Written By UNITY FLAGSTAFF
At just Sixteen-years-old, racing sensation Brittney Schwarzenbach, a Junior at Apple Valley High School, stormed onto the California powerboat racing scene in 2012 by breaking into the top 20 in the American Power Boat Association (APBA) National Points Rankings. Racing in the highly competitive A Stock Hydro and AX Hydroplane classes, Brittney competed in 22 separate races in 2012 and garnered an amazing 4,975 points during her first season in the cockpit.
Racing in competitions organized by Southern California Outboard Association, the weekend events combine the finishes of two separate heat races to determine the final race outcome. Brittney’s boat, the black and white “Bandit III,” is a nine-foot long plywood sliver which lifts totally out of the water in the straightaways and is capable of speeds over 50 mph. The lightweight craft is powered by a 15 horsepower Mercury Engine. The weight of the entire rig, with the driver, comes in at roughly 300 pounds.
Brittney started her 2012 racing season at The Western U.S. Divisional Championship in Parker, Ariz., in April, an all-important double points race. Brittney showcased her natural ability behind the wheel by systematically picking her way from the rear of the pack after a bad start to take a hard fought third place finishes at the scrappy event. At the very next race, in Chowchilla, Brittney again cracked the top five in the stacked field and was definitely beginning to open some eyes among the veteran drivers and spectators. The next event, The Lucas Oil Long Beach Sprint Nationals in August, Brittney surprised the crowd as well as her competitors when she won Sunday’s Feature Final. Heads turned when the shy 15-year-old climbed to the top of the podium in the late afternoon sunshine to claim the very first victory trophy of her burgeoning career.
Brittney went on to race in The Lake Mindon Classic in Nicolaus and The San Diego Bayfair Regatta where she ended the season once again on the podium after nailing down another second place finish.
When the 2012 season was in the books and the points were tallied, it was Apple Valley's own first year racer Brittney Schwarzenbach cracking the top 20 in the APBA National Points ranking in two separate classes, the AXH class where she ended up 16th, and in the faster and more competitive ASH class, where she finished 18th. This outstanding first year performance was enough to earn Brittney the 2012 APBA West Coast Rookie of the Year Award, which is awarded to the most impressive first year driver in the entire nation.
The bright eyed teenager accepted the award accompanied by her family at the APBA National Meeting and Award Ceremony which was held in Dallas. "Finishing the season in the top 20 is quite an accomplishment for a first year racer,” said APBA Stock Outboard Category Chairman Jeff Brewster after presenting the smiling teenager with her award. “She's a great driver and definitely one to watch in the future. There’s no replacement for natural talent and this kids got it.”
Looking at Brittney, one must wonder how this young high schooler could possibly find her way behind the wheel of a high speed hydroplane on the summer weekends, but of course, there is a story.
Brittney comes from a long racing pedigree. Her grandfather, Dan Schwarzenbach, was an absolute terror of the track starting on the Southern California Outboard Circuit all the way back in 1952. Dan, in his original all black runabout “Bandit,” raced Stock Outboards with great success for years on the Southern California as well as the National Circuit. Dan won a National Championship at Green Lake, Washington and set two world records, one at Hinton, WV., and 
another at Parker, Ariz. Dan was one of the top drivers in the country during the golden years of outboard racing; his trailer pulling into the pits on Friday night could put a knot in the stomach of a competitor anywhere he went. He was a founding member and the first commodore of the SCOA. His family proudly stated that he carried his love of fast boats and racing with him until the day he passed away in 1994. The next Schwarzenbach, Dan’s son Mickey, started racing boats in 1972, 20 years after his father. Mickey carried on the family tradition in the “Bandit II” and raced in the C and D Stock runabout classes. Mickey was no less the competitor than dear ol’ dad, and won The APBA Stock Nationals in the 36 Runabout Class in Bakersfield Calif., in 1977. Mickey ended his stellar racing career in 1986 but as we who are involved in motorsports know, racing never really goes away.
In 2011, after not even seeing a race for years, Mickey got a call from some of his old buddies. They were getting together and were in the process of starting a Classic Outboard Runabout class. Since he was definitely one of the local authorities on Classic Runabouts, they invited him to attend the race in Lake Havasu. He brought along his 15 year-old daughter Brittney to watch the races. One look at the kids racing the little AX Hydros and Brittney knew she just had to give it a try. So 60 years after her grandfather, Dan Schwarzenbach climbed into the cockpit of an outboard race boat, Brittney Schwarzenbach suited up, fought off the butterflies and with the help of some of Mickeys old pals, took that first spin around the buoys. One year later, she is The American Powerboat Association Rookie of the Year. Brittney has progressed through her first year stumbles, which went hand in hand with her early success but one thing is for certain, there is another Schwarzenbach to contend with, and it looks like she means business.
