May 25, 2012 @ 11:30 PM
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON — Downtown Huntington will once again roar with the sound of powerboats racing on the Ohio River.
The Huntington Classic, an American Performance Racing Superleague event, is set for Aug. 10-12 on the mighty Ohio at Harris Riverfront Park. Professional powerboats churned up the water at Harris Riverfont Park in the 1980s and 1990s during the Tri-State Fair and Regatta Summerfest and again in 2005 and 2006 as part of Ribfest.
Last year, the races were staged upriver at Adam's Landing Marina in Guyandotte.
"We used to have powerboat racing as part of Summerfest and Ribfest at Harris Riverfront Park several years ago and we are excited to again have the opportunity to bring the highest caliber of boat racing available in America back to Huntington's downtown riverfront park," event organizer Dan Ferguson said in a news release.
Admission is included in tickets to the Huntington Rib and Music Festival, Aug. 9-12. Daily admission is $5. Children age 12 and younger are free with an adult admission. Tickets will be available at the gate or in advance at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena box office. Corporate sponsorship packages and VIP tickets are available.
Other APR Superleague races are in Pittsburgh, Pa.; Marietta, Ohio; Aurora, Ind.; Kankakee, Ill.; New Martinsville, W.Va.; and Memphis, Tenn.
The races are sanctioned by the American Powerboat Association and conducted by APR Events Group of New Martinsville, W.Va.
Formula 3 and Formula 2 outboards will race around the course at an average speed of 115 mph.
Terry Rinker of Tampa, Fla., and Tammy Wolf-Jakob from Clifton, Ill, were the 2011 Huntington Classic winners in Formula 2 and Formula 3 respectively.
Rinker won on the way to becoming the 2011 Powerboat Superleague champion in Formula 2. Wolf-Jakob finished fourth in the final Formula 3 points race.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/briefs/x1198918368/Downtown-riverfront-to-again-host-boat-racing