I am on my way to Portugal for the second round of the UIM F1 H2O World Championship. Enthusiasts can watch qualifying and the race live on f1h2o.com as well as catch live streaming from the paddock at my Facebook page (Shaun Torrente Racing) or follow updates on twitter @shaunf1boat.

I asked a good friend of mine, John Broge, to write some thoughts about boat racing and why it is special to him. I looked up to John a lot when I was coming up through the classes and we raced against each other frequently. John reinforced in me that you can do things the right way as a person and, no matter the outcome of the race, you could be respected and satisfied.

The Wonderful World of Racing

When we are young, the world can many times be a place that seems to have a way to make our lives harder than we'd like. So we struggle along and if we're lucky, we find something we are passionate about which can take us further than we thought we could go. If we're really lucky, well, the whole world can change.

My name is John Broge. I grew up with a boat racer for a father who introduced me to my passion. Boat racing has gotten me through some of my growing pains, gave me an outlet for my excess energy and also allowed me to explore our great nation. I've learned so much from so many people and feel very blessed to be able to call these teachers my friends. In a recent conversation with Shaun Torrente he brought up something that we both feel strongly about. What he said was that many of the greatest lessons in life have been learned through spending time with racing friends.

Some lessons we bring to racing, others we take from racing and apply to our lives. As a driver, I felt a great happiness in just being there. Some days I knew my equipment may not be as good as I'd like it to be but my simple job as a driver was to get the most out of what I had to work with. Other days there was work that needed to be done and the crew would pull together to get the equipment to be its best.

There was one national championship in Kankakee (Ill.) where we had burned a piston in testing and decided the best plan was to acid wash the aluminum out of the bore, replace the piston, do a break in in the morning, then try to qualify. Well this took some time and we had to go through the pits asking for bits and pieces, supplies, and advice on the best way to go about this task.

Several hours into the process, long after daylight had faded, totally absorbed in the cleaning process, I realized I'd also been involved in conversation with some folks I couldn't quite place or see. There were a couple of spotlights on the engine which made it easy to work but difficult to see anything else. When I stepped back and my eyes adjusted, I was surprised, almost startled, to see an audience had gathered over the past hours. There were no less than 20 people arranged in a semicircle watching to see if the crew and I would be able to get it back together.

That's when the experts at reassembly offered assistance in the final stages. They had enjoyed the entertainment to that point but had really stuck around to almost midnight to make sure we had enough help. My competitors and their crews were there, missing out on sleep, to see to it that we could compete the next day.

This type of pulling together was, and is, alive and well in powerboat racing in the United States. Some of the greatest enjoyment I've experienced has been lending a hand when needed and some of the most humbling moments have been accepting help from others. The spirit and action of sportsmanship is best learned from participation and has a lasting effect on those involved.

This July will mark five years since a racing accident left me paralyzed from the waist down. I live in a house that was rebuilt by the hands of my friends so I might have a place to help my family grow. Because of these people, I was able to return to work and remain productive. Because of these people my boys have had the opportunity to get on the water themselves.

When I was a driver, I felt blessed every time I sat behind the wheel. Now, I feel doubly blessed every day I wake up and have have the ability to continue to participate in life. What's more, I get to continue my learning, pass what I can along to my sons, and be among my friends and teachers at the races.

Whether it's watching the promoters bring racing to the fans, the officials ensuring the event is as fair and safe as possible, the fans encouraging the drivers to be the best, crews preparing their rigs, or the drivers striving for perfection in their game, powerboat racing is a wonderful thing to be a part of. As I watch my friend Shaun move on to the world stage, I know that he will take along the lessons of sportsmanship, camaraderie and perseverance that he's learned along the way. Best of luck to you my friend!

–John Broge