BAY CITY, Mich. — After a season opener that saw Tim Seebold take first-place for the second year in a row, the Laughlin Formula One P.R.O.P. Tour stops in Bay City June 22-24 for the 14th Annual Dobson Heavy Haul River Roar. The Formula One tunnel-boat drivers will compete on the rough waters of the Saginaw River for the second round of the racing series. Here's a look at the stories developing for the event.

Saginaw River Course

Formula One drivers will navigate their powerboats between Bay City's
Veteran Memorial and Liberty Bridges over the one-mile Saginaw River course.
Drivers regard the course to be one of the most difficult and dangerous on the Formula One Series. With only 700 feet between both concrete seawalls
on either side of the river, drivers are constantly maneuvering their Formula One powerboats through choppy waters.

"The Saginaw River is always very rough," said Carlos Kuri, the 1999 Formula One P.R.O.P. Tour Rookie of the Year. "The course is very demanding on the drivers and challenges their concentration at every moment. The wakes from the Formula One boats never disappear as they hit the seawalls and bounce back to the middle of the course. During a 40-lap final, drivers must always be prepared for a heavy boat wake."

Tim Seebold Hopes for Back-to-Back Wins

After successfully defending his Laughlin (Nev.) River Days title at the first race of the season, Tim Seebold heads to Bay City in search of his second win of the season. Seebold was a dominating force at Laughlin, securing a second, a third and a fourth in the preliminary heats. He would like to improve upon his third place finish last year at Bay City and bring home his tenth career Formula One P.R.O.P. Tour race. Seebold will have his hands full, especially with Terry Rinker and Greg Foster. Rinker and Foster had the fastest boats and at the Laughlin, but Foster crashed and Rinker had a mechanical failure.

Thornton Looks to Two-Time

Driver Alden Thornton's only Formula One win came at Bay City. He finished fifth in Laughlin and looks to be a contender at the 2001 Bay City event.

Mike Seebold Defends

Mike Seebold, who led wire to wire last year at Bay City, returns to defend his title. After a disappointing 11th place finish at the season opener, Seebold wants to add to his record of 11 career Formula One P.R.O.P. victories.

Practice and qualifying for the Formula One Powerboats will begin for the
Dobson Heavy Haul Bay City River Roar Friday, June 22 with the finals
scheduled for Sunday, June 24. The Bay City River Roar Formula One race
will be televised on ESPN2 Saturday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m. (EDT).