Bob Wartinger: World Outboard Speed Record Holder
Bob built his first boat at 14 and has raced in most classes of outboard hydros, tunnel boats and inboard hydros. He has won 24 National closed course and Hi-Point championships.
Wartinger has set 115 National and World speed records (Kilo and Closed-Course). This number of records far exceeds the total of other drivers in the history of American and international power boat racing. The first speed record was set in 1971, and since then he has averaged more than 3 records per year for 35 seasons. This includes the current World Outboard Speed Record of 176.5 mph.
He has competed in thousands of heats of racing and is considered one of the most successful competitors in this sport. He has also raced internationally since 1985 from Europe to Asia in 22 major events. He is a five time participant in the prestigious 24 hr. race at Rouen, France, winning the event with 2 French co-drivers in1998. In 2004, Bob and 3 Russian co-drivers won the 24 hr. World Championship for RHIB boats in St. Petersburg, Russia. He also was 5th in the O-125 World Championship Hydroplane class in Jinan, China, in September 2004.
He has been inducted into the American Power Boat Association (APBA) Hall of Champions, APBA’s highest racing honor, 6 times. He has also been awarded the UIM Gold Medal for Sport in 1990 and 1996, the UMI’s highest racing honor, and is the only driver to receive this award twice.
Bob has designed, built and tested numerous boats during his career. He has also won numerous regional and divisional championships. His meticulous attention to detail and setting up the boat, motor and propeller to act as a synergized unit, for maximum performance, is well known.
Service to the Sport
Since 1990 he has served as President of Safety/Medical Commission of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). The UIM consists of 60 member countries that race power boats. The Safety/ Medical Commission develops and legislates safety and environmental rules for the world of power boating. UIM headquarters are located in Monaco and the UIM is affiliated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He manages the development and implementation of safety programs, develops test programs, and presents findings. He received an IOC award for contribution to the sport, in 2001.
Bob is a contributing member of the International Congress of Motorsports Science. Members include European Formula One, NASCAR, CART, and most motorsports associations.
Since 1996 he has served as Chairman of the American Power Boat Association Safety Committee charged with oversight of APBA safety matters. Bob stresses that safety results from a combination of efforts in these three areas; Education, Enforcement, and Technology. He takes a systemic approach and examines the variables involved from the time a person decides to race through an incident and rescue (the “safety chain”). He explores the possibilities of preventing potential incidents by making changes further up the “safety chain” from the potential incident.
Bob has also served in numerous other positions, including APBA Council member-at-large (since the 1980’s to present), race inspector, stock outboard commissioner (10 yrs.), and as a club treasurer.
Additional Background
Bob received a Masters in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Washington and a Masters in Applied Behavioral Science from Bastyr University. This education along with his interests, not only supported the engineering development of his racing and boat racing safety in general, it also provided insight into the behaviors present in the sport.
He has developed and taught continuing education courses for medical professionals on the subject of Ayurvedic medicine. He also develops and teaches courses and workshops on communication, behavior, and conflict resolution nationally and internationally. He has appeared on BBC, CNN, Discovery Channel, History Channel, NBC (affiliates in Chicago, Seattle, Huntsville) among others and has been interviewed by numerous periodicals including The New York Times, and Aviation Week.
He enjoys yoga, walking for miles, and long talks with his friends.
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