powerboat races st clair

St Clair River Classic

Schedule of events.

Friday, July 28, 2023                                                                                                                      

Saturday, July 29, 2023                                                                                                                 

10am-12am 8:30am

8:30am-11:30am

12:30pm-3:30pm

Race Village open to the Public Course Buoys Set

Swim/Dunker Testing - St Clair City Pool (8th St & Orchard St)

Racer Meeting - St Clair Fire Station (216 Cass St, St Clair, MI)

Registration - St Clair Chamber of Commerce

GPS Registration - St Clair Chamber of Commerce

Boat Ramp & Crane Operational

Race Boat Inspections - Race Village

Coast Guard Permit in effect

Race Control Operational

Race Boat Testing

LIVE Entertainment – Riverview Plaza Courtyard Area

Sunday, July 30, 2023                                                                                                                    

8:30am 8am 9am 9:30am 9:30am-6pm

10:30am 10:30am

11am-7pm 11:15am

11:30am 12pm-5pm

Race Village Open Set Course Buoys RACER PHYSICALS - St Clair Fire Station RACERS MEETING - St Clair Fire Station Medical/Dive briefing - St Clair Fire Station Boat Ramp & Crane Operational

PATCOM Law Enforcement Briefing ( Mouth of Pine River ) Course Support Fleet on station

Opening Ceremony; Flag Float Down (tentative)

Clash of the Titans RACING

Race Starts TBD on-site

LIVE Music at the St Clair Riverview Plaza

Awards Ceremony - St Clair Riverview Plaza

After Party at the St Clair Riverview Plaza

*Schedule Subject to Change

Arrival of Race Boats; Race Village - N. Riverside Rd, St Clair, MI

Race Boat Inspections & Walk-Throughs - Race Village

LIVE Entertainment – Riverview Plaza Courtyard Area 

Registration will be on FRIDAY & SATURDAY ONLY!   ALL boats MUST be registered by the close of registration on SATURDAY.     You WILL NOT be permitted to sign-in and/or register on SUNDAY.

Wednesday, July 26, 2023                                                                                                             

M-29 road closure in place; Race Village set up

Thursday, July 27, 2023                                                                                                                

Crane Area - Fred Moore Hwy, St. Clair, MI

Ramp Area - St Clair City Boat Harbor, St. Clair, MI 

Wet Pits - Rotary Park (3rd St & Clinton Ave.)

Dry Pits - Riverside Rd, St Clair, MI

Coast Guard Permit in effect - SPECIAL RULES APPLY

Patrol Fleet Safety Briefing - St Clair City Hall

Fri, Jul 28

St. Clair River & Palmer Park

St. Clair River Classic: Blue Water Offshore Powerboat Races

Arrival of boats: Blue Water Offshore Racing Association powerboat races in the St. Clair River Visit www.oparacing.org for more information

Time & Location

Jul 28, 2023, 12:00 PM

St. Clair River & Palmer Park, St Clair, MI 48079, USA

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2023 St. Clair River Classic – Presented by MAGNA

Details from the Times Herald: The St. Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race will take place July 26 through 30. This is the race’s 29th anniversary. Bob Currier, secretary and treasurer of the Bluewater Offshore Racing Association, said between 40 and 50 boats will participate.

The races will be held on the St. Clair River on July 30. The first race will begin at noon, with subsequent races beginning at 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

During the preceding days, the association will be setting up the race and the St. Clair Chamber of Commerce will host entertainment and vendors.

The Chamber will be hosting live music as part of its “Rockin’ the Plaza” concert series which hosts performances at Riverview Plaza from May through September.

A live DJ will perform 6-10 p.m. on July 26, followed by a performance by Paul Shonk on July 27, performances by Shonk and The Gobies on July 28, Los Gringos and Meldrum Brothers on July 29, and ending with Alter Ego on July 30.

Admission is free, and Currier said the race typically draws between 10,000 and 15,000 people. M-29 will be closed while the race village is being set up.

The race is being sponsored by Magna Electric Vehicle Structures, which has been a sponsor for the previous two years.

“We are thrilled to be able to sponsor such an exciting event that’s within two miles of Magna’s newest manufacturing operation,” Greg Ross, General Manager of Magna Electric Vehicle Structures, said in a news release. “It’s a great opportunity for us to support the community and potentially attract new and future employees.”

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Photos: 2023 St. Clair River Classic offshore powerboat races

The Knucklehead team competed in the Vee Extreme class at the St. Clair River Classic. (Greg Grenier — For MediaNews Group)

The St. Clair River Classic drew crowds of spectators July 26 to 30. (Greg Grenier — For MediaNews Group)

Team Scarab races along the St. Clair River. (Greg Grenier — For MediaNews Group)

A race boat zooms along the St. Clair River as a helicopter flies overhead. (Greg Grenier — For MediaNews Group)

The Algoma Innovator, a 650-foot self-unloading dry-bulk carrier, passes behind a race boat on the St. Clair River. (Greg Grenier — For MediaNews Group)

The St. Clair River Classic recently marked its 29th year in St. Clair.

Up to 15,000 people were expected to attend this year’s event, which ran July 26 to 30 along the St. Clair River in front of Palmer Park.

The racing course is about 4 miles long, running roughly from the north of the St. Clair city limits to south of the Pine River.

Race results, provided by the Offshore Powerboat Association on its website at oparacing.org, are as follows:

• Class 1: Bounty Hunter, 100.

• Class 3: Mr. Herbotto, 100.

• Class 4: Crazy Rhythm, 102; Simmons Marine, 91; Gascot Marine, 81.

• Class 5: Rum Runner, 103; TC Marine, 92; May Marine 82; Team Farnsworth/Hancock Claims, 73.

• Class 6: Money Monster, 103; Synergy Racing, 92; Logan’s Heroes, 82; Horizon, 73.

• Class 7: Team Progression, 106; Goofin’ Around, 95; Statement Marine, 85; Bad Habit, 76; The Punisher, 68; Statement Marine/Bad Decisions, 60; Indecisive/Riverbend Marina, 53.

• Factory Stock: Doug Wright, 100.

• Vee Extreme: Knucklehead, 101; Team Farnsworth/Hancock Claims, 90.

• Modified Vee: Shocker, 100.

• Stock Vee: Wazzup, 101; Cigar Monster Racing, 90.

The race village was open to the public, with attractions including vendors, entertainment and up-close views of the competitive racing boats.

The event is produced by the nonprofit Blue Water Offshore Racing Association.

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Super Stock Rises In The St. Clair River Classic

For the first time in the 2022 American Power Boat Association offshore powerboat racing season, the Super Stock class was under the spotlight for the right reasons at yesterday’s St. Clair River Classic presented by Magna, the fourth of eight races in the APBA National Championship Series. The Detroit Metro area event attracted nine teams, the most of any class present in the Offshore Powerboat Association -produced event, and OPA officials made them the premier/final race of the day on the four-mile course on the St. Clair River in Michigan.

The final race of the day at the St. Clair River Classic presented by Magna provided the best action of the day when the Super Stock boats stole the show. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix .

The fleet consisted primarily of 32-foot Doug Wright catamarans with two boats built by Victory and one Legend from Dubai. After a few delays caused by the freighters needing to navigate the St. Clair River, the race started at about 4:53 p.m. and most U.S. Coast Guard permits for racing end at 5 p.m. so officials were pushing to get the boats on the course.

The 32-foot Doug Wright, LPC , had the pole with the 32-foot Doug Wright Team Allen Lawn Care and Landscaping , in lane two and Performance Boat Center in the third lane. One of the two 32-foot Victory cats, Big East Construction , was in lane four with two 32-foot Doug Wright cats, CELSIUS and S-39 , in five and six. The other 32-foot Victory, Jackhammer , which won the season-opener in Cocoa Beach, Fla., had lane seven with the 31-foot Legend, Steele Racing in lane eight and the 32-foot Doug Wright, CMR/Raymarine Salt Weapon , in the outermost lane.

Throttleman Rusty Williams and driver Myrick Coil jumped out to the early lead in Performance Boat Center , with owner/throttleman Loren Peters and driver Anthony Smith from the H.P. Mafia shop in Osage Beach, Mo., holding second in LPC . Owner/driver Reese Langheim and throttleman Ricky Maldonado ran third in Jackhammer with owner/driver Cole Leibel and throttleman Gary Ballough in Big East Construction holding down fourth.

Between a few delays for freighter traffic, the St. Clair River Classic produced a full day of powerboat-racing action with 47 teams spread across multiple classes.

After their 32-foot Doug Wright cat sustained catastrophic damage in the final race of the day in Sarasota, Fla., on July 3, owner/driver Sean Conner and throttleman Shaun Torrente leased the former CR Racing boat and rigged it with the team’s Mercury Racing 300R outboards. In the first few laps, they got comfortable with the boat and started moving up through the field, at one point passing Big East Construction before having to pull off with mechanical issues.

Up front, Coil and Williams nailed the setup because once they had the lead, they were never challenged. “When we knew we had a fast boat from the start, we played it easy and just didn’t want to make a mistake,” Coil said.

The first half of the season didn’t go the way the Performance Boat Center team had planned. It damaged the boat in testing at Cocoa Beach in the season opener and then at the Lake Race, it was penalized for not holding their lane at the start.

“This by far was the smoothest weekend,” said Coil by phone after the race. “We’re standing behind the boat, we just went through tech. It’s so nice racing in clean, cool water.”

A freighter making its way north on the river loomed and as the teams seemed to settle into the positions to complete the required 10 laps on the four-mile course, the checkered and red flags came up after the leaders completed 33 miles or 7.5 laps.

Owner/driver Reese Langheim and throttleman Ricky Maldonado wound up finishing second, extending the overall points lead for team Jackhammer .

“We knew the freighter was coming and if we get half the race done, I told Ricky they’re going to do something,” Langheim said. When reminded that the team’s four podium finishes put it in the points lead, Langheim added, “I don’t race for points. I race for fun. If the points come, great. I do stuff for fun and enjoyment.”

With a second-place finish in St. Clair, Jackhammer added to its Super Stock-class APBA Offshore National Championship Series points lead.

After beating up the boat en route to a second-place finish in Cocoa Beach and getting caught up in the mayhem at the start of the Lake Race, the LPC team’s Peters was happy for a clean, damage-free race. Third place in St. Clair should put the team in second place overall.

Peters has had a few different drivers the past few years and he’s been upside down more than he would have liked. He was concerned with the seven-knot current in the river causing problems in the turns.

“Every corner, I’m like, ‘Please don’t roll the boat,’” he said. “It’s in the front of my mind, especially in this race because of the current.”

With 47 registered raceboats and 15 classic hulls that competed in the exhibition “Clash of the Titans” to start the action, the day boasted chamber of commerce weather with sunny skies, summertime temperatures and a healthy crowd on the U.S. and Canadian sides of the river.

While most of the Super Cats and Class 1 boats elected to skip St. Clair to get ready for Michigan City, quite possibly the youngest team to ever run a Super Cat got some laps in prior to next weekend’s race in Indiana.

Though Super Cat rookies Chase and Jax Muller of the Wicked team were the sole entries in the class, they are far from rookies in the sport.

At the start of the season, Jay Muller wanted to buy a Super Stock boat for his sons, Chase, 21, and Jax, 19, to run. But he couldn’t find one, so he brought out his old 40-foot Motion cat that had run as Brioschi among other names and re-powered it with a pair of 750-hp Sterling Performance engines for his sons to run in Super Cat.

The senior Muller took Jax out on Saturday to give him a baseline for trimming the boat when he throttles. Then Jax and Chase put in their own test time before heading out on the course on Sunday.

“I’ve never seen my boat run without me in it,” Jay Muller said.

Sunday was the first time Chase and Jax ran on their own on a live racecourse.

“We were going easy for the first half of the race because we never ran it together,” said Chase Muller, who was remarkably reserved after completing his first race in a boat that can push 130 mph. “We race dirt bikes every weekend and we run pleasure boats all week long. It wasn’t anything different, it was just figuring out the boat as a whole.”

The Muller brothers know that next weekend will be different when a full fleet of Super Cats is on the water in Michigan City. “We’ll run the boat harder and harder and try to run with them as long as we can,” Chase said.

Also on the water for the third race of the day were two 39-foot MTI catamarans powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards in the 450R Factory Stock class. It didn’t take long for throttleman John Tomlinson and driver Taylor Scism to jump out to the lead in their new TS Motorsports MTI 390XR. They took the flag-to-flag victory over driver Randy Keys and throttleman Billy Allen in KLOVAR Motorsports .

The 39-foot Fountain , Knucklehead Racing , calls St. Clair home and the team of owner Ed Smith and throttleman Anthony Smith (unrelated) are a favorite at every event. They ran unopposed in the class and were in the same start with two canopied Fountains in Bracket 300— Mr. Herbott-O with driver Keith Herbott and throttleman Cade Herbott, and Team Woody with driver Billy Shipley and throttleman Chad Woody. The competition in Class 3 was short-lived, however, when Mr. Herbott-O pulled to the inside of the course with mechanical gremlins.

The second race of the day saw some good competition in Mod V, Bracket 400 and Bracket 500. The Mod V teams are running all the OPA races, hoping to win the purse being put up by the owner of the 32-foot Phantom, 151 Express , which is throttled by Nick Imprescia and driven by Ian Morgan.

Running on the edge as usual, Marker 17 Marine took the win in the Mod V class.

When the green flag flew, Brian Forehand and Vinnie Diorio took the early lead in the 29-foot Outerlimits, Marker 17 Marine , with 151 Express in second and the 32-foot Phantom, XINSURANCE/Phantom , driven by Phantom Boats president Will Smith and throttled by Mark Fernandes in third. The father-son team of Steve and Stephen Kildahl in the 30-foot Extreme, Boatfloater.com , was off the pace from the start and said after the race that when it pulled the boat out of the water, the 30-footer had a bent propeller blade. Another Phantom, Relentless , with Travis Pettko and Anthony Silviera, rounded out the fleet.

After Marker 17 Marine pretty much checked out, the battle was on for second between 151 Express XINSURANCE/Phantom . They battled for the entire 11 laps until 151 Express took an inside line that let them edge out its opponents for second place.

“The boat ran flawlessly,” said Forehand, who was prepared for the current having raced in St. Clair for years. He acknowledged Frank McComas at Scorpion for building a strong engine for the boat.

After taking second place, Imprescia gave all credit to his driver. “Ian did an awesome job on the wheel,” Imprescia said. “We owe him for second place.”

The Mod V-class battle for second place between 151 Express and XINSURANCE/Phantom was among the tightest of the day.

Smith, whose boats had a great day, couldn’t be upset about finishing third to a Phantom. “Those two kids are real good and they don’t weigh anything,” he laughed.

In Stock Vee, OPA president Ed “Smitty” Smith and his son, Anthony, drove and throttled, respectively, the 32-foot Phantom, Wazzup , to an early lead that the team never relinquished. After blowing the bottom out of their 30-foot Phantom, Shocker , in Eastlake, Ohio, Chris Colson and Raymond Evans bought a replacement boat from Charlie McCarthy who helped the team rig the boat with its engine, drive and equipment.

“We only had about 15 minutes of testing prior to the race,” said Colson, who handles driving duties in the boat. “I knew I wasn’t comfortable turning that boat. In a straight line, I feel like I never have to let up.”

The father-and-son duo of OPA head Ed Smith and his older son, Anthony, took an early lead in the Stock V race and never let it go.

For the majority of the 10-lap race in Stock Vee, Shocker battled with the 30-foot Phantom, North Myrtle Beach RV Resort driven by Kirk Hanna and throttled by Mark Rinda, with the boats actually bumping at one point.

“We had a love-tap—I wasn’t concerned about it, we were going straight,” Colson said. After two attempts to pass, Shocker got around its competition to take second place.

Looking at the rest of the bracket classes, in Bracket 400 the 39-foot Velocity GNS Motorsports took the checkered flag ahead of the fan-favorite 41-foot Apache Predator that experienced mechanical problems and ended up running on one engine. In its debut race, the classic Challenger hull, Crazy Rhythm , grabbed the final podium position.

Four boats battled in Bracket 500 with Micheal Stancombe throttling and J.J. Turk driving the 30-foot Phantom, Team Woody , to first place ahead of the 29-foot Warlock, Bulletproof, with Elijah Kingery and Craig Belfatto in second, and Ron May and Steve LaPinta in the classic Magnum hull, May Marine , in third.

The Bracket 600 contest looked to be a continuation of the first half of the season with the 26-foot Scarab that normally runs as Rum Runners rebadged as Unsalted No Sharks for this race and the next one at Michigan City, Ind., next weekend. Throttleman Fran Vellutato and driver Michael McColgan took the early lead with the 26-foot Joker, Deception , and in-cockpit crew of Jesse Schmig and Robert Bryant giving chase. One of the few boats in the race with a three-person bolster, Money Monster with driver Tim Vanderberg, throttleman Jeff Kipfmueller and navigator Garrett Cannon ran third with Horizon in fourth.

The positions didn’t change until Vellutato’s boat blew a drive in the final lap, handing the win to Deception , which is for sale. Money Monster took second and Horizon claimed third.

Finally, the Bracket 700 race was a case of “the results aren’t official until announced.”

In a result not uncommon in speed-bracketed classes, the Bracket 700 race delivered a surprise ending.

At the end of the five-lap race, the team of Cesar Perez and Ricky Maldonado in the 22-foot Velocity, Atomic Velocity , appeared to have beaten Maldonado’s older brother, Julian, and Brian Guy in Jackhammer . When the results were announced, the boat that appeared to have finished third, Goofin’ Around —with Matt and Joe Lauer—was awarded the winner’s trophy followed by the Muller brothers in the 22-foot Velocity, Chug It, and Mini Gini, a late entry that didn’t make the registered list.

The next race on the APBA Offshore schedule is the OPA-produced Great Lakes Grand Prix in Michigan City, Ind., on Sunday.

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St. Clair River Classic Boat Races

July 25 - july 28.

Annual St. Clair Boat Race is now a four day event!  Thursday – Sunday July 25-28, 2024 you’ll see OPA Offshore boats & teams on the street, watch testing, enjoy live music, food, and vendors followed with final boat race of several classes on Sunday.

This is a free event!

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St. Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race (July 28-30, 2023) St. Clair, Michigan

The annual St. Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race is a fun time for families and powerboat lovers alike.

Come check out some incredibly fast boats as they race along the St. Clair River .

On land, you’ll find beer tents, carnival midway, live music and more!

Race boats arrive at Race Village , then head to the ramp area at St. Clair City Boat Harbor (902 S. Second St).

What :           St. Clair Classic Offshore Powerboat Race!

When :         July 28-30, 2023

Where :         Palmer Park (201 North Riverside Ave, St. Clair, MI)

http://www.oparacing.org/sc

https://www.facebook.com/OPARacing/

Photos from 2021

https://www.speedonthewater.com/offshore-powerboat-association-teams-put-on-quite-a-show-in-st-clair/

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Powerboat Races Take Center Stage in St. Clair

This year marks the 25th annual St. Clair River Classic ™ Offshore Race, a major accomplishment in offshore racing. However, this year aims to be different in a big way.

Two of the world’s largest offshore boat organizers, Powerboat P1 out of London and the Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) have come together jointly promoting the American Power Boat Association (APBA) Offshore Championship. This is a huge deal, Powerboat P1 is the largest international powerboat racing promoter and OPA is one of the largest promoters in the United States.

This is really good news for the St. Clair River Classic ™. The St. Clair race is part of the APBA championship circuit, meaning that the world’s largest, fastest and most powerful racing boats will converge on St. Clair to deliver an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed weekend that’s sure to impress. The partnership between P1 and the OPA means that this year’s River Classic will have the biggest roster size St. Clair has seen since hosting as APBA National event in 2000, including racers from around the world representing countries such as Australia, New Zealand, U.K, Italy and the United Arab Emirates.

This wouldn’t be possible without local help either, St. Clair’s very own Blue Water Offshore Racing Association (BWORA) has been instrumental in getting this event organized and prepared for what’s shaping up the be the most important St. Clair River Classic ™ yet.

That is why this year the promoters, led by the BWORA, decided to have a press conference. This is something that’s never been done before, which speaks to the significance and the uniqueness of the 25th St. Clair River Classic ™. The event was sponsored by some very high-profile people within the organizations who agreed to send statements regarding the importance of the event. This included the CEO of Powerboat P1 Azam Rangoonwala, CEO of Offshore Powerboat Association Ed Smith and a speech from the President of the BWORA Steve Brunner.

Head of the BWORA Steve Brunner had this to say when speaking of the event, “As President of the Blue Water Offshore Racing Association, it is my honor to once again help bring the St. Clair River Classic ™ to its impressive 25th annual race. This year, 60 plus racers from around the world turn their sights on St. Clair in what’s shaping up to be our biggest roster yet.”

Powerboat CEO Azam Rangoonwala also had words on the partnership and event, “We believe that combining our new racing partnership with Blue Water Offshore Racing Association’s experience in race production in St. Clair… will enhance this year’s River Classic as you celebrate your 25th anniversary”.

President of OPA racing Ed Smith spoke highly of the venue and BWORA, “Your venue is comfortable, with everything close to race village and the racecourse.  Blue Water and its amazing team of volunteers work like a well-oiled machine in managing the event; my hat is off to this great team”.

Excitement for this event is at an all-time high, with new things being organized and planned for what’s shaping to be the biggest St. Clair River Classic ™ yet. Be sure not to miss out on any information on the upcoming weekend of July 26th-28th as the entire weekend will be filled with activities the whole family can enjoy.

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Here are the sponsors and entertainment for the St. Clair powerboat races

The Blue Water Offshore Racing Association has announced additional sponsors and a key partnership for the St. Clair powerboat races this year.

A partnership has formed with the St. Clair Chamber of Commerce, which stepped in to manage the vendors in Race Village and is collaborating with the St. Clair Riverview Plaza to plan the event’s live entertainment.

“I think it’s a great combination and great synergy for the community,” said race control and race secretary/treasurer Bob Currier.

One of St. Clair’s premier annual events, the powerboat races, this year titled St. Clair River Classic Presented by Magna , is from Friday, July 30, to Sunday, Aug. 1.

St. Clair Chamber of Commerce President Bryan Ulatowski said the band schedule for the event includes:

• Paul & Oates : 6 to 9 p.m.
• The Gobies : 9 p.m. to midnight
• Branden Pavlov: noon to 2 p.m.
• Grove Riders: 2 to 4 p.m.
• Ryan Beaudry: 4 to 6 p.m.
• Meldrum Brothers Band: 6 to 8:30 p.m.
• Los Gringos: 9 p.m. to midnight
• Alter Ego: 6 to 10 p.m.

“We are extremely excited to be part of this year’s event and help to create a more open and welcoming atmosphere for the community and race fans,” Ulatowski said.

Currier said normally the event’s entertainment and vendors would be part of Funfest Events’ Riverfest, but the company announced it would be canceling Riverfest due to the COVID-19 pandemic in April.

He thinks the races will look similar to past years but have a different feel.

Bands won’t be playing on a barge, but in the center courtyard of the plaza. The biggest difference is the city’s open container ordinance , which will allow people to have open beverages in the event’s footprint so there won’t be as much construction fencing as past events, he said.

He said they hope to continue partnering with the chamber for future events and hopes the open container ordinance can continue, believing it will create a more open and welcoming environment for the event.

“We’re really looking forward to the new feel and new look we’re going to be presenting to the community,” he said.

Along with title sponsor Magna, additional race sponsors this year include:

• Raymond Cranes
• Cargill Salt
• Biewer Lumber
• Waste Management
• DTE Foundation
• Anderson, Ekstein & Westrick
• Voyageur Restaurant
• Sunrise Convenience Stores
• Rivers Bend Marina
• Sunsation Powerboats
• War Water Brewery
• LaCroix’s Riverside Pub
• Drifters Restaurant & Lounge
• Pepper Joe’s Restaurant
• Westhaven Builders
• City of St. Clair
• Coughlin Jewelers
• Murray Underground Systems
• Thorpe Printing Services

Contact Bryce Airgood at (810) 989-6202 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.

• APBA Offshore Championship
• Asia Powerboat Championship
• Australian Offshore
• Bermuda Offshore
• British Offshore Racing
• P1 Offshore
• P1 Superstock
• P1 Superstock US
• Race World Offshore
• Raid Pavia Venezia
• Super Boat International
• UIM Awards Giving Gala
• UIM Class 1
• UIM Marathon
• UIM Pleasure Navigation
• UIM V2 World Powerboat Championship
• UIM XCAT Racing
• UK ThunderCat Racing

• Australian V8 Superboat Championships
• Circuit Powerboat Association
• E1 World Electric Powerboat Series
• F1 Powerboat Championship Series.
• Powerboat GP
• UAE F4 Championship
• UIM OSY400 European Championship
• UIM World Circuit Endurance
• Unlimited Hydroplane Racing
• F1H2O Nations Cup

• P1 AquaX Bahamas World Championship
• UAE Aquabike Championship
• UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship

Powerboat Racing World

Frode Sundsdal

What is prw.

It’s a powerboat racing website that has covered circuit racing, offshore racing and PWC since 2016. Maintained by The Race Factory based in Norway who have specialists in event planning and promotion, social media, graphic design, and photography. We are currently working on our vision and believe that we can and will make a different in powerboating. We will dedicate our time to produce accurate factual stories and to promote the sport to a wider global audience.

Keith Holmes, the owner of the American Ethanol/Cat Can Do powerboat, was killed during last Sunday’s race St. Clair Michigan OPA Offshore Race after a collision with the Miss Geico boat in an Offshore Powerboat Association event — the Michigan City event is a Superheat International race, but those boats race for both organizations.

A second man, Jamie Sartin, was listed in critical condition as a result of the crash. Sartin was driving the Cat Can Do boat, while Holmes was on throttles.

‘Our condolences go out to, not only the families, but the whole race community’, said Jack Arnett, executive director of the La Porte County Convention & Visitors Bureau, which puts on the event in conjunction with SBI.

Local photographer Paul Kemiel — who also serves as a correspondent for The News-Dispatch and Powerboat Racing World was on hand in St. Clair on Sunday.

Kemiel has photographed powerboat races for 36 years, and he had a personal, 30-year relationship with Holmes, both as a customer and also as a friend.

‘I always valued his friendship’, Kemiel said.

‘Every time I saw him, we always checked in and it was like we had just talked yesterday. He always had a smile on his face, I never saw him being cross … he was definitely a true benefit to the sport of offshore powerboat racing. He’s gonna be missed. He was one of the best in the business’.

In fact, Kemiel and Holmes spoke together last Sunday, not long before the start of the fateful race.

‘I told him, ‘You be safe, you be fast,’ Kemiel said.

‘He said, ‘We’re gonna put on a show for you.’ That was the last thing I heard him say’.

Kemiel also wished to express his condolences to the Holmes family and the American Ethanol/Cat Can Do team.

Cox said that a reverend who travels with SBI will be on hand during drivers’ meetings to speak and offer comfort to the racers.

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