Racing Weekend: Huge Crowds in Clearwater Beach, European Champion Crowned in Stresa

As the 2009 race season heads to a close, there's still lots of powerboat racing action all across the globe. Last weekend, huge crowds turned out to watch SBI National Championship offshore powerboat races along Clearwater Beach, FL, which left local organizers thrilled and excited about bringing the event back for 2010.

PHOTO CREDIT: Tampabay.com.

Out on the water, an estimated 20,000 people on over 2,000 boats lined the race course, with another 7,500 spectators watching from the beach during Sunday's race. Newspaper reports say the concert and fireworks show on Saturday night drew about 5,000, with another 9,000 fans visiting the dry pit area in Coachman Park during the three-day race weekend.

Among the notable results, WHM Motorsports won the Superboat Unlimited Class, Miss Geico won the Turbine Class, and Team Amsoil won the Super Cat Class. For all the race results [in printable PDF format], click HERE.

PHOTO CREDITS: (ABOVE AND BELOW) Class 1 Championship.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in Stresa, Italy, Victory 1's Mohammad Al Mehairi, and Jean-Marc Sanchez were crowned European Champions after finishing second in Race 2 of the Italian Grand Prix, round 4 of the UIM-WPPA Class 1 World Powerboat Championship. Al Mehairi was competing in his very first season in Class 1. Teamates Fazza won the second race outright, which allowed them to claim second place overall in the European Championship.


Maritimo’s Tom Barry-Cotter and Pal Nilsen finished third in the European Championship after suffering some surprising and serious engine problems."We came here with the aim of finishing third in the Europeans, but the manner that it has occurred leaves us feeling bitterly disappointed," said Barry-Cotter.