Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Welcomes Kilo Races for Second Consecutive Year

For the second year running, the 36th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Shootout will host a sanctioned kilo race sub-event which will precede Sunday’s traditional, unsanctioned races on August 25th, 2024. Spectators of the Shootout from all over the world will once again be able to watch as records for internationally recognized speed titles are attempted at the Lake of the Ozarks.

So, what exactly is a kilo race?

In collaboration with Union Internationale Motonautique and the American Power Boat Association (UIM/APBA), last year’s Shootout welcomed its first-ever kilo (kilometer) races. Whereas the Shootout’s unsanctioned races use radar equipment to measure the top speed obtained at the end of a 3/4-mile racecourse, kilo races, rather, are a speed run based upon the average time between two survey points, which are marked by buoys and utilize a “there and back system” with two passes from opposite directions.

“We were very pleased with last year’s record-setting kilo races and anticipate even more records being broken with new records set in 2024,” said Leah Martin, Executive Director for the Shootout. “Now that we have our first year of hosting this sanctioned event under our belt, we foresee a much smoother transition from unsanctioned to sanctioned races this August. Since last year, we have fine-tuned several aspects of the kilo runs, including a move to host the kilo races on Sunday morning versus in the evening, which will allow us to ensure ample time for unexpected delays within our MSHP Water Patrol Division-approved regatta permit window. In addition to this, we will start the kilo runs in the opposite direction (downstream versus upstream) as the Shootout’s regular, unsanctioned runs. We are changing the course in this way to allow for a larger turning radius for racers who are preparing for their second pass.” 

Regarding the sanctioning rights for the kilo races, the Shootout will be applying for club sanctioning with the APBA.

“The American Power Boat Association is pleased to again take part in the biggest performance boating event in the world,” said Rich Luhrs, APBA Offshore Commission Chairman. “The Shootout will continue to produce true UIM/APBA world records–the internationally recognized speed titles. This LOTO-based event has epitomized excellence in organization, promotion, and state-of-the-art course management, and we look forward to continuing our long and mutually rewarding relationship.”