08/14/2026
OFFSHORE RACER CHAD HAVENS ACQUIRES DESERT STORM FROM IHRA
Entrepreneur Chad Havens, a lifelong performance powerboater and offshore boat racer, has acquired the Desert Storm Poker Run and Shootout from the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), Speedboat has learned.
The all-cash deal delivers Havens full ownership of the Desert Storm name and brand, along with its social media accounts, digital and physical assets, and the full archive of past events, sponsor and participant records accumulated over more than 25 years. Havens will lead one of American performance boating’s most enduring gatherings and pledges to return the West Coast event to its legendary roots. This promise is welcome news to longtime Desert Storm loyalists.
“Desert Storm didn’t start as a spectacle—it started as boaters, for boaters, on the best performance-boating water in the world,” Havens told Speedboat. “That spirit is what made it legendary, and that’s exactly what we’re bringing back. At the same time, we’re going to grow this thing the right way: more water, more venues, more music, and more reasons for families, spectators, and racers to make Lake Havasu the place to be every spring.”
Based in Orange, TX, Havens has long been immersed in high-performance powerboating, both as a recreational owner and as an active competitor in professional offshore racing. He campaigns a highly modified 40’ Skater pleasure catamaran known as Savage, powered by twin Mercury Racing 1550/1350 engines, and has recorded strong speeds at major shootouts including the Texas Outlaw Challenge. In recent seasons he has served as throttleman for the highly competitive Super Stock-class Team Demon Bikini, sharing the cockpit with driver and now Desert Storm partner, Leanna Shadlow in the IHRA and RWO offshore racing series. Beyond the water, Havens has deep roots as a professional cowboy and maintains strong ties to the community.
FULL STORY AT SPEEDBOAT.COM
https://www.speedboat.com/news/offshore-racer-chad-havens-acquires-desert-storm-from-ihra
Desert Storm LHC Chad Havens Demon Bikini Race Team .apparel.co Leanna Shadlow IHRA Offshore Powerboat Series
