Yesterday’s practice session for Roar Offshore, the final event in the six-race American Power Boat Association Offshore Championship Series, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla, gave many of the 68 teams here the opportunity to not just in to dial in their raceboats but learn the five-mile clockwise course includes a dogleg on the outside section. If today’s conditions mirror those of yesterday, the teams will compete on flat water textured by light offshore winds.

Passing will be a challenge today on the five-mile course (click image to enlarge). Photos courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

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“The course is a lot of fun,” said Grant Bruggemann, the Sarasota, Fla.-based throttleman for Pro Floors Racing, the current leader in Supercat-class series points, who shares the cockpit with team owner/driver Wayne Valder from New Zealand.

Bruggemann and Valder will be going up against six other Supercat teams.

The dogleg section adds an interesting wrinkle to what would otherwise be a simple oval course.

Check out the slideshow above for more images from today’s offshore racing action in Fort Myers Beach, Fla

“I always love the dogleg making you turn left,” said Brit Lilly, the throttleman for the Maryland-based, Pro Stock V-class points leading team LSB/Hurricane of Awesomeness team. “It’s an awesome course.”

John Tomlinson, the throttleman for the Performance Boat Center team that campaigns in the Class One ranks, said the course will present challenges for him and driver Myrick Coil in their 43-foot MTI catamaran.

“It should be fun to drive around, but it’s short and it will be hard to pass,” he said.

Coil, who will pull double duty racing today for Performance Boat Center as the throttleman for the Super Stock-class points-leading 32-foot Doug Wright catamaran, agreed. He and driver Rusty Williams will be squaring off against 12 other Super Stock teams in the first race of the day, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.

“It’s definitely a fun course,” he said. “But it’s going to be tough to pass people.”

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