From Key West, Fla., to Atlantic City, N.J., and beyond, 54-year-old offshore racing throttleman Jay Muller has experienced his share of well-known waters during his more than three decades in the sport. But his favorite water—Lake Hopatcong in Jefferson County, N.J.—is closer to home for the Garden State native. Muller lives nearby the idyllic 2,600-plus-acre lake.
Offshore racing action returns to one of New Jersey’s prettiest waterways this weekend. Photo by Tim Sharkey copyright Sharkey Images.
And like his sons Jax and Chase, he’ll be competing there this weekend in the annual Offshore Powerboat Association sanctioned-and-produced Lake Hopatcong Grand Prix. As usual, the world-championship-winning Super Cat- and Super Stock-class competitor is eager to see his favorite sport return to his hometown.
“The weather looks great and we usually have a good boat count, so it should be an action-packed weekend with racing again on both sides of the lake on two different racecourses,” Muller explained. “Last year we did it and was a huge success with the fans and the racers.
“The Bracket guys always race hard—and we also have the Jersey Shore Boat Racing teams racing on Saturday morning to get the fans fired up,” he added. “And we have parties with bands going throughout the weekend.”
Captured here with M CON Offshore Racing team owner Tyler Miller, Jay Muller (left) loves his hometown waterway. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
Though most of the teams competing this weekend will be from the Bracket classes, Muller said he expects a few Super Cat, Super V and Mod V teams to be part of the action.
The president of the Offshore Powerboat Association, Nick Smith is equally eager for the weekend to begin.
“Lake Hopatcong has become a place where season-long rivalries come to a head, the party never stops and we race everything powerboat racing has to offer,” he said. “With our partners at JSBR, the best offshore teams in the Northeast and Muller’s ‘House of Pain,’ Lake Hop never disappoints.
The president of the Jersey Shore Boat Racing organization, Nick Megee agreed with his Offshore Powerboat Association counterpart.
“Lake Hop puts two very different sides of powerboat racing together in one place,” he explained. “OPA brings the offshore side, JSBR brings the flat-bottom side. And the fans get to experience both in the same weekend.
“For us, it’s more than another race,” he concluded. “It’s a chance to race hard, represent what we’ve built and put on the kind of show people have come to expect from JSBR at Lake Hop.”