Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix: Speed, Tradition & My Ride of a Lifetime

It was the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix, and the year was 2015. I had gotten to know Lucy Nicandri, executive director of Suncoast Charities for Children, the organization behind the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix. Each year, Lucy asked me and a few friends from Sarasota Lifestyle to help organize volunteers for the beach clean-up that followed the races. It became our tradition—something small we could do to give back to a festival that brought so much excitement to our city.

But that year at the Hyatt Regency, Lucy leaned over and told me with a grin:

“Mike, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

I thought maybe it was extra passes or a chance to meet a driver. Instead, it was the ride of a lifetime.

Minutes later, I found myself climbing aboard a sleek Cigarette boat with three other media guests. The captain waved me into the seat right beside him. Shotgun.

“Stay low. Hold on to the straps. Don’t stand up. You’re going to enjoy the ride,” he said.

We slipped out of the marina, eased past the Ringling Bridge, and glided toward Big Pass. The Gulf was waiting.

Then the throttles went down.

The roar was deafening. A white curtain of spray shot up behind us as the bow lifted. The boat didn’t pound or slam—it sliced through the chop like a blade. My stomach floated as the hull skipped across the water.

“That’s 100!” the captain yelled over the wind.

I gripped the straps tighter, suddenly convinced I’d be launched into the Gulf. No seatbelts. No room for error. Just me, the spray, and a speed I couldn’t fully comprehend. My hair was plastered straight back, my camera clutched like my life depended on it.

We pushed faster—120 mph. It didn’t feel like a boat anymore. It felt like a jet gliding just above the surface of the Gulf.

When the engines finally cut, I couldn’t tell whether Lucy had rewarded me or punished me with that front-row seat. In the end, I decided it was the best reward I’d ever been given.

That ride changed how I saw the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix. Suddenly it wasn’t just an event I attended or volunteered at. It was personal.

The Birth of Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix

The Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix began in the 1980s, when offshore racing was in its golden age. Sarasota had all the right ingredients: open Gulf waters, a strong boating culture, and a community eager to celebrate the Fourth of July with something bigger than just fireworks.

The idea caught on. By the mid-1990s, the Grand Prix powerboat races had grown into one of the premier events on the offshore racing calendar. The biggest teams came. The fastest boats raced. The world watched.

It wasn’t just about the racing, though. The festival became a community anchor—part sporting event, part fundraiser, part patriotic celebration. Sarasota’s summers became defined by it.

Lido Beach Becomes the Grandstand

If Main Street was the prelude, Lido Beach was the theater.

Fans staked their claim on the sand as soon as the gates opened. They came loaded with coolers, tents, umbrellas, and chairs. These weren’t casual beachgoers—they were seasoned race fans who knew how to set up for a day under the blazing July sun.

Saturday brought the preliminary heats. But Sunday—that was the big show. By 8 a.m., Lido Beach was wall-to-wall people. From the water’s edge back to the sea oats, the sand disappeared under a sea of spectators.

For years, I was fortunate to have a parking pass and credentials for the VIP tent near the Sandcastle Resort. Those were some of the best days—ducking into the shade for a cold drink, talking with racers and sponsors, then stepping right back out to the shoreline for the raw power of the race.

The July 4th Celebration, Sarasota Style

The Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix quickly became the centerpiece of Sarasota’s Independence Day celebration.

Downtown Sarasota came alive with the Grand Prix Parade along Main Street. Back then, there were no roundabouts, no railings, no ropes to keep people back. Locals crowded the curbs, sometimes just feet from the action. Semi-trucks customized by race teams hauled massive powerboats right through the heart of downtown, their polished hulls gleaming in the sun.

Crew members perched proudly on top of the boats, waving like celebrities as fans cheered. Kids darted forward for high-fives. The atmosphere was electric—half small-town parade, half world-class spectacle.

The Racing Experience | Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix

If you’ve only watched offshore racing on TV, you haven’t truly experienced it.

On screen, the boats look fast. In person, they are thunder and lightning combined. The sound rattles your chest. The spray creates a haze that sometimes makes it impossible to even see the boats.

Then, just as quickly, a boat bursts through the cloud of white water, flying across the Gulf with engines screaming. The speed is jaw-dropping. Blink and you miss it.

Fans erupted every time a boat surged ahead. Cheers rolled down the beach like waves themselves. You could hear the collective gasp when a boat caught air, or when two roared side by side toward the turn buoy.

It was Sarasota at its loudest, boldest, and most alive.

Meeting Legends of Powerboat Racing Who Built the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix

That 2015 pre-race meeting gave me another gift besides my ride: the chance to meet Steve Curtis, one of offshore racing’s legendary throttlemen.

If you don’t know, throttlemen are half of the racing equation. While the driver handles steering, the throttleman controls speed and trim—balancing the boat at insane speeds, making split-second adjustments, and working in perfect sync with the driver.

Meeting Curtis reminded me that offshore racing isn’t just about machines. It’s about people—their courage, their skill, their willingness to push the limits in pursuit of victory.

The Community Impact

The Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix’s impact on Sarasota has always been twofold:

•Tourism & Economy – The event brought thousands of visitors, filling hotels, restaurants, and shops. It generated millions of dollars in revenue for the local economy and put Sarasota on the map as an international racing destination.

•Charity & Community – Through Suncoast Charities for Children, proceeds went directly to programs supporting children and adults with special needs. Executive director Lucy Nicandri made sure the mission stayed front and center.

That’s why I loved volunteering for the beach cleanup. It wasn’t glamorous, but it mattered. After a weekend of speed and celebration, restoring Lido Beach to its natural beauty felt like closing the loop—giving back to the community that had given so much.

The Best of Times

Looking back, those years when I had a VIP pass and a reserved parking spot feel like the golden days.

I’d walk from the lot, credentials swinging, into the cool shade of the Sandcastle tent. Inside, the hum of conversation mixed with the smell of catered food. Outside, the Gulf roared with horsepower.

It felt like Sarasota was at the center of the world. And in many ways, for that weekend, it was.

Why The Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Endures

The Sarasota Offshore Grand Prix endures because it has always been about more than speed. It’s about:

•Tradition – A July 4th celebration that became part of Sarasota’s identity.

•Community – Locals volunteering, businesses sponsoring, families making memories.

•Spectacle – Racing that has to be seen and felt in person to be believed.

•Charity – Giving back through Suncoast Charities for Children. Once you live in Sarasota, you quickly discover the myriad amazing, much-needed charities including All Faiths Food Bank & Suncoast Charities for Children.

When people ask me why it matters, I tell them it’s not just about the boats. It’s about the way Sarasota comes alive—united, proud, and electric.

And for me, it’s also personal.

When Lucy asked me to help get the word out in the community about the annual beach clean-up—a requirement of the permit for the Grand Prix—I was thrilled. I knew our Sarasota Lifestyle community would step up, and sure enough, each year we had more and more volunteers. It was an opportunity to help Lucy, help the beach by removing trash and cigarette butts, and to finally meet people I’d only known through Facebook.

The beach clean-ups became something we all looked forward to—not just a good deed, but a chance to come together. Before long, we added a few more clean-ups beyond the festival itself, because it gave us another excuse to do good and spend time as friends.

And I’ll never forget the generosity of the Daiquiri Deck on St. Armands Circle, who welcomed us after the clean-ups with daiquiris and finger foods. It turned into an afterparty of sorts, where I met even more wonderful people who had joined the Sarasota Lifestyle community.

That’s the heart of why the Grand Prix endures. It’s not only about what happens on the water, but about what happens on the sand, in the community, and in the friendships built around it.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Every June and July, when the calendar rolls around to Grand Prix weekend, I think back to that wild ride in 2015. I can still feel the adrenaline, the roar of the engines, the strange calm when I finally surrendered to the speed.

That day gave me more than a story. It gave me a connection to Sarasota’s Grand Prix that will stay with me forever.