February 7, 2024
By Matt Trulio, speedonthewater.com
Offshore racing fans and competitors on scene for last year’s inaugural Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge in Sheboygan, Wis., left the venue vowing to return—if the event did. The Sheboygan community opened its arms for a Friday night street party and exhibit followed by two days of racing action on Lake Michigan, and the waterfront site and adjacent beaches were simply spectacular.
Not only is the event coming back August 8-11 thanks in large part to producer Powerboat P1, the City of Sheboygan recently was honored by the American Power Boat Association with its 2023 Best Race Site award.
For the racers, Sheboygan was an obvious choice for the honor. And here’s what some of them had to say.
“The venue was great, with the pits and crane all together and close to the race course. It’s always great to have the town turn out for the race, too. They were very welcoming and loved having us there. Winning one of the races helped as well.—Rich Wyatt, owner/throttleman, df Young.
“The shorefront location on freshwater close to the pits was awesome. The block party was great, too. Also all the people were genuinely happy to have us there. Plus, we enjoyed some flat -and rough-water racing.”—Grant Bruggemann, throttleman, XINSURANCE.
“The amazing turnout of fans and spectators as well as the spectacular venue all lead to a must-return for Sheboygan. As a first-time event it was great to see the warm welcome and amazing turnout by the entire community.”—Tyler Miller, owner/throttleman, Monster Energy/M CON.
“The venue was great for the fans, and it was really cool that multiple people we met at the block party worked at Mercury Racing.”—Taylor Scism, driver/owner, TS Motorsports.
Honored by the reward, Sheboygan mayor Ryan Sorenson said the community is eager to have the racers back in the waterfront city.
“This recognition is a testament to the collaborative efforts of our community,” he said in the press release. “We are looking forward to continuing to be a premier destination for the exhilarating P1 Offshore race series and to welcoming back the teams to our shores this August.”
Added Powerboat P1 chief executive officer Azam Rangoonwala, “The event demonstrated the power of partnerships and we are now building on this success to progress plans with the City and Visit Sheboygan for staging this year’s Sheboygan Powerboat Grand Prix in August.”
