11th Annual Michigan City Grand Prix

[Serious News]

MICHIGAN CITY – The temperatures will be warm but the action on the water will he hot as the 11th annual Great Lakes Grand Prix comes to Michigan City for a weekend of powerboat and personal watercraft racing.

The annual event in Washington Park will be the fifth stop on the American Power Boat Association Offshore Championship Series, with two days of racing Saturday and Sunday. It will also be a leading event in the qualification route to the P1 AquaX World Championship at the Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

The Grand Prix features many of the world’s fastest and most powerful offshore power boats, which will be speeding past spectators on the beach at speeds nearing 200 mph, according to Jane Daley of Visit Michigan City La Porte.

The Miss GEICO Offshore Racing Team is excited to return to the shores of Lake Michigan, according to spokeswoman Brenda Little.

The Offshore Powerboat Association and Powerboat P1 have joined forces to create the new American Power Boat Association World Offshore Championship Series, six races at some of the most desired race locations across the U.S., she said

"There is renewed anticipation and excitement with the new race series," Little said. "New rules for competition and a concerted effort between race organizations has generated interest from race teams from across the world to participate in all six races. More than 50 teams from across the globe are expected to compete during the 2019 Great Lakes Grand Prix."

Powerboat P1 CEO Azam Rangoonwala said the aim of the partnership is to "strengthen the future of offshore racing by uniting the race teams in a way that has been missing for a long time and delivering an expanded, cohesive, world-class race series split equally between northern and southern states.

“We want to stage events that excite and entertain, ensuring enjoyment for spectators and TV audiences with sponsor value and a real economic impact for the host venues,” Rangoonwala said.

Miss GEICO will compete in the new Class One racing division, comprised of the biggest and fastest race boats in the world. Teams from Dubai and Australia have come to race against America’s champion, Miss GEICO, he said.

All the boats in this class weigh 11,750 pounds with identical race engines sealed and governed by Mercury Racing to ensure fairness. The 47-foot Miss GEICO Victory catamaran is made of carbon, Kevlar and S-glass for high performance. The boat sports a pair of brand new and recently released Mercury sealed 1,100 horsepower twin turbo engines and can reach top speeds of more than 160 mph.

On the water, Miss GEICO will be under the control of driver Miles Jennings and throttleman Steve Curtis, seeking to secure an 11th world championship racing title.

Interspersed among the boat races will the world’s leading P1 AquaX riders as they continue the race to qualify for the World Championship in November. Michigan City will be hosting a P1 AquaX event for the first time as the Grand Prix "serves up a double bill of world-class personal watercraft action and powerboat racing," Daley said.

The AquaX USA Pro Series attracts riders from across the United States and Canada, as well as South America and Europe, and this weekend more than 30 riders will be resuming their battle for the national title and to earn points in the Lucas Oil P1 AquaX World Rankings. The current leader is Brian Baldwin from North Carolina, who is also the reigning AquaX world champion and No. 1 ranked rider in the world.

But the action on the water is just part of a four-day festival that includes free concerts, a boat parade and block party, the Taste of Michigan City, and more.

Race teams will begin arriving on Thursday prior to the start of the evening VIP Party at 6 p.m. at Sunset Grill, featuring a ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m. and VIP event from 6-8 p.m. Free live entertainment by “Smarty Pants” will continue until 10 p.m. on the boardwalk.

Select classes of powerboat teams will participate in race boat testing on Friday afternoon from 2-4 p.m. with the Taste of Michigan City beginning at 4 p.m. along Franklin Street from 4th to 8th streets. There will be free parking and shuttle service from Ames Field at 2501 Franklin St. to the Taste and Washington Park, with a pickup point for the Taste at 7th and Pine.

On Saturday, a race team autograph session is hosted at 10 a.m. with race boat testing by the larger classes of powerboats beginning at the same time. The Taste of Michigan City re-opens at noon with raceboat classes P1-P6 and AquaX competing from noon to 4 p.m. There is a boat parade and block party kicking off at 6 p.m. on North Franklin Street; and the Four A’s Car Club will host their vintage car show from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The ProStock V through Class One races will take place on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. The race village is located in Washington Park and will be open to the public Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday will also feature a charity silent auction, open for bidding from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the information tent in Race Village, with all proceeds going to the Michigan City Emergency Management Volunteers.

For more information on the races, concerts, and other race weekend events, visit greatlakesgrandprix.com.

https://www.thenewsdispatch.com/news...c76df536a.html

[Serious News]

Boat racing is in his blood

Miss Geico's Begovich has loved the sport since his youth


MICHIGAN CITY — As a Brick, New Jersey kid, Scotty Begovich began going to the Benihana Offshore Grand Prix when he was 6 or 7.

"It was one of the premier races in the country," he said. "Every year, we couldn't wait until race day. We'd go and sleep on the boat. We'd go in the pits and watch the boats. I fell in love with it."

Nearly 50 years later, the affair is still burning hot and heavy for the former throttleman and current ownership partner of The Miss Geico powerboat.

"It's an incredible rush," Begovich said. "You've got to be an adrenaline junkie. You're never not scared unless you're going slow. If you don't get scared, you get hurt. It's like racing off road car racing, motocross, but you're going 150 miles an hour out there. I've gone over 200 miles an hour. The first time that lid closed on me, I was very claustrophobic, but like anything else in life, you do it long enough, you get used to it."

From that first time he saw the ocean spray kicking up off the Jersey Shore, Begovich had a dream of owning a boat. A standout athlete in high school, he had a scholarship to play quarterback for Ole Miss, but his career was diverted by an injury and he wound up at Palm Beach State, where he played baseball for the balance of eligibility. He ultimately finished his degree work at Florida Atlantic.

After college, Begovich took a job in sales as a headhunter. The boat dream wasn't quite realized with his first purchase, a smaller hull that he raced for a couple years. As his income began to rise, he was able to buy a bigger, brand new boat that he financed over 20 years.

"I made it into a race boat," Begovich said. "I was racing one of the smaller boats in offshore racing and beating all the bigger boats."

John Haggin, the owner of Platinum Princess, which eventually became Miss Geico, noticed Begovich's talents and persuaded him to join them in 2005.

"I had been racing and working several years," Begovich said. "I told him I wasn't going to leave on a whim to race boats, but he said he'd guarantee my salary and then some for five years, even if it doesn't work. I thought, you only live once, I'll give it a shot."

Begovich hasn't worn a tie since.

"I was corporate America until I was 40, high and tight, shirt and tie," he said. "As soon as I quit, I quit shaving and started growing my hair. My boat sat in the garage. I still owed $15,000 on it. My wife was complaining about it, but I told her, I've earned more money in my career because of that $330 a month boat than I did with my college degree."

In 2006, Geico became the sponsor. A win over then-rival Budweiser in 2008 was the beginning of a glittering 12-year run for Begovich.

"Growing up, everyone looked at Budweiser," he said. "We raced against them for six, seven years, then when it was bought out, all the sponsorships ended. The kids in this generation, when they think of boat racing, they think of Miss Geico. We do it for a living and we take it seriously. It's not a cheap sport."

During his run on board Miss Geico, Begovich added to a resume of 12 world championships, five world records and numerous national titles. He once hit a speed of 213 miles per hour and holds records for average two-way kilometer (194 mph) and two-way mile speed (188 mph). Given special permission by the Naval Academy, he once did a point-to-point run from Annapolis to Baltimore, covering 28 miles in 10 minutes, 13 seconds, clocking over 165 mph in the 47-foot, 12,800-pound, 2,200-horsepower water machine.

"I raced 20 years and decided that's enough," he said. "My wife said, you've done everything there is to do in a boat, except get hurt."

Not that there weren't any near misses. Begovich was once ejected from his smaller boat in a race in Miami. He escaped a fire on The Miss Geico unscathed. In the final race of 2014, he hit a wave coming into harbor that sent the boat airborne, only to land right back onto the water.

"I've never seen a boat that's flown so high," Begovich said. "I thought I was going to take off. We came down right and we ended up winning the world championship."

Haggin retired in 2010, selling the team to AMF Riviera Beach, owned by Marc Granet, Scott Colton, Gary Stray, Gary Goodell and Begovich, who excited the boat for good in 2017.

"I got a little bored, so I got my CDL," Begovich said, laughing. "The first time I drove the truck through Lake of the Ozarks, I was scared more than I was the last 10 years (racing). When I started attending races again, I saw the boat go out, I thought I would wish I was on the boat, but not at all. There was no withdrawal."

Whether in the water or on the shore, Begovich has always looked forward to the sojourn to Michigan City and the hard waters of Lake Michigan.

"This venue is unbelievable," he said. "The fans are educated. They're appreciative. We went to lunch and the waitress said it's the biggest thing in Michigan City all year. She planned her wedding around it. She's getting married Friday on the beach. They're going to the parade. They're going to have their wedding parties and watch the races. The closeness of it, the race is here. The promoters do an unbelievable job. It's one of my favorite races. The water's rougher than the ocean. Fresh water is a lot more dense than salt water and the boat hits hard. One of the roughest races of my life was here, but I'm a Jersey boy. I don't like calm water, except when I have to have my teeth X-rayed."

The Miss Geico fleet comes into the Great Lakes Grand Prix at less than 100 percent. Its top boat sustained over $300,000 in estimated damage as a result of a crash three weeks ago and the back-up, run last week at St. Clair, will be on the lake again this weekend.

"The No. 1 boat is the No. 1 for a reason," Begovich said. "We're still figuring this one out. We started out slow last weekend, but got better as the week went on. We're doing some changes and hopefully we'll do better this weekend."

https://www.thenewsdispatch.com/spor...de92df529.html

[john acosta]

That's funny about scotty,s first time to close the canopy lid .
I have a picture of the event somewhere.
He got into "don't be scared of the white boat "which was an SVL extreme ,driven by gary decieusis .one of the best svl drivers ever.

I remember we helped scott squeeze into the seat.we were docked at three banannas in crescent city, at a speed run.

he looked up and myself and dinarella both had cameras on him .
he turned green .and said I don't know if this is for me lol.
isn't history fun.

[Serious News]

SATURDAY August 3
10am‐12am Race Village open to the Public
CLOSED No Boats will be allowed to Register on Saturday
8:30am Racer Meeting (ALL RACERS ) ‐ Blue Chip Casino
9:30am Racer Physicals (for those racing TODAY ONLY )
9am‐5pm Race Boat Inspections & Walk‐Throughs ‐ Race Village
9am‐5pm FUEL TRUCK @ Race Village
10am‐4pm Boat Ramp & Crane Operational
10am Race Control Operational
10am‐11:45am RACER Autograph Signing ‐ Sunset Grill (6 On the Lake, Michigan City, IN)
10am AQUAX RACING
11:45am National Anthem
12pm‐1pm OFFSHORE RACING
(Class 4, Class 5, Class 6 & Class 7)
1pm‐3pm Offshore Testing
3pm AQUAX RACING
4:30pm Parade & Block Party Staging
5:30pm Parade
6pm‐10pm Downtown Street Party

SUNDAY August 4
10am Race Village Open
8am Set Course Buoys
7am Racer Physicals ‐ Blue Chip Casino
7:30am AquaX Riders Meeting
8:30am RACERS MEETING ‐ Blue Chip Casino
9am Medical/Dive briefing ‐ Blue Chip Casino
9am Patrol Briefing ‐ Blue Chip Casino
10am Boat Ramp & Crane Operational
10am Race Control Operational
10am Course Support Fleet on station
10am AQUAX RACING
10:45am National Anthem
12pm‐5pm OFFSHORE RACING
RACE 1 (Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, SVX & ProStock V)
RACE 2 (Super Stock)
RACE 3 (Super Cat)
RACE 4 (Vee Extreme, ClassONE USA)
5pm After Burner Celebration ‐ Blue Chip Casino
7pm Awards Ceremony ‐ Blue Chip Casino
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Friday, August 2, 2019

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