Inspired by the action sports icon’s new-found passion for boat racing, Travis Pastrana’s P1 Offshore Invitational powered by Traxxas combines the excitement of premier powerboat competition with the daredevil thrills of Nitro Circus. Watch as stars from NASCAR, INDYCAR and Supercross buckle up to throw down on the high seas. Friendly rivalries will quickly heat up once vessels hit speeds topping 100-mph, all in the hunt for both the first-place trophy and bragging rights. The event will also preview the wide-open powerboat action coming in May when the P1 Offshore series returns to kick off its 2021 season.
Travis Pastrana’s P1 Offshore Invitational airs Sunday, April 18th at 9:00AM Eastern / 6:00AM Pacific on FS1. Then, after the checkered flag waves, head to Nitro Circus on Facebook to check out more race content. For an advance look at the action, go here.
Travis Pastrana details the inspiration for this all-new event. “I invited a competitive group of racers, entertainers and friends to experience offshore boat racing for themselves. I got my first taste of this sport in 2019 racing my good friend Britt Lilly’s powerboat. Then last year I had the opportunity to join the Miss GEICO team and compete in the top class of the Offshore Championship Series. Now I’m hooked!” Pastrana adds, “We wanted to have a fun and crazy event to bring back competition while, at the same time, get everyone outside of their comfort zones by trading pavement and dirt for the water.”
With the idea hatched, in January Pastrana and the Nitro Circus crew teamed up with Traxxas – the number-one name in Ready-To-Race® nitro and electric radio-controlled vehicles – to head to St. Petersburg, Florida and prep the event.
A few people hung up on me but it was exciting to see how many wanted to get back to racing after such a strange 2020 season and what felt like an abnormally long off season,” Pastrana recalls. “P1 and the top offshore boat teams stepped up huge to help us pull together a phenomenal race to kick off 2021.”
The field for Travis Pastrana’s P1 Offshore Invitational fittingly featured some of the biggest names in motorsports and action sports. NASCAR and Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch, action sports pioneer Brian Deegan, all-around moto icon Ryan Villopoto and Nitro Circus FMX favorite Blake “Bilko” Williams represented Team Monster, while moto legend Ricky Johnson, trailblazing skate athlete Lyn-z Pastrana and INDYCAR racer Conor Daly drove for Team Power Plus. Five-time Crossfit Games winner Mat Fraser joined Team Black Rifle Coffee Company along with Marcus Luttrell, decorated Navy SEAL, best-selling author and motivational speaker.
Stars from the entertainment world also stepped up to drop the throttle: Heavy D and Diesel Dave from the “Diesel Brothers” took a break from building tricked out trucks to pilot Team Pit Viper’s boat. Full team rosters are listed below.
Contenders faced off in Stock V class vessels. These are V-bottom class thoroughbreds – all approximately 30-feet long, eight-feet wide and 5,000 lbs – powered by 525-HP inboard Mercury Racing engines. Every round pitted one driver from each team, racing head-to-head against the clock on a 1.7- mile course, with the faster boat advancing to the next stage until one champion claimed the top prize.
While the racing action was intense, off the water teams had a chance to relax and enjoy some competition of a more friendly variety during a fun Traxxas remote control challenge.
Joe Carr, CEO of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment – parent company of Nitro Circus – sums up the aim for Travis Pastrana’s P1 Offshore Invitational, ““We are always looking for new ways to push the limits and create the most unique, exciting content for our adrenaline-loving audience. We also enjoy working with great partners, so collaborating with Powerboat P1 to deliver Travis Pastrana’s crazy idea for a full-throttle ocean battle felt like a no-brainer.”
Azam Rangoonwala, CEO of Powerboat P1, says, “Travis first raced with Powerboat P1 at Cocoa Beach in 2019 and it will be great to see him return there this May to drive the Miss GEICO boat in the opening round of the 2021 P1 offshore race season. We are delighted to have him involved with our sport and were excited to partner with Thrill One to enjoy a host of celebrities trying their hand at offshore racing.”
Travis Pastrana’s P1 Offshore Invitational powered by Traxxas is produced by Thrill One Media. Other event sponsors include Black Rifle Coffee Company, Monster Energy, Mercury Racing, Power Plus, Pit Viper Sunglasses and PowerDot.
About Thrill One Media:
Thrill One Media is an all-media production company with a firm foundation in action, comedy and thrill-based entertainment, including shows like, “Ridiculousness,” “Fantasy Factory,” “Evel Live,” “The Dude Perfect Show and “Rob & Big.” Thrill One Media has established itself as an industry leader in creating highly entertaining, repeatable formats for some of the world’s most magnetic personalities. For more information go to thrillonemedia.com.
Thrill One Media is part of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, a next-generation content company that lives at the nexus of sports, entertainment and lifestyle, combining the resources of Nitro Circus, Street League Skateboarding (SLS) Nitro Rallycross and Thrill One Media. A multi-media platform founded in 2020, Thrill One is dedicated to creating mind-blowing action sports events and original content, fueled by the most daring athletes, talent and brands in thrill-based entertainment. Thrill One Sports & Entertainment also boasts one of the largest aggregate social audience in action sports, with over 40 million followers across its multiple brand pages and channels. Go to thrillone.com for additional information.
About P1 Powerboat:
Primarily involved with powerboat and personal watercraft racing, P1 is an international sports promoter founded in 2002. Since then, the company has staged more than 600 races in 18 countries on four continents to become a leading marine motorsport brand. P1 delivers high-calibre events that generate significant levels of inward economic investment at host venues, together with the commercial platform created for sponsors, partners and the wider marine industry. Its two main offices are in London and Orlando. For more information go to: p1offshore.com.
