal DESIGN ads@pokerrunsamerica.com Tamara Taylor, Giselle Bansal WEB DESIGN Moe Basha mbasha@taylorpublishinggroup.com PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Giselle Bansal giselle@pokerrunsamerica.com VP ADVERTISING & SALES Todd Taylor todd@pokerrunsamerica.com SALES Todd Taylor todd@pokerrunsamerica.com Bill Santes ads@pokerrunsamerica.com FLORIDA SALES Kevin Peterson klpetersonmarketing@gmail.com SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATORS Sarah Gregg, Melanie Taylor coordinator@pokerrunsamerica.com ADMINISTRATION President William E. Taylor Group Publisher Melanie Taylor-Wallis VP/Special Projects Norm Rosen PHOTOGRAPH/VIDEO Paul Wright pwright@taylorpublishinggroup.com Duane C. Adams, Pete Boden, Ken Denardo, Jeff Geradi - Freeze Framevideo.net, Randy Nuzzo, Tim Sharkey- Sharkeys Images EXECUTIVE & EDITORIAL OFFICES New York 777 East Park Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14150 Tel: 1-800-354-9145 • Fax: 905/844-5032 TORONTO 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 905/844-8218 • Fax: 905/844-5032 EDITORIAL OFFICES 1-800-354-9145 Subscription inquires call: 1-800-354-9145 Website: www.pokerrunsamerica.com E-mail: info@pokerrunsamerica.com Cover and contents are copyright protected and may not be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from the publisher. Editorial contributions must be accompanied by return postage and will be handled with reasonable care. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photographs, or manuscripts. Poker Runs America reserves the right to refuse any and all advertising and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statement of facts made by its advertisers or independent columnists Regular subscription rates are 4 issues: $19 US. 8 issues: $32 US. Canadian subscribers add $10. Single copy price is $5.95 US and $8.50 Cdn. POSTMASTER Send all returns to Poker Runs America, 777 East Park Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14150 PRINTED IN USA What better place to be at this time of year than Miami, to be part of the excitement and breaking news! This the epitome of the ultimate decision time to purchase a new boat… surrounded by the big- gest new stories in the industry. At one time, the news came from some of the biggest promoters of the performance boating experience – like Reggie Fountain, who always had something exciting to announce to the world of offshore boating. This time, it’s a whole new ballgame – with a new generation taking center stage – the youngest executive in the world of offshore boat manufacturing, Alex Ruiz, the new CEO and driving force behind Cigarette Racing, who, along with his father John Ruiz, owner of the company, on the throttles, are about to disclose some of the most exciting news our industry has witnessed in years. We held the press so that this issue of Poker Runs America would be the first to break the story – just as we have held the press to announce exclusives from Mercury Racing. It is so refreshing to see the new genera- tion bringing their enthusiasm to the perfor- mance boating sector – people like Alex Ruiz, John Ruiz Jr., and Cristina Ruiz, joining their father John H. Ruiz at Cigarette Racing; Taylor Scism, joining her father, World Champion racer and designer Randy Scism and his team at MTI featured in the “Time Out” article in this issue; and then comes Velocity Powerboats of Sanford Florida, originally created by Steve Stepp, now owned and operated by another dynamic racer, Scott McCormick, whose energy and enthusiasm are supercharging the com- pany. Just a few miles down the road in Deland Florida, is Spectre Powerboats, where Todd Lamb, his wife Karen, and daughter Emily, are another dynamic family. Another family dynas- ty is found at Sunsation Powerboats, where Ryan Schaldenbrand has joined his father Joe and uncle Wayne in the business. Tommy Hofstetter and his wife Kate have brought their son Blye and daughter Atlantis into the Chief Performance Group. Jake Fraleigh is President of Eliminator Boats; Cherilyn Noack, Vice President of Marketing, daugh- ter of Bob Teague, and her husband Josh contribute to the success of Teague Custom Marine. Finally Jeff Johnson, is President and co-owner at DCB… At this date, I would have loved to release the story of the latest acquisition – which is scheduled to be revealed to the public on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at the Cigarette Racing exhibit at the Miami Show – this news will be over and above the feature story on Alex Ruiz, in this issue. See the breaking news on the website at www.pokerrunsamerica.com . I am delighted to add that our team at Taylor Publishing Group is another family business, where my son Todd and daughters Melanie and Tamara are bringing their ener- gy and enthusiasm to the business – having grown up in the midst of our print, online, events, and multi-media communications companies – and helped us create and pro- duce more than 40 magazine titles and associ- ated endeavors in the outdoor recreation field. As you leaf though the pages of the magazine, you’ll notice that Phantom Powerboats are back in the game with their Fast Boys Racings new boat – it even has air conditioning. Billy Frenz came to me and asked us to report on some of the biggest names in Offshore Racing – Calling it the “Legends Class” and “Billy Frenz 1976” where many of these legends are now Poker Running. It’s going to be an exciting year on the water – follow us in print, online, and on social media… and join us as we bring the excitement of performance boating to enthusiasts across North America! PRA William E. Taylor, Publisher bill@pokerrunsamerica.com POKER RUNS AMERICA | Volume 25 Number 1 Pub Page 25-1.indd 4Pub Page 25-1.indd 42022-02-10 11:28 AM2022-02-10 11:28 AMTHE EXCITEMENT COMES STANDARD 227 Power Court Sanford FL 32771 www.velocityboats.com THE ALL NEW 2022 VELOCITY 430VRXVELOCITY 430VRX The passion of performance meets the ultimate in luxury is what might explain our passion for the new Velocity 430VRX. 386-679-5682 We Welcome Dealer Inquires TM Velocity Ad PRA 24-1.indd 1Velocity Ad PRA 24-1.indd 12022-02-08 3:14 PM2022-02-08 3:14 PM6 POKER RUNS AMERICA | Volume 25 Number 1WWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM FEATURES 24 18 MIAMI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW Miami’s back to the Convention Center. 22 BIG TICKET If you have a Bugatti in the garage, now you can have one on your wrist. 24 START ‘EM YOUNG Alex Ruiz is the youngest CEO in Cigarette Racing Team’s history and has bold plans for the iconic company. 30 EDITORS CHOICE: BACK IN THE GAME After stuffing a boat during an offshore race last year, Fastboys Racing is coming back with a new Phantom. 34 KEY WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS REBIRTH Great racing and big crowds reinvigorate Race World Offshore’s Key West Championship. 40 BACK HOME Spectre Powerboats is back in Florida with new models on the way. 46 TOP OF THE CLASS The National Powerboat Association announces nine members to its Legends Class of 2022. 56 TIME OUT Catching up with MTI’s Randy Scism and Taylor Scism. 63 FROM THE VAULTS: CATARMARANS VS V-HULLS Wherein lies the difference? 4 Publisher’s Message 10 Fast Facts 72 Power Play: Toys Tour. 76 Power Play: 10th Anniversary Joey Gratton New Year’s Memorial Fun Run. 80 2022 Annual Poker Run & Race Calendar DEPARTMENTS pra vol. 25-1 CONTENTS The Miami International Boat Show is back at the Miami Convention Center six years after staging the event at the old Miami Marine Stadium on the Virginia Key. contents 25-1NEW.indd 6contents 25-1NEW.indd 62022-02-09 3:40 PM2022-02-09 3:40 PM7 Volume 25 Number 1 | POKER RUNS AMERICAWWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM 305634 contents 25-1NEW.indd 7contents 25-1NEW.indd 72022-02-08 3:17 PM2022-02-08 3:17 PMNext >