When the green flag drops at the Smokin’ the Sound offshore race in Biloxi, Miss., this weekend (May 21-23), one class will be competing for a $10,000 prize purse. The Super Vee Light (SVL) teams agreed among themselves last year to enter the 2010 offshore racing season as a group and race a series of events with a variety of promoters in order to increase boat count and improve the competition.

The plan paid off as the SVL racers will be competing for $10,000 provided by Powerboat P1 USA in the first of a nine-race series sponsored by the North American arm of the London-based race promoters. The Biloxi event is the season opener for Offshore Super Series. The group also will race in an OSS event in Lake Cumberland, Ky., followed by Offshore Powerboat Association and Super Boat International races around the country, including St. Clair, Mich., Orange Beach, Ala., Sarasota, Fla., and legendary Key West, Fla.

“The SVL racers share the Powerboat P1 USA philosophy of increasing boat count, competition and professionalism in offshore boat racing,” said Martin Sanborn, director of North American operations for Powerboat P1. “As a group, they have agreed to meet our sponsor criteria and as a result will be racing for unprecedented prize money package in an American offshore series.”

Powerboat P1 has guaranteed a total of $90,000 for nine races if racers meet a minimum boat count and additional sponsor fulfillment criteria, regardless of the series in which they race. The sponsorship is designed to test the waters with Powerboat P1 USA’s model of working with existing race promoters to improve the sport’s marketability.

Check out Senior Editor Jason Johnson’s blog about the group or read an interview with Sanborn by Editor at Large Matt Trulio on his website www.speedonthewater.com.

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