OFFSHORE POWERBOAT CHALLENGE TO WHIP UP SPEED FRENZY
BY CHRISTIN ERAZO
The Miami Herald
High-speed powerboats, their drivers and fans will take over the beaches of Sunny Isles Beach as part of the third annual Offshore Powerboat Challenge.
The challenge will test drivers and their boats with a 106-mile, round-trip race on open ocean to Bimini and back to Sunny Isles Beach.
The challenge and other events will take place Thursday through Sunday, with all events open to the public.
A powerboat race in Key West in 2007. (AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Andy Newman)
The weekend events -- which include barbecues and meet-and-greets -- will also showcase professional and amateur powerboat racers.
The festivities will begin with registration Thursday for the Bimini Ocean Challenge at the Haulover Park Racer's Village. Admission into the Racer's Village is $5; children 13 and under are free.
Entrance into the Racer's Village will include a display of high-performance boats and an opportunity to meet the racers. It will also be the site of a Friday concert.
The event also offers VIP tickets that include a special tour of the Harrison Boat Collection warehouse, where one can see vintage hydroplane boats and outboard engines.
All pieces were donated by the HistoryMiami museum, formally known as the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.
The VIP tickets can be purchased online or at the Racer's Village at Haulover Park throughout the weekend.
Membership is $140 and includes access to the Harrison boat collection, as well as free alcohol and food all weekend long.
On Friday, Families of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Florida will benefit from a silent auction that will take place to raise money for the foundation
There will also be specialboat rides to grant the wishes of the children of the foundation.
The main event, which will take place alongside Sunny Isles Beach, takes place at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Speedboats competing in the annual Bimini Ocean Challenge will take off from the Solé hotel at 17315 Collins Ave.
"These boats have high-powered turbines that boast an excess of 200 miles an hour," Jones-Steiger said.
Last year's winner completed the race in 43 minutes, she said.
The day will conclude with a meet-and-greet titled "The Legends of Racing Reunion and Night of Mayhem," where fans can get autographs from professional racers at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle resort.
There will also be a silent auction to support and restore the Miami Marine Stadium.
The weekend will conclude with the Offshore Powerboat Association Race 2 Geico racing series, which will take place off the shores of Sunny Isles Beach and will race down to Haulover Park and head north to the Ramada Marco Polo beach resort.
The festivities will coincide with the Sunny Isles Beach birthday celebration at Samson Park.
"This is a great time to pack a picnic, grab the family and have a blast on the beach," Jones-Steiger said.
For a full schedule of events, go to www.offshoreevents.net or call Katy Jones-Steiger at 305-332-5900.
sunny isles beach
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/07/v-print/1668703/offshore-powerboat-challenge-to.html#ixzz0qZrG7Liu