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"Lightning on the Water" Atlantic City Race Coverage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Feel the Power” as Offshore Powerboat Boat Racing Returns to Atlantic City on Sunday, September 19

Team Racing Boats on Display Saturday, September 18

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – August 13, 2010 – Trump Entertainment Resorts has teamed with Geico Insurance to add a little lightning to the region. The Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) will hold the "Lightning on the Water" race on Sunday, September 19, 2010.

The brand-new event is being added to an already high-octane race schedule. In fact, the OPA is studded with competitions that run along the Eastern Seaboard and beyond. And with anticipation running at a fever pitch, "Lightning on the Water" will by all accounts become not only a fixture on the annual summer race card, but the featured event of the series.

Slated to run off the shoreline of the Atlantic City Beaches beginning from the Frank S. Farley State Marina, "Lightning on the Water" will promise onlookers the thrill of seeing missile-fast watercraft up close and personal. Each August, A.C. welcomes the aerial show, "Thunder Over the Boardwalk." "Lightning on the Water" is the aquatic answer to that wonderful spectacle. This time though, the ocean, rather than the sky, will be roaring with high-speed velocity.

Everyone from die-hard powerboat racing fans to casual by-passers will enjoy the sights and sounds of some of the premier powerboat teams, as they race in the clean waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The event is FREE and open to the public.

"We’re thrilled to be working with OPA and Geico to bring this premier racing event to Atlantic City,” said Mark Juliano, CEO of Trump Entertainment Resorts. "An event like this is a great opportunity for us to further market Atlantic City as a viable destination and offer visitors exciting experiences well after Labor Day.” Juliano added.

Observers will get to see what this sport is all about: meticulously engineered watercraft propelling across the water at breakneck speed. When the teams aren't vying for the grand prize of $50,000, the public is invited to explore the racing boats up close at the Dry Pits from 10 am – 5 pm on Saturday, September 18. As many as fifty boats will be staged at Trump Marina Hotel and Casino adjacent to the Frank S. Farley State Marina.

It's a rare opportunity to get a bird's-eye glimpse into these lightning-fast professional powerboats. It's also a chance to meet the teams and take part in the festival atmosphere. It will be a very active day as boats get craned in and out of the water as they go out to take practice laps on the race course.

On Sunday, September 19, the races will start at noon and run until approximately 4 pm. The boats will race on a four mile oval going from approximately Delaware Ave. (Just north of the Trump Taj Mahal) on the north end to Albany Ave. on the south end. Viewing will be excellent anywhere along the race course as the boats will be about 100 yards offshore.

"Lightning on the Water" spectators will enjoy a special treat, as the world's fastest race boat, the "Miss Geico" shows the crowd how it earned its reputation as a rocket ship on the water. And "Miss Geico" is just one of the attractions as more than 50 participants compete in six different bracket divisions.

“It's been an absolute pleasure working with Trump Entertainment Resorts and Geico Power Boats," said OPA President Ed Smith. "We've all teamed up to bring one of the most prestigious events in our sport to one of the premier entertainment destinations in the country. And we all feel strongly that this is another way to help foster the continued growth of Atlantic City."

Smith added: "This event will attract boat enthusiasts, casino patrons, vacationers and, because it's such a family-friendly event, countless others."

Versus Network will be on hand to televise the event, which is truly an international affair. The highly competitive field features racers from all over the globe—even as far as Qatar. The races will also be streaming live at www.supercatracing.com.

New Jersey Offshore Powerboat Racing Association (NJOPRA), the club organizing land and water operations for this event is seeking volunteers. If you would like to volunteer as a patrol boat or large turn boat please contact Dave Patnaude through the njoffshore.org website. If you are interested in volunteering in the pit area or as a scorer on race day please contact Toni Potthoff at the njoffshore.org website.

OPA is seeking volunteer patrol boats and large turn boats to assist with this race. Anyone interested should email [email protected]. The New Jersey Offshore Powerboat Racing Association (NJOPRA)is the local club which will offer land and water support for this event. To volunteer to be parts of this exciting race please sign up at: www.njoffshore.org.

For more information about the OPA Racing Series, see www.oparacingtour.com or to get involved as a racer with OPA see www.oparacing.org.

Book your overnight accommodations and room packages at any of the three Trump Entertainment Resorts and make a weekend of it. Log on to www.trumpcasinos.com.

* * * INTERVIEW AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE * * *

HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE AT: http://www.trumpcasinos.com/hi-res-gallery/

Follow us on Twitter: Visit http://twitter.com/trumpcasinos or become a fan of Trump Casinos on Facebook www.facebook.com/trumpcasinos

About Trump Marina

Trump Marina Hotel Casino is one of three Trump resorts in Atlantic City. Its bayside location in the marina district of the city makes it a popular favorite among shore visitors and boasts fabulous views of the ocean and Atlantic City skyline. This two million square foot complex is accessible by land, sea or air. It is home to the Senator Frank S. Farley State Marina which is managed by Trump Marina Associates, and owned by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry Services.

About OPA, LLC.

OPA is the largest offshore powerboat racing organization in the United States having it’s home office in Brick, New Jersey. OPA runs a series of races that start in the Spring and end in mid Fall each year. For 2010, the OPA series is being sponsored by Geico Insurance. For more information about OPA, visit www.oparacingtour.com.

About NJOPRA:

NJOPRA is an all volunteer organization that has produced and promoted offshore racing in New jersey for over the past 41 years and became infamous for the Benehana races in the late 70's. For more information visit njoffshore.org

Sharkey-Images.com will be there to cover this entire event.

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...37901854-4.jpg

Glad to see Mac Seelig is still around !!! :drink:

He used to race the Harrah's 777 boat. A Sutphen if my memory serves me right ??

http://www.atlanticcityweekly.com/ar...102541979.html

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The Qatar Team heads to the United States of America this week to continue its challenge for honours in the Supercat category of the prestigious 2010 American OPA Offshore Racing Series.
Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor al-Thani and Ali al-Neama missed the most recent round of the series in Patchogue because it fell within the Holy Month of Ramadan, but the President of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) and Al-Neama – a potential powerboat racing star of the future – headed back to the USA immediately after the Eid holiday.
“I think we needed the break in any case,” said Sheikh Hassan, driver of Spirit of Qatar 96 alongside British throttleman Steve Curtis, who lie second in the series behind the American Talkin Trash entry. “We needed to finalise the boats with some minor safety changes and we had to upgrade the windscreen on (Spirit of Qatar) 95 and strengthen the rest of the canopy.......

Read more:

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topic...9&parent_id=29

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...66463469-4.jpg

The Race course for this Sunday's race if anyone wants to know where to watch from on the beach.

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...p155804186.jpg

SAT
NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT.

SAT NIGHT
E WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING N AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS
4 TO 7 FT.

SUN
N WINDS AROUND 10 KT. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT. :eek:

GOT AIR ??? :drink:

Be sure to stop by and congratulate Bob Teague of Teague Custom Marine on winning the Powerboat Magazine's Reader's Choice Award while you are in the pits !!! :drink:

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...p929428442.jpg

OffshoreOnly.com Represented in Atlantic City !!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Bonz (Post 3210904)

Great Pixs Sharky!!

Thanks !

I can't wait to see what I end up with after this weekend's race !:eek:

Powerboat race organizers hope "Lightning" strikes it big as competition returns to Atlantic City on Sunday

ATLANTIC CITY — When the powerboats scream across the water on Sunday, you could be seeing the revitalization of a sport in the region.

The Offshore Powerboat Association will host "Lightning on the Water" in Atlantic City, a Grand Prix event that's part of OPA's racing series. This is the first year powerboats have raced in Atlantic City since 2004.

"We have no intention of going away," said OPA president Ed Smith, 53, who races a 38-foot boat named Whazzup. "We are going to do this for many years in the future. I am looking at least another five years."

The races begin Sunday at noon and will take place in the ocean from in front of Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort to the Showboat Casino Hotel. The start and finish line are in front of the Steer Pier. The races will air on the Versus television channel in December.

On Saturday, fans can see the boats and meet drivers at the Frank S. Farley State Marina across from the Trump Marina Hotel Casino from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The powerboat races come at an important time for Atlantic City.

Once Labor Day hits, the area gets quieter. City officials rely on conventions and events to bring in more visitors for the offseason.

No one is sure how many spectators this weekend's event is going to draw, especially since marketing began in earnest just two months ago when the organization knew they would have enough money to run the event.

OPA jump-started the economic push by reserving a block of 200 rooms at Trump Marina Hotel Casino.

"I think ‘Lightning on the Water' will help bring in a different ............

Read more:

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/n...cc4c002e0.html

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Supercat is not airing it live.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julie22 (Post 3211634)

Supercat is not airing it live.

Unfortunately not.
No advertising revenue coming in to support the Broadcast.

The race was called off when the course was not able to be set up in the location for the permit was issued for. Waves were breaking about a mile offshore so they thought they could simply move the course 2 miles offshore.
None the less, it simply was just too big of water to have our volunteers to sit anchor in all day.

One volunteer's depth sounder registered a 13 FT drop. :eek:

13 ft + swells and spectators no longer being able to see the event, it was a great idea to call it off.

Safety for all needs to come first with these events.

With last minute changes to where I was going to shoot from, I had a gut feeling the event was going to get called off. After many offers to get on numerous boats I had decided to head for the Steel Pier where I would have been provided exclusive access. On my way to the Pier, I get a call they were moving the course out 2 miles. I then again change my plans and head for the Inlet because this would have been the only opportunity to shoot any of the boats and then I would have called it a day....

The race was called and I decided to shoot all of the Volunteer Boats as they came in. After all, how often do they get a photo of their boats?

A particular Donzi had decided to come out and make the miserable day I was having to a much better one !

I have a full sequence of shots of this Donzi running inside the breakers until he ran out of room and then he pierced the bow thru the curl of a wave that essentially ended up swallowing the entire boat!:eek:

It amazed me to see this boat did not roll over. Finally after the wave crushed the whole boat, the boat came shooting out the back of the wave !!!:eek:

Fortunately they came out of it with a good soaking and made their way out of the surf and returned back to the inlet.

I caught up with him and some friends with their Apaches and OL. I go them as well to go make a run at the inlet for a photo shoot.

At least my day was not a total loss, especially since how it started out......

Pics to be on : http://www.Sharkey-Images.com
soon !!!

NJOPRA thank you for pulling this entire event together with such short notice.. Perhaps next week were can start working on the Race for June 24th thru the 26th, 2011 ???

Next stop, Solomon's Island, MD in 2 weeks !

Thank you Cotner Trailers.com for making one of the best Pit displays I have seen !!! :drink:

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...14776695-4.jpg

Whoa....look at the waves!!! I am glad they made right choice to cancel. I know cancelling race sucks but it is only for the best.

Chris

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriverofDonzi (Post 3212195)

Whoa....look at the waves!!! I am glad they made right choice to cancel. I know cancelling race sucks but it is only for the best.

Chris

I just finished processing another 210 images from the Inlet...

After seeing these, everyone will understand why the race was called off... :eek:

Special Thanks to Trumps Marina & Casino

Stop!!!!! :) you make me drool over all these delicious foods! LOL :) :)

Chris

Uploading the "After Hours" pics now.

Everything should be online after that...:drink:

http://www.Sharkey-Images.com/

Enjoy ! :drink:

It's 1:15 AM :eek:

All pics from AC are now online....

Party photos too !:drink:

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...51166706-4.jpg

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...82904988-4.jpg

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...17498953-4.jpg

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...91186579-4.jpg

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...72005396-4.jpg

See how a wave closed out over the top of this Donzi at: http://www.Sharkey-Images.com

This boat literally shoots the curl bow 1st as the wave crashes so hard over the top of it. More than 3/4 of the boat is slammed with white water so bad you cannot see it !

iMax's shooting platform for Sunday's race in Atlantic City !! :eek:

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...61880971-4.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHARKEY-IMAGES (Post 3214037)

iMax's shooting platform for Sunday's race in Atlantic City !! :eek:

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...61880971-4.jpg

What race ???? My almost shooting platform you mean...
Would have been nice :evilb: At least I got to go out for a spin, thanks Dave :drink:

Great shots Tim, Big Water :eek:

imax

Thanks Bruce!

After seeing the size of the swells, I think no matter what you might of had a hard time seeing the boats in between the swells.

To put this all into perspective.

This is one of the largest Coast Guard Cutters in this neck of the woods about 2 miles offshore.

Notice you can't even see the hull behind the swells.....:eek:

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...06189657-4.jpg

cool pics Tim thanks for sharing

I have been following your site and all the pics loaded there

It is well worth the trip to Tims site to see all the cool shots

Quote:

Originally Posted by boatme (Post 3214150)

cool pics Tim thanks for sharing

I have been following your site and all the pics loaded there

It is well worth the trip to Tims site to see all the cool shots

Thank you for visiting Marc. :drink:

Slide Show now available on the Donzi being crushed in the Surf as a wave closes out on them and engulfs the boat...:eek:

http://www.Sharkey-Images.com

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And I thought what you and I used to do was crazy Tim. Being inside the breakers in those boats is nuts. Now a jet ski or a bullet ? Maybe

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunster (Post 3214172)

And I thought what you and I used to do was crazy Tim. Being inside the breakers in those boats is nuts. Now a jet ski or a bullet ? Maybe

:drink:

This one comes to mind::eek:

http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/im...p746168381.jpg