Outerlimits Kilo Marks Officially In The APBA Record Book / Speed on the Water

The American Power Boat Association finished reviewing and approving the paperwork yesterday from the Special Event Outerlimits kilo runs in late April, and the records are officially in the books. (For more information, see the Related Stories below.) That's the word from Mark Wheeler, the president of the Eastpointe, Mich.-based organization. To that end, the APBA posted the following press release to its website this morning

"Two APBA Special Events Straightaway Speed records were established in Washington, N.C. on April 29, 2014. Both records were set using Outerlimits boats powered by Mercury engines and Mercury stern drives. More; Outerlimits Kilo Marks Officially In The APBA Record Book

OPA Racing | OPA is now part of APBA Offshore

After more than a dozen years of producing Offshore Racing events, OPA Racing (Offshore Powerboat Association) has joined forces with American Power Boat Association in order to bolster the ranks within APBA’s Offshore Category.

“We see this as a very positive move for our teams and the sport in general” said Ed (Smitty) Smith, President of OPA. “By joining with the APBA, several things happen. Our teams are now eligible for the APBA Hall of Champions, we can now promote joint events with other APBA categories to enhance our product at our race sites, we can establish globally recognized speed runs and we have the exclusive rights to the APBA Offshore sanction within Region one, two, three, four and six. The sport has been so fractioned that it was time to do something to help put it back together.”

APBA Executive Director, Dan Wiener, couldn’t be more excited to build upon the Offshore category. “This has been one of our goals since I joined APBA almost three years ago. To reunite the Offshore Category is very exciting. By bringing OPA under the APBA umbrella it will help us to promote Offshore Racing in the Great Lakes Region and along the East Coast. A few years ago we began working with the Offshore Super Series who’s race sites are located primarily in the central part of the country and along the Gulf Coast, the APBA Offshore Category has life once again. Having two Offshore racing circuits now sanctioning with APBA, plus P1, we can see our way toward a true National Championship and World Champion for some of the biggest and baddest boats in the world.”

Wiener continues, “OPA is a great addition to APBA, they had roughly 60 registered teams in 2013 and a series of eight races, with some really great venues. I’m looking forward to helping them in any way possible and I’m thrilled to have them join APBA.”

Brown Wins Dramatic Detroit APBA Gold Cup / Speed on the Water

Despite a pair of unusual Saturday heats where penalties cost veteran Unlimited hydroplane driver Steve David two preliminary wins at the APBA Gold Cup in Detroit, things appeared to be going better on Sunday for the H1 Unlimited national high points leader who drives the No. 1 Oh Boy! Oberto boat.

 

Kip Brown celebrates his first H1 Unlimited victory after winning the 2013 Detroit APBA Gold Cup atop the No. 95 Spirit of Qatar. Photo by Chris Denslow/courtesy H1 Unlimited

 

By the start of the final heat, the veteran driver from Lighthouse Point, Fla., had worked his way to the top of the weekend points column and was the favorite to win his first Gold Cup in 23 attempts. He’s finished second seven times.

 

After three-quarters of a lap, David established a lead over Jimmy Shane in No. 5 Graham Trucking, Kip Brown in No. 95 Spirit of Qatar and Jon Zimmerman in No. 9 Team RedDot. But as the four boats came through the second turn, David was called for a lane infraction and assessed a one-lap penalty. Shane went into David’s roostertail and lost the front wing of his boat.  Read more; Brown Wins Dramatic Detroit APBA Gold Cup

H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Series » Jimmy Shane is Double Saturday Winner

Day one of the 2013 DYC Detroit APBA Gold did everything but follow the racing form.
When the Roostertails settled into the Detroit River, Mike Webster in the 22 Roostertail 55 had his first H1 Unlimited Heat victory and it came on the same course where he survived a devastating accident a year ago.

Kip Brown also scored a heat win in the 95 Spirit of Qatar and Jimmy Shane was a double winner in the 5 Graham Trucking.

The biggest surprise of the day was the inability of Steve David in the Oh Boy! Oberto to put together four penalty free laps and score a win.   David had a comfortable lead in Heat 1B when his boat hit a buoy in the tight Roostertail Turn, incurring a one lap penalty.

2013 OPA Offshore Powerboat Race Schedule - Updated

 

The 2013 OPA offshore racing season is setting up to be another exciting year for the Offshore Powerboat Association. Solomons, Maryland will once again welcome OPA for the National Championships and Jupiter, Florida will host the race of the year, the OPA World Championships. See the complete schedule below...

 

May 10-12
LAKE HOPATCONG GRAND PRIX
Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey

June 14-16
HERITAGE COAST OFFSHORE GRAND PRIX ON TAWAS BAYEast Tawas, Michigan

June 21-23
ATLANTIC CITY GRAND PRIX
Atlantic City, New Jersey

July 26-28
ST CLAIR RIVER CLASSIC OFFSHORE POWERBOAT RACE
St Clair, Michigan

Aug 9-11
INTERNATIONAL OFFSHORE POWERBOAT RACE
Port Huron, Michigan/Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Aug 23-25
TBA
Long Island, NY

Sept 13-15
SOLOMONS OFFSHORE GRAND PRIX ~ OPA Nationals
Solomons, Maryland

Oct 18-20
OPA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Jupiter, Florida

February 2014
OPA AWARDS BANQUET
TBA

More; http://www.oparacing.org/

2012 APBA Hall of Champions

After a long, hot and competitive racing season, the American Power Boat Association is pleased to announce the names of 18 recipients who were honored January 26^th in Dallas, Texas at the 39^th Annual Hall of Champions Banquet.