Offshore Powerboat Racing Returns Next Month

OCEAN CITY- The grand spectacle of offshore powerboat racing returns to Ocean City early next month for the OPA World Offshore Championships, the final leg in a summer-long series held all over the country.
The Offshore Powerboat Racing Association (OPA) began its series featuring some of the biggest and fastest offshore powerboats in the country and around the world back in mid-May with the first of eight races at Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey. Since then, the tour has included several stops in Michigan, New Jersey, New York and finally Maryland. This weekend, the second-to-last race is set for Solomon’s Island in southern Maryland, with the world championships set for Ocean City on October 4-6.
Last year, Ocean City was tabbed as the first stop on the OPA tour, but this year the resort will host to tour’s world championship races in several classes. The event gets started on Friday, October 4 as the competitors begin to arrive and continues with meet-and-greets and other special events. On Saturday, October 5, there will be more inspections, test runs and other special events associated with the world championships, but the real action gets started on Sunday, October 6.
The championship races in several categories and classes will be held in the open ocean on a rectangular course from roughly 4th Street to 32nd Street with a start-finish line in the area of 17th Street. Offshore powerboat racing is much more than a visual experience for fans. Beach-goers will be able to see and hear the high-powered boats as they roar up and down the coast at speeds of up to 160 miles per hour. The first race will begin at noon on October 6, with the last race beginning at around 3 p.m.