{"id":236911,"date":"2026-07-06T19:19:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T19:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/236911\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T19:19:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T19:19:07","slug":"powerboat-racing-to-return-to-pittsburghs-waterfronts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/236911\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerboat Racing to Return to Pittsburgh\u2019s Waterfronts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Boat\"<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO COURTESY OF VISITPITTSBURGH<\/p>\n

Starting next year, Pittsburgh will have a new Fourth of July tradition.<\/p>\n

Formula One Powerboat racing will return to the Steel City\u2019s rivers beginning the July 4 weekend in 2027 with the Pittsburgh Formula One Powerboat National Championship, an event that marks the beginning of a three-year partnership between SportsPITTSBURGH and the International Hot Rod Associational Powerboat Series.<\/p>\n

\u201cPittsburgh has earned a national reputation for hosting world-class sporting events, and this partnership represents the next evolution of that success,\u201d Jerad Bachar, president and CEO of VisitPITTSBURGH, says in a statement. \u201cWe\u2019re not simply bringing powerboat racing back to our rivers \u2014 we\u2019re creating a signature Fourth of July tradition that showcases one of Pittsburgh\u2019s greatest assets, strengthens our visitor economy and gives travelers another compelling reason to choose Pittsburgh year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh will welcome IHRA\u2019s premier Formula One powerboats \u2014 one of the sport\u2019s fastest and most competitive racing circuits \u2014 as drivers battle for the National Championship on the challenging waters of the Allegheny River. Formula Lights and Tri-Hull classes will also compete throughout the weekend, creating an action-packed racing festival unlike anything else in the region, organizers say.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is such a fabulous venue for these high-powered watercrafts, and, with the other two classes, we are looking for some great racing on these tricky waters,\u201d says Tim Seebold, IHRA\u2019s managing director of F1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Racing will be the marquee event during the two-day celebration, but fans can also expect a variety of exciting, free and family-friendly entertainment, including fly-boarders, stunt dogs and a dramatic drone light show.<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Formula One Powerboat National Championship also marks a milestone for SportsPITTSBURGH. While the organization has built a national reputation for attracting premier sporting events that drive visitation and economic impact \u2014 namely, the 2026 NFL Draft hosted earlier this year \u2014 this will become the first event owned and operated by VisitPITTSBURGH\u2019s sports tourism division.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Officials say the investment reflects a broader strategy to create signature experiences that leverage the region\u2019s unique assets, grow overnight visitation and generate long-term economic impact throughout Allegheny County. They add that the Pittsburgh Formula One Powerboat National Championship reflects SportsPITTSBURGH\u2019s vision of \u201cWhere Sport Forges Impact\u201d; In a press release, officials add: \u201cBy attracting and creating world-class sporting events, the organization harnesses the power of sports to drive visitation, fuel economic growth, strengthen communities and showcase Pittsburgh\u2019s greatest competitive advantage \u2014 its people, its place and its spirit of partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n

(And, of course, it\u2019s three rivers.)<\/p>\n

\u201cMajor events like this are a win for our city,\u201d Mayor Corey O\u2019Connor says in a statement. \u201cThey bring local families and visitors to the riverfronts, create vibrancy Downtown and support our local businesses. Adding the Formula One Powerboat National Championship to Pittsburgh\u2019s Independence Day celebration is an exciting opportunity to create a new tradition on our rivers.\u201d\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOTO COURTESY OF VISITPITTSBURGH Starting next year, Pittsburgh will have a new Fourth of July tradition. Formula One…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":236912,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102027,47230,73,75,74,102028,102029,726,102030,8445],"class_list":["post-236911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-powerboat-national-championship","tag-powerboating","tag-sports","tag-sportspittsburgh","tag-visitpittsburgh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236911\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}