Media is invited to get up close and personal with team drivers and their speed machines.

The Bright House 2012 Clearwater Super Boat National Championship and Seafood Festival is hosting a media day 10:45 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 28, at the Baystar Race Village located at the Clearwater Harbor Marina.

Mayor George Cretekos and event organizers Frank Chivas and Brian Aungst will hold a press conference to highlight aspects of the weekend activities, the local impact expected and race details. Drivers and throttlemen from Norway, Sweden, Dubai, Germany and all across the U.S. will be on hand to photograph and interview.  Please contact Kathleen Peters at kpeters@clearwaterflorida.org. Press credentials are required.

The Bright House Super Boat National Championship and Seafood Festival brings the world’s fastest and most famous powerboats in the United States. Super Boat drivers and throttlemen come from around the world to race the SBI circuit. The Sept. 28 – 30 event is the culmination of yearlong powerboat racing and will include the crowning of various National Champions. These "Super Boats" are equipped with F-16 canopies reaching extreme speeds of 180 mph and will race just off the shore of Clearwater Beach. Each race team consists of a two-person team - a driver who controls the boat's steering and a throttleman responsible for operating up to four engines capable of producing more than 6,000 horsepower.

Hulk Hogan is Grand Marshal of this year’s Bright House Super Boat National Championship and Seafood Festival. Hulk Hogan will kick off the event Friday night by leading the parade of boats as part of the Blast Friday event.

Blast Friday-Presented by Bright House Networks will kick off the festivities with a Super Boat Block Party including a parade of boats down Cleveland Street and a performance by Atlanta Rhythm Section on the Tampa Bay Times Cleveland Street Stage directly in front of the Capitol Theatre in downtown Clearwater on Friday, Sept. 28. With multiple gold and platinum albums to their credit, the band had two Top 10 singles, So Into You and Imaginary Lover, as well as a number of Top 40 hits including Champagne Jam, Doraville, I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight, Do It Or Die and Spooky.

This FREE street festival will feature a variety of vendors, as well as food, beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. The street fair begins at 5:30 p.m. with entertainment outside until 10 pm. Blast Friday is produced by Ruth Eckerd Hall on the Road Presents. Downtown restaurants will be open for business with outdoor dining available on Cleveland Street.

BLAST Friday is proudly sponsored by Bright House Networks, the Tampa Bay Times, The Eagle 107.3, and the Hyatt Regency of Clearwater Beach, and is supported by the City of Clearwater, the Cleveland Street District and the Downtown Development Board.

Super Boat was brought to Clearwater by Frank Chivas of the Bay Star Restaurant Group and Former Clearwater Mayor Brian Aungst of Bright House Networks, who believes the private sector has the responsibility to play a key role in the community. All proceeds from the event will be donated to three local charities: The Clearwater Community Sailing Center, Sailability, and the Make a Difference Fishing Tournament.  For a schedule of race events and details, visit www.clearwatersuperboat.com.

About the Bright House 2011 Clearwater Super Boat National Championships: When Super Boat International (SBI) founder and 30-year veteran, John Carbonell, wanted to produce Clearwater's 1st Annual Super Boat National Championship and Festival two local area businessmen stepped up to make it happen: Restaurateur Frank Chivas and Former Mayor of Clearwater Brian Aungst Sr. The Bright House 2012 Clearwater Super Boat National Championships will be produced by Super Boat International and presented by Bright House Networks. To see the full list of sponsors, partners and sponsor hotels, visit ww.clearwatersuperboat.com.

About Bright
    House Networks

Bright
    House Networks is the sixth largest owner and operator of cable systems in
    the U.S. and the second largest in Florida with technologically advanced
    systems located in five states including Florida, Alabama, Indiana,
    Michigan and California.

Bright House Networks serves more than
    2.4 million customers who subscribe to one or more of its video, high-speed
    data and voice services. The company also offers a full suite of phone,
    Internet, Ethernet and cable television services to businesses of all
    sizes. Bright House Media Strategies, the advertising arm of Bright House
    Networks, offers businesses advanced targeted advertising solutions. Bright House Networks also owns and operates exclusive local news and sports channels in its Florida markets. 

For more information about Bright House Networks or our products and services, visit brighthouse.com.   

About Baystar Restaurants

Baystar Restaurant Group is the parent company of five Clearwater/St. Petersburg restaurants; Salt Rock Grill, Island Way Grill, Marlin Darlin Key West Grill, and two locations of as well as a new Rumba Island Bar & Grill Rumba Island Bar & Grill located on the Atlantic side in Jupiter, Florida. Led by Frank Chivas, Baystar aims to provide both a delicious experience and an excellent value. Baystar restaurants have a warm tropical feel, and feature chef driven menus dominated by fresh seafood, much of which is provided by Chiva's own fleet of "dayboats." This source of fresh local seafood combined with creative chefs has established a strong reputation for Baystar's restaurants as excellent dining destinations within the Tampa Bay area. For more information about Baystar Restaurants visit www.baystarrestaurantgroup.com.

    MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY: The success of Baystar's restaurants have allowed
    Frank Chivas to give back to the community in many ways. Frank Chivas and
    The Baystar Restaurant Group Proudly Support the Following Charities: Chi
    Chi Rodriguez Academy, Clearwater for Youth, Clearwater Community Sailing Center, Clearwater
    Marine Aquarium, Pinellas Education Foundation.