Offshore power boat racing became an official sport in 1903 when members of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and the Marine Motor Association decided to organize a competition. Not long after that, the American Powerboat Association was formed. The first recorded offshore race was conducted in California in the year 1911.
Offshore powerboat racing has gained fans ever since. The sport is funding by a combination of private company funding and commercial sponsors. One of the most high-profile and successful teams today is Miss Geico owned by AMF Riviera Beach. It’s located in Riviera Beach, Florida.
Miss Geico holds numerous world speed records and has gained several national and world championships since launching in 2005. The team now holds 10 world titles. In all, Miss Geico has won 100 races. The club generally faces stiff competition from teams in Norway, Qatar and Australia, not to mention fellow American teams.
Top-of-the-line powerboats today fly across the water at speeds in excess of 200 mph. High-tech boats feature engines with an excess of two to three thousnds horsepower muscle. Of course, the goal is to coax as much speed as possible out of each boat, but operators must also execute sharp turns and hair-raising manuevers while keeping the hull in the water.
Without a doubt, this makes offshore powerboat racing one of the most dangerous sports in the world. The drivers are highly skilled, however, and the thrill factor is off the charts, including for spectators.
Miss Geico’s current flagship racer is a 9,500-pound craft made from carbon fiber and Kevlar. It features two 1,100 hp engines giving it a total of 2,200 hp. the Miss Geico team also sports a second-generation catamaran-model boat that ist used to win its third and fourth world championships. It’s top speed in nearly 200 mph. It’s behemoth T53 703 turbine engines pack 3,700 horsepower.
A third Miss Geico boat is the Victory Catamaran. It’s a fourth generation 50-foot vessel weighing in at 12,000 pounds. It is fitted with a 1650 RACE Sterndrive Mercury racing piston engine that generates 3,300 horsepower. It can exceed 200 mph.
Miss Geico has carved out a reputation as among the most successful offshore racing teams in the world since it entered competition in 2005