The NGK F1 Powerboat Championship event wraps up Sunday with the gates open at 8 a.m. followed by heats and finals at 1 p.m. Tickets will be available at the site.
The day will include a parade and B-25 flyover.
Springfield will also be a major player in the sports world as CBS Sports Network will broadcast Sunday’s action live, one of only six such series telecasts this season.
Although coming less than a month after the Clark County Fair, Dean Blair, executive director of the Clark County Fairgrounds, knew an event of this magnitude was too good to pass up.
“I admit it has been a juggling act, but we’re absolutely thrilled,” Blair said. “We’ve been blessed with great weather and I believe we have the best fairgrounds location in the state.”
The event is costing about $100,000, aided by the city of Springfield, NKG Motorsports and one of the racers who preferred to remain anonymous, according to Blair.
Many people didn’t even know the man-made lake existed, created in 1973 by a neighboring company. Blair saw the under-utilized area as an opportunity and contacted people he knew in the racing community, starting with a test run here last November.
With the 24th annual Solar Splash collegiate boat competition a success this past June, it boded well for this event.
Grand Prix officials talked about the convenience of the location with its many camping spots and the 125-acre lake’s size being ideal for racing.
They also stressed the safety precautions with five divers and two rescue boats ready in the event of an emergency.
Springfield resident Manny Plataniotis almost went up north to spend this weekend at Put-in-Bay. Instead, he chose to camp in his own hometown to watch the races.
“I wanted to support something local and this is something new and different, something good for the kids to see,” he said.
Siblings Liam and Ella Plataniotis, students at Snowhill Elementary, were excited by the activity near where the boats launched for their runs.
“They’re racing very fast,” said Ella, who admitted she didn’t like the engine noise so much, but liked that one of the racers is a girl. She could see herself piloting such a boat one day.
Bill Ellis of Springboro raced modified outboards for years and claims he set records. Making the trip here to camp at Buck Creek and attend the races with friends was a natural pairing.
“It’s similar to what I used to do,” said Ellis, age 80. “I’m impressed there isn’t too much wind coming off of there. It’s sort of protected.”
Ellis’s friend Mike Schrand said he was surprised to find the lake was out there. He has attended boat races at Dayton’s Eastwood Lake for years.
In addition to racing, there was a day for local students to meet the boat drivers and see the powerboats on Friday. Saturday evening saw a post-race concert by local artists Ty Cooper and the Kate Hasting Band.
Blair said he is hoping for attendance of 5,000. With the commitment of the collegiate race to return in 2018 and this event, it could signal the beginning of a long association with this series that could go beyond just an annual race and other activities on the lake.
“We want to show the series we’re serious about working with them in the future,” he said.
For more information on the event, go to www.SpringfieldF1GrandPrix.com.
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