Race World Offshore, LLC (RWO) will open its 2019 season on August 16th with the first of four national races on a schedule that will include the prestigious Key West World Championship event in November. RWO was awarded the a five-year contract for the event on March 7 in a unanimous vote by the Key West city commission after it weighed competing bids from Super Boat International, which has produced the annual Key West contests for the past five years, and the Offshore Powerboat Association and Powerboat P1, which have banded together to produce the new American Power Boat Association Offshore Championship Series
RWO plans to have four national races with events in Dunkirk, N.Y. (Aug. 16-18), Clearwater, Fla., (Sept. 26-29) and in Key West (Nov. 3-10) half races on Wednesday and Friday and the final fourth full day of racing on Sunday. In addition, RWO is opening up various open-canopy boat classes to accommodate most of the participants wanting to race in a professional series, and reducing entry fees, membership fees and equipment fees from previous years to make it more accommodating to teams.
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“This whole process has taken so long and it spilled over into the second quarter of 2019,” said Larry Bleil, the Key West-based founder of RWO, in a press release. “I am so happy it is over so we can get on with things. And now, we can finally roll out our plans and talk about this season.”
Although Race World Offshore is an official club-member of the American Power Boat Association, the Key West, Fla.-based organization will run all of its events in 2019 without an APBA sanction. The decision was driven by the Offshore Powerboat Association’s refusal to allow RWO to produce an APBA-sanctioned race in Dunkirk, which is within the APBA’s Northeast region. Also an APBA club, the Offshore Powerboat Association has the exclusive right to produce APBA events in the area.
According to the press release, in Key West RWO will use Truman Waterfront Park Amphitheater for its opening and closing ceremonies, concerts and special events during the Key West race week.
“Based on the cruise ship schedule, the races will be similar to previous years, with three days of racing and points will be accumulated to secure a World Title,” the release stated. “However, there will be notable awards for each of the three days of racing: Truman Waterfront Cup, Southernmost Continental Champion and World Champion respectively. There will be many other details to follow, but it is also important to note that all other sanctioning bodies and their classes of boats are welcome to participate.”
Race World Offshore will provide online sign-up and fee schedules for its 2019 season on or before May 15. Team racing in RWO-produced events must be current APBA Racing members
For further information contact Lee Stanford: Win@RaceWorldOffshore.Global
