Pre-Race Report
Panasonic 1st Annual Clearwater Super Boat National Championships
Super Boat International Racing Series • Clearwater, Florida • October 2nd – 4th, 2009
CLEARWATER, Fla. (October, 2009) – The Super Boat International Racing Series (Super Boat International) is bringing the season finale, National Championship event to Clearwater, Florida. The inaugural event will showcase the fastest and most exciting professional offshore race boats around. The National Championships is a double points race, crowning the teams that have amassed the most points through the yearlong series battle. This year’s championship expects to be something special.
It takes a lot of time, effort and volunteers to host an offshore Super Boat race and, for an inaugural event, it takes an even higher level of commitment. “I think this year’s National Championships is going to be a surprise. There are a lot of people working hard with the City of Clearwater and community to make this a great event and I think it is going to be one of our best races of the season,” comments John Carbonell, owner of Super Boat International. The racecourse is set to run almost 2.5 miles going north of Pier 60 and back. Super Boat’s traditional tight and rectangle shape course allows for all the action to be close to the beach for the best possible vantage point for beach goers and spectators.
No championship event is complete without a dual to the finish. A few classes will be battling it out for the title of National Champion and one class will be sure to be charging hard. The juiced up horsepower Turbine Class duo of Aqua Mania and Miss Geico will be racing for the National crown. Aqua Mania with 4 wins this season and two wins in the last two races has been on a charge. The turbine powered machines are sure to put on a show along the Gulf Coast.
Seminole Hard Rock Vee Unlimited owner, Peter Meyer, likes racing the Gulf Coast. “ I like running in the gulf… you just never know what to expect. One day, it can be flat calm and, the next, it can really bump up. I am excited to be here in Clearwater and run this 1st annual event. Everyone has worked very hard to get behind this and I would expect there to be a great crowd. I hope we can put on a good show for everyone,” exclaims Meyer.
Another great battle for the crown is from two teams in the manufacturer production 4 Vee bottom class, Simmons Racing and Crazy Chicken. It may be a little crazy running full out in open cockpit style classes, but these teams have a lot of experience and, for one team, Clearwater will be the chance to clinch the title.
Super Boat activities start October 2nd at 9:00 am with boats and teams arriving at Coachman Park. Friday through Sunday October 4th from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Coachman Park is open with free admission for Super Boat fans. On Saturday, the boats will be testing from 12:00 to 5:00 pm. Sunday’s events begin at 10:45 am with boats in the milling circle, first race starting at 11:00 am and the second race at 1:00 pm.
A course map with coordinates, boat classes and the number of laps can be found at Superboat.com or by clicking Superboat Clearwater Course map.
For a complete schedule of the weekend’s activities, click on Superboat Clearwater Florida or visit www.Superboat.com website.
About Super Boat International
Founded by John Carbonell 19 years ago, Super Boat International races are scheduled to take place in 9 markets across the country in 2009. The series has attracted many celebrity racers, including Don Johnson, Kurt Russell, Chuck Norris, Bruce Jenner and Jason Priestley. An estimated 20 million race fans have attended Super Boat International races and this number continues to grow as the sport attracts new fans. Super Boat International is the official national and international sanctioning body for offshore powerboat racing. For more information about the Super Boat International Racing Series, including the complete race schedule, visit www.Superboat.com.
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