F1 Powerboat Championship Releases 2027 Schedule With Pittsburgh Among Five National Rounds

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The Formula One Powerboat Championship has released a tentative 2027 schedule of six events, opening at the Bradenton Area River Regatta in Florida on February 19-20 and finishing at the Alton Powerboat Nationals in Illinois on July 16-18. It is the first calendar the series has issued since Tim Seebold and John Schubert reacquired the championship from IHRA on August 7.

Five of the six are listed as National events. The sixth, RiverFest Freeport in Texas on Saturday, April 24, is a one-day Regional event held six days before the series arrives at Port Neches. The release does not say whether Regional events carry championship points.

Two venues from the 2026 calendar are missing: Marble Falls, Texas, and Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Marble Falls and Sheboygan

The Battle on the Colorado at Marble Falls ran as Round 4 of the 2026 season, and Seebold and Schubert named it among the returning venues when they announced the reacquisition in August. The release gives no reason for dropping it.

Sheboygan’s Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge was added to the 2026 calendar in May, before IHRA cut the season from eight rounds to five, and never ran for the F1 class.

Pittsburgh Over the Fourth of July

Pittsburgh hosts the Pittsburgh Formula One Powerboat National Championship on July 2-4, the first year of the three-year SportsPITTSBURGH deal announced in July, when the series was still owned by IHRA. The event’s place on the 2027 calendar confirms the agreement has carried over to the new owners.

Seebold, the series managing director, said:

Formula One Powerboat racing represents the speed, excitement and freedom of life on the water and we are very proud to bring it to our hosting communities.

2027 Tentative Schedule

DatesVenueEventStatus
February 19-20Bradenton, FloridaBradenton Area River RegattaNational
April 24Freeport, TexasRiverFest FreeportRegional
April 30-May 2Port Neches, TexasRiverFest / Thunder on the NechesNational
May 28-30Shreveport, LouisianaRed River Rumble F1 Powerboat ShowdownNational
July 2-4Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh Formula One Powerboat National ChampionshipNational
July 16-18Alton, IllinoisAlton Powerboat NationalsNational

Source: F1 Powerboat Championship. All dates tentative.

Bradenton, Port Neches, Shreveport and Alton all ran in 2026, when Dylan Anderson won the title across the five rounds that ran. The Red River Rumble moves from its 2026 slot of May 22-24 to the final weekend of May.

Broadcast Plans

The release refers to expanded broadcast television, live streaming, social media and digital coverage for 2027, but names no broadcaster or streaming platform.

Schubert, the series race director, said:

With world-class racing, destination waterfront events and expanding media opportunities, the Formula One Powerboat Championship enters 2027 focused on building a stronger national championship while extending its reach to fans, communities and partners worldwide.

More F1 Powerboat Championship Coverage

Race reports, schedules and standings from the American Formula One tunnel boat series.

F1 Powerboat Championship
John Moore

John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.

His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.

He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.

In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.