The Suncoast Powerboat Grand Prix has been confirmed absent from Sarasota’s 2026 calendar, leaving the Fourth of July slot empty for the second consecutive year. Organisers told local television station WWSB ABC7 this week that no timeline exists for the race’s return.
The last time powerboats raced off Lido Beach was in 2024. The race did not take place in 2025, and with confirmation that 2026 will also pass without it, the gap in the calendar now stretches to at least two years.
A Race Worth Having
Racer Ryan Beckley, speaking to WWSB, described the race as once one of the most sought-after events on the global offshore circuit, placing it alongside Key West as a must-do on every competitor’s schedule. He offered no ambiguity on the current situation.
It would take a miracle to make it happen this year.
Ryan Beckley, offshore racer
The human cost is felt on shore as much as on the water. Matt Grover, co-owner of the Daiquri Deck on Siesta Key, described the impact on local businesses.
It hasn’t been a sudden drop, it’s been a slow bleed over years.
Matt Grover, Daiquri Deck co-owner
Race weekend once brought packed venues and charged atmosphere to Siesta Key and St. Armands Circle. The loss, Grover said, shows up in sales figures, in energy, and in history.
Sarasota County, the City of Sarasota, and Visit Sarasota County all declined to be interviewed by WWSB when approached for comment.
The Logistics Problem
The APBA’s Director of Operations, Dana Potts, pointed to the city’s rapid development as a complicating factor. Staging offshore powerboat racing requires extensive pit space and infrastructure for large boats, and urban growth can make that harder to deliver year on year. Potts was clear, however, that the racing community valued what Sarasota offered. The city’s atmosphere and the warmth of its welcome had made it a favourite among competitors.
Our racers enjoyed not only the water but also the atmosphere and the way the community embraced it.
Dana Potts, APBA Director of Operations
What the Absence Costs
The economic scale of what Sarasota is missing can be measured against the 2019 event. According to a report presented to Sarasota County’s Tourist Development Council in November 2019 and published by the Sarasota News Leader, the 35th Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival generated a total economic impact of $29.9 million for the county, up $10 million on the 2018 figure.
Economic impact, 2019
Boats entered, a record
Estimated room nights
US households reached on CBS Sports and FOX Sports
The 2019 event attracted a record 67 boats from across the United States and from Australia, the UAE, New Zealand, Italy, Canada, Wales, and England. Television coverage on CBS Sports and FOX Sports carried a media valuation of $1,982,710 for the broadcasts alone. Of non-resident attendees surveyed, 86.8 per cent said they intended to return for the following year.
Those figures belong to 2019. The 2020 race was subsequently cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the event has had a difficult trajectory since.
No Plan, No Date
For now there is no confirmed return date and no clear plan. Other Gulf Coast cities continue to host offshore powerboat races while Sarasota’s slot remains open. Whether the logistics can be resolved, and whether the will exists at city and county level to make it happen, remains to be seen.
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.
