Powering up for offshore racing in Lake Hopatcong
3/20/2013
Offshore-style powerboat racing is coming to Lake Hopatcong Sunday, May 12.
Some 40 boats are expected to compete in six categories in the Offshore Powerboat Association event, to be run at the Lake Forest Yacht Club, said local organizer Jay Muller.
The 2.8-mile course will be "arena style" and fans will be able to see the entire racing from shore, said Muller.
Offshore racing had been a fixture at the Shore in past years, and fans remember the Benihana Grand Prix run at Point Pleasant Beach.
Racing at Atlantic City was scheduled two years ago but was cancelled at the last minute because of rough seas.
The Lake Hopatcong event will launch the OPA season, which includes races in Florida, Maryland, Long Island, Michigan and Ontario. Racing is scheduled June 26 in Atlantic City.
"It will be spectacular," said Muller, a seven-time world champion as "throttleman," with boats hitting speeds of 140 mph.
Lake Hopatcong has traditionally hosted smaller hydroplane races in the past, but the offshore-style craft are newcomers to the waterway, which spans the Morris-Sussex county border.
The boats carry a driver, who steers, and a throttleman, who deftly adjusts the throttles as the boat leaps out and re-enters the water so the engines don’t over-rev and the boat goes at maximum speed.
The speed and excitement fuel passionate participants, like Muller, who was drawn to the sport as a youngster at the Shore. The experience is "incredible," Muller said.
Check oparacing.org for details.
For information and sponsorship of the Lake Hopatcong race, e-mail Jay Muller at jemc199@aol.com
Please e-mail items of interest to this column to czusman@starledger.com. Check Charles Zusman’s blog at blog.nj.com/boating.
