Miss GEICO Racing Announces 2017 Schedule

POINT PLEASANT, N.J., May 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight-time world champion powerboat racing team Miss GEICO will kick off the 2017 racing season in the Point Pleasant Beach Grand Prix May 19-21.  The event is the first in the GEICO Triple Crown OPA Powerboat racing series.

Miss GEICO won the Point Pleasant OPA Powerboat Race in 2016 and is looking forward to another win this year.  The two races completing the GEICO Triple Crown series will take place at the Fall River Grand Prix in Massachusetts Aug 25-27 and the Lake Hopatcong Grand Prix in New Jersey Sept 22-24.

"We're all about winning any time we're on the water; but we especially want to do well in the GEICO Triple Crown races to promote and properly represent GEICO, our sponsor," said team Marketing Director Gary Goodell.  "And, of course, the ultimate goal is to complete the season with our ninth world championship title."

Additional locations on the racing circuit include stops in Sarasota, FL, St. Clair, MI, Michigan City, IN, the SBI national championship in Clearwater, FL, the SBI world championship in Key West and OPA world championship in Englewood, FL.

The Miss GEICO team's 2017 approach includes an engine and race program with an emphasis on consistency and reliability instead of wringing more and more power out of the boat's twin engines.

On the water, Miss GEICO is under the control of driver Marc Granet and throttleman Scott Begovich, who have been working together since the team was formed in 2004.

In 2017, Granet and Begovich look forward to returning the Miss GEICO team to it's more traditional national and world championship status.  "Competition from all over the world will be tough and Miss GEICO looks forward to the challenge," said Granet.

The 50-foot-long Miss GEICO Victory catamaran is made of carbon, Kevlar and S-glass for high performance.  The boat sports a pair of 1650 RACE Sterndrive engines producing 3,000 horsepower and top speeds of 200 mph.

2017 Race Schedule

Point Pleasant, NJ  May 19-21
POINT PLEASANT BEACH OFFSHORE GRAND PRIX  (OPA)

Sarasota, FL  June 30-July 2
33^RD ANNUAL SARASOTA POWERBOAT GRAND PRIX FESTIVAL

St. Clair, MI  July 28-30 
ST. CLAIR RIVER CLASSIC (OPA)

Michigan City, IN  August 4-6 
9^th ANNUAL SUPER BOAT GREAT LAKES GRAND PRIX  (SBI)

Fall River, MA  August 25-27
FALL RIVER GRAND PRIX (OPA)

Lake Hopatcong, NJ  Sept. 22-24
LAKE HOPATCONG GRAND PRIX (OPA)

Clearwater, FL  Sept 29-Oct 1 
9TH ANNUAL CLEARWATER SUPER BOAT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (SBI)

Key West, FL  Nov 6-12 
37TH ANNUAL KEY WEST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP  (SBI - 3 RACES)

Englewood, FL  Nov 17-19
ENGLEWOOD BEACH WATERFEST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (OPA–2 RACES)

The Miss GEICO team primarily races in the SBI (Super Boat International) and OPA (Offshore Powerboat Association) racing series. 

In addition to competing in races, the Miss GEICO team participates in approximately 20 boat shows, five P1 races, 10 AquaX jet skit races, and two air-sea duels where the watercraft races two WWII-era aircraft from the GEICO Skytypers Air Show Team.

The team also participates in numerous charitable events through United We Race, Inc., the team's 501 (c) (3) charity.  The organization distributes 100 percent of the proceeds to United States Veterans programs.

For more information on the Miss GEICO Racing Team, visit http://www.missgeicoracing.com.

Media Contact: Brenda Little    (813) 391-4542    [email protected]

SOURCE Miss GEICO Racing