Motorboat Races Moved to Greenwood Lake

Some love the roar of motorboats racing in front of Hopatcong State Park, and others dread the constant buzz in the air. Depending on what side you’re on in that debate, this may be good or bad news: for the third year in a row, the Lake Hopatcong Racing Association will not be hosting races on Lake Hopatcong this spring.
The group will instead host its races on Greenwood Lake from May 12 to 16. “They tried to have it here this year, but there was a scheduling conflict,” Lake Hopatcong Commission chairman and Jefferson Township mayor Russ Felter said at the commission’s March meeting.
Felter said the group hopes to return to its Lake Hopatcong home next year, possibly with two events; one in May at the State Park, and one in September at Lake Forest Yacht Club.  “It would be neat if they could pull that off,” said commissioner Daniel McCarthy of Hopatcong.
The race this year will be held at Brown’s Point on Greenwood Lake, with a one-mile course, and the LHRA is partnering with the Greenwood Lake Powerboat Association for the event. The races have not been held on Lake Hopatcong since the LHRA had to call them off in May 2009 because of dangerously low water levels in the pit area that would have prevented boats from launching without risking damage.