Trinidad And Tobago Powerboat Association Kicks Off 2019 Season

It’s the start of the 2019 Trinidad and Tobago Power Boat Association racing season with a brand new executive committee taking over the reins. Since their election in October 2018, the new committee members have been working hard to get the season planned and launch new initiatives for 2019.

The Trinidad and Tobago Power Boat Association has five regattas/races on tap this season (click image to enlarge). Photos courtesy/copyright Gerrard Wilson.

This year, the TTPBA National Championship is sponsored by the National Lotteries Control Board. There are five regattas planned for the season—first was last weekend—and the final is a doubleheader held on a Saturday and Sunday in June.

As always, The Trinidad and Tobago Great Race is scheduled for the third Saturday in August, and promises to be even greater than last year’s 50th anniversary running. Since the Lucas Oil Race Team campaigned its world-record-setting Silverhook V-bottom in last year’s contest, a number of other race teams have shown keen interest in taking on the challenge of the 100-mile offshore race. Last year, Team Motul Monster set a new Union Internationale Motonautique world record in the Trinidad and Tobago Great Race with a time of 47minutes and 43 seconds. (Motul Monster is well known in the United States where it raced as Snack Attack for a few years.)

As noted above, the first regatta of the season happened last weekend at the Trinidad and Tobago Yacht Club in Glencoe and was sponsored by Liqui Moly Trinidad and Tobago. Offshore racing in Trinidad and Tobago is divided into 60-, 70-, 80-, 95- and 130-mph speed classes. With many of the boats still having their engines and drives rebuilt in the United States, the event saw a lower-than-usual turnout but still delivered plenty of action.

Check out the slideshow above for more action from the first regatta of the TTPBA season.

For the 2019 season, the TTPBA plans to stream all races live through its Facebook page. The organization also recently launched a new website. The TTPBA also plans to change up the race course a bit this year to give spectators and racers alike a new challenge and a new look to the racing. But the organization also will be bringing back its popular “sprint” contests, which are essentially mile-long drag races—with a catch. Boats are not allowed to break out of their speed classes. So it’s all about how quickly the competitors can reach their bracketed top speed.

Returning teams—and many of the boats involved originally raced in the U.S. but have been renamed—include Motul Monster, Vortex, Iron Man, Cat Killer, Paramount, Jumbie, Mobile Outlaw and Chris Gone Wilder. The next regatta is set for Saturday Mar. 24.

Trinidad and Tobago Powerboat Association 2019 Schedule
Regatta No. 1: February 3.
Regatta No. 2: March 24.
Regatta No. 3: May 19.
Regatta No. 4: June 29.
Regatta No. 5: June 30.