Roar produces big winners -and a big win
The APBA World Offshore Championship series – where more than 50 teams from across the globe tested their might in five cities – culminated on the Beach this past weekend, garnering kudos from racers, attendees and organizers alike.
Hosted through the joint efforts of the American Powerboat Association Roar Offshore and Powerboat P1, the races drew top-tier competitors and crowds by the thousands.
The Offshore Powerboat Association enjoyed the event so much it has offered Roar Offshore an exclusivity deal on planning and organization for future Fort Myers Beach races.
“The teams loved Fort Myers Beach, the race league thought we knocked it out of the park and want to keep making this a race to be proud of,” Tim Hill, president of Roar Offshore said.
Town officials agreed the event was a good one for the Beach.
“It was a great weekend on Fort Myers Beach. All of the glitches during the planning seemed to disappear on the day of the race and everyone just enjoyed themselves! I think everyone learned a lot this go around and it will prepare us for an even more successful event next year! Congratulations to everyone involved who made it such a success,” Mayor Anita Cereceda said.
Team Victory, a team home based in Dubai and crewed by Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali , posted a significant win in the race, which let them take the 2019 APBA Class One USA Championship after winning their race.
“I can’t describe my feeling as it’s like a dream come true for me in Class One racing,” said Salem Al Adidi , throttleman for the Victory #3 Class One Boat in a prepared statement. “I have been waiting for this moment for a long time now, and to achieve this in the very last race with such a narrow win against some of the top boats and drivers is even greater, not just for me, but for the entire UAE (United Arab Emirates). It’s a win for our country. It was a fight till the end. 222 Offshore was the biggest threat and so was Miss Geico, so the idea was not never give either of them an opportunity to pass us, and that to me, was the key for the race. We had the best of everything today – a good set-up and a good understanding between Salem and me. This was indeed a true team effort.”
Below are the overall winners for each class
Class One – Victory
Super Cat – Pro Floors
Vee Extreme – Knucklehead Instigator
Superstock – Performance Boat Center
SVX – Boat Floater
Pros Stock Vee – LSB Racing
Class 2 – Pass The Buck
Class 3 – Strictly Business
Class 4 – Simmons Marine
Class 5 – Bronx Phantom
Class 6 – Deception Offshore
Class 7 – Shadow Pirate
P1 Superstock – Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater
You can keep up with points standings and race-wide standings on Offshore Powerboat Association’s website at www.oparacing.org/standings.html