How to get the most out of watching the Lake Cumberland Grand Prix OSS Race

Alot of people aren't familiar with what OSS racing is all about. We've put together a short guide about what to expect during this one of a kind weekeind. There's even more help on our Frequently Asked Questions page. Just click the link at the top of this page.

Be sure to bring your radio to follow all the races live on Lake Cumberland Grand Prix’s official radio station Laker Country Radio WJRS 104.9 FM.

For your comfort don’t forget to wear comfortable and appropriate clothes and shoes for the weather, bring a blanket and/or chairs, sunscreen, binoculars, camera and of course a portable radio.

Offshore Super Series Powerboat Racing is one of the most extreme sports known to mankind. With speeds approaching two hundred miles per hour the stresses are ferocious beyond brutal on both man and machine. During a race, teams can experience G-Forces up to six times normal, providing spine bending pressures that test the metal of the crews to the breaking point.  The more horsepower, the more stress and the more chance for a component in the drivetrain or the hull itself to fail.

In order to win, the engines have to live at full throttle for almost an hour, the gears in the outdrive need to hold together and those thin pieces of stainless steel called the blades of the propeller need to stay intact. It’s actually amazing when everything does hold together under these almost impossible conditions. To propel their boats, most teams opt to use gasoline driven piston engines, but a new trend is emerging toward Turbine Technology and it’s always interesting to watch as these two modes of propulsion dice it out on the racecourse, which is the ultimate proving ground for any new technology.

The boats -
It takes a team to race an offshore powerboat. You’ll notice that there are two people under those canopies piloting each craft.  One person drives the boat and that’s his only job, steer the boat around the buoys without hitting anyone else. The other person is called the throttleman and he – or she- controls the boat’s speed and attitude. The throttleman works the throttles, drive trim, tab trim and tunnel flap trim. He is also able to move weight in the boat during the race by filling and emptying ballast tanks, or by pumping fuel between tanks. The throttleman’s main objective is to maximize the boat’s speeds for any given sea condition and to make sure that the boat remains level in flight.

These boats fly!  When the water gets lumpy with waves, these boats launch off the swells and fly as much as twenty feet out of the water and for distances up to two hundred feet before landing again (hopefully upright).  A bad flight can end violently if the nose of the boat stuffs into an oncoming wave but when it’s done right, at high speeds, for a sustained length of time, it is pure poetry in motion, a sight that will give any adrenaline junky the chills.

Some people enjoy watching the helicopters as much as the race boats. You’ll notice several helicopters overhead when the race boats are on the course. You can tell when things are going to get started by the presence of helicopters in the air.  During the races, at least two helicopters are carrying jump paramedics, ready to assist a flipped boat at a moments notice. The other ships carry TV cameras and photographers from the media. Some boats will even have their own dedicated rescue team flying overhead, because when speeds approach two hundred miles per hour, things can go real bad, real fast.

Race Village – At Halcomb’s Landing (There is a fee to enter Race Village)

In order to get the most out of your experience at the OSS boat races, you need to start the day by taking a walk through Race Village (there will be an entrance fee the Race Village, $10.00/day for adults, $5.00/day for children age 7-12 and no cost for children age 6 and under).  You’ll find that this type of racing is far different than anything else you’ve ever seen.

There’s no stadium, very few fences and even fewer locations that the public is not allowed to access, such as the crane area where the boats are lifted into the water. Other than that, visitors are invited to get up close and personal with the teams. Meet the drivers and throttlemen, ask for an autograph and if you have kids, ask if they can sit in the boat. You’ll find the whole experience is very fan friendly and family oriented. By the time you leave the race village, you’ll know the teams on a more personal basis and have someone to root for on Sunday.

The boats will start to arrive on Thursday and everyone must be in the Race Village by 4PM on Friday. On Saturday the, the Race Village will be alive with activity as the teams prepare to test on the race course. It’s a busy day as boats are going in and out of the water and running around the race course all afternoon.

On Sunday starting at noon, OSS will have three separate races with typically two starts per race. Each race is a different length. The big boats will run about 16 for roughly 80 miles, while the smaller boats will run 10 laps or about 50 miles.  Each start is a separate class of boats, yet they race all at one time but not against each other. This is where having a race program comes in handy so you can follow what classes are running. Also bring an FM radio and flip around the dial, the races are usually broadcast on a local radio station. Or if you can’t get to the races, you can listen to them live on www.talkoffshore.com.

Additionally, this race will be broadcast on Fox Sports Network in about a month from now. The OSS races air on Sundays at noon as a part of Reggie Fountain’s Performance TV show.

There are five classes of boats in OSS Racing that share in the $50,000 prize purse and there are two classes that run as exhibition only. The five classes that share in the purse all run sealed Mercury Racing engines. This sealed engine program makes for very tight racing and removes the ability for one team to outspend the other teams when it comes to buying horsepower. The sealed engine program also allows the inspectors to avoid tearing down the engines after the race. Typically, these sealed engines that come from Mercury are so dependable that they can run for two full seasons without being touched other than oil changes.  The exhibition classes run a much looser rulebook where the number of engines and size of the engines are unlimited.

OSS Racing Classes -

Vee Lite – This is the only class that has one engine, all other classes have two. These boats have a top speed of about 92MPH and typical race speeds are in the mid 80s. These are Vee hull boats, approximately 30’ in length. The engines are Mercury Racing 525s with a bravo style outdrive.

Cat Outboard – This class is the only class that uses outboard engines. Two – Two hundred and eighty horsepower Mercury Racing outboards clamped onto catamaran hulls approximately 32’ in length. These boats have a tops speed of about 115mph.

Vee – These are the big bad Vee bottoms, typically from Fountain Powerboats. They are between 36 and 42 feet and have two Mercury Racing 525s with number six outdrives. Top speed is about 112MPH

Cat Lite – These are catamaran hulls between 32 and 38 feet, and use two Mercury Racing 525s to achieve speeds in the 120s.

Cat 850 Supercharged – These are the fastest boats in our spec class fleet. They range in size from 38’ to 44’ in length.  These boats run Mercury Racing’s new supercharged 850 horsepower engines. The propeller selection is limited to keep speeds in the mid 150s.
In the Extreme classes, there are basically no rules. Build as much horsepower as you can and hope that it stays together.  These boats are separated into two classes, one for gas engines and another for turbine engines.

Even though they start together, they are racing for separate checkered flags and trophies. The boats in these Extreme Classes, like Bud Light, CRC, Miss Geico and JBS can all achieve speeds in excess of 180MPH. These are the most incredible racing machines in the world and it takes a lot of guts, nerve and just a touch of insanity to drive them at these speeds, especially when the water gets bumpy.


Awards
When the day is done come back to Halcomb’s Landing and enjoy the evening’s festivities. The awards ceremony for the winners will take place at 7pm and everyone is welcome to come and cheer for their favorite team.

Get close, get involved and experience OSS Offshore Racing up close and very personal on Lake Cumberland.

For more information about the OSS Powerboat Racing Association, the race teams, current standings, multimedia, racing schedule and tons more information, you can see their website at www.offshoresuperseries.com