The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
ROAR RETURNS
Powerboats who had planned to race in the Third Annual Roar off the Shore Grand Prix held at Headlands Beach State Park on July 22 enter Mentor Harbor after the race was cancelled due to weather.
Foggy weather foils full day of racing, crowd packs beach for third annual powerboat race
Managing the Super Boat Mentor Offshore Grand Prix is a very hectic job.
According to Event Director Shawn Zbasnik of Mentorbased Cleveland Construction, it’s a handful, and that’s when overcast skies and less than perfect weather don’t hamper a full afternoon of action.
But one race is better than none, and the crowds at Mentor
Headlands Beach State Park still packed the shore even with the threat of inclement weather.
With two one-hour races scheduled, only the noon-scheduled competition took place. Typically, lightning delays races, but the races eventually go on, rain or shine. However, this year added a quirk.
“We want to continue to highlight Mentor and Lake County.”
— Super Boat Mentor Offshore Grand Prix Director Shawn Zbasnik of Mentor-based Cleveland Construction
The second race was cancelled because rescue divers in helicopters were unable to see boaters. In the end, precaution prevailed.
The powerboat race dubbed, “the greatest show on water,” returned to Northeast Ohio for a third consecutive year July 22, but the entire weekend, actually, was all pomp and circumstance preparing for the event, with racer meetand-greets at the Great Lakes Mall in Mentor, and during a block party parade on Erie St. in Downtown Willoughby where fans and spectators could get up close and personal with the speedy vessels.
The biggest change to the event, Zbasnik said, was extending the event over the course of the weekend.
“It’s grown in its three years to become more of a Lake County event as opposed to just a Mentor–related event. We wanted to
make sure neighboring cities participated. And parades are characteristic. A lot of downtown venues hold these to promote their events. That’s what we designed it to do.
“Also, it’s relatively new to the area,” he said. “We feel like we’ve introduced something new because you usually only see these types of powerboat races in Florida, where it’s huge all-year around, but even still, that’s
not lake racing. Some teams may be hesitant about hauling their boats and support teams all the way up here.
“The first year we held this, it was a sell. It was really difficult. I mean, we’re a football, baseball and basketball
town. But we feel we’re establishing ourselves as a powerboat race county. Even if you don’t own a
boat, you’re able to watch the race. We’re creating a new fan base while others have been marketed to in other areas of the country for 30 years. It’s cool to have something like this here.”
Two other changes to the event this year may hasten the acceptance and growing popularity, too — announcer play-by-play, providing an overview for fans and spectators on the shore, and national broadcasting exposure, as the race will be televised on a tape delay next year.
“We want to continue to highlight Mentor and Lake County,” Zbasnik said. “American Performance Media is the camera crew while CBS Sports is the station to air the event. It’s definitely going to be good for the region.”
The plan to air the hourlong program in Feb. 2019 was confirmed before the event. The second race’s cancellation may alter the broadcast altogether. Visit www.offshoreracingmentor.com/contact/ for possibly updated information.