Race teams from all over start arriving for Smokin' - Boating ...

BILOXI -- The final countdown to the 2011 Smokin? the Sound offshore boat race is under way.

Although the qualifying round is set for Saturday and the race is Sunday, boats and race teams have started to arrive.

Those teams are from California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee and the country of Norway.

The race village, where boats will be on display through Sunday, opens today at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. at Point Cadet.

?We are ready,? race promoter Rusty David said. ?This is a world-class event that is second to none.?

Smokin? the Sound, now in its seventh year, is the first race of the season for the Offshore Super Series Powerboat Racing Association circuit.

Seven different classes will race the eight-mile track set up on the inside of Deer Island. The classes includes the new P-1 group as well as the traditional OSS CAT Extreme, OSS CAT, OSS VEE, OSS VEE Lite, OSS VEE Extreme, OSS CAT Outboards, OSS Cat Lite, OSS Turbine Extreme and OSS Supercharged CAT.

?Boats started arriving Wednesday,? David said. ?Everything looks good and the weather is going to cooperate.

?In terms of racing, it does not get any better than this.?

The start and finish line is located behind the Isle Casino with the west turn out past the Biloxi Channel and the east turn near the Biloxi Bay Bridge.

On Saturday, qualifying and testing begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. with the Pro-Am and P-1 races starting at 1:30 p.m.

The actual race will unfold on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Wristbands, which are good through Sunday, are $10 and can be purchased at the gates of all premium viewing areas and at the race village.

The premium viewing areas include the top of the parking garages at Beau Rivage, Hard Rock and Isle casinos as well as the Lighthouse Pier, the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor and the Point Cadet Marina.

?Wristbands sales are kind of slow,? David said. ?Normally, wristbands sales begin to pick up on Friday. Wristbands sales are important so we can continue to put the races on. One thing new this year is the wet pits have been moved behind the Isle Casino parking garage and that will be a great place to see boats being put in the water.

?Also, we need to advise all boat owners that Deer Island from the trees to the west end will be closed on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., This is the area across from the Biloxi Harbor and the Biloxi Yacht Club.?

Source: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/05/11/3104576/race-teams-from-all-over-start.html

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