The Gladiator Canados boat piloted by Ervin Grant of Massachusetts and Michel Karsenti of Miami Beach, Florida races against the the Waves and Wheels / Doug Wright boat piloted by Logan Adan of Melbourne, Florida and Ricky Maldonado of Palmetto, Florida.
Photo by Ian Swaby
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During the intense heat of the summer, the 39th annual Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix still saw racers who were loving the energy of the event, which was held July 1 and 2 after kicking off with a downtown block party on June 30.
Karleigh Alday, a member of the Sarasota-based team OC Offshore Racing, said to cope with this year's weather conditions, the crew of their boat placed frozen bottles and cooling gels inside the bridge, including in life vests and helmets.
Held by P1 Offshore, the event featured over 60 teams, some of them from outside the United States, engaging in high-performance racing along Lido Beach, and drew spectators who lined a section of the shoreline with their tents.
“I love it. It’s just my passion. I love the adrenaline rush,” said fellow OC Offshore Racing team member Joey Olivieri. Despite the team's boat ultimately breaking down and not finishing the race, he said he was eager to return next season.
The Valder Yachts/Pro Floors Racing boat piloted by Wayne Valder of New Zealand and Grant Bruggemann of Bradenton turns aside to exit the race.
Photo by Ian Swaby
TheBoatfloater.com boat piloted by Steve Kildahl of Sarasota and Stephen Kildahl.of Fort Myers floats a little above the water.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Connie Hunt, Dean Stahlman, and Nate Hunt of Naples, Florida, make a pass on the The Predator / Stahlman Motorsports boat.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Kevin Campbell and. Jason Zolecki of the United States make a pass in the Simmons Marine boat.
Photo by Ian Swaby
A helicopter crew supervises the race.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Gladiator Canados boat piloted by Ervin Grant of Massachusetts and Michel Karsenti of Miami Beach, Florida races against the the Waves and Wheels / Doug Wright boat piloted by Logan Adan of Melbourne, Florida and Ricky Maldonado of Palmetto, Florida.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Dirty Money Racing / Powerhouse Recycling boat piloted by Jason Ventura of Pompano Beach, Florida and Bill Pyburn of Jacksonville, Florida, leaps across the water.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Braden Verkaik of SVEA Racing and Patrick Cleveland of Alegra Motorsports prepare a boat for transportation after the race.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Monster Energy / M CON.boat piloted by Myrick Coil of Missouri and Tyler Miller of Kansas races by Lido Beach.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The KLOVAR Motorsports boat piloted by .Randy Keys of and Bill Allen of Iowa makes its way along the course.
Photo by Ian Swaby
A support jetski comes to the aid of a boat.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Monster Energy / M CON.boat piloted by Myrick Coil of Missouri and Tyler Miller of Kansas catches on fire, although it will soon be extinguished by the crews present.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The 222 Offshore Australia boat piloted by .Darren Nicholson of New South Wales and Giovanni Carpitella of Italy makes the rounds.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The .Huski Ice Spritz / SVEA Racing boat piloted by Brit Lilly of Maryland and Steve Curtis of Stuart, Florida kicks up a mist of sea spray.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The.dfYOUNG boat piloted by Hugh Fuller of Delray Beach, Florida and Rich Wyatt of Pennsylvania appears.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Team SunPrint / Hooters boat piloted by Steven Fehrmann and Steve Miklos of New Port Richey, Florida and the LSB RevX Oil / Speed Marine boat piloted by .Kyle Miller of New Jersey and Jay Wohltman of Spring Hill, Florida race head-to-head.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Team SunPrint / Hooters boat piloted by Steven Fehrmann and Steve Miklos of New Port Richey, Florida speeds by Lido Beach.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The T/S Motorsports / Marine Technology boat piloted by Taylor Scism of Missouri and Johnny Tomlinson of North Miami, Florida passes crowds of spectators on the beach.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Shannon Penn and Michael Holt of Tennessee pass by Lido Beach in the Unleashed boat.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Support boat crew members watch the race.
Photo by Ian Swaby
A support boat offers supervision as a race begins.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Waves and Wheels / Doug Wright boat piloted by Logan Adan of Melbourne, Florida and Ricky Maldonado of Palmetto, Florida narrowly avoids a collission with the T/S Motorsports / Marine Technology boat piloted by Taylor Scism of Missouri and Johnny Tomlinson of North Miami, Florida.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Adam Hindman, owner of the business Curb Appeal Auto & Marine Detailing, cleans the Waves and Wheels / Doug Wright boat after the race.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Graydel / C.J. Grant Racing boat piloted by Chris Grant.of Canada and Billy Moore of North Carolina makes a pass by a support boat.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Members of the Sarasota-based team OC Offshore Racing Jack Fowler, Karleigh Alday, Joey Olivieri, and Chris Volosin
Photo by Ian Swaby
Members of the Sarasota-based team Celsius Ryan Beckley and Sean Rogers
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Rollin Transport / SV Offshore boat piloted by Matt Jamniczky of Indiana and Vinnie Diorio of Wisconsin passes one of the course markers.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Team Farnsworth / Hancock Claims Consultants boat piloted by Christian McCauley. of New Hampshire and Jay Healy of Stuart, Florida races against The Developer / Wix Filters boat piloted by JP Larkin of Vermont and Eddie Tamberino of Englewood, Florida.
Photo by Ian Swaby
The Waves and Wheels / Doug Wright piloted by Logan Adan of Melbourne, Florida and Ricky Maldonado of Palmetto, Florida is on the tail of tthe Gladiator Canados boat piloted by Ervin Grant of Massachusetts and Michel Karsenti of Miami Beach, Florida.
Photo by Ian Swaby
Palmetto's Julian Maldonado of Jackhammer Offshore Racing and the Waves and Wheels / Doug Wright boat piloted by his father, Ricky Maldonado
Ian Swaby is the Sarasota neighbors writer for the Observer. Ian is a Florida State University graduate of Editing, Writing, and Media and previously worked in the publishing industry in the Cayman Islands.
