OFFSHORE POWERBOAT RACING
World Champion, Ben Hedrick
Ben Hedrick first became involved racing offshore powerboats in 1988 in the great State of North Carolina which was certainly know much more for NASCAR than boat racing. But with the help of Reggie Fountain and Larry Good of Fountain Powerboats Ben began Offshore Racing in 1989. Racing for several years more as a hobby than full time, Ben began racing the OSS, APBA, SBI, OPBRA professional circuit in 2001 with “Team Deranged” which really seemed like an appropriate name for an Offshore Racing Team. With a very successful two years of driving for Team Deranged, Ben won the National Highpoint’s Championship, the South East Divisional Championship and the OPBRA Championship. Continuing to drive for Team Deranged until 2003 where Ben was asked to drive for Screamin Eagle in a Warlock F1 powerboat. In Daytona Beach, FL in 2003, Ben witnessed a very tragic accident that resulted in another death of a boat racer in an open cockpit boat and with that, Ben decided to hang up his open cockpit helmet. Wanting to continue to race, Ben decided that a much more secure fully enclosed racing cockpit would be his choice for boat racing. Over the next several years, driving for many teams such as; Team Solarized, IMCO Quality Marine, SPIDERMAN, Skater Marine, Typhoon Racing, Team FURY, HOOTERS and Screamin Nutz and taking home several new National Championships. In 2005 Ben received a called from Larry Kostelac of Team Wild Ride to drive at the 2005 OSS World Championship being held in his home state of Florida in St. Petersburg Beach. So off to St. Pete we went. The first race of the 2005 World Championship was a rough one but the new Team of Larry Kostelac and Ben Hedrick proved to be the winning combination. For the last race of the weekend unfortunately Larry and Ben came up 7 seconds short and finished in second place and thus took home the “second” place title to the 2005 World Champions, which was although a nice feat, it’s wasn’t first place...
In 2007 Mr. Kostelac of Wild Ride fame came calling again this time the OSS World Championships would be held in Destin, FL and after gathering of all of the top Teams in SVL, Larry and Ben this time dominated and came away with the 2007 World Championship!!!
2008 Season began with where it had left off with Ben driving again for Team Wild Ride, but after two races of the 2008 season and a serious accident in Lake Havasu, Arizona, Ben decided that his boat racing days were numbered and at the strong encouragement of his wife Laura Ben hung up his boat racing helmet for good. Even with the short season with Wild Ride, Ben still finished in First Place as the National Highpoint Champion for 2008, thus bringing his boat racing highlights to a successful completion...
Now, what is next for Ben? How about car racing? Why not... Well ever since 2009 Ben’s has still had speed running deep in his veins and so with Laura’s approval, Ben now hold a SCCA Road Racing license and is moving up the ranks… Stay tuned because Ben & HEDRICK Speedsports has entered a new chapter in racing…
WILD RIDE - 2007 World Champions!!!
Driver: Ben Hedrick
Throttleman: Larry Kostelac
Little future RACER!
SPIDERMAN Offshore Racing Team
Driver: Ben Hedrick
Throttleman: Mark Kowalski
Team IMCO Racing
Driver: Ben Hedrick
Throttleman: Erick Wahlberg
Erick Wahlberg (front left), RIP, my friend... :(
Team FURY Offshore Racing Team
Driver: Ben Hedrick
Throttleman: Ray Delaney
Having fun, throttling Mr. Whittier’s 36 Skater...
2007 World Champion!