Photo Gallery: Practice In St. Pete
From solo-boat classes to competitive six- to 10-boat fleets, the St. Petersburg Grand Prix in Southwest Florida kicked off this morning with Super Stock field, which saw Performance Boat Center, Team Allen Lawncare and Landscaping, A-Game, FJ Propeller, Jackhammer, CR Racing, CMR Racing, LPC Racing, Wicked Powerboats and Your Storage Units teams dice up the six-mile, smooth-water racecourse.
New to the Supercat ranks, Chariots of Fire will compete against M CON in the second race of the day. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
Unofficial results have Shaun Torrente and Eric Belisle in CMR Racing finishing first, followed by Myrick Coil and Rusty Williams in Performance Boat Center and Reese Langheim and Ricky Maldonado in Jackhammer, though Jackhammer’s result is unlikely to stand as the team took out a turn buoy.
Speedonthewater.com contributor Cole McGowan—fresh from competing in the famed Cowes Classic endurance race in the United Kingdom—is covering all the action. At least for the early races, the Tampa Bay today course should be fast.
“It’s flat,” said McGowan. “The wind is hardly blowing.”
Also on scene covering the first St. Petersburg offshore powerboat race since 2004 is speedonthewater.com chief photographer Pete Boden who, as it happens, was there for the last one 17 years ago. Boden is shooting from the air today via helicopter, but captured yesterday’s testing and practice session from his perch on St. Pete’s public pier. As usual, he delivered a slew of compelling images.
Enjoy more images from yesterday’s St. Petersburg Grand Prix testing and practice session in the slideshow above.
Today’s Super Stock contest is the first of four races as noted in yesterday’s speedonthewater.com story. Viewers can catch all the action on the P1 Offshore Facebook page.
Look for complete coverage of the St. Petersburg Grand Prix tomorrow on speedonthewater.com.
P1 Offshore/American Powerboat Association Offshore National Championship Series sponsor A-Game Beverages is well-represented in St. Petersburg, Fla., this weekend.
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