The past weekend was filled with excitement and speed as powerboats came down from all over the nation to Sunny Isles Beach. Their mission: go fast, try to win and possibly resurrect an old tradition. From a race to Bimini on Friday, then two races on Sunday just off the coast, this event went well for everybody.

"I'm getting phone calls still from the racers saying what a wonderful event this was," said Offshore Super Series (OSS) President Ron Polli.

"It was a wonderful first event for the city," said Cultural and Human Resources Director Susan Simpson, "it gave us the opportunity to show the city to a whole different clientele."

The first race was a 106 mile trip to Bimini and back in honor of Don Aronow. Racers had to navigate the ocean at top speeds and dodge through boats to make it back to their destination at Sunny Isles Beach.

"With his [Don Aronows] name on it brings back the historic connection of all the high speed race boats that were built in the northeast area of Dade County for the past 20 to 30 years," said Mayor Norman Edelcup.

Boats were coming from all directions when they started to come back in just over an hour. Larry Goldman and Gino Garguilo in the Mercedes boat came in first, keeping an average speed of 105 mph and completing the race in one hour and 44 seconds. Roughly four minutes later, AMSOIL came across the finish line to grab second, with an average speed of 98mph.

The Sunday racers were full of action. Rollovers, neck to neck battling and flying alongside the beaches made a memorable first event for spectators. They were able to see all of the thrills of racing, and with no injuries, from the high speed rollovers to a boat do a complete flip in the air and miraculously land right side up. This race will stick out in the minds of residents and visitors as well as the teams that raced it.

A former New Yorker and current resident living in Trump Palace Gary Guido said, "…having an offshore powerboat race in my own back yard was extremely exhilarating!" The overall winner for the Sunday races was the Bud Light boat, with Johnny Tomlinson on the throttle and Mike Seebold behind the wheel. They reached a screaming speed of 112 mph.

"Sunny Isles Beach did a great job putting on the race," said Tomlinson, "Plus, since I'm from Miami, it was nice to have family around to see us win."

Well, this might not be the last year that these boats go skimming off the coast of Sunny Isles Beach.

"I'd like to be coming back to race here for the next 10-15 years," said Polli. "This [race] really stood out and the city is just so nice. It just had a perfect vibe to it."

The City Manager John Szerlag also took a liking to the races and wouldn't mind seeing more in years to come. "I hope that more official sponsors come next year so that we may continue this extraordinary event that highlights Sunny Isles Beach in a very positive fashion," the manager said. This year’s sponsors included Solis Resort Spa Residences, J. Milton and Associates, Trump International, Newport Beachside Resort, Fairmont Turnberry, Le Meridien, Doubletree Ocean Point, Marco Polo Beach Resort, and the Thunderbird.

In addition, the manager also "wanted to thank all the volunteers and city staff that made this event a success. In particular, Director of Cultural and Human Services Susan Simpson, Chair of Tourism and Development Committee Tony LoCastro, Police Sgt Bobby Randazzo, Police Sgt Dan Gnagi, and Race Producers; Larry Goldman, Brad Schoenwald, and Alon Steiger.

One of the most unique aspects of Sunny Isles Beach according to Polli, was the venue that it had. With Racers Village in Haulover Park, the race teams and friends only had to cross the street to sit on the beach and enjoy their teams' battle it out on the ocean. The city and OSS are hoping to make this an annual event. Polli wrote on OSS' website www.offshoresuperseries.com that "this event has the potential to grow into the East Coasts premiere racing venue."

"We're excited about being able to plan on hosting this on an annual basis for the city because it's a nice summertime event to have here in Sunny Isles Beach," said Mayor Edelcup.

Mayor Edelcup also wants to bring in more sponsors to help with the cost and work with hotels to make a tourist package to bring in more revenue for the city by hosting the OSS races in years to come. According to Simpson, they will work on a media package for next year that will include a DVD of the event and the television commercials.

An overall success for OSS and Sunny Isles Beach.