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Hydroplanes Rule Detroit River For Weekend Of Gold Cup Racing

DETROIT (WWJ) - The 2011 Detroit APBA Gold Cup races, presented by the Detroit Yacht Club, has been a Detroit tradition for 95 years. Over the three-day event, the crowd will be entertained watching the hydroplanes reaching speeds up to 200 mph.

This year's races will offer quite a lot of activities for all ages, from military flyovers to a concert series and skate park.

New this year is the Powerboat P1 offshore series. The Powerboat P1 series has three classes: SuperStock, Evolution and SVS, with the Evolution class including boats up to 45 feet in length, 1500+ horsepower and speeds up to 130 mph.

The ABPA Cat-Outboard category will also be in attendance. These boats are twin-engine outboard powered catamaran hulls, with canopy safety systems. The boats are up to 32 feet in length and are capable of speeds of nearly 120 mph.

In addition to the Navy FA-18 Tac Demo, a pilot from the John Klatt Air Shows will perform an aerobatics show over the Detroit River. The "Acro" performer is Bill Kerns, who will be flying the Extra 300L in a 15 minute aerobatics routine right between the grandstands.

Plenty of family activities will be on-site for children to enjoy. Drivers will also be on-site for autographs.

Friday is practice and qualifying day, with free admission for spectators, Saturday is an all-day qualifying race day and Sunday is the final race day. For a full racing schedule, click here.

General admission is just $15 for all three days. Children 12 and under are free. The general admission areas are Memorial Annex Park and Henderson Park on the riverfront. View the course map for park locations. Reserve tickets are also available for grandstand viewing, click here for details.

For box office and parking information, click here. More information can be found at gold-cup.com.

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