YOUR OPA RACING ORGANIZATION
Welcome to your “OPA Racing Organization”. We are a society dedicated to a sport which doesn't get the recognition it deserves--the thrilling sport of Offshore Powerboat Racing! We have members from all over the East Coast—running 200 strong! You can find us racing every other week beginning in mid June of each year. Our race venues span the East Coast from New York to Maryland to the Great Lakes area. We end the year in November at our World Event in Florida where we team up with all of the other racing organizations of Offshore Powerboat Racing. Our summer race events are easy to catch as they occur on weekends. The Florida race event is a week long powerboat racing experience.
Some of you may remember the original “Benihana Offshore Grand Prix” event which was held off of Point Pleasant Beach in the 1970's. Prior to each race the power boats were put on display in the wet pits at Kings Grant Inn/Marina located on the Manasquan River. While crews fine-tuned their engines, spectators would flock to the marina where they could hardly hear themselves speak over those thunderous engines revving.
On race day, both sides of the Manasquan Inlet were packed with fans, some of whom would skip work just to see those Powerboats come roaring out of the inlet.
The shoreline was also jam-packed and those that wanted to get really close to the action would take their personal crafts out for the day and anchor offshore. Some of the spectator boats were comprised of "volunteers" who kept strays off the race course. The US Coast Guard and Medical boats were also on hand in case of emergencies.
The New Jersey Offshore Powerboat Racing Association (NJOPR) has been the host club of the Point venue since racing began here approximately 37 years ago. Over the years, the race venue names may have changed as new sponsors were obtained but the race events remain in operation and are getting bigger and better each year. NJOPR is always looking for volunteers to help make the Point Pleasant events a safe and successful experience. For more information on how to volunteer please visit their website at www.njoffshore.com .
The list of race event names from years past include: The Hennessey Offshore Grand Prix, The Benihana Offshore Grand Prix, The Ray Catena Offshore Grand Prix, The New Jersey Offshore Grand Prix, The War at the Shore, The Jenkinson's Offshore Grand Prix and in 2005 it was called The Jersey Boyz Offshore Grand Prix.
The OPA wants the powerboat racing industry to be an up-close and personal experience. It remains a family event where the pits are open to the public. You can walk around and talk to the drivers, throttle men and crews. It’s a lot of fun and even the kids can get up on ladders and peak inside the boats to gaze at those polished and powerful engines. Best of all there is NO entry fee!
As we grow we look forward to bringing back the days of the "Benihana". The OPA Northeast series started two years ago with only three races on the schedule. This year the OPA NE series will host an seven race series, coming back to some of the old race sites and adding some new sites as well. We look forward to seeing the many faces of the people who come back to race with us each year, and we hope to see some new faces in the future. Together we will grow stronger, move beyond the obstacles and bring powerboat racing in the Northeast back to its former glory! See you this summer at the races!!
If you're interested in joining O.P.A. and The Jersey Boyz Offshore Racing Crews, contact Smitty (aka “Nice Ed Smith”) at 732-920-3945, Alan Petitt at 732-616-8764 (aka “OPA Nut!”). For further updates, you can join the emailing list at opa@oparacing.org.