Nordskog, Duvall Head Field in Benefit Powerboat Race

Veteran Bob Nordskog and defending champion Jim Duvall will be among 30 powerboat drivers competing in the Marina del Rey Race for Sight today off Marina del Rey.

The race, which benefits the Guide Dogs for the Blind Institute of San Rafael, is the third in a seven-race summer series.

The race will start at 10 a.m. about a mile off the Marina del Rey breakwater, following a 70-mile course south to Redondo Beach, north to Pt. Dume, east to Santa Monica and back to Marina del Rey. Long-course boats, 30 to 40 feet in length, will try to complete two laps, short-course competitors, 20 to 30 feet long, a single lap.

Nordskog won the first leg of this year’s series off Long Beach in March. Nordskog will be racing his 40-foot Powerboat Magazine Special, which has undergone some modifications since his last victory.

At 77, he is one of the oldest speedboat racers in the world--and also one of the most accomplished. He has won more than 40 offshore races and holds 45 world and national speed records.

“One of the reasons I’ve won so much is that I’m so damn old,” he said. “I don’t give up so easy.”

Although Nordskog takes his racing seriously, he said he feels no animosity toward any of his fellow racers, not even Duvall, his main rival.

“I’m like a grandfather to most of the boat racers,” he said. “A lot of them turn to me for advice and I appreciate that closeness that we have.”

Duvall, the overall series champion last year, will be driving his Crimson Tide today. Duvall won the second race of the series off Ventura in May.

Another top contender will be Reggie Fountain of Washington, N.C.