In a departure from its longtime July 4 holiday weekend scheduling dates, the Powerboat P1/P1 Offshore-produced Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix is slated for September 13-15. The news was announced in a press release announcing the United Kingdom-based organization’s 2024 offshore racing schedule this morning.
The Sarasota, Fla., event, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is the third of four stops in the 2024 Union Internationale Motonautique Class 1 World Championship Series and the fifth of seven races presently on the 2024 American Power Boat Association Offshore National Championship Series roster.
All four races in the 2024 UIM Class 1 World Championship Series also are part of the APBA Offshore National Championship Series. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
As it did in 2023, the 2024 UIM Class 1 World Championship Series will kick off May 16-19 in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Powerboat P1/P1 Offshore will again collaborate with local Thunder On Cocoa Beach organizer Kerry Bartlett and his team to produce the event, which will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year.
From there, the Class 1 series will move to Sheboygan, Wis., for the second-year Midwest Challenge. Set for August 9-11, the inaugural event celebrated the 50th anniversary of Mercury Racing in Fond du Lac, Wis. The mid-September event in Sarasota event will follow.
The Class 1 series will conclude with the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, another Sunshine State event, October 18-20. That date, too, has been pushed back as the 2023 series-ending event happened in early September.
According to a Powerboat P1 press release issued this morning, the organization is expecting seven Class 1 teams to compete this season.
“Our goal is to have a fleet of 12 boats by 2025,” said Azam Rangoonwala, the chief executive officer of Powerboat P1, in the release. “We want to grow the world championship commercially and promote the series both in the United States and internationally to deliver enhanced value for race teams, host venues, sponsors and partners.”
The APBA has processed seven sanctions so far for offshore races this season.
The current official APBA Offshore National Championship Series schedule for the Spec classes—Super Cat, Super Stock and Mod V—and Bracket classes is as follows:
April 27-28, 7 Mile Grand Prix, Marathon, Fla.—Race World Offshore
May 16-19, Thunder On Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach, Fla.—Powerboat P1
June 7-9, Ocean City Grand Prix, Ocean City, Md.—Race World Offshore
August 9-11, Midwest Challenge, Sheboygan, Wis.—Powerboat P1
September 13-15, Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix, Sarasota, Fla.—Powerboat P1
September 27-29, XINSURANCE Clearwater Nationals—Race World Offshore
October 18-20, St. Pete Grand Prix, St. Petersburg, Fla.—Powerboat P1
Long an early summer staple, the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix is moving to September.
As they have in years past, the Super Cat and Super Stock owner-groups will have their own internal national championship schedules. Both groups plan to finalized those schedules this week and speedonthewater.com will report them as they become available.
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