1 Attachment(s)
Severna Park powerboat racer up to speed
By DAVID BROUGHTON, Staff Writer CapitalGazette.com
Attachment 75594
With nearly four decades of racing experience, Chuck Miller knows a special boat when he sees one.
So when the veteran Inboard racer was offered the chance to drive a National Modified Inboard being brought out of retirement by his friend, Larry Lauterbach, Miller jumped at the opportunity.
“From the first time I was asked to drive this boat, we put it in the water to get testing and the boat was just a rocket ship,’’ recalled Miller, a Severna Park resident. “I had a real good feeling about it.
“It’s a handful with a lot of horsepower. I think the reason I was asked to drive the boat was probably because I had thirty-some years of experience.’’
The 19-foot Murray Jr.’s Lauterbach Special, featuring a small block Chevy V8 308 cubic inch engine, proved to be just that during the 2012 American Power Boat Association season. Miller won the Eastern Divisional title, the National Championship, a world championship and a high point title.
At the Inboard Nationals in Hampton, Va., Miller won the Hampton Cup for being the closest racer to breaking a category course record.
Then, in September, Miller established a National Modified quarter-mile speed record of 153.794 mph in New Martinsville, W.V.
“For any boat to be able to run over 153 miles per hour, it’s a feat in itself,’’ Miller said.
Miller’s dream season qualified him for induction into the APBA’s Hall of Champions, which recognizes its most outstanding drivers from each season. The 51-year-old Miller was inducted in Dallas on Jan. 26.
“It was great,’’ said Miller, who grew up in Annapolis and began racing boats at age 14. “It’s a real honor to be in the Hall of Champions. … It’s a fairly elite group of people.’’
At his induction, Miller took the opportunity to acknowledge his father, Charles Sr., who made the trip to Dallas. Charles Miller, 87, has been in the hydroplane racing business for 60 years as a driver and builder. He still builds engines and attends every race that he can.
“I can’t ever remember a time there wasn’t a hydroplane in the garage,’’ Chuck Miller said. “When I was 14, my dad asked me if I wanted to start racing boats. He went to the store and bought some poster board and a compass and protractor and we sat down and drew out a boat. A couple days later we went to the lumber yard bought some lumber and we started building. And that’s how I got started.’’
The pairing of driver Miller and crew chief Lauterbach was a natural.
Lauterbach, a Chester resident, won 12 national championships and set nine world records during an illustrious racing career that earned him three different Hall of Champions inductions. Lauterbach, now 65, retired from competitive driving in 2005 but continues to build, maintain and test racing boats. He owns and operates Lauterbach Custom Boats, which his late father, Henry, founded in 1947.
“I’ve known Chuck all his life just about,’’ Lauterbach said. “I used to race against Chuck and I knew he was a good driver. He used to drive his dad’s boats. Chuck’s done a heck of a job. This is his third year driving and he hasn’t lost a race for us yet.’’
Despite the world record set in September, Lauterbach and Miller aren’t resting on their laurels. Lauterbach has been freshening up the motor on the record-setting boat with hopes of setting a new mark in 2013. Miller said they’ll compete in Young, Wash., in April with the goal of achieving an average speed of between 157 and 160 miles mph.dbroughton@capgaznews.com
Posted: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 11:00 am
Full Article Severna Park powerboat racer up to speed - CapitalGazette.com: Sailing | Boating
