Offshore Powerboat Racing Returns Next Week

OCEAN CITY- The grand spectacle of offshore powerboat racing returns to the resort next weekend with the Offshore Powerboat Racing Association (OPA) Ocean City Grand Prix.

Bull on the Beach is teaming up with the OPA to bring the Ocean City Grand Prix back to the resort area next weekend with three days of events, festivals and parties culminating with a pair of offshore powerboat races in the ocean on Sunday afternoon. Offshore powerboat racing has been a staple of the resort’s shoulder seasons off and on for the last decade or so with the OPA making stops in the resort as part of its summer-long racing series.

Offshore racing is not just a visual experience. Beachgoers will be able to hear the roar of the engines as the powerboats pass and leap skyward through the unpredictable waves at speeds up to 160 miles per hour.

The event gets underway next Friday at the race village near the public boat ramp at the commercial harbor in West Ocean City across from Crab Alley, which will host many of the welcoming parties, meet-and-greets with the racers and awards banquet throughout the weekend. The race village is open again on Saturday with several special events and the powerboats on display.

The real action gets underway next Sunday with two scheduled races. The participating boats will depart the race village area in West Ocean City and will travel single-file through the Inlet and up to the start-finish line at North Division Street. The first race will begin around noon with the course set in a modified rectangle from North Division Street to 20th Street. The second race gets underway around 1:30 p.m. next Sunday. The weekend-long series of events will conclude with an awards banquet at Crab Alley on Sunday evening.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.