Memphis to Host Riverfront Racing Regatta

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Powerboat racers from across the U.S. and Canada are speeding toward the Bluff City for this weekend's 2nd Annual Memphis International Riverfront Regatta. Three days of action start on Friday as racers and fans converge on Tom Lee Park.

Last year, racers and organizers agreed it was a perfect match to have the fastest powerboats compete on the biggest river in the United States. This year, all involved in staging the Memphis Riverfront Regatta are hoping to maintain their mutual admiration.

What they said couldn't be done is happening for the second year in a row as the Bluff City prepares to play host to the 3-day Memphis International Riverfront Regatta beginning Friday at Tom Lee Park. It's the non-stop excitement created on the waves by Formula One and two powerboats racing at speeds up to 120 miles per hour. With only pit crews relaying information to the drivers, the danger factor is as high as running inches from the walls at Talladega.

"We'll have a race course set out here with buoys. It'll be held down with tons of bricks at the bottom to keep the buoys and the race track from shifting. It's about a mile track," explained Jesse Briggs, President and CEO of I-Fun Entertainment, which is organizing the event. "They can only see just the tip of the boats. So, they have radio personnel on the bank who is telling them somebody's on the left or somebody's on the right or be careful, somebody's coming up to pass you."

Though last year's inaugural race weekend was plagued by rain, it still managed to draw more than 15-thousand people. But, most importantly, it drew 40 top-notch competitors from speedboat racing hotbeds like Texas and Florida.

"Many cities don't have a riverfront this gorgeous and when the drivers and the owners of the league came and they saw Memphis and they inspected Memphis, they just got really excited," Briggs said.

This year's premier race sports an international flair with a duel between Canadian and American boats and drivers on Sunday.

"We'll have the Canadian-American Championship. This is a race between Canada and America. So, we will expect everybody to pull for America."

So, you can cheer for America while enjoying it all from the banks of America's greatest river.