Over 15 years of working in promotion and news coverage of international offshore powerboat racing left me as burned out as an engine due for overhaul. My “speed gene,” however, still in high gear, helped me segue into the coverage and promotion of other—and many of the same—power players that lead the more recent growth of performance center consoles. But offshore racing still fires my engine, so as a fan, I headed to Thunder on Cocoa Beach, the opening of the P1 Offshore race season.

The Governing Bodies and Race Classes of Powerboat Racing


Understanding the conundrum of racing, requires an acquaintance with the many players involved. The sanctioning bodies, from the European Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) which oversees all racing, and the U.S.-based American Powerboat Association (ABPA), govern the sport, setting the rules and regulations.

Race World Offshore

Above: The Race World Offshore official logo. Image by RWO, visit RaceWorldOffshore.com for more information.



The two main U.S. racing bodies are Key West-based Race World Offshore (RWO) and London-based P1 Offshore which operate separately, but often work together to produce national races.

P1 Offshore

Above: The P1 Offshore logo. Image by P1 Offshore, visit P1Offshore.com for more.



Additionally, some regional players like Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) also organize local races.

Offshore Powerboat Association

Above: The Official Offshore Powerboat Association Logo, by OPA.



If that isn’t confusing enough, there are various classes at each race, divided by hull shape (catamarans and V-bottoms), power types (inboard, outboard), horse power levels and speed brackets. (Class descriptions below.) So when spectators, watching a slew of various boat types running in a big oval off the beach ask, “Who’s winning?”, there is no one answer. Two or more classes may be running together in similar looking boats, so the response may be, “In the Super Stock class, it is Jackhammer, but the in Super Cat class, it is Monster Energy, and in the 700-speed bracketed class, it is XINSURANCE/Statement Marine!” Regardless, excitement mounts when brightly painted, uniquely named, powerful boats come close to each other, pass, trade leads and throw rooster tails and wakes from roaring engines!

Race Results: The High-Stakes World of Offshore Powerboat Racing


Race results are often “unofficial” until post-race inspectors review the boats’ weight and engine condition, compare it to pre-race inspections to ensure that no cheating takes place. Emotions often run high as allegations of such cheating frequently ensue. Inspectors, with the thankless job of keeping the sport safe and fair, and certain racers often face accusations from jealous and zealous competitors who feel they have somehow lost advantage.

The Evolution of Powerboat Racing: From Dominant Icons to Modern Competitors


Even in the rough and tumble world of “gentleman racing,” tough guys and crybabies make as much noise as the engines and this axiom has prevailed since the 1920s when offshore powerboat racing started in America with millionaires like Gar Wood and Chris Craft’s Chris Smith and spread across Europe, creating an international phenomena that created many racing heroes and caused many senseless deaths.

Garfield "Gar" Wood

Above: Garfield "Gar" Wood, a legendary championship motorboat builder and racer who held the world water speed record on numerous occasions. Photo from the National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain image.



Today, added excitement and intrigue comes from witnessing the technology and craftsmanship of the boat builders that effect the sport. Fountain Powerboats and Cigarette Racing Team were dominant V-bottom opponents for decades, and Skater Powerboats were THE racing cat. Over the years, competition created change and while all the aforementioned builders remain visible and powerful, other competitors entered the sport, changing the status quo.

2020 Cigarette 515 Powerboat

A Cigarette 515 powerboat with twin 1350 Mercury Racing engines listed for sale on YachtWorld by Ocean Independence in Switzerland. This flagship model from the renowned Cigarette Racing Team is a favorite among boat racing enthusiasts who crave style and power. Photo via Ocean Independence.



Outerlimits relished challenging Reggie Fountain’s race records and Doug Wright, a former surf board shaper, quietly and steadily built racing catamarans that marked the twin outboard racing classes. Likewise, catamaran builders Mystic Powerboats and Marine Technology Inc. (MTI) came heavily into the cat racing scene then modified their interiors to become comfortable recreational boats for Poker Runs with speeds that surpassed the revlimiter regulated race boats! The now retired bright chartreuse Miss GEICO boat used both Mystic and MTI hulls in its turbine and gas-powered boats, delighting loyal fans across the country.

Smaller V-bottom builder Will Smith created both canopied and open Phantom Boats that still rock the speed-bracketed classes and in Cocoa Beach, I spied a new open recreational style in the dry pits (where the boats reside for fan viewing before and after races) and I hope to share more about this next phase of Phantom boats soon.

No race would be complete with at least one Fountain Powerboat and I was pleased to see two in Cocoa Beach, acknowledging the significant impact that Reggie Fountain made on powerboat racing over his 40-year career. No one was a tougher competitor, no one fought harder to gain an extra mile-per-hour and no one worked harder to build his name and brand in the sport. If you haven’t watched "King of Offshore" treat yourself to an entertaining and well-told story from American Powerboat Television. The documentary has garnered over 1.6 million views on YouTube.


Above: The documentary film "King Of Offshore" tells the story of Reggie Fountain and his legendary career as a champion powerboat racer.

Big Names In The Industry


Quiet and humble naval architect, John Cosker has built many speed record breaking race boats over his career with Mystic Powerboats and is now rivaled in numbers by colleague Randy Schism, who built his racing career building Victory boats in Dubai, then returned home to start MTI. One of Schism’s claims to fame is creating the bottom exit hatch, so when cats flipped, as they are wont to do at out-of-control high speeds, the racer could exit through the bottom hatch, standing on top of the bottom until rescued. That invention saved his life—and many others over the years.

Sponsors: From Rolex to Local Businesses


Sponsors have been an important and coveted part of racing to help fund the ridiculously expensive acquisition and operation of the technology. Replacing the storied sponsors like Hennessey, Rolex, and Bacardi, are now attorneys, construction firms and local businesses and bars. Some may be write-offs for companies owned by racers who use them for billboards, and some companies sponsor multiple boat in various classes, but regardless, they fuel the sport. As a nod to the notorious past of offshore racing in the 70s and 80s renown English throttleman Steve Curtis, of the Cougar Powerboat family quipped, “We ran out of smugglers, so now we need sponsors!”

Locals love the excitement and excuse to party that racing brings to town! The Thursday night Street Parades are a splendid spectacle for race fans to mingle with the racers and get up close to the boats they follow while newbies to the sport gaze on the giant engines with jaw-dropped wonder. Why would anyone build something so fantastic, fast, expensive and massive? Good question—the passion-driven sport has attracted adventurers for over 100 years and the boats keep getting faster, grander and pricier to build, operate and maintain.

But from the nationally sponsored, big boats and teams to the garage project boats lovingly built and brought by hard-toiling family teams who work all day, come home to work on their boats all night, then on the weekend, jump in their trucks and campers and trailer to the races, offshore racing is NOT done for the money. In fact, the adage, “How do you make a million dollars in boat racing? Start with five million!” is largely true.

Sanctioning Bodies


The sanctioning bodies like Powerboat P1, that burst on the scene in the early 2000s to add glamour to racing, have tried to figure out ways to make money from racer memberships and fees and sponsorships, but learned quickly that with no gate money—you can’t sell tickets to the beach viewing—it is difficult to make ends meet. Providing entertainment, media, a festival atmosphere, VIP experiences and accessible racing action, all while coordinating with host communities to promote, fund charitable causes and staffing, is a challenge to say the least. Yet the sport goes on.

Powerboat P1 Logo

Above: The official Powerboat P1 Logo by P1.



Racing action generally starts with drivers’ meetings and pre-race testing to prove sobriety (yes, racers are known to party!) and are ready to race, having done “dunk tests” of a simulated boat crash experience, to prove they can right themselves, use respirators and get out of the boat, should an accident occur. And there have been many--some fatal, some educational and some that changed the sport, including new safety equipment and boat construction. I’ve written too many obituaries for friends and there is no solace in saying, “He died doing what he loved.” Offshore acing is a dangerous sport—as is Formula 1, NASCAR and the Unlimited Hydroplanes like the famed Miss Budweiser that many have seen as the blazingly fast hydroplanes took dramatic flips or barrel rolls.

Boats then leave the dry pits and travel by trailer to the wet pits where small boats are launched from ramps and large boats are craned into the water. Watching a multi-million-dollar boat delicately dangling by straps from a construction crane, still boggles my senses no matter how many times I see it. The threat of being dropped is not unrealistic as some racers have suffered the sickening shock and extreme expense of that disaster, seeing their fiberglass shrines reduced to rubble.

Once in the water, the boats “mill,” riding slowly in circles until the race course is ready, complete with safety boats, buoy markers and safety helicopters circling overhead. Should an accident occur, trained divers can deploy into the water in 30-seconds, rescuing racers who may be in shock or unable to escape from their cockpits. These helicopters often include wildlife watchers who can stop a race should a turtle or dolphin be spotted on the course. Such action has caused some wild life back in the pits after a hotly contested race is stopped!

As the various classes do their varying number of laps around the roughly 5-12-mile oval racetrack, viewers can get confused as smaller, slower boats may be lapped by bigger, faster boats of a different class, and the race announcers, now broadcasting on Facebook Live or YouTube, struggle to keep track and report the results.

And now, drum roll...let's take a look at the recent winners of 2024 Thunder on Cocoa Beach. 

2024 Thunder on Cocoa Beach Results


This year, Thunder on Cocoa Beach offshore powerboat races returned for its 14th year on Florida’s Space Coast. The Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix was one of the most popular attractions for the whole family in Central Florida. The event, one of the largest in Central Florida, drew the top race teams in the world to compete in various classes, with Class 1 reaching speeds over 175 mph. Here are the official winners and placements:

Class 1


35’-42’ Twin inboard canopied boats with 1100 HP engines capable of 160 mph.

D.F. Young GOOD BOY Powerboat Winner

Above: df Young/GOOD BOY Vodka Powerboat Winner at Thunder on Cocoa Beach Race 2024. Photos by Ronny Mac/RonnyMac.com via Powerboat P1.



  1. df Young/Good Boy Vodka

  2. Morpheus 8/Allegra Motorsports

  3. Monster Energy/M CON


df Young/GOOD BOY Vodka Powerboat

Above: df Young/GOOD BOY Vodka Powerboat Winner at Thunder on Cocoa Beach Race 2024. Photos by Ronny Mac/RonnyMac.com via Powerboat P1.


Super Cat


35’-42’ canopied catamarans with inboard twin big block engines, with rev limiter of 7000 RPMs.

Dirty Money Racing Powerboat

Above: Dirty Money Racing Powerboat at Thunder on Cocoa Beach Race 2024. Photos by Ronny Mac/RonnyMac.com via Powerboat P1.



  1. M CON/Monster Energy

  2. Dirty Money Racing

  3. CR Racing/XINSURANCE


DeFalco Construction Powerboat Winner at Thunder on Cocoa Beach Race 2024. Photos by Ronny Mac/RonnyMac.com via Powerboat P1.

Above: DeFalco Construction Powerboat at Thunder on Cocoa Beach Race 2024. Photos by Ronny Mac/RonnyMac.com via Powerboat P1.


450R Factory Stock


35’-40’ canopied catamarans with twin Mercury Racing 450R engines with 6,400 maximum RPMs.

  1. 1. T/S Motorsports/Marine Technology

  2. GC Racing Team

  3. 151 Express


Super Stock


28-32’ canopied catamarans with Mercury 300SX engines.

Jack Hammer Powerboat

Above: Jackhammer Powerboat at Thunder on Cocoa Beach Race 2024. Photos by Ronny Mac/RonnyMac.com via Powerboat P1.



  1. Jackhammer

  2. North Wing Offshore

  3. Team Allen Lawncare & Landscaping


Super V


26’-30’ monohull boats with Mercury 525 EFI engines.

Hancock Farnsworth Motorsports

Above: Hancock Farnsworth Motorsports Powerboat at Thunder on Cocoa Beach Race 2024. Photos by Ronny Mac/RonnyMac.com via Powerboat P1.



  1. Team Farnsworth/Hancock Claims Consultants

  2. Cortez Cove Fountain Racing


Mod V


29’-32’ monohulls with Mercury Racing 525 EFI engines.

  1. Safe Cash/XINSURANCE

  2. FastboysRacing.com

  3. Boatfloater.com


Bracket Classes


Enables different boats with different power to enter racing more affordably, but they must stay within certain speed limits.

Bracket Class 200


Monohull or cats 36’-42’ inboard or outboard twin engines 90 MPH top speed.

  1. OC Racing

  2. Team Woody Racing

  3. H20 Performance/Two Conchs


Charter Bracket Class 400


Monohull 27’-35’ inboard or outboard, twin or single engine, 85 MPH top speed.

  1. Framed Offshore Racing

  2. Precious Vodka

  3. Trump 2024


Bracket Class 500


Monohull 26’-30’ outboard engines, 300 HP max, 75 MPH top speed.

XInsurance Powerboat

Above: CR Racing XINSURANCE Powerboat at Thunder on Cocoa Beach Race 2024. Photos by Ronny Mac/RonnyMac.com via Powerboat P1.



  1. XINSURANCE/TFR/Golf n Gator

  2. Bullet Proof/Team Farnsworth/Goodcars.com

  3. Rum Runner


Bulletproof Powerboat at Thunder On Cocoa Beach 2024

Above: Bulletproof powerboat at Thunder on Cocoa Beach 2024. Photos by Ronny Mac/RonnyMac.com via Powerboat P1.



 

Bracket Class 700


Monohul 20’-22’ outboard, single engine, 60 MPH top speed.

Bulletproof Powerboat

Above: Proven Marine powerboat at Thunder on Cocoa Beach 2024. Photos by Ronny Mac/RonnyMac.com via Powerboat P1.



  1. XINSURANCE/Statement Marine

  2. Hartman/Statement Marine/XINSURANCE

  3. Proven Marine


Class 3X


Monohull, up to 22’ open cockpit, single engine up to 200 HP.

1. Scratch & Sniff (no other boats running in that class)

For full schedules of P1 Offshore, visit p1offshore.com and for Race World Offshore’s schedule visit raceworldoffshore.com. Check out the racing action via Live feed if you can’t make it, but the thrill is real when you get on the water and see boats fly!