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www.pokerrunsamerica.com PLUS! TIME OUT WITH SD MARINE GABRIEL PACHECO MERCURY MARINE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS TM FOUNTAIN POWERBOATS’ 38 SCX CENTER CONSOLE REVIEW: DONZI GETS A NEW HOME POKER RUN COVERAGE TOYS TOUR IN PALATKA FLORIDA 2023 POKER RUN EVENT DATES YEAR YEAR 2525 YEAR YEAR 11 Cover 26-1.indd 1Cover 26-1.indd 12023-03-23 1:21 PM2023-03-23 1:21 PM19731980 Pioneers of Power Explore 50 years of innovation, milestones, and people that have helped create Wide Open. EST. 1973 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K 2023-MR-PRA-AD-Insert-1.pdf 1 2/6/23 9:55 PMMercury DPS.indd 2Mercury DPS.indd 22023-02-14 4:44 PM2023-02-14 4:44 PM19731980 Pioneers of Power Explore 50 years of innovation, milestones, and people that have helped create Wide Open. EST. 1973 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K 2023-MR-PRA-AD-Insert-1.pdf 1 2/6/23 9:55 PMMercury DPS.indd 3Mercury DPS.indd 32023-02-14 4:45 PM2023-02-14 4:45 PMBill Taylor PUBLISHERS NOTE 4 WWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COMWWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM VOLUME TWENTY SIX / 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, Mike Burns 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 FLORIDA SALES Kevin Peterson klpetersonmarketing@gmail.com SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATORS Nancy Mueller, Melanie Taylor coordinator@pokerrunsamerica.com ADMINISTRATION President William E. Taylor Group Publisher Melanie Taylor-Wallis VP/Special Projects Norm Rosen PHOTOGRAPH/VIDEO Tamara Taylor tmtaylor@taylorpublishinggroup.com Duane C. Adams, Pete Boden, Ken Denardo, Jeff Geradi - Freeze Framevideo.net, Lisa Mazzoni, Randy Nuzzo, Tim Sharkey- Sharkeys Images EXECUTIVE & EDITORIAL OFFICES NEW YORK 777 East Park Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14150 FLORIDA 131 Brandiwood Court, Debary, FL, 32713 Tel: 1-800-354-9145 TORONTO 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 905/844-8218 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 POKER RUNS AMERICA | Volume 26 Number 1 HELLO BOATERS AND... KUDOS TO MERCURY! William E. Taylor, Publisher bill@pokerrunsamerica.com Welcome to a unique, one-of-a-kind magazine that is here to stay! Poker Runs America is dedictated to that exciting blend of boating pleasure and the fast- forward fun that has become a North American rage. Within the past several years, poker runs have created the thrilling venue for performance boaters - and spectators - all over the contintent. These breathtaking, high-voltage events not only fulfill a need for speed, they serve up a safe environment for recreational boating. Hang on to your seat rails, and hammer the throttles, it’s Mercury Marine’s 50th Anniversary – bringing years of excitement to the sport! It’s hard to believe that it is now more than 38 years ago, when the directors of Mercury/Brunswick invited OMC’s Johnson and Evinrude, Volvo, and Yamaha top brass to join me in the launch of a new boating magazine – Power Boating Magazine – with the only stipulation that the magazine would be devoted exclusively to power boating – no sail content – they wanted their promotional efforts to be targeted to the power enthusiasts, and not get lost in the wind. 12 years later, our advisory council once again assited with the creation of Poker Runs America Magazine. Well, it was wound up and started like a precision timepiece. We had been specializing in outdoor recreation magazines, from snowmobiles to motorhomes, motorcycles to fast cars… and now, the Poker Run sport, which the engine manufacturers endorsed 100%. Without the Brunswick and Mercury brands, and our boating industry advisory council, it would never have been such a huge success – over many of our 30 magazine titles. Stay tuned over the next 12 months, as we will be bringing you a series of exciting articles focused on the Mercury tradition and achievements in the high-performance boating sector. Only through the pages of Poker Runs America Magazine will you find expert articles on topics ranging from propellers to the best of powerplant engineering. We draw on the intellectual resources of the industry to bring you the finest in performance boating content… it’s been our goal since the very beginning, and we hope to continue this tradition of excellence for many years to come. PRA Pub Page 26-1.indd 4Pub Page 26-1.indd 42023-02-15 9:51 AM2023-02-15 9:51 AMSkater.indd 1Skater.indd 12023-02-13 3:53 PM2023-02-13 3:53 PMNew Formula DPS.indd 2New Formula DPS.indd 22022-12-20 12:18 PM2022-12-20 12:18 PM2200 West Monroe St. • PO Box 1003 Decatur, IN 46733 • 260-724-9111 w w w .f ormul aboats. c om The Formula 387 CCF & CCS — It’s What Moves You! FORMULA PRESENTS THE BEST MOVE in performance, styling and features for the ultimate center console experience! Announced at the 2022 Miami International Boat Show and introduced at the 2022 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, now is the time to plan for your Formula 387 Center Console Fish and Center Console Sport! The new 38'7" Formula with 12' beam is powered by triple Mercury Verados, triple Mercury Racing 450Rs or twin Mercury Verado 600 outboards. The Formula 387 Center Console series builds on Formula’s rich offshore heritage and gives you the flexibility from all-out Fish to all-out Sport and all points in between! New Formula DPS.indd 3New Formula DPS.indd 32022-12-20 12:48 PM2022-12-20 12:48 PM8 POKER RUNS AMERICA | Volume 26 Number 1WWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM FEATURES POKER RUNS AMERICA | Volume 26 Number 1WWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM ARCHIVE | 1998 YEAR 1 YEAR 1 20 1-25.indd 201-25.indd 202023-02-14 3:43 PM2023-02-14 3:43 PM Volume 26 Number 1 | POKER RUNS AMERICA WWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM 1998 | ARCHIVE cclaimed lawyer. World class offshore racer. Exotic car collector. Just-turned (October 4) 37-year-old New Jersey born and bred Patrick G. Patel. Esq. is the quintessential American champion. Armed with the heart and soul of a winner, Patel is also blessed with the skill and confidence to emerge victorious. “Basically, I deal with everything to 100 percent. I have no happy medium. At work. At play. Whatever I’m doing at the time, I do it to the fullest and utmost extent. I don’t believe in going to work and going to lunches. When I go to work, I put in 10 to 12 hours at the desk, but when I go away, I’m away racing my boat. I just close everything else out. I guess a momentary intensity would be me.” Patel explains in his totally unassuming (and, I suspect, disarming) voice and manner. Patel (as his friends call him) boasts a string of accomplishments that could shat- ter a fragile personality in a heartbeat. He earned a four-year football scholarship to St. Peter’s College in New Jersey. In his sophomore year he was named varsity captain and Small College All American in his junior year. After graduating law school (University of Connecticut at Bridgeport) in only two and a half years. Patel went to work in his cousin’s law firm. He became a full partner in 1987, then bought everyone out in ‘89. “That was also the year I won a $10 million lawsuit against the state,” adds Patel, recalling an infamous case where an inmate was cruelly beaten and tortured by prison guards. Patel went into the prison (“Almost like an inmate”), got the goods on the culprits and broke the case. “I have to admit I was pretty scared at the time,” says Patel. “But I was younger and braver.” Nevertheless, the derring-do earned Patel stints on major talk shows, from 60 Minutes and Good Morning America to Geraldo. It also clinched his reputation as one of the foremost civil attorneys regard- ing police brutality cases and earned him the moniker Hudson County Powerhouse Lawyer. Today, Patel, a criminal and civil lawyer licensed in 21 1-25.indd 211-25.indd 212023-02-14 4:11 PM2023-02-14 4:11 PM 20 12 THE BIG TICKET Ride in-style with a limited-edition Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide and Hummer’s new EV on Steroids. 20 COVER PROFILE Looking back Poker Runs America’s first cover profile on Patrick Patel. 26 YEAR OF THE CENTER CONSOLE Performance center consoles will once again rule the Miami International Boat Show. 34 FAST COMPANY Fountain Powerboat's new 38SCX is ideal for hanging at the sandbar or bar hopping. 38 MERCURY MARINE UNLEASHES V10 PLATFORM The first outboards released are 350-and 400-hp models. 42 TIME OUT Catching up with SD Marine Group’s Gabriel Pacheco. 48 BUILDING A MONSTER MCON's Monster Energy-sponsored 438 Skater is set to race in Class 1. 52 ENDURANCE TEST - OCEAN CUP SERIES Ocean Cup announces five races that will challenge offshore racers. 58 MAINTENANCE SERIES - POLISH LIKE A PRO Polishing a boat takes time and hard work but the results are worth it. 62 RACING PARADES - KEY WEST The Key West Offshore Championship continues to shine. 4 PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE 14 FAST FACTS 72 POWER PLAY Toys Tour, Palatka, FL 76 2023 POKER RUN & RACE CALENDAR DEPARTMENTS pra vol. 26-1 CONTENTS contents 26-1.indd 8contents 26-1.indd 82023-02-14 4:27 PM2023-02-14 4:27 PM9 Volume 26 Number 1 | POKER RUNS AMERICAWWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM 3462 48 38 MCON’s Monster Energy-sponsored 428 Skater is set to race in Class 1. contents 26-1.indd 9contents 26-1.indd 92023-02-14 4:28 PM2023-02-14 4:28 PMNext >