Powerboat P1 To Produce ‘New’ Shootout Offshore Race At Lake Of The Ozarks

When Powerboat P1/P1 Offshore released its 2024 event schedule earlier this week, the United Kingdom-based race promoter did not have Shootout Offshore—formerly LOTO Powerfest and Lake Race—at the Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri on its calendar. But it does now—now that the board of directors for the time-honored Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, which took over the newly rebranded Shootout Offshore race in December, announced it would be working with the organization to produce and sanction the event that is scheduled for May 31-June 1.

An APBA member-organization, Powerboat P1 will produce this year’s powerboat circuit-race on the Lake of the Ozarks. Photos from the 2023 LOTO Powerfest by Jeff Helmkamp copyright Helmkamp Photos.

The Shootout released the news this morning, stating that the decision was made to increase the number of offshore race teams that might participate in the event as well as improve a variety of aspects of the race, including logistics and safety measures. The partnership obviously makes the rebranded race an American Power Boat Association-sanctioned event since Powerboat P1 is a member-organization of APBA, the sanctioning body for various disciplines of powerboat racing across the country as authorized by the Union Internationale Motonautique, the world governing body.

For many years, the race was produced by the Offshore Powerboat Association. But the New Jersey-based organizer isn’t an APBA member-organization any longer and the Shootout board of directors decided it was in the best of interest of the race to work with Powerboat P1, which was involved with last year’s 35th Lake of the Ozarks Shootout as the broadcast partner and sanctioning body for its first-year kilo runs.

Earlier this week, the Super Cat owners group announced that Shootout Offshore would be part its own national championship schedule and it is expected that Powerboat P1 will add the race to the UIM Class 1 World Championship calendar.

“UIM Class 1 World Championship and APBA National Championship Series racing is the pinnacle of offshore powerboat racing, and it brings with it the biggest, fastest and loudest boats with racers from Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom, and, of course, the United States,” said Thomas Covington, Powerboat P1’s director of business development. “Bringing in these international race teams adds an entirely different element to these sanctioned races, and their presence will hopefully bring more national and international attention to watch teams that are only in the United States during certain times of the year.”

According to the Shootout release, event organizers have already met with Missouri State Highway Patrol Water Patrol Division officials to discuss safety measures and course planning. An added goal this year, according to Leah Martin, the executive director or the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, is to make spectator viewing available from the Sunrise Beach side of the lake. Last year’s first-year viewing area and race-pit setup at Shady Gator’s and Camden on the Lake Resort—near the 7 mile marker of the Main Channel—was well received and will return, along with even more fanfare, Martin said.

“Shootout Offshore is hosting a boat parade along the Bagnell Dam Strip on Wednesday, May 29, and there is a stereo sound-off pre-party at Shady Gators planned for Thursday, May 30,” Martin explained. “Testing is scheduled for Friday, which includes a race kick-off ceremony at 8 a.m., plus a drivers’ reception and live charity auction at Camden on the Lake that evening. A concert is being planned for Friday evening at Lazy Gators. The racing takes place Saturday with with an awards ceremony to follow that evening at Shady Gators.”

The chairman of the APBA Offshore Racing Commission, Rich Luhrs praised both Powerboat P1 and Race World Offshore for their work on the 2024 APBA Offshore National Championship Series.

“The APBA rulebook states that all National Series Races must be produced by one of our two partners, P1 and RWO, or both,” Luhrs explained. “These organizations have been supportive, respectful and cooperative with both the APBA and the UIM. They have worked diligently to create professional, dedicated and uniformly best-in-class safety and officiating teams. In addition they, alone, have invested significant time, capital and resources to continually upgrade scoring technology, racer experiences and fan-base attraction through worldwide TV broadcasts and best-in-class live stream coverage.

“Powerboat P1 and RWO have worked closely and cooperatively with me, APBA president Chris Fairchild and APBA staff in providing on-time sanction requests and fees as required, proper registration procedures, medical testing and recording, thorough pre- and post-race inspections and paperwork processing and a positive teamwork approach,” he continued. “In short, both fine organizations have stepped up, worked hard and earned their status as APBA Offshore National Championship Series race producers.”

International race teams, such as New Zealand-based Valder Yachts/Pro Floors Racing, are expected to make a stop in the middle of the country for Shootout Offshore, which is scheduled for May 31-June 1.

Part-time Lake of the Ozarks resident and owner/throttleman of the two Monster Energy-backed M CON teams that compete in Class 1 and Super Cat, Tyler Miller said the announcement that the Shootout committee was taking the reigns for Lake Race was super exciting news.

“To me the Shootout is the largest powerboating event in the world,” Miller said. “You think it would be impossible to make it better every year, yet the committee continues to find a way. From first-class racing to an enormous charity commitment, the all-new Shootout Offshore also will be a must-attend event. Congratulations to Leah, the Shootout, the lake and the entire boating community. We expect the race to be an epic event!”