ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Looking for something to do over Labor Day weekend?
Visit St.Pete/Clearwater invites you to take a trip over to St. Pete Pier for the Powerboat P1 Grand Prix.
This world-class marine motorsport will "bring color and velocity" to the downtown St. Pete waterfront, organizers say in a news release. International promoter Powerboat P1 will stage a double bill showdown of powerboat and Jet-Ski racing.
This two-day race will take place on Sept. 4 and 5 and is free to all spectators. As part of the eight-venue APBA national championship, both professional and amateur P1 AquaX racing will take place.
Race-goers will be able to visit the pits for the race boats at Vinoy Park and Aquax at Spa Beach from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday.
St. Pete Pier will have food vendors and LED screens set up to stream the live broadcast, which will be captured via helicopters and drones.
According to the news release, Matthew Wayne, a Florida-grown country artist will be playing at 7 p.m. on Friday at Vinoy Park, sponsored by A-Game Beverages.
Visit St. Pete/Clearwater Chief Operating Officer Tim Ramsberger says they are pleased to be partnering with P1 to stage the inaugural St. Pete Powerboat Grand Prix.
“The pier and entire downtown waterfront promises to be a great venue and backdrop for the race weekend which we look forward to building as a signature event for our community," he stated in the news release. "Spectators will be able to cheer on the Visit St. Pete/Clearwater custom-designed powerboat and personal watercraft rider Tory Snyder on his VSPC-branded Jet Ski."
Powerboat P1 partnered with Travis Pastrana and Nitro Circus earlier this year in downtown St. Pete for an invitational powerboat racing challenge.
“We are excited to bring a weekend of exhilarating sport and entertainment to the city with a packed schedule of racing in front of the superb, new pier,” P1 USA Championship Manager Michelle Petro said in the news release.
“We’re expecting around 40 powerboats and 55 AquaX riders, and the action will be live-streamed on our P1 Offshore Facebook page and Powerboat P1 YouTube channel."
For any information on the event schedule, racecourse maps or VIP hospitality packages, visit the P1 Offshore website.