BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESSWIRE / May 3, 2021 / Alabama Native Hugh D. Fuller Jr. was born to race. He was also born to win.
The world champion offshore powerboat racer didn't start out on the water, but his extensive career in car racing made him no stranger to competition. It didn't take long before he would win his first Super Cat World Title at the Key West Offshore World Powerboat Championship in 2001 with his right-hand man, John Tomlinson. That was only the beginning.
"In powerboat racing, there are no pit stops," said Hugh D. Fuller Jr.
The daring and ambitious boatman went on to win the 2011 Clearwater Super Boat National Championship, averaging 104 mph over a rugged 79.2-mile course. He has also amassed nearly 10 world championships, 2 national championships, including the Super Cat World and National championships in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Fuller was inducted into the APVA Hall of Champions early on in his career in the early 2000s.
Powerboat racing is no joke, requiring tremendous attention to detail as boats less than 10,000 pounds skim choppy and untamed waters to the finish line. Hugh Fuller trains as any professional athlete would - biking and working with a professional trainer to minimize injuries that can occur from the impact of the water. But no matter how in shape one is, one mistake, or one turn taken too sharply, and the outcome could be fatal.
Despite the risk, it's just a regular day at the office for the world champion: "You just get used to it, like anything else," Hugh D. Fuller Jr. says.
But he doesn't do it alone. Fuller sits in the cockpit with his throttleman who controls the intricacies of each ride. With trust at the center of these relationships, Hugh D. Fuller Jr. would call these partners family.
"It's a special relationship. You place a lot of confidence in these guys to do what they need to do, and they never miss. These guys are like brothers to me," he says.
Comfortingly confident, but never braggadocious, the multi-champion has become a leader amongst his fellow racers.
"Everybody looks up to him. He's one of those guys that you think is crazy in the cockpit, but he always comes through. He's an incredible racer and even better friend," says a long-time fellow superboat racer.
Additionally, Fuller and partners went on to win the Unlimited Division in the 2019 Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) World Championship, their second consecutive win of the event.
To some, two World Championships would feel like enough to take it easy for a bit. But to Hugh D. Fuller Jr., there are no pit stops.
Contact: Andrew Mitchell, [email protected]
SOURCE: Hugh Fuller