Event Lead Explains Alton Midwest Nationals F1 Powerboat Championship Schedule and Community

Sydney Sinks, News Reporter

Jul 15, 2025 9:27 AM Jul 15, 2025 9:38 AM

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Our Daily Show Interview! Mike Farmer- Road to Alton Midwest Nationals

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ALTON - As Alton prepares for the Alton Midwest Nationals F1 Powerboat Championship, Event Boat Patrol Lead Mike Farmer shares his insights on powerboat racing.

Farmer, a local powerboat racing expert, is excited to welcome the community to the event. He looks forward to hosting the championship in Alton for the next several years.

“I hope everybody comes and enjoys the show,” he said. “We want to put on a good enough show that they can’t wait to get back here next year. There’s a three-year contract, and we want it to grow and grow and grow. It would be awesome if we filled every hotel in the area and restaurants all boomed and everybody had a good time at the races. That would be a great weekend.”

Farmer has been following powerboat racing since he was a child. His father introduced him to the sport and started a family boat repair business, where Farmer would help out.

Powerboat racing is a family sport for Farmer and many of the racers, and the community is a big part of the sport’s appeal. He noted that all of the racers will help each other and encourage one another as needed.

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“It’s kind of like a lot of other sports where you bicker, but when it comes down to it, if somebody needs something and somebody else has it, they’ve got it,” he explained. “Nobody wants to see somebody sit on the bank because they didn’t have something.”

Farmer encourages Riverbend residents to come out and buy their tickets to the races. He believes being there in person is the only way to truly experience it.

“TV doesn’t do them any justice,” he said. “That zero to 100 off the start dock is three and a half seconds, maybe four. They’re pretty quick. Some of the corners are set up where they can sweep them a little bit, but some of the corners are set up where they’ve got to turn the boat. And they’ll pull between four and six Gs in a corner.”

The fun starts with a meet-and-greet on Friday, July 18, 2025. On Saturday, July 19, 2025, tri-hull testing starts at 9 a.m., followed by Formula 1 testing and Formula Lite testing. The Formula Lites qualify at 10:20 a.m., followed by Formula 1 at 11 a.m. The river will be open for an hour, and then the opening ceremony will kick off at 12 p.m. From then until 5 p.m., there will be a heat race every 30 minutes.

On Sunday, July 20, testing starts at 9:35 a.m. and heat races start at 10:15 a.m. The opening ceremony will start at 11:15 a.m., and then racing will resume at 12 p.m.

As the weekend approaches, Farmer looks forward to welcoming the community out to the second annual Alton Midwest Nationals F1 Powerboat Championship. He hopes to see many people come out and enjoy the event.

“I just hope everybody has a fun, safe weekend and everything goes well,” he added.

For more information about the Alton Midwest Nationals F1 Powerboat Championship, including how to purchase tickets, visit the official webpage at the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau website.

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