A tiny town is taking on a massive event. High speed Formula 1 race boats are taking over downtown Gulfport Friday-Sunday.
Imagine a race car on water. “They go 0 to 100 in 4 seconds,” driver Tim Seebold explained, "And they top out at more than 120 miles per hour!"
On Saturday and Sunday, 25 Formula 1 race boats will zoom across Boca Ciega Bay just off the Gulfport Municipal Beach.
For the first time ever, Gulfport is taking center stage for the big race and they’re expecting a huge crowd. 25,000 people are expected to come to Gulfport to see these boats in action.
Debbie Amos of Little Tommies Tiki is stoked about the event and hopes it is the start of many big events for the tiny city, “It’s going to be a lot of people and that's very exciting. I think a lot of people who haven’t been here are going to find out about us.”
Gulfport is only 3 square miles, and until now, the city's biggest event was an 8,000 person Fourth of July fireworks show. The city is bringing on extra firefighters, EMTs and police officers to keep the racers, and spectators, safe. The wind and waves will make things extremely dangerous for drivers like Seebold. Yet, he says that only makes for a better show, “intense racing and wild action.”
Gulfport Mayor Sam Henderson says the Gulfport Grand Prix will be a test run for his city on how they can handle major events. "It's exciting and intimidating. This will be a little bit of an experiment for us.”
The best part about this race: It’s free….and will be going on all weekend.
Check out this link: http://www.gulfportgrandprix.com for more information on this weekend's event.
