THE NEED FOR SPEED
10/5/2007 9:11:43 AM by Bobbye Kenyon
Take your adrenaline threshold to the edge with Super Boat International Productions/American Power Boat Association Offshore-UIM during the Key West World Championship Race and other similar events planned by the world’s leading performance boat powerhouse
Photos by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau
Got a need for speed? Then get yourself in gear! Super Boat International Productions/American Power Boat Association Offshore-UIM Offshore descends upon the Southernmost City with fast and furious racing as the Key West World Championship Race takes the green flag for an exciting week-long event from November 4–11. The eclectic mood that permeates this spectacular Florida Keys destination accelerates into a highly fueled liquid speed zone as the world’s top offshore contenders compete for the ultimate title. From start to finish, it promises to deliver a full throttle schedule of sizzling in-your-face competition and high-octane parties. Are you ready for this? We are.
Key West is a dynamic magnet that has lured “winning-driven” competitors, high performance aficionados and an entourage of party players for a record-breaking 27 years. The offshore mystic paired with an insatiable need for speed attracted a stellar cast of celebs into the early 1990s offshore arena including former racers Don Johnson, Kurt Russell and Chuck Norris. Team owner Nick Carter of The Backstreet Boys scored a major hit when his Nick Carter Racing Team captured the World Championship title in Key West back in 2002.
A super-charged race week kicks-off with a parade of awesome racing machines down Duval Street on Sunday afternoon. The epic event delivers three days of thrilling deck-to-deck competition along a 6.5-mile triangular liquid track that races along the outer mole, past Mallory Square into Key West Harbor and turns back out to the Atlantic Ocean.
And when those famed Key West sunsets usher in cool breezes, gears shift into high-speed mode as Duval Street revs up fast-paced party rpms to the max. The non-stop action wraps up with a World Champion awards ceremony the following Sunday.
 President’s Portrait An intimate look at John Carbonell, president of Super Boat International Productions, Inc.and how he got to be at the top of his high-speed game. In 1976, racer John Carbonell took to the offshore circuit aboard a 31-foot Excalibur emblazoned The Installer. After a decade of racing in the Production Class, Carbonell retired from the racing ranks, but not from the offshore arena. The veteran racer/promoter founded Super Boat International Productions, Inc. (SBIP), the sanctioning body of the International Super Boat Race Series conducting offshore racing events throughout the world, and recently acquired the American Power Boat Association (APBA) Offshore license for the next decade. However, a mega announcement by The Bigger Picture, the alternative content distribution division of Access Integrated Technologies, Inc., to bring coverage of Super Boat International races to digital cinema-enabled movie theatres via the division’s “High Octane Sports” channel, was a winning accomplishment. “Now, we’re coming to 700 movie theatres,” says Carbonell. “I feel this will get the public a lot more enthusiastic about offshore…I believe this is the answer to offshore.” Over the past 31 years, Carbonell has charted a course that began early in his racing career. “My dream has always been to make offshore a recognized sport,” he says. “To do this, it’s vital to create credibility for the sport.” He was a member of the first club, Conch Republic Offshore Racing Association, to conduct a world championship event in his hometown of Key West. Except for a two- to three-year hiatus, he has been at the helm of this mega event for the past 27 years. Throughout his career, Carbonell has devised promotional avenues to attract audiences from a wider market segment to the sport. “I take a lot of chances, but they’re coming into fruition,” he says in reference to the movie deal bringing offshore to the big screen. “I’m trying to create the numbers that the sport needs in order to move it ahead.” |
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Several waterfront hotels provide breathtaking views of the racing action, while serving up great food and cool drinks. You can experience the endless wakes carved in the water by boats roaring by at Turn #3 in the harbor or get up close and personal with a VIP ticket as boats blast within 50 feet along the outer mole. “The VIP viewing at the outer mole is very exciting,” says John Carbonell, president of Super Boat International Productions, Inc. “You can actually feel the spray of the water from the boats racing by.”
Duval Street transforms into a larger-than-life party that ignites with a special Friday night bash and welcomes fans with a unique opportunity to meet the racers, grab autographs and photos and take a look at their strategically displayed state-of-art race boats.
This year’s lineup is set to showcase some of the country’s top contenders, as well as international entries from the dynamic European P1 circuit, in a super quest for the World Championship. The synergy among competitors, power-packed machines and ever-changing sea conditions is explosive.
Most racers agree that Key West is one of the premier racing venues on the planet. According to Yachts Fountain driver Serge Allegre, “That is the place to race at least once in your lifetime.” The general consensus among racers is that if you haven’t raced there, then you’ve literally missed the boat. The site delivers one of the most challenging, yet thrilling courses in the world. “It’s one of the best, with the combination of rough and smooth water,” Carbonell explains. “And 99-percent of the time, it’s rough.” Racers describe the turbulent seas encountered as they round Turn #1 and head for Turn #2 to that of hitting a wall as their mega machines blast over the waves, while a calm water ride around the harbor unleashes maximum speed as fans cheer on their favorites. Allegre, the 2006 National Super Vee Champion summed it up perfectly: “It’s the temple of offshore.”
RADICAL RACEIt’s time to grab the GPS and rev those engines. Get ready for a full-throttle run down to the Southernmost City…it’s World Championship week and the race is on! Here are a few upcoming dates and vantage points to add to your calendar.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
9am – 5pm Dry Pits Open: Truman Annex
9am – 5pm Credentials: Truman Annex
9am – 4pm Boats on Display: Truman Annex
4pm Boat Parade: Duval Street
7pm – 9pm Racer’s Party: Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, 200 Green St.
Monday, November 5, 2007
9am – 5pm Dry Pits Open: Truman Annex
9am – 5pm Credentials: Truman Annex
7pm – 9pm Racer’s Party: TBA
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
9am – 5pm Dry Pits Open: Truman Annex
9am – 5pm Credentials: Truman Annex
7pm – 9pm Racer’s Party: TBA
Wednesday, November 7, 2007 (1st Race Day)
8am – 5pm Dry Pits Open: Truman Annex
8am – 4pm Credentials: Truman Annex
10am Start of 1st Race
12:30pm – Start of 2nd Race
2pm – Start of 3rd Race
7pm – 9pm Racer’s Party: TBA
Thursday, November 8, 2007
9am – 5pm Dry Pits Open: Truman Annex
9am – 5pm Credentials: Truman Annex
7pm – 9pm Racer’s Party: National Awards and Florida Championship Award Party/Outer Mole: Truman Annex
Friday, November 9, 2007 (2nd Race Day)
8am – 5pm Dry Pits Open: Truman Annex
8am – 4pm Credentials: Truman Annex
10am – Start of 1st Race
12:30pm – Start of 2nd Race
2pm – Start of 3rd Race
7pm – 9pm Racer’s Street Party: Duval St.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
9am – 5pm Dry Pits Open: Truman Annex
9am – 5pm Credentials: Truman Annex
7pm – 9pm Racer’s Party: TBA
Sunday, November 11, 2007 (3rd Race Day)
8am – 5pm Dry Pits Open: Truman Annex
8am – 4pm Credentials: Truman Annex
10am – Start of 1st Race
12:30pm – Start of 2nd Race
2pm – Start of 3rd Race
7pm – 9pm Awards Ceremony: Beachside Resort N. Roosevelt Blvd.
FULL SPEED AHEAD
Get ready to clear out your calendar for an action-packed Key West World Championship Race November 4-11 with SBI and their partners.
Race Days
Wednesday, November 7
Friday, November 9
Sunday, November 11
First Race: 10 a.m.
Second Race: 12:30 p.m.
Third Race: 2 p.m.
Race Viewing
Truman Annex at the end of Southard Street
* VIP packages for viewing along the outer mole available through the SuperBoat.com
* General admission bleacher seating available Race Days at Race Village Entrance Gate
For more information, updates, schedules, locations, times and tickets, go to SuperBoat.com.