The inconspicuous white metal door slammed shut, and Tim Sibold was found behind the push broom, sweeping the granular cleaning material neatly into the pile in the center of the floor. It was hot outside, and the only source of comfort was a swinging fan.
This is the world of Seebold as the head of Seebold Sports, located at the end of a long metal warehouse, which he shares with other labor-intensive companies on Kaiser Highway 42. The building and his shop exude a simple atmosphere, but in fact, what it contains reflects three generations of motorboat racing, including multiple championships across these three generations.
Seebold Sports is a machining workshop where Tim imagines and creates functional realities for Formula One cars racing around the world-all of which reflect his family’s racing heritage. Moreover, he is not afraid to push the broomstick. Or change a light bulb. Or fix this or that.
To say that Tim is a hands-on owner-operator is an understatement. Every part and every thought of Seebold Sports touched his hand. He may not make every single part, but what he produces there is born of necessities driven by F1 cars.
Tim and his father Bill (Billy) Jr., his brother Mike and his grandfather Bill Sr. are all world rowing champions. Since Bill Sr. founded the racing empire 82 years ago, their attention to every detail is a testament to the success of the family’s efforts.
Bill Seebold Sr. is the head of the racing team. He built the first ship at the age of 25 and started racing in 1939, 10 years before NASCAR started. Bill Jr. (Billy) started racing in racing at the age of 11. During his 46-year career, he has won more than 900 races and 69 world and national championships, and was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999. He retired after the 1997 season. He defeated his son Mike, who started playing at the age of 1.3, and Tim, who started playing at the age of 8, and won his first championship and world record at the age of 17.
Tim has now won 37 victories in Formula One and championship courses. Since the establishment of the series in 2000, he has won 25 championships in the Championship Boat Series, accounting for nearly one-third of the trophies won. He has won 19 North American and World Championships in the Formula 1 motorboat category. He won the championship in the top outboard series in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2015 and 2016. In the past 21 seasons, he has won the top three points of the series 19 times, and is the only American driver in history to win seven championship boat/Formula 1 championships.
But those days of playing for Seebolds have become history. Tim is 57 years old, the last of three family racers, and retired in 2016 after experiencing one of the most successful rowing careers in history. He played his last game in Orange, a small community in the southeast corner of Texas and won.
His retirement coincides with the 50th anniversary of NGK Spark Plugs. NGK Spark Plugs is the leading spark plug manufacturer for F1 racing boats and the main sponsor of Seebold Racing. The popularity and sponsorship of F1 cars have been declining, and Tim thinks the timing is just right. He had won four championships that year, and the golden anniversary of his team sponsor was an excellent opportunity.
Since then, Tim has turned his attention to rebuilding the reputation of the sport and the series. NGK recognizes Seebold’s talent and his family heritage, and has remained in the team.
“I think F1 cars need someone to promote the sport and push it forward. Someone has the best interests of the sport at heart,” Tim explained.
Tim explained that sponsors can make or break a racing team or the sport itself, because these best interests may be more about money than the health of the sport itself, so he brought the main sponsor to the negotiating table and John Schubert teamed up to start the NGK Spark Plugs Formula One Motorboat Championship series.
The series has six games, held in North America from May to October. The series was established in 2017-one year after Seebold withdrew from the competition-the series features a long weekend of community events, which includes 20 F1 ships with speeds of up to 120 miles per hour.
During the annual lakeside race held in Lake Ozark in early June, Seebold organized an F1 race, and Lake Ozark experienced this race. The turnaround speed between F1 rowing races is faster than that of offshore rowing, so Seebold and his team were able to demonstrate their lightning-fast rowing before and between the offshore races.
Tim said he only has four weeks to prepare for the F1 race for Lake Race, thanks in large part to the cooperation of the Missouri Water Patrol and many local supporting sponsors.
He said: “We want to do everything we can to make it part of Lake Race and maintain the race so that we can hold the race.” “Offshore and F1 are on the water and as the Lake Race Street Party on the Las Vegas Strip. Some complement each other.”
He said that the championship series is still in transition at all levels, and sponsorship and support-various local competitions and from national companies-are critical to its success.
According to the website: “This epic motorboat race will be hosted by the prestigious NGK Spark Plugs Formula 1 motorboat series, which is famous for the stunning high-horsepower racing cars brought by world-class international motorboat racing stars. !
“Many past Havasu Classic stars will also attend to revel in the excitement of this highly anticipated racing event, including the 50-year rededication of the city’s famous London Bridge. The most award-winning motorboat driver and legend in history Bill Seebold will host a Racers Reunion driver’s party, pairing Havasu racing legends with historic vintage racing boats, which will also be shown to fans.”
Tim is the core and soul of the NGK Sparkplug Racing Champion series. He is the marketing director, graphics coordinator, spokesperson, creative staff and information staff. He is also a hands-on creator of F1 boat parts, and he uses a machine wall and titanium composite mold to turn his vision into reality.
Necessity is the mother of Tim’s invention. He was strapped to a 17-foot-long boat, powered by a Mercury racing outboard. He has also experienced accidents and failures. He customized the F1 boat to fit the figure of the rider. He designs and manufactures parts and parts-sometimes using parts purchased online, sometimes using parts manufactured in his shop.
“It’s a passion for me. I like it. It’s part of my legacy and something I’ve been doing all my life,” Tim said.
When it comes time to leave forever, he not only wants Seebold Sports but also the Formula Outboard car to stay in a position that will continue and reflect the legacy he and his brother, father and grandfather have established.
To learn more about the history of Seebold Racing, please visit www.seeboldsports.com; to learn more about the NGK Formula One Motorboat Championship, please visit www.ngkf1.com.