2018 Point Pleasant Beach Offshore Grand Prix Schedule

People, start your engines.

The event that has come to nearly define Point Pleasant Beach will be ready for launch on Thursday, and run through Sunday (see schedule below).

The event, which will begin in the Arnold Avenue Parking Lot, is basically a descendant of The Benihana Offshore Grand Prix. This race was known as the Indy 500 of Offshore Racing and was held in Point Pleasant Beach during the 1970s.

According to the website: The New Jersey Offshore Powerboat Racing Association has been the host club since racing started in Point Pleasant Beach more than 40 years ago. NJ Offshore (NJOPRA) is still a very active club with over 100 members and has kept the tradition of Offshore Racing alive on the Jersey Shore for all those years.

Over the years, the name of the Point Pleasant Beach race has been changed each time a new sponsor was obtained. It's been called: 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 the year of 2005 it was called The Jersey Boyz Offshore Grand Prix.

During the years, the race course has gotten smaller and shorter. In the Benihana days, the race was over 200-miles-long, running laps from NY's Fire Island to Seaside Heights. One lap was about 80 miles. For the spectators, and there were many, the boats came by once an hour and only three or four times depending upon the race course configurations.

Today the racecourse is a small 4-mile oval as close to the beach as possible. Since the beach drops off quickly, the boats usually run within 150 feet of the surf. Even the outside leg can be clearly seen from the shoreline.

The NJ race has also seen its share of sanction flags. Originally, the race was the premier APBA National Offshore Race. This race ran on the third Wednesday of the month of July like clockwork. People would book their vacations around race week, as it was always a source of excitement. Back in 1975 a fast boat in NJ was a 21' Searay with a 188 Merc I/O. So when the big boats came to town, it was quite a show.

Here is the schedule:

Thursday, May 17, 2018

5pm-11pm

• Racers Welcome Party & Charity Event
• To benefit the Nicholas Hudanish Foundation
• Wharfside Patio Bar (101 Channel Dr, PPB)

Friday, May 18, 2018

All day

• Arrival of Race Boats - Race Village - TBA
• Crane Area - Ken's Landing (30 Broadway, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ)
• Ramp Area - Deep Creek Cove Marina (381 Brielle Rd, Manasquan, NJ)
• Wet Pits - Ken's Landing (30 Broadway, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ)
• Dry Pits - Point Pleasant Beach Train Station (413 Arnold Ave & Route 35 North, Point Pleasant Beach)
• Wash Down Area - Race Village

12pm-3pm

• Registration - Amethyst Beach Motel (202 Arnold Ave, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ)

11am-3pm

• Race Boat Inspections - Race Village

12pm-3pm

• Swim/Dunker Testing - Amethyst Beach Motel

12pm-3pm

• GPS Registration - GPS Trailer at Race Village

4pm-8pm

• Race Boats on Display at the Arnold Ave Block Party (staging at 3:30pm)

9pm

• VIP Racer Gathering - Martell's Lobster House ( 308 Boardwalk, PPB)

Saturday, May 19, 2018

11am-5pm

• Race Village open to the pubic

8am-12pm

• Swim/Dunker Testing - Amethyst Beach Motel

10am

• Racer Meeting - Bandshell @ Silver Lake Parking Lot

10:30am-2pm

• Registration - Amethyst Beach Motel

11am-4pm

• Race Boat Inspections - Race Village

11am-4pm

• GPS Registration - GPS Trailer at TBA

10:30am

• Race Control Operational (Jenkinson's South - 610 Ocean Ave, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ)

10:30am-4pm

• Crane & Ramp Operational

12pm-3pm

• Race Boat testing

5pm

• Boat Parade (up Ocean, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ) Parade; Staging: 4:30pm; Parade Start: 5pm

6:30pm

• Volunteer Meeting - Bandshell @ Silver Lake Parking Lot

8pm

• VIP Racer Gathering - Jenkinson's Paviliion (300 Boardwalk, PPB)

Sunday, May 20, 2018

10am-5pm

• Race Village open

7am

• Team Physicals - Bandshell @ Silver Lake Parking Lot

8am

• Racer Meeting - Bandshell @ Silver Lake Parking Lot

9am

• Set Course Markers

9am

• Medical and Dive team briefing - Bandshell @ Silver Lake Parking Lot

9am

• Patrol Fleet Briefing - Bandshell @ Silver Lake Parking Lot

10am

• Race Control Operational

• Crane and Ramp operational

11am

• Race Patrol Fleet & Course Support Fleet on station

12pm

• RACE 1 (subject to adjustment)

2pm

• RACE 2 (subject to adjustment)

6pm

• Awards Ceremony - Martell's Lobster House (308 Boardwalk, PPB)

Read more here

NJ Offshore Grand Prix photo