powerboat racing key west
powerboat racing key west
Racers Converge on Key West for the 30th Offshore Powerboat World Championships
Walking through the dry pits at Truman Annex in Key West some years ago ,looking at the equipment these guys were running I was very impressed. From the unlimited Cats down to the production classes everything was professional and the teams worked together to put on a great show.
Offshore racing has 14 classes that have to fit into a three race format.The unlimited class,cat or vee hull, is wide open with some of the cats running helicoptor turbines,producing 2000 horsepower each or they run a piston driven supercharged big block that can pull 1500 horse .These boats are up to 46 feet so they run two engines.
The super cat ,superboat 750 and 850 classes are probably the most conpetitive running a dependable 500 to 900 horsepower per motor with dual engines.The production (P5) is the most affordable class, starting at 24 foot and running a single engine, with the manufacturers base configuration.
The Key West race course is the best on the circuit.The boats start outside Key West harbor and run by Sunset island straight out into open ocean. Wow! its quit an adrenalin rush when they unleash all that horsepower to start the race.
The first left turn in open ocean is usually rough, the racers refer to it as the wall,it gets hairy out there making that turn at 140 miles an hour,a straightaway and then another left turn is where they head back towards the harbor running along the shore, where they are so close you can feel the spray from the boats.
The course is 6.5 miles with two left wide turns and a hair pin turn in the harbor, good spots to watch the races are Mallory Square,Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, the Truman Annex dry pits or the Ocean Key House has a good race view.
The early days featured long distance races,Miami to Bahamas,it was hard to see the race.The race courses today are closer to the spectator,only a few miles out and more enjoyable to view.
The event consists of three race days,Wednesday,Friday,and Sunday with a parade of boats down Duval Street Friday Night,this is where the fans can view the awesome machines up close and talk to crews and drivers.
Boats+Horsepower+Key West’s laid back atmosphere…Can’t beat that…so next time your in Key West in November….go ahead….hit the races….walk through the pits…. and you’ll probably be hooked like me and become a….. Offshore Powerboat Racing fan forever
About the Author
Paul Beaudette is an avid fisherman and traveler and owner of a Ramrod Key Vacation Rental,if you would like more information you can visit his Websites at
Key West Offshore Powerboat Races
powerboat racing key west AMAZON PRODUCTS BELOW
Posted the 13th November 2010 in the category Boat Racing by admin.
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