2014 Consolidated Offshore Powerboat Racing Season Schedule - Update

A quick update to the consolidated 2014 U.S. offshore powerboat racing season with races from organizers such as Super Boat International (SBI) and Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) and P1 Superstock USA.  Also, we cannot forget the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, where you can you see a boat like My Way run 224 mph.  

Have a race event you want listed, send it to us and we will add it to the list!

	April
Apr 11-13	SBI - Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix	Charlotte Harbor, FL
Apr 25-27	OPA - Biloxi's Smokin' the Sound – Divisional	Biloxi, MS
Apr 26-27	P1 -  Daytona Beach, FL	Daytona Beach, FL
	May
May 2-4	OPA - Lake Hopatcong Grand Prix	Lake Hopatcong, NJ
May 16-18	SBI - 5th Annual Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix	Cocoa Beach, FL
May 17-18	P1 – Stuart Florida	Stuart, FL
	June
June 5-8	OPA – Lake Race, Lake of the Ozarks, MO NEW	Lake of the Ozarks
June 7-8	P1 – Jacksonville, FL	Jacksonville, FL
June 20-22	OPA - Atlantic City Offshore Grand Prix	Atlantic City, NJ
	July
July 4-6	SBI - 30th Annual Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival	Sarasota, FL
July 12-13	P1 – Tampa, FL	Tampa, FL
July 25-27	OPA - St Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race	St Clair, MI
	August
Aug 1-3	SBI - 6th Annual Super Boat Great Lakes Grand Prix	Michigan City, IN
Aug 8-10	OPA - International Offshore Powerboat Race	Port Huron, MI
Aug 16-24	Lake of the Ozarks Shootout	Lake of the Ozarks
Aug 20-24	SBI - 11th Annual Thunder on the Gulf	Orange Beach, AL
Aug 20-24	SBI - 1st Annual Pensacola Grand Prix	Pensacola, FL
Aug 22-24	OPA - Great Race on the Sea	TBA Long Island, NY​​
Aug 23-24	P1 – Cocoa Beach, FL	Cocoa Beach, FL
	September
Sept 5-7	24th Annual New York Grand Prix – Tribute to 911	New York, NY
Sept 12-14	OPA Nationals  - Solomons Offshore Grand Prix	Solomons, MD
Sept 20-21	P1 – St Cloud, FL	St Cloud, FL
Sept 26-28	6th Annual Clearwater Super Boat National Championship	Clearwater, FL
	October
October 3-5	OPA World Championships	Ocean City, MD
	November
Nov 2-9	34th Annual Key West World Championship	Key West, FL

OPA racing comes to Lake of the Ozarks

Lake of the Ozarks (LOTO) is one of the biggest destinations for families in the Midwest for water sports and general relaxation from the hustle and bustle of their work weeks. Missouri is known as the "Show Me" State and the fine folks of LOTO have gone to the Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) and said "Show Me some racing!!!" On the weekend of June 6-8, OPA has obliged and will bring their brand of offshore racing to the site known simply as "Lake Race".
​
"We are excited to be able to come in and be the producer of the Lake Race. Having the opportunity to work with promoter, Alvin Heathman, and his wonderful staff in order to put this together has been a pleasure and we look forward to racing at LOTO", commented Ed Smith (Smitty), President of OPA.
​
The Lake Race is presented by Mountain Dew and Formula Boats of Missouri. The action kicks off Thursday June 5 with the teams arriving to the race village and the Lake Race Props and Hoses Poker Run, continues with the Lake Race Street Party on the Historic Bagnell Dam Strip on Friday, finishing up with racing on Saturday and Sunday.
​
“Lake Race” is the 2nd stop on the OPA Racing National circuit. Lake Race schedule will contain 2 days of racing. All classes are schedule to run both days. OPA Racing Class prize purse is $35,000. In additional to the regular class racing, the “Run What you Brung” will be ran which has an additional $40,000 purse that will payout up to 5th place.
For more info on the Lake Race go to www.oparacing.org . ​
​RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG

This class has a $40,000 purse that pays back five places and races for two days with the combined points determining the finishing order. If you own a Canopy Vee or Canopy Cat with 30 plus feet, you are able to compete!

• 1st Place - $18,000
• 2nd Place - $10,000
• 3rd Place - $6,000
• 4th Place - $4,000
• 5th Place - $2,000

With the tortoise and the hare style racing, you don’t have to be the fastest to win, you have to be the most reliable for the Saturday and Sunday.

RESULTS: OPA Smokin' the Sound Offshore Powerboat Race

It was an exciting racing season opener this weekend for the Offshore Powerboat Association on the pristine Gulf Shores of Biloxi, Mississippi as racing action took place along Casino Row as boats raced in four different classes to include the Run What You Brung class, providing excitement for all. 

If you missed this race, we to see you at the next OPA event for the Lake Hopatcong Grand Prix in Lake Hopatcong, NJ

Super Stock
1st - S-1 Top Stars
2nd - S-111 SOS Venezuela
3rd - S-11 WSMParts.com

Super Vee Lite
1st - 4 Octane
2nd - 21 Pirate

Class 4
1st - 404 Simmons Marine

Run What You Brung
1st - S-111 SOS Venezuela
2nd - S-11 WSMParts.com
3rd - 113 Miss GEICO
4h - 4 Octane
5th - 21 Pirate Racing
6th - 404 Simmons Marine
7th - Cat Can Do

OPA Racing | Biloxi's Smokin' the Sound Welcomes OPA Racing

With the Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) joining forces with the American Power Boat Association(APBA) last month with the goal of making OPA a stronger force, results are already coming in. OPA Racing is proud to announce the addition of Biloxi's "Smokin the Sound" to its newly formed Divisional series. The race will take place later this month on the pristine Gulf Shores of Biloxi, Mississippi along Casino Row between April 24th through the 27th, 2014.

"We are so pleased to have Biloxi on board with OPA Racing! Yes the amount of time we have to organize has put a strain on things, however, with Woody Bailey and his staff hosting races since 2004, it should be an easy transition to work together. We will be working closely over the next few months to align our schedule in 2015 to better accommodate Biloxi to not have the conflict of our season opening National Race in Lake Hopatcong, NJ which occurs the following weekend May 2- May 4," said Smitty, President of OPA Racing, when asked about the announcement.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Race teams will start arriving on Thursday, April 24 to start setting up in race village. Along with the Category 5 Shootout on Friday, the Smokin the Sound Poker Run on Saturday, there will be "Meet the Racers" gathering each night at various Casinos along the strip culminating with the offshore race on Sunday.
​
Winter is officially over, it's time to go racing!!!!!

For more information about Biloxi's Smokin the Sound OPA Divisional Race, go to www.oparacing.org or www.smokinthesound.com.

The Quest for the Perfect Season | OffshoreOnly.com – Powerboating Online

The cliché “you can’t win ‘em all” is used in countless post-race discussions, but it doesn’t ring true for a certain few who know better.  In fact, a couple of South Florida throttle-aces – Gary Ballough and John Tomlinson – rendered the statement null and void years ago.  These multi-titled competitors have set a benchmark for perfection and possess an elite membership to the club of racers that have scored an undefeated season.

The year was 1996 when Open Class contenders Laith Pharaon and John Tomlinson raced their way to a perfect season. Their 46’ Skater with twin Sterling 900-hp engines, appropriately emblazoned Zero Defect, won 10 consecutive races during what Tomlinson described as “a year of experimenting with dry sump drives and three speed gear boxes from Pat Weismann. Running the boat in Open Class for a full season was a first. Everything was new for us in 1996…it was one of the first boats I ever put a tunnel flap on. We did a lot of testing and a lot of learning was going on.”

With each stop along the circuit, it was obvious that their “experimental season” was perfectly dialed in. Tomlinson remembers the rough waters at Galveston, Texas, followed by a “no problem” race in Ft. Myers, Fla., and “running the three speed transmission for the first time at the Sarasota race.” He said their most challenging race was at the legendary World Championship venue of Key West, Fla., where the team campaigned as Nomad. More; The Quest for the Perfect Season | OffshoreOnly.com – Powerboating Online

Miss Geico Flawless in First Pre-Season Test / Speed on the Water

 

Earlier today throttleman Scott Begovich and driver Marc Granet ran their Miss GEICO offshore racing catamaran for the first time since they claimed a Superboat Unlimited-class world title in the 44-footer during the 2013 Super Boat International Key West Offshore World Championships. While the cat was repainted earlier this by Jay Pilini of Pilini Marine Technologies, its twin Mercury Racing 1650 engines have not yet been refreshed. They had, however, been pulled from the boat, which was completely torn down and reassembled at the team's shop in Riviera Beach, Fla. More: Miss Geico

2014 Consolidated Offshore Powerboat Racing Season Schedule - Update

A quick update to the consolidated 2014 U.S. offshore powerboat racing season with races from organizers such as Super Boat International (SBI) and Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) and P1 Superstock USA.  Also, we cannot forget the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, where you can you see a boat like My Way run 224 mph.  

Have a race event you want listed, send it to us and we will add it to the list!

	April
Apr 11-13	SBI - Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix	Charlotte Harbor, FL
Apr 26-27	P1 -  Daytona Beach, FL	Daytona Beach, FL
	May
May 2-4	OPA - Lake Hopatcong Grand Prix	Lake Hopatcong, NJ
May 16-18	SBI - 5th Annual Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix	Cocoa Beach, FL
May 17-18	P1 – Stuart Florida         NEW	Stuart, FL
	June
June 7-8	P1 – Jacksonville, FL	Jacksonville, FL
June 20-22	OPA - Atlantic City Offshore Grand Prix	Atlantic City, NJ
	July
July 4-6	SBI - 30th Annual Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival	Sarasota, FL
July 12-13	P1 – Tampa, FL	Tampa, FL
July 25-27	OPA - St Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race	St Clair, MI
	August
Aug 1-3	SBI - 6th Annual Super Boat Great Lakes Grand Prix	Michigan City, IN
Aug 8-10	OPA - International Offshore Powerboat Race	Port Huron, MI
Aug 15-24	Lake of the Ozarks Shootout	Lake of the Ozarks
Aug 20-24	SBI - 11th Annual Thunder on the Gulf	Orange Beach, AL
Aug 20-24	SBI - 1st Annual Pensacola Grand Prix	Pensacola, FL
Aug 22-24	OPA - Great Race on the Sea	TBA Long Island, NY​​
Aug 23-24	P1 – Cocoa Beach, FL	Cocoa Beach, FL
	September
Sept 5-7	24th Annual New York Grand Prix – Tribute to 911	New York, NY
Sept 12-14	OPA Nationals  - Solomons Offshore Grand Prix	Solomons, MD
Sept 20-21	P1 – St Cloud, FL	St Cloud, FL
Sept 26-28	6th Annual Clearwater Super Boat National Championship	Clearwater, FL
	October
October 3-5	OPA World Championships	Ocean City, MD
	November
Nov 2-9	34th Annual Key West World Championship	Key West, FL