P1 Offshore’s Powerboat Grand Prix Scheduled for St. Pete Over Labor Day Weekend
The next round of offshore racing action takes place over Labor Day weekend, September 3-4, as P1 Offshore presents the Powerboat Grand Prix in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. All classes of offshore race teams will be competing, as well as the AquaX personal watercraft racing series, and promises to be an exciting two days of high-speed competition. Powerboat P1, in their second year partnership with Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, welcomes everyone to come enjoy the festivities, meet the racers and enjoy the “jewel of Florida’s Gulf Coast.”
“We are excited to again bring a weekend of exhilarating sport and entertainment to the city with a packed schedule of racing in front of the superb, new pier,” commented P1 USA Championship Manager, Michelle Petro. “We are expecting around 50 powerboats and more than 50 AquaX riders, and the action will be live streamed on our P1 Offshore Facebook page and Powerboat P1 YouTube channel. Our race events are designed to both showcase the host venue – with a one-hour highlights show broadcast nationally on Bally Sports Regional Networks and CBS Sports Network as well as internationally in more than 100 countries – and to boost the local economy.”
The new pier in St. Petersburg and prime location for viewing the races. Image courtesy of City of St. Petersburg
The race teams dry pits, that will be located in Vinoy Park, will be open to the public, and encouraged to come meet the racers on Friday and Saturday evenings. The AquaX pits will be located at nearby Spa Beach. The race course spans over a six-mile circuit, while the AquaX PWC riders will compete on a 1.7 mile course. The event is the penultimate round of the 2022 APBA Offshore National Championship, round 4 of the UIM Class 1 World Championship and the final round of the P1 AquaX National Championship.
“We’re thrilled to welcome back the Powerboat Grand Prix,” said Visit St. Pete/Clearwater CEO/President, Steve Hayes. “With the races being televised both here in the United States and internationally, this affords us a fantastic opportunity to show off one of the region’s greatest assets, the downtown St. Pete waterfront and award-winning St. Pete Pier.”
