Longtime Formula Boats/Thunderbird Products company man Vic Spellberg, who served as the company’s director of sponsor promotions for more than 10 years, has joined Cigarette Racing Team. As Cigarette’s director of sales and promotion, Spellberg’s duties include working directly with customers and dealers as well as promoting brand awareness through the company’s corporate marketing efforts, according to a press release from the company.

“Loving the ‘performance’ side of the business, I see Cigarette as a brand epitomizing that lifestyle,” Spellberg said. “With my experience in racing and my long affiliation with such a variety of boats in the industry, I think I’m in a good position to help prospective Cigarette customers assess their needs and boating styles. That’s a key to finding the right boat for the right person.”

A former offshore racer, Spellberg raced Secret Formula—a Formula 302— in the late 1970s with his longtime friend and Formula President Scott Porter. During his 12-year racing career, Spellberg earned a number of titles including back-to-back Southeast Divisional Championships in 1985 and 1986.

A member of the American Power Boat Association, Spellberg was president of the Offshore Powerboat Racing Association for five years in the 1980s. At the time, he owned a Miami-based office products and furniture company. Through his relationship with Formula and the Porter family, he changed careers and returned to high-performance boating as director of sponsor promotions for the company.

Like Skip Braver, Cigarette’s president and CEO, Spellberg is from Chicago. He started boating on the Great Lakes, but for the past 35 years, he has been in South Florida enjoying year-round boating. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., not far from the Cigarette facility in Opa-locka, Fla.

“As Cigarette’s customer base and business broadens, we need someone who can be the liaison between the factory, customers and dealers,” Braver said. “We need someone who not only knows boating, but also the importance of top-quality customer service. We think that is where Vic is going to be very valuable to Cigarette. We work as a team here and he has those teamwork qualities.

“We have a simple goal here—build the best-running, most reliable, safe and well-designed performance boat on the market,” Braver added. “We work at that every day and look forward to Vic’s contribution to that goal.”—Matt Trulio