Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Watch-Day Essentials
With a current count from P1 Offshore of 59 boats spread across multiple classes, the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix kicks off this morning in the Gulf of Mexico. Here’s everything you need to know to enjoy the event from whether you’re on scene or a few thousand miles away from the Southwest Florida city.
With 11 teams in the mix today in Sarasota, the Super Stock class will draw its third double-digit fleet in as many races this season. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
Race Start Times
10 a.m.—Bracket Classes 400-700.
11:30 a.m.—Stock V, Mod V and Bracket Classes 200 and 300.
1 p.m.—Super Stock.
2:30 p.m.—Supercat, Class 1 and 450R Factory Stock.
The Stock and Mod V classes will run together today.
Fans not fortunate enough to be on Lido Beach or in the spectator fleet have three livestream viewing options:
P1 Offshore website
P1 Offshore Facebook
Powerboat P1 YouTube
Several classes have significant fleets for today’s contests. Here’s a quick look at all the classes by the numbers:
Super Stock—11 teams.
Bracket 500—8 teams.
Mod V—7 teams.
Stock V—7 teams.
Bracket 400—7 teams.
Bracket 600—6 teams.
Supercat—4 teams.
Bracket 700—4 teams.
Class 1—2 teams.
450R Factory Stock—1 team.
In Class 1, Miss GEICO’s Travis Pastrana (left) and Steve Curtis will be square off again Nigel Hook and Jay Johnson in SilverHook.
Among the competitors who logged practice time yesterday was Sarasota local Ryan Beckley, who runs a 30-foot Skater Powerboats catamaran—backed by Professional Plumbing for this weekend’s contest—in the Super Stock class. Beckley, who’ll be sharing the cockpit with driver Kirk Britto, said he is expecting fast, predominantly flat-water races throughout the day.
“Conditions were pretty flat yesterday,” he said. “For us, we are hoping for more wind and bigger seas. It’s supposed to blow 10 to 15 mph but out of the east meaning off the beach, which probably is not enough to get it as rough as we need for our boat.”
Speedonthewater.com chief photographer Pete Boden and correspondent are in Sarasota today covering the races. Look for complete coverage on the website.
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