Here's the press release that just went out:
Contact:
Dana Lent
Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau
*Ph. 850-233-5070
HIGH-SPEED ADVENTURE AT SEA:
Panama City Beach, Fla., Hosts
2008 Super Boat National and Florida Championship Race Oct. 3 – 5, 2008
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (September 16, 2008) – The tranquil waters of the Gulf of Mexico make way for high-speed adventure for the nation’s largest powerboat race. Catch the 2008 Super Boat National and Florida Championship Race, Fri., Oct. 3 – Sun., Oct. 5, in Panama City Beach, Fla.
You’ll see the biggest, fastest powerboats and top drivers in the U.S. race to claim the National Championship title.
This premier super boat event draws the 23 leading teams across the country for a six-mile race through emerald-green seas at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. With boat parades, awards, parties and more, it’s an action-packed weekend for the entire family.
The Super Boat National and Florida Championship Race is the culmination of the Super Boat Grand Prix national series. Winning teams will compete for the international title in the Super Boat World Championships, Nov. 2 – 9, 2008, in Key West, Fla.
The Super Boat Grand Prix is sanctioned by Super Boat International Productions, Inc., as the leading series in the extreme sport of professional powerboat racing. Now in its 18th year, the Grand Prix attracts top-ranking competitors and enthusiasts across the country for 10 events along America’s East Coast, from Miami Beach to the Hudson River.
In Panama City Beach, the National and Florida Championship Race promises to get the heart pumping during three days of high-speed fun (see schedule below for days, times and locations). Land lovers will enjoy plenty of onshore action. Take an up-close look at some of the world’s fastest and largest powerboats, and meet their owners and racing teams in the Dry Pit Area of the Race Village, located in Pier Park on Front Beach Road in the center of town. The Mayor’s Welcome Party kicks off the event festivities, Fri. 7:00 p.m. On Sunday, all competition boats will begin the entry into the water starting at 11:00 a.m. from the marina at Marina Landing Condominiums on the northwest side of St. Andrews Bay and cruises out to the Gulf of Mexico.
On Sunday, spectators line the pristine shoreline of Panama City Beach for prime viewing of the main racing events, starting at 12:00 noon.
Competitors will maneuver the six-mile rectangular Official Offshore Race Course between the Dan Russell City Pier and the M.B. Miller County Pier.
During the event, the 50-foot Super Boats slice across the emerald-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico, propelled by up to four engines that allow them to reach speeds upwards of 200 miles per hour in less than a minute.
The winners of each race will go on to compete for the international title in the world’s largest powerboat race, the 2007 World Championship Race.
The 2008 Super Boat National and Florida Championship Race event is presented by the Bay Area Sports Association, Inc. (BASA). A collaboration of local community and corporate partnerships, the not-for-profit organization was established to encourage, support and promote recreational, amateur, Olympic and professional sports activities within the Greater Panama City area. BASA also supports charitable initiatives through local events to raise funds for youth sports in Bay County. In line with this mission, participating Panama City Beach restaurants will donate ten percent of all food and beverage sales on Sunday’s Race Day to the association.
A full schedule of Super Boat National and Florida Championship Race activities can be found online at
www.superboat.com and as listed below:
Panama City Beach Event Schedule
Friday, October 3, 2008
• 9:00am – 5:00pm - Registration/Information at Race Village, Pier Park East • 7:00pm – Mayor’s Welcome Party at Sharky’s Seafood Restaurant, Front Beach Road
Saturday, October 4, 2008
• 9:00am – Mandatory Drivers’ Meeting at Pier Park East • 10:00am – 5:00pm – Registration/Information at Race Village, Pier Park East • 9:00am – 5:00pm - Dry Pits at Pier Park East • 10:00am – 5:00pm - Testing & Launching, location TBA • 10:00am – 5:00pm – Practice runs on official offshore course, Front Beach Road between County Pier and City Pier • 7:00pm – 9:00pm - Racers’ Party at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant, Pier Park
Sunday, October 5, 2008
• 7:30am – 8:30am - Physicals: Pier Park East • 8:00am – 5:00pm - Launching/ Recovery, location TBA • 9:00am - Mandatory Drivers’ Meeting at Pier Park East • 10:00am - Pilots Briefing at Panama City – Bay County International Airport • 11:00am – Wet Pits. All boats will enter the water at Marina Landing Condominiums on Northwest side of Hathaway Bridge/U.S. Hwy 98, St. Andrews Bay.
• 12:00pm - Start of Race, start and finish line at Sharky’s Seafood Restaurant, Front Beach Road • 5:00pm - Awards Ceremony at Sharky’s Seafood Restaurant, Front Beach Road
For more information, visit
www.superboat.com or call 1-800-PCBEACH or visit
www.visitpanamacitybeach.com.
About Panama City Beach
Panama City Beach boasts 27 miles of sugar-white sand beaches bordering the clear, emerald-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico and St. Andrews Bay. The Northwest Florida destination enjoys recognition as a top U.S. beach from Condé Nast Traveler, USA Today, The Travel Channel, Southern Living, Dr.
Beach and the Clean Beaches Council. Family attractions, championship golf courses, sporting events, delectable dining, predictably sunny weather and a vast number of recreational activities draw visitors to this seaside destination annually. For more information, call 1-800-PCBEACH or 850-233-6503, or visit the official Web site of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau,
http://www.visitpanamacitybeach.com.
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EVENT/CALENDAR ITEM
October 3 – 5, 2008
Panama City Beach Super Boat National and Florida Championship Race, Pier Park East, Pier Park Drive and Panama City Beach Parkway. It’s adrenaline pumping on emerald-green waters at the nation’s top super boat racing event. Boat parades, awards and parties are all part of the action. For information visit
www.superboat.com or 1-800-PCBEACH or
www.visitpanamacitybeach.com.
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I took the weekend off, and will be crewing with my Buds Billy, Jay, and Ray with WHM motorsports. If ANYONE has any questions about the area, restaurants, marinas, the race site, marine parts stores, shopping, you name it, just let me know. I've been to every race held here since 84, and I think that this one has potential to be great. We will be promoting and encouraging all of our boat owners here at the marina to attend the race by water. I've been spreading the word here in town for months, and will be putting up flyers at the marina soon. I can promise you wont find a more die hard offshore racing enthusiest in the area! 
Last year I worked in the drypits, and the year before ran a turnboat. Lets make this a great Race guys!
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