Spartan Powerboat Club Ramping Up For 2022 Season

Del Flores, the founder and owner of the New Jersey-based Spartan Powerboat Club, is a full-throttle kind of guy. When he started the outfit four years ago, he saw a void with the New Jersey Performance Powerboat Club was on its way out after a long and successful run. A mechanical engineer with a motorsports event-organizing background, Flores was delighted to fill it in his own fun-loving way.

Longtime performance-boat enthusiasts such as New York’s Chris Ryder are among members of the fast-growing Spartan Powerboat Club. Photo by Tim Sharkey copyright Shoot Thrill Pix.

Last weekend, for example the club led off its pre-2022 with a themed “Saturday Night Fever Disco Ball” bash. And the members went all in with throwback costumes.

“We finally got do a banquet—COVID put a stop to that—and it had a Saturday Night Fever theme,” Flores said, then laughed. “Everyone went all out and dressed up in costume for it. OK, I confess, I was guilty, too, but it really cool and a lot of fun.”

Held last weekend, the first event of the 2022 Spartan Powerboat Club season was a disco-era-inspired celebration.

Though last weekend’s literal and figurative disco ball and was the club’s first land-based event of the year, most of the organization’s happenings involve boating. Here’s a quick look at the 2022 schedule:

• May 28—Fifth Annual Barnegat Bay Marina Memorial Day Fun Run presented by All Seasons Inc.
• May 29—Inaugural Jack Ackerman Tie-Up at Jeff Cove presented by Pro Technologies.
• June 18-20—Total Dollar Insurance Atlantic City Corey Molinari Memorial Poker run presented by Hackettstown Oil.
• July 23—Speed Marine/EZ Boat Fenders Hudson River Lunch Run.
• August 12—FDR Hitches/Marine Unlimited Boat Yard Fun Run.
• September 9—Fifth Annual Barnegat Bay Marina Labor Day Fun Run.
• October 8—Fall Free For All presented by Velocity Boats and Shocker Offshore Racing.

“That Atlantic City Run will be a three-day event this year and I’ve already received some positive feedback on that,” said Flores. “The other thing with the Atlantic City Run, it will be in honor of Cory Molinari. It’s easy to forget people and I want to do something for him that lasts forever. We’re also going down the Hudson River this year for the first time—most of our events happen on Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

“With all the new members and faces in the club, 2022 should be a record year for us,” he added. “I’m just really excited for another safe and fun Spartan Powerboat Club season.”