Sometimes you can be so close to accomplishing a goal that you can taste and feel it ... then it's gone and you feel like you are back at square one all over again. This is how I felt on my way back home from Round 2 of the F1H2O World Championship in Portimao, Portugal.

I traveled there with high hopes, feeling prepared and ready. And everything went well. We were consistently one of the fastest boats through practice and qualifying, and we were on the pole after the second qualifying session. We ended up qualifying sixth after making a few small mistakes in the third qualifying session.

During morning warm ups for the race, we made some corrections and had a great setup for the race. I got a good start but the first corner was a mess. I had a couple of close calls but got through it and came out of the first corner around fifth but made a good decision down the front and a lap later I was in third. I pushed at about 85 percent, just keeping pace with the top two knowing my opportunity would come.

The first opportunity came when I made a move on the second-place boat and was completing the pass as he was wrecking out of the race. I was now sitting in second with a majority of the race to run, but this was my first rolling restart with the pace boat—and I was actually lined up third because a lapped boat was in between Marit Stromoy (race leader) and myself.

My team talked about this situation in our morning meeting because we had not been involved in a restart yet. We had a plan and we executed the plan to perfection with a great restart. I went for the lead on the outside going through the second right hander. I got next to Stromoy and we were pushing to make it to the next corner where I would then have the inside.

Well this is that part that I was talking about earlier ... I was about to take the lead and the next second we touched and were both airborne in what has turned out to be one of the most talked about and spectacular powerboat wrecks that I can remember.

Before I go any further, I want to be on record saying that what happened was simply a racing accident. I don't believe it was either of our faults necessarily. You have fractions of a second to make decisions and honestly a lot of those decisions are not really thought out, they are more of a feeling and/or reaction. That is the part of racing that I love. Many times I am asked why did you go there or make a certain move a certain way, and sometimes I do not have an answer. It is just a reaction that is almost like breathing—you don't think about it, you just know you have to do it.

As a driver, my weakness is patience, and I know that. I consciously work on it all the time. I am to aggressive at times when I should just buy some time and wait for a better, less risky spot to make a pass. This is a fine line though because my aggressiveness is also one of my strengths. It is easy to play armchair quarterback now and look back and say, I should have waited or done this or that different. In the boat, you do not have that luxury. Fact is I was inches, not feet, from making the pass!

What has happened over the 36 hours following the wreck has been surprising to me in some ways. The first thing is that I am humbled by the support that I received through e-mails, messages and texts. For that I thank all of you because it really meant a lot.

On the other side were some things that bubbled to the surface that I did not realize were there. There was a lot of this is not America, you need to get in line and not be who you are as a driver rhetoric. To be honest, I feel that there are many that are not comfortable with an American coming to "their" series without much money and a six-year-old boat and competing to win races.

Let me be clear, I do not think the other drivers feel this way. I have had nothing but a good experience with them. It is more the people on the periphery. So in response to all those critics, I will not get in line! I will drive the way I promised my sponsors  and my team, which is 110 percent of every corner, lap, practice, qualifying and race. When I am in the boat I do not think about my budget or anything besides going forward. I expect more of myself and am harder on myself than anyone else could possibly be!

The last thing that has happened that I did not expect was all the press from it. The wreck was on the intro to SportsCenter, in newspapers and TV around the world and all over the net. While I would have rather won the race, at least all my marketing partners got some great exposure! Next round is in Russia on July 17 — you can follow us with live updates and streaming from the paddock at www.facebook.com/shauntorrenteracing, as wells watch the race live on F1H2O.com.

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

As I have blogged in the past, it has always been my ambition and goal to race Formula 1. I achieved that goal in the U.S. through the help of many.

My biggest break came when Wayne Worthy told Fred Bowden I should be running his second boat. The deal was done and made on a handshake and a tequila shot in the pits following a race in Sault St. Marie (in Michigan). This is a big deal because I do not drink, but Fred told me I had to take the shot to make the deal.

In my first start, I qualified third in Bay City, Mich., and in my second start, I qualified on the pole and won the race. Needless to say, I was on cloud nine—I had just won an F1 race in only my second start. From that point on, I accumulated a lot of pole positions and eventually many wins after teaming with Ted Gryguc in my third full season.

I could always handle my business on the race course, and honestly that part came fairly easy. I followed a simple model of drive great, get noticed and get a ride with an established team that already had funding.

Well after five years and a couple of “almost deals” with teams in Europe, I decided that if I was going to make this happen, I had to come up with my own money. This was always the part that I struggled with.

Let me pull back the curtain of F1 in Europe. On the world circuit every team has to have two boats. There are then two types of teams. The first is a government-funded team like Abu Dhabi where they have two good drivers from Abu Dhabi. The second type is your typical race team that needs sponsorship to exist and flourish. This is where it becomes a bit complicated, as most teams have one good driver and then the second boat is used as an income source. Basically the primary driver would prefer to have a second driver that pays a bunch of money but is not a threat to win races. So piling up wins here in the States was a detriment to my cause.

The opening for me came because with the economic struggles everywhere there were less people available to pay for these rides and even less who could acquire a license to race. So my only way of getting on was to come up with my own money, aka sponsorship, because I’m not a wealthy guy. I always thought if you just won a bunch of races, companies would coming knocking! I can’t even believe how naive I was. The fact of the matter is what I’ve learned over the past six months is that you need three things to attain sponsorship. And hold on to your hat because these are not groundbreaking ideas!

1. Something to sell: Seems simple right? Well what I realized when I sat down to put my package together was that while it was going to cost a lot of money to do this deal right, I had a lot to offer a company worldwide—a comprehensive package of TV, internet and print media. A company is not going to spend money with you unless it feels like it’s going to receive excellent exposure and return on the investment.

2. Time, time and more time: This was the first time in my racing career that I have devoted time to pursuing sponsorship in a real way. I put together a promo package and called and e-mailed everyone who I’ve met throughout the years to ask for help or leads.  I’m hundreds of hours in and I am very lucky that I have anything to show for it.

3. Don’t be scared of the word ‘no’: I didn’t realize this until I heard it a couple times. I had an irrational fear of the word “no” so I was afraid to ask for the deal. After I was told no a few times, I realized that it did not harm me physically and I would be fine and life would go on. You have to put yourself out there because a smart business person can tell almost immediately if you truly believe in your product.

I am by no means an expert on this, but I will tell you after closing my first deal, the high that I experienced was a close second to winning a boat race. Partially because I knew I would then be able to compete to win more races on the biggest stage. I also just noticed that I have been saying “I” throughout this whole post, and that is wrong. I should have been using “we” because without the following people I wouldn’t be on a flight right now to Qatar to try and realize my dreams.

Dave Ray: He spent countless hours working on our promo package, brainstorming and chasing down leads.

Dave Dewald: Besides being the best propeller man in the world, he facilitated and helped set up my deal with Team Sweden. Once again, countless hours of phone calls and e-mails.

Ted Gryguc: He owns and keeps our U.S. team running as well as being the crew chief for our F1 H2O team.

Alex Hledin (PTR Race engines): His company has gotten behind me and the belief they have in me is humbling.

Wizard Performance Products: Dean Pink’s company makes the best high-performance piston on the market for a 2.5L Mercury as well as many other great products. They have been an associate sponsor and supporter of Ted and I since day one.

Pro Marine: I just inked Pro Marine as an associate sponsor this year. If you need parts for any outboard or Jet Ski, Pro Marine is the place to get it—great pricing and great service.

Peters & May: This company is a major sponsor of ours and provides the best service and pricing when it comes to shipping boats anywhere in the world. They’re also now the UIM preferred shipper and I am to proud to represent the company around the world.

So now that I have some funding and all the logistics are taken care of, it is time to start racing. We are going to have an adjustment period, but I promise we will always give 110 percent. I’ excited to get started and show the world that America has not fallen behind the rest of the world in our sport.

Editor’s note: Shaun finished fourth at the 2011 season opener of the UIM F1 H2O World Championship on Doha Bay in Qatar on March 5. Look for his first-person perspective in the May/June 2011 issue coming out in April.

When you have a 16-hour flight, you have quite a bit of time to reflect … I’m returning from my second trip to United Arab Emirates in a month. This time I went to test and dial in the XCat boat I raced a few weeks ago.

While we were there, we went to the Abu Dhabi F1 race. It was strange for us to be there and not have a boat to get in. The boats were being craned in and I was looking around thinking I should be strapping in right now.

While most kids in America dream of growing up and playing in the majors, NBA or NFL, I only dreamed of racing a tunnel boat. I have been blessed to have people around me to help me chase this dream. It started with my father, who introduced me to boats and then racing at an early age and supported me throughout my youth. At the same time, my grandfather (gramps) also attended and did whatever he could to help me be successful.

I truly believe my strength comes through him—there is nothing better than finishing a race, unstrapping, seeing his smile and getting a hug. I know that he is proud of me first, last or crash.

And then there’s the 95 percent of my real friends who I’ve met through racing—we have a brotherly bond because of boat racing. There are a few key people in my life because of boat racing who I look to for advice in my life, not just racing. Wayne Worthy is someone I can call no matter what is going on and he will give me honest, sound advice. Chris Fairchild is another.

And of course, there’s my wife, Flavia. We have been together for 15 years—I’m 32—and she has always supported my racing. She is there to console and support me after a bad weekend as well as celebrate a success. When I have to get on a plane and leave for a week with two hours notice, she is there to help me pack and deal with all the stuff at home while I’m gone.

I do not say thank you enough, because without you all these ambitions would be meaningless. With the help of these people and many, many more, I have accomplished more than I ever thought possible.

There is only one more thing I want to do, and that is race the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) F1 series so that I have an opportunity to be a world champion. I have been working toward this most of my adult life, and with a little luck (and sponsorship) it might happen. But I can truly say that even if it does not, racing has given me more than I ever hoped for—I have been truly blessed!

So whatever your ambitions, dreams or goals, I hope that you reach them. Just be sure to thank and appreciate the people in your life who help you achieve them. Happy Holidays and I hope everyone has a great new year!