(powerboats revving) - There's a very long history of boat racing in Michigan.

Boat racing is also just part of Michigan's history as well as being something that's part of its present.

(powerboats revving) - [Adam] A real quick history of power boat racing in Michigan.

You guessed it, it involves Detroit.

The motor city was the epicenter for the sport in the early 1900s.

Detroit businessmen, Garfield Wood, became racing's first superstar, winning five straight powerboat Gold Cups and the first man to hit 100 miles per hour on water.

(upbeat music) World War II paused much of the powerboat racing in the 1940s.

But when servicemen returned home, boat building and racing again dominated the waterways in Michigan, making way for new designs and methods to power boats across the top of the water.

Many best described as backyard jobs.

(upbeat music continues) The popularity of power boat racing led to an increasing cost to stay competitive on the main circuit.

But the desire to compete didn't stop hobbyists from finding a race and forming clubs.

Today, the Michigan Hydroplane Racing Association is home to dedicated power boat enthusiasts who gather and race in communities across the state.

(upbeat music continues) - We have everyone from nine year olds, to people in their seventies who will be racing this weekend.

People come from all different kinds of backgrounds.

Some people are third and fourth generation boat racers and some people have just gone through our racer school and decided they liked it and started racing.

- Racer School is a safe controlled environment for us to put someone who has never been in an outboard hydroplane before on the water to learn how to navigate it and ultimately how to be able to compete and race in one of the events that we host.

(powerboat revving) A race for us consists of two three-lap heats.

- [Adam] Racer School is designed to get more people interested and involved in the sport.

- Unique thing about racing boats is our track is changing all the time and you got to be aware of that.

What we like you to do is get on plane as near parallel to the race course as you can.

Of course so without hitting anything.

- [Adam] The idea is to teach newcomers the fundamentals of outboard racing.

And after about an hour of classroom instruction, they head to the water in a safe and controlled environment.

- Here we're simulating kind of race conditions, but we also have people on the water in boats in case something did happen.

- [Adam] Instructors help get the students in the proper safety gear and acclimated to the boat's controls.

And once that motor starts, they're off.

The goal is to get the boat on plane, which is where the boat is traveling just above the water.

(powerboat revving) After a few solo laps on the water, students have the chance to go head to head with one of the top racers of the club.

(powerboats revving) (upbeat music continues) At the completion of the afternoon, students walk away with a knowledge and skill to compete in a formal race.

- To me, it's much more exciting to do than watch.

Unless you get in one of the boats, you won't realize it.

It's like driving a car on ice.

You don't have to be going a hundred miles an hour if you're driving a car on ice for it to be exciting.

And when you're on water and the whole boat is out of the water and just moving and dancing everywhere, 70 feels fast enough when it feels like it could go in any direction at any second.

- [Adam] Spending an afternoon on the shores during a race weekend, one does get a bit curious about what it's like to race.

Racer School provides that introduction with only a small investment and an afternoon of your time.

(powerboats revving) - It's a way to experience racing and competition on a budget that anybody can afford.

And this is the first step.

(upbeat music continues)