Extreme sports fans nationwide get front row seats to see Team STIHL lead a field of competitors vying for championship titles this spring. On April 2, shows featuring STIHL Air Racing, STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® and STIHL Super Boat take over the NBC Sports Network with a three-hour extreme sports block filled with power, precision and performance.
Fans will feel the power of Team STIHL as they go head-to-head with competitors in planes flying at nearly 400 miles per hour 50 feet above the Nevada desert, sawing and chopping timber in record time, and powering through waves in boats reaching speeds of 130 miles per hour. This is how the extreme sports block stacks up:
Sunday, April 2:
- 3:30-4:30 p.m. EST — STIHL National Championship Air Race presented by Reno-Tahoe USA
- 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST — STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® World Championships
- 5:30-6:30 p.m. EST — Super Boat World Championships presented by STIHL
“Extreme sports are such a natural fit for us,” said Roger Phelps, STIHL Inc. corporate communications manager. “They are all about power, precision and performance and that’s what we deliver to our customers every day. We are proud to share with America the heart of Team STIHL with these three exciting shows in one extreme block — because whether it is the world’s best lumberjack sports athletes, super boats or race planes, there’s no mistaking the power and passion of STIHL.”
STIHL Air Racing
Team STIHL Air Racing is where racing and engineering meet and are fueled by the passion and dreams of the young and old. The One Moment Air Racing plane, piloted by Andrew Findlay, a quality and reliability manager at STIHL Inc., is a sleek carbon-fiber Lancair Super Legacy with a more than 600 horsepower twin turbo engine. Several of Findlay’s STIHL colleagues serve as the racing plane’s crew. With the power of a custom McCauley Blackworks propeller and an innovative crew, the plane can hit speeds of nearly 400 miles per hour. Sports enthusiasts can see Team STIHL take off at the STIHL National Championship Air Race at 3:30 p.m. EST on April 2 on their local NBC Sports channel and get a preview of the plane in action below.
STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS®
Established in 1985, STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® assembles the world’s top lumberjack athletes to compete in the Original Extreme Sport featuring six grueling disciplines based on traditional logging skills to determine the best all-around lumberjack. NBC Sports viewers get to see the best of the best face off in Hot Saw, Single Buck, Springboard Chop, Standing Block Chop, Stock Saw and Underhand Chop in the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® World Championships at 4:30 p.m. EST on April 2.
STIHL Super Boat Racing
In 2016, Jake Noble took over driving duties on the STIHL Super Boat from his late father Robert “JR” Noble — a longtime STIHL Southeast employee and founder of the STIHL Offshore Race Team. Jake Noble, who also works for STIHL Southeast, piloted the new STIHL Skater 388 for the 2016 Super Boat International series, which included the World Championships. The boat is powered by twin 750 horsepower Sterling Performance engines with Mercury Racing Speedmaster #6 drives.
In his rookie season, Noble leads Team STIHL in the 35th Annual Key West World Championship in the competitive Super Boat category. Many of the Super Boat official crew members also work for STIHL Southeast or STIHL servicing dealers. Noble mans the cockpit to round out the STIHL extreme sports block at 5:30 p.m. EST on April 2 for the Super Boat World Championships on NBC Sports.
More STIHL Extreme Sports
There are additional opportunities to see STIHL Air Racing, STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® and STIHL Super Boat on NBC Sports this spring. Sports fans can also tune in for three separate two-hour blocks of thrilling extreme sports action on the following dates:
Saturday, March 25:
- 5:00-6:00 p.m. EST — Super Boat World Championships presented by STIHL
- 6:00-7:00 p.m. EST — STIHL National Championship Air Race presented by Reno-Tahoe USA
For more information on Team STIHL and STIHL Inc., visit www.stihlusa.com.
