×

‘It Cleared Up’

Great Lakes Grand Prix Takes Off To A Slow Start

Pictured is Carol Pilon from the Wingwalker Air Show. Pilon performed at Saturday’s Great Lakes Offshore Grand Prix before the test runs performed by the competing boaters. Photo by Ron Szot

DUNKIRK — Before the racers could get in the water to face off against one another, they had to first take on a bigger opponent — Mother Nature. Saturday’s festivities got off to a slower start due to the unexpected inclimate weather conditions, but that didn’t stop everyone from having a great day.

Saturday’s event was scheduled to begin around noon, but Mother Nature had different plans as it poured down rain, pushing back the scheduled events by about 30 minutes. As the storm moved past, the fun followed shortly.

“My favorite part about today was the sun came out, it cleared up,” said Eden native Chris Mathewson who made the trip down for Saturday’s show.

Once the storm passed, the boats were finally able to be loaded into the water and the course for today’s competition was set up.

Around 1:15 p.m. the audience was treated to an air show that included Carol Pilon the famous wingwalker. The air show was a great way to get the crowd excited for the rest of the day and it signaled the end of the poor weather. The hope is that the weather will continue to cooperate the remainder of the weekend.

Pictured is an action shot from Saturday’s time trials at the Great Lakes Offshore Grand Prix. Pictured is the Developer/Wix Filters No. 8 boat, driven by JP Larkin. Photo by Ron Szot

“The plane was good, it’s always good,” stated Mathewson. “The boats were good, [today] should be really nice. Even the weather, we got here at 10:30 this morning, we got wet a little bit – so what, big deal — it’s something to look forward to.”

After the air show, the boats that were loaded into the water fueled up then prepared to test the course.

“I have raced on this lake (Lake Erie), just not this side,” JP Larkin the driver of the #8 Boat the Developer/Wix Filters stated after his time trial and test run on Saturday.

“There were some pretty good rollers coming in, but from my hearing the lake is pretty flat. If the wind picks up then we’re going to even have more fun (today.)”

Despite the poor weather in the morning, the conditions on the water settled down as the day went on and the sun came out.

“It was pretty nice out there,” said Larkin. “There were some pretty good rollers when you got out of the harbor. Today (Saturday) we were slowing down in the harbor, (today) we’re not going to.”

This year will be the first time Larkin and his team compete in the competition and the organizers are a big part of what brought them here this year.

“The organizers, the safety teams they’re good people, they’re people I want to race with,” Larkin stated. “It’s hard to find people you can trust and so they’re a good group, we’ve raced with them for a while.”

After their time trial, Larkin’s team brought their boat back to the lot to check if any last minute repairs or adjustments would be needed. They are really looking forward to today’s race and hope to put a great show on for everyone.

“The people in this town are unbelievable,” added Larkin. “They’re very nice. The parade was beautiful we had a great turnout for that… there was some music and it’s just nice to see all these families come out and get outdoors. They have been very supportive of us as a racer, which isn’t always the case. I’m very thankful for the people here, it’s a great town.”

Larkin and his team were not the only people at the pier on Saturday who were big fans of Dunkirk, as people traveled in to see the event.

Chris Mathewson of Eden has a motto for the city, “My motto for Dunkirk is that it’s the best kept secret in Western New York.”

Mathewson attended last year’s event and was slightly disappointed with Saturday’s fan turnout, but is hopeful for today’s race.

“I’m just kind of disappointed that there’s not more people here,” stated Mathewson. “I really thought that it would be crowded and parking would be an issue, but it wasn’t and I’m kind of disappointed that more people didn’t show up.” Mathewson continued by comparing this year’s event to last year, “I think there were more people, but maybe tomorrow – tomorrow should be good.”

After Saturday’s fun on the water, attendants were able to make their way to Memorial Park for three different bands performing from 5-10 p.m.

If Mother Nature cooperates, today’s action will start at noon, so make sure you get there early to snag the best spots on the pier.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today