Sarasota a top destination for Grand Prix racers

The Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix is a mixture of howling high-performance boats traveling at NASCAR-caliber speed. And in three-time world champion Dan Lawrence’s eyes, the event has attracted big names and crowds like auto racing has, all in Sarasota’s backyard.

Q&A with ‘Deadliest Catch’ star

Edgar Hansen, who has been operating his Alaskan-based crab fishing vessel for 25 years with his brother, is not in Sarasota out of coincidence. He is a featured guest in many events during the weeklong Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix races.

Racing becomes a way of life

Just step into Mark Niemann’s office on Orange Avenue in Sarasota, and it’s easy to see that his life is consumed by boat racing. Shimmering trophies and plagues line the walls staring back at his desk, where he operates Marker 1 Marine — his full-service watercraft business — during the week.

BOAT RACE: Nobody injured in dramatic crash of Phantom 9 Super Boat Vee

Kurt Jagel and driver Mark Niemann had just lived through one of the most dramatic crashes in Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix history, and an accident the Superboat Vee class had never witnessed before. Nearing Phantom’s third lap in the 11 a.m. race Sunday, the vessel barrel rolled and became airborne, knocking both men out of competition

Crew insists that adhering to higher standards is what kept them alive

Mark Niemann and throttleman Kurt Jagel had experienced one of the worst crashes in Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix history Sunday, and it was the first on the circuit in the Superboat Vee class. Their vessel, a 30-foot $150,000 Phantom Speedster, was shredded from cockpit to engine block.