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Boating
BOATING Changes made to Lake Race
George Denny photo
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LOTO Powerfest.
That’s the new name of Lake Race, according to an announcement by Lake Race/Powerfest officials Wednesday. And, the popular offshore race will be moving from Bagnell Dam to a different — but not new — location at the 7-mile marker.
LOTO Powerfest/Lake Race will continue to be sanctioned by the Offshore Powerboating Association (OPA) and will be held June 1-3 in the area of Camden on the Lake and Shady Gators. An awards ceremony will be held the evening of Saturday, June 3, at The Encore in Lake Ozark.
The popular boat race, featuring some of the fastest offshore boats in the world, was originally held at the 7-mile marker in the early 2000s. It was known as the Offshore Super Series from 2007-2009 in front of Shady Gators and what was then known as The Horny Toad. The competition left the Lake for several years before returning in 2013 at Bagnell Dam in Lake Ozark. The name was changed then to Lake Race. It returned to the 7-mile mark again in 2019 but fell victim to the fear of COVID in 2020 but came back to Bagnell Dam in 2021.
The City of Lake Ozark will be a loser in the new location as it has hosted a Meet and Greet each time the race has been at Bagnell Dam. Organizers now say the Meet and Greet will be held Friday, June 2 at Shady Gators on Horseshoe Bend Parkway.
“It was hard for the [businesses] on the Strip because they wanted that thru-traffic on Saturday,” Powerfest Executive Director Christy Janssen said. She said the move also doubled race sponsorship dollars by bringing in two sponsors in Camden on the Lake and Shady Gators.
Name change
Janssen says the name is intended to let racers and race fans know that the event will be held at a freshwater location that is considered one of the best and accessible recreational Lakes in the country. When racers, vacationers and boat enthusiasts are looking at what races they want to attend it’s hoped they will come to the LOTO Powerfest because of the popularity of the Lake of the Ozarks.
