While we largely shake our head in disbelief at the amount of cash that gets laid out on professional level drag cars and other motorsports, there are a few that sit in the league of their own. Offshore power boat racing is one of those sports and the machines that sit in the upper echelons of that motorized competition are truly incredible pieces of engineering that can run almost 200mph on the water (if conditions are there to support those speeds) run engines that range from multiple blown fat blogs to the turbines that power the two boats entered by the country of Quatar….yep, the same guys that sponsor Alan Johnson’s NHRA top fuel team. The typical boat in the highest categories has about 3,000hp. Seriously. The boats are also awesome looking with their big hulls, flat decks, and small cockpit area.
The thing that really sets this type of racing apart though is the fact that virtually everyone involved is ultra, own a small country, rich beyond imagination. The teams often have their own helicopters floating above the course to provide communication and spotting for drivers, lots of racers/ team owners show up in their own yachts, and the racing locations tend to be cool places like this weekend’s iconic multi-decade tradition in Key West. Life styles of the (fast) rich and famous on the water! Don’t get us wrong, if we had the opportunity to hammer down on a 50ft long boat that had 3,000hp and could make almost 2oo on the water, we’d be IN!
HIT THE LINK TO WATCH LIVE, STREAMING VIDEO OF THE 2013Key West Super Boat World Championships!
click the link below to learn more about one of the motors that many racers use at keywest
http://www.mercuryracing.com/sterndrives/hp1650.php
they make it look painless
Its only money.
Try off road – every vehicle changes the course for the next one. And its not 5-6 its a hundred vehicles. Rooster tail that lasts for minutes and so thick you can’t see the front of the vehicle…. Wreck or catch fire and help may be 1/2 hour or more away. Race that lasts 20 hours not 10 minutes… try real racing.
Thank you guys for including this on your site!!!!!!