MICHIGAN CITY, Ind., July 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The Miss GEICO Offshore Racing Team is excited to return to the shores of Lake Michigan in Michigan City, IN to compete in the 11th Annual Great Lakes Grand Prix August 1-4. The boat races are part of a four-day festival that includes free concerts, a boat parade and block party, the Taste of Michigan City, and more.
The Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) and Powerboat P1 have joined forces to create the newly formed American Power Boat Association (APBA) World Offshore Championship Series, which is comprised of six races at the most desired race locations across the U.S. There is renewed anticipation and excitement with the new race series. New rules for competition and a concerted effort between race organizations has generated interest from race teams from across the world to participate in all six races. More than 50 teams from across the globe are expected to compete during the 2019 Great Lakes Grand Prix which is the 5th race in the Series.
Powerboat P1 CEO Azam Rangoonwala says the aim of the new partnership is to strengthen the future of offshore racing in the United States by uniting the race teams in a way that has been missing for a long time and delivering an expanded, cohesive, world-class race series split equally between northern and southern states. “We want to stage events that excite and entertain, ensuring enjoyment for spectators and TV audiences with sponsor value and a real economic impact for the host venues,” Rangoonwala said.
Miss GEICO will compete in the new Class One racing division. Class One is comprised of the biggest and fastest race boats in the world. Teams from Dubai and Australia have come to race against America’s champion Miss GEICO. All the boats in this class weigh 11,750 pounds with identical race engines sealed and governed by Mercury Racing to ensure fairness. The 47-foot Miss GEICO Victory catamaran is made of carbon, Kevlar and S-glass for high performance. The boat sports a pair of brand new and recently released Mercury sealed 1,100 horsepower twin turbo engines and can reach top speeds of more than 160 mph.
On the water, Miss GEICO will be under the control of driver Miles Jennings and throttleman Steve Curtis. Miss GEICO is seeking a win in St. Clair and hopes to secure an 11th world championship racing title for the 2019 season.
The fifth race in the newly-formed series takes place Sunday, August 4 with pre-race events starting Thursday, August 1. Select classes of powerboat teams will participate in race boat testing on Friday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m. with the Taste of Michigan City beginning at 4 p.m. On Saturday, August 3, a race team autograph session is hosted at 10 a.m.with race boat testing by the larger classes of powerboats beginning at the same time. The Taste of Michigan City re-opens at noon with raceboat classes P1-P6 and AquaX competing from noon to 4 p.m. There is a boat parade and block party kicking off at 6 p.m. on North Franklin Street. The ProStock V through Class One races will take place on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. with Miss GEICO competing in the last race of the day. The race village is located in Washington Park in the Michigan City and will be open to the public Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. For more information, visit https://www.greatlakesgrandprix.com.
SOURCE Miss GEICO Offshore Racing
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