Offshore powerboat racing is back on the bay

High-speed powerboat racing is back in St. Pete this Labor Day Weekend, in Tampa Bay around The Pier and the waterfront. The P1 Offshore St. Pete Grand Prix debuted in 2021, and an estimated 30,000 people turned up to tune into the roar and the splash.

This year, says P1 USA Championship manager Michelle Petro, fans should expect bigger and better.

“We’ve expanded the pits along Bayshore between The Pier and The Vinoy, whereas last year they were all in the Vinoy parking lot, around the corner,” she explains. “We’ve expanded the vendor area on The Pier, and we’ve added racing to Saturday’s schedule, whereas last year it was Sunday only.”

Powerboat and personal watercraft (a.k.a. Jet Ski) teams from across the United States will compete across multiple classes of racing during the weekend. More than 1,000 boats will be in the water for the free event, which will be livestreamed on the P1 website.

Although the organization does offshore races in other Florida cities, “I would say that St. Petersburg is the best place to do this,” Petro believes. “The racers love the venue; it’s very efficient. Everything is all in one area – you can see everything from one spot, basically. From almost anywhere.

“You couldn’t ask for a better site, to be honest with you.”

Race calendars for Saturday and Sunday are downloadable here.

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater is a sponsor for 2022 – with racers and their teams from all over the world, plus family, friends, fans and visitors, the P1 Offshore St. Pete Grand Prix is going to take up a lot of hotel rooms.

Last year’s 30,000 may soon just be a memory.

“For a first-time event, that was pretty incredible,” proclaims Petro. “So we’re expecting more people to come and enjoy the racing, because the word is out.”

VIP ticket packages are available.