SARASOTA —Smoke will rise from the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday as 52 powerboats, racing in 10 different classes, take to the water in search of speeds up to 160 miles per hour.
The 37thannual P1 Offshore Sarasota Grand Prix 2022 will roar into action on Saturday with races featuring personal watercraft, while Sunday is reserved for the big boats with a crew ofdriver and throttleman.
For the first time since the 2019 Sarasota Grand Prix, the field will includeboats from around the world —placeslike Australia, Italy, Sweden and the Cayman Islands.
Australian driver Darren Nicholson, 59, won the Class 1 championship in 2019 aboard 222 (pronounced Triple Two) in his firstvisit to Sarasota. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 Grand Prix was cancelled and the 2021 event was limited to American teams.
Nicholson is scheduled to drive 222 again on Sunday, with veteran throttleman Giovanni Carpitella of Venice, Italy, in charge ofcontrolling the boat’s speed. Carpitella also worked the 222 throttle when the pair won in 2019.
Class 1, the top class of competition, features uniform vessels that have two Mercury Racing 1100 horsepower engines and weigh 11,750 pounds each.
Nicholson was a world-class sailor before switchingto the largest, loudest and fastest boats on the water.
“I wanted to go faster, I suppose,” Nicholson said of his decision to stop sailing and fire up the engines. “There is nothing quite like five tons of boat going 160 miles per hour.”
Another former champion will return this year’s edition of the Grand Prix.
Throttleman Steve Kildahl, 64, and driver and son Stephen Kildahl, 32, also won in 2019 on Boatfloater.com, finishing first in the Super Vee Extreme Class. The Sarasota natives were also back in 2021 to capture the championship in the Mod V Class. On Sunday, Boatfloater.com will race again in the Mod V Class.
“We put our heart and soul into it,” Stephen Kildahl said, following their 2021 victory in Sarasota. “Everybody on our team gives up their spare time, so we can prepare for this.
“It takes a team effort. From the people who build the motors, to those who do the testing. All the prop work, all the data work, it all has to click to win on Sunday.”
While Stephen and 29-year-old sister Kaley Kildahl are both seasoned powerboat racers, it is father Steve that truly makes the family unique. Some how, some way, Steve has managed to race in all 36 previous Grand Prix events in Sarasota.
“We’re getting older,” Steve Kildahl said. “That’s for sure. But we’re as young as we feel.”
37th ANNUALPOWERBOAT GRAND PRIX
Saturday's Schedule: P1 AquaX Race 1 — 8:30 a.m.-10 a.m.; P1 Offshore Testing —10:30-1 p.m.; P1 AquaX Race 2 —1:30-3:30 p.m.; UMI Class Pole Position Race —3:30-4:30 p.m.
Sunday's Schedule: P1 AquaX Race 3 —8:30-10 a.m.; P1 Offshore Race 1 —10-11 a.m.; P1 Offshore Race 2 —11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; UIM Class Race 1 —12:45-2 p.m.; P1 Offshore Race 3 — 2:15-3:30 p.m.; P1 Offshore Race 4 —3:30-4:30 p.m.
Race fan info: The best view of the races for those on land is from Lido Beach. Fans can watch free of charge. However, tickets for VIP access on Lido Beach are available for $65 for Saturday’s personal watercraft races from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and for $250 for Sunday’s powerboat finale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday, spectators can take advantage of the P1 Village Fan Zone at the Lido Beach parking lot from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
