ORANGE BEACH — The Offshore Powerboat Association – OPA – announced today the signing of a sponsorship agreement with the producers of Thunder on the Gulf that will allow for Offshore Powerboat Racing to return to the Gulf Coast on Thursday Oct. 6-9.

This will be a two-race World Championship event, meaning the boats will race twice, on Friday and Sunday. The teams with the most combined points between the two days of racing will be crowned OPA World Champions.

“The Gulf Coast Powerboat Association was happy that 2010 went well and is excited to bring OPA back again,” says President Damon Collins. “We were also happy to be able to make donations to the Orange Beach Fire Fighters, First Class Petty Officers Association and Perdido Youth Association. “

“We are really excited about bringing racing back to Orange Beach and we hope to make this an annual event,” said Edward Smith, President of OPA. Smith continues “Orange Beach is the perfect venue for our end of the year World Championships. Our northeastern racers love the southern hospitality that Orange Beach shares with us.”

 The boats will start to arrive on Oct. 6 and stage in the dry pits. Thursday will be the first active day with the boats testing on the race course from 1-4 p.m.

Race number one will take place on Friday from noon-4 p.m. Then Saturday will be a day of repairing broken boats in the dry pits and practicing on the race course.

On Sunday, race number two will start at noon and run until roughly 4 p.m. Viewing will be excellent anywhere along the race course as the boats will be about 150 yards offshore. The boats will race on oval track going in front of most of the beachfront hotels and condos.

For more information about the OPA Racing Series, see www.oparacingtour.com or to get involved as a racer with OPA see www.oparacing.org

For more information you can contact Eddie Sue Winter at 251-980-RACE or email info@thunderonthegulf.com.