The countdown is underway to the 39 h annual P1 Offshore Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix on the weekend of June 30-July 2 when residents and visitors can enjoy world class marine motorsport action along Lido Beach. Presented by Visit Sarasota County and again produced by Powerboat P1, the free to watch event will attract more than sixty powerboat racing teams from Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States. The event will kick off at 6.00pm on Friday evening with a pit party featuring live music from Andy Velo, live remote radio broadcast, food trucks and local vendors. There will also be the opportunity to meet the race teams and view the boats up-close. Racing on the 6-mile course at Lido Beach will begin at 1.00pm on Saturday, with the qualifying session for the exhilarating Class 1 powerboats at 2.00pm, and on Sunday the action will get underway at 10.00am with the fleet
of Class 1 boats on the water at 1.00pm. VIP hospitality tickets offering superb viewing from the beach front hospitality tent on both race days are available from the P1 Offshore website (www.p1offshore.com). Sarasota is the second longest-running powerboat grand prix in the United States and for decades the racing has been a unique, prestigious summer event that brings significant value to the community. It generates millions of dollars in economic impact every year with up to 16,000 room nights, and the national and international television coverage showcases the city’s many attractions to an audience of around 230 million homes.