Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Lion’s Beaver Lake Park will be buzzing with activity this weekend as the Ontario Power Boat Racing Series returns to Erinsville.
Running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., racers from across Ontario, Quebec and Pennsylvania will compete in a circular course that is completely visible from the shores of Beaver Lake Park.
“Each day is the same schedule, so we’ll probably have 30 heats of races,” explains Doug Overbury, event organizer and racer. “One special class that we don’t usually run is called the D Classic Hydro. It’s raced with engines that were built in the 1950s and still runs close to 80 mph. That’ll be running late Saturday afternoon.”
That’s in contrast to some of the newer boats, which can reach speeds up to 140 km an hour. Speed isn’t all it takes to win however as there’s a fair bit of strategy involved. Everything from jockeying to position to mastering the sharp turns. There’s also not much room to do it all as each race consists of three laps around the condensed circular course.
As with previous years, an announcer will be on site to keep those watching from the shore informed about what’s going on out on the lake.
Overbury says the event is very similar to how it’s been run over the past decade, the only difference is it’s grown bigger with more races. Beaver Lake’s geography makes it the perfect spot for hydroplane boat racing in that the water is typically flat and it’s well protected from the wind. It’s also right next to the Lakeview Tavern and has a nice spot for spectators to bring a chair and watch the high speed action.
On Saturday there will also be an Interval House crafter’s market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. followed by live music from The Smoke Wagon Blues Band from 7:30-11:30 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the Canadian Boating Federation, Ottawa Valley Power Boat Club and Auto Electric Kingston.