Hydro-Turf to sponsor PWC race series during Powerboat Nationals
Powerboat Nationals has simplified the names of its four series of watercraft racing and added a fifth class for the 2019 racing season.
Effective immediately, Powerboat Nationals’ two national touring series featuring outboard tunnel boats will use the ProTunnel or “PT” designation.
The ProTunnel 1 series will feature Formula 1-style, 16-foot tunnel boats that use the stock Mercury SST-120 engine. The PT1 series, previously known as Formula 2, will return as the premiere series of tunnel boat racing under the Powerboat Nationals banner.
The ProTunnel 2 series will feature the SST-45 boats that previously raced under the “Formula 4” designation. The PT2 series is one of the most competitive and entertaining types of powerboat racing. Its low-cost, fun racing is appealing to both novice and expert drivers and has quickly become a fan favorite.
Powerboat Nationals also added the Hydro-Turf US HydroDrag Nationals series to its 2019 stable of events. Each of the four events will take place in Tavares, Florida and will feature Unlimited, SuperStock, Spec, Spark EX Modified, and ProAm Enduro PWC racing. These events are in addition to the 2019 Hydro-Cross series races that feature the ProSport and Spark classes of personal watercraft.
“We were looking for simple, non-technical designations for our series that were easy for fans to remember and would quickly identity the boats we race,” said Powerboat Nationals managing director Dan Bunting. “This combined with our new partnership with the Hydro-Turf HydroDrags helps us move closer to our goal of being the go-to organization for world-class tunnel boat and PWC racing in North America.”
The 2019 Powerboat Nationals racing schedule will be seen on nine television networks in 2019 to include the national motorsports channel, MAVTV.
Powerboat Nationals is a national touring series that provides world-class tunnel hull powerboat and jet ski/PWC racing on rivers and lakes across North America.
The 2019 Powerboat Nationals race schedule is as follows:
June 2 — Grand Prix of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
July 7-8 — Grand Prix of Ohio, Marietta, OH
July 21-22 — Grand Prix of Michigan, Trenton, MI
Aug. 4-5 — The Constellium Ohio River Grand Prix, Ravenswood, WV
Aug. 31-Sept. 2 — Grand Prix of Louisiana, Shreveport, LA
Sept. 22-23 — Grand Prix of Wisconsin, Wausau, WI
Oct. 27-28 — Grand Prix of Florida, Naples, FL
