Ethanol will be in the spotlight this weekend as boat racing teams from more than twenty states will gather to compete at the National Boat Racing Association (NBRA) “Garnett Ethanol Hydroplane Nationals” this weekend, June 23-26 in Garnett, Kansas for a chance to break national straight away speed records using E10.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) partnered with NBRA earlier this year to help dispel concerns about the use of ethanol-blended fuel in boat engines. “World-class events like this provide the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the efficacy of ethanol-blended fuels, both on the road and on the water,” said Robert White, RFA Director of Market Development. “The performance of these boats and the speeds at which they race should squash any misconception that ethanol and marine engines don’t mix.”

This weekend’s races will be the first time national speed record trials have been done in over a decade. The speed to beat in the beginner class, C-Stock, is 66 mph and in the fastest class, Super E, the top speed is 96 mph in a quarter-mile. RFA is sponsoring all of the 2011 NBRA series event races taking place this summer and will be at the races in Garnett all weekend to hand out fan bags featuring “Fueled with Pride” logo swag and answer questions on ethanol.

I’ll be there too, while Chuck is at the Indy race in Iowa. Never been to a boat race before so it should be fun! If you want to join me and the good folks from RFA, the races will be held on Saturday, June 25th and Sunday, June 26th from noon – 5 pm and the $5.00 admission fee includes a hot pit pass. Having just been to my first NASCAR race with a hot pit pass, I will be curious to find out what a pit stop for a boat entails.