Speer wins Season-Opener in Pro Outlaw

Tyler Speer and the Georgia Outlaw team claimed the first win of the 2018 Lucas Oil Drag Boat season in the Pro Outlaw class at the Battle in Bakersfield race on Lake Ming. 

Number four qualifier Tyler Speer and number nine qualifier Vic Esposito squared off in a great side by side race. Both Speer and Esposito are among the toughest competitors on the Lucas Oil and NJBA circuits. Both took excellent reaction times with Speer taking the slightly quicker .05 compared to the .09 start by Esposito. The two awesome looking machines charged hard side by side down the race course and the only way you could pick a winner was to use the timing system technology because it was that close. Speer was 5.33 at the finish line and Esposito went too quick with a 5.27 break out and Speer and the Georgia Outlaw team would advance to the second round.

Number five qualifier Steve Rajcic would also advance as he used a 5.38-second performance to activate the win light as his competition, number eight qualifier Brandon Davis, broke on his run. In the Josh Hayden versus Jason Mullican matchup, Mullican used the best reaction time of the round, .04 light, and a 5.33-second lap to turn on the win light as Hayden turned in a 5.46-second ET run. 

In the second round, Mullican and team would get the round win over Chris Irick with a 6.17 as Irick had problems on his run and broke. Speer was behind Shannon Beal the entire 1,000-foot race course as Beal used an awesome .08 light to get well out in front. Speer would advance, however, as his 5.36 run turned on the win light as Beal went way too quick with a break out 5.20-second elapsed time. Terry Kain would also advance as he beat Rajcic in a very close race. Both teams turned in 5.38-second ET runs and the difference in the tight race was a slightly better reaction time by Kain as he and his Razing Kain team would get the bye run into the final. On the other side of the ladder, Speer and Mullican lined up to see who would join Kain in the final. Mullican did his part with an excellent .04 light while Speer was .18 at the tree. Speer and team had the performance to drive around Mullican as his 5.38 did the trick against Mullican, who slowed to a 5.60-second run. In the final, Kain had problems off the line and broke on the run and Speer would open the 2018 season with the big Pro Outlaw win! The final round time slip showed a .18 leave for Speer with a 5.90-second ET at only 116 miles per hour.

Drag Boat Review
BAKERSFIELD, CA (April  23, 2018)