Moses Lake Regatta returns this weekend
Courtesy photo<br> The Moses Lake Regatta at Connelly Park returns this weekend as the Grand Prix West Hydroplane Association will kick off its new tour with its inaugural race in Grant County.
MOSES LAKE — It’s spring, the temperature is rising, the waters are getting warmer and that means engines are starting to click into high gear.
Grand Prix West Hydroplane Association’s 6th annual “Papa’s Casino Presents: The Moses Lake Regatta at Connelly Park” is set to start this weekend beginning on Saturday with gates opening at 9:30 a.m., same as Sunday, the day of the finals.
The Moses Lake event will host the American Power Boat Association (APBA) inboard hydroplane class, or Grand Prix West (GPW).
The GPW boats will headline the competition, which are now competing under the auspices of their own organization, outside the Grand Prix umbrella.
This is assure closer competition and increased boat-count of automotive-powered hydroplanes.
Grand Prix’s feature supercharged, big-block engines producing as much as 1,500 horsepower, and the 20 to 26 foot crafts can attain speeds up to 150 mph in the straight-a-ways with lap averages nearing 130 mph.
GPW is the first club to organize Grand Prix racing on the west coast and consists mostly of west coast-based teams.
The Papa’s Casino Presents Moses Lake Regatta will be the inaugural GPW race and will consist of many long-time competitors from the APBA and other organizations.
With the Moses Lake race being the site of the GPW’s first-ever race, hopes are for an east-west championship-style race and talks are ongoing about making this a reality.
The winner of last year’s Grand Prix Moses Lake race was GP-15 ‘Graham Trucking GT-Happy Go Lucky-PumpTech’, driven by Greg and Jerry Hopp and based out of Snohomish.
Founded in 1903, the APBA is the authority for approved powerboat racing in the United States. APBA memberships range from fan to full-fledged competitor.
APBA racing categories include hundreds of classes, both outboard and inboard, ranging from a beginner-class for kids, to the turbine-powered, 200 mph boat class.
“Moses Lake is an absolutely perfect” race-site,” Bart Leland, GPW’s marketing consultant, said. “The surveyed course has world-record capability, the weather is almost always warm, as opposed to the west side of the state, and the 1,000-foot elevation favors horsepower. Viewing is second-to-none, park facilities are pleasant and clean, and the commute from Seattle is less than three hours.”
The next GPW race is scheduled for the June 12-13, “Tastin’ and Racin” in Issaquah. So far seven races have been set up for the GPW 2010 schedule.
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