PM visits powerboat races preparations

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this morning visited preparations for this weekend's races in the Malta Grand Prix of the Sea.

After yesterday's qualifiers in which SuperSport and Evolution were the fastest classes with Team 26 and OSG Racing, respectively, today's Sprint Race, off the Sliema coastline, starts at 5 p.m.

Ukrainian Spirit, of Maltese pilot Aaron Ciantar, are working around the clock to have the Chaudron ready in time.

The official list of entries for the second championship race of the season has 14 teams, seven each in each class.

Galway Plays Host to Around Ireland Powerboat Race

Galway will play host yet again to a major water sport event this June with 3 events in one starting with the PI Powerboat Grand Prix of Galway on the bay 05-07 June, the start of the Around Ireland Powerboat Race on 07 June and the P750 Zapcat Challenge in the Bay 12-13 June. Alongside the activity on the bay, Galway will yet again host a major festival in the Race Village at Galway Harbour and in Salthill with free concerts, amusements, bars, food and crafts. www.aroundireland.org www.aroundireland.org

Formula Four Races Into Powerboat P1 Series

Powerboat P1 Management Limited, rights holders of the Powerboat P1 World Championship, has today announced it has concluded discussions to take over the running of the British-based Formula Four Stroke Association (F4SA).

The move will offer competitors new technical regulations, a unique media and broadcasting platform and the opportunity to compete across an enhanced calendar of races in Europe and in the UK.

Over the past ten years, the F4SA, under the leadership of eight-times powerboat world champion, Steve Curtis MBE, has developed the offshore racing platform and nurtured pilots who have graduated to full international level.

Its rapid development has seen it grow from just five teams competing in a single 130 hp class in 1999, to more than 25 teams competing in two classes in 2006, and 19 participating teams in 2009.

The series has enjoyed strong support of support from Honda who has backed the championship since 1999 in order to prove the performance of its newly-launched BF130 hp four-stroke outboard engine.

Powerboat P1, chairman and CEO Asif Rangoonwala, recognises the partnership as an extremely exciting breakthrough for the world’s fastest growing offshore powerboat racing series.

“By integrating the series into Powerboat P1, we have commenced the expansion of our existing platform of SuperSport and Evolution classes. This deal opens new commercial opportunities for us and the teams, but most importantly, it sends an important message to the marine industry and the mainstream, high volume manufacturers that we are serious about production boating,” said Rangoonwala.

“As well as testing driver and navigator skill to the maximum, the series is one of the most affordable and accessible forms of motor sport, allowing the ordinary enthusiast to race in a competitive championship at international level,” added Rangoonwala.
Curtis, who will be taking up a new advisory role with the series for the foreseeable future, says Powerboat P1’s “unrivalled expertise,” promoting offshore powerboat racing can only benefit the existing F4SA teams.

“We have been working closely with Powerboat P1 for the past few months on this agreement and I see it as the obvious way forward to raise the profile of the series and take it to a new level.” said Curtis.

A new name and identity for the series is planned which will see the introduction of two-stroke 300 hp Mercury engines in the 27 ft class. Honda’s 150 hp engines remain in place for competitors in the smaller 21 ft class.

Powerboat P1 commercial director, Robert Wicks, said: “We can now provide host cities with an enhanced offering by increasing television coverage and supplying a better inward economic investment. A talent pool of aspiring pilots now emerges who will be able to use the series as a natural stepping stone to our established international classes.

“The intention at this stage is to offer competing teams three race events in the UK and the equivalent in Europe, with the latter being held over the course of a Powerboat P1 race weekend.”

The first event of the new Series’ European tour is intended for the opening round of the 2010 Powerboat P1 World Championship in Split, Croatia next April and Wicks believes the latest addition to Powerboat P1 will be well supported.

“We recognise this is a big step for many of the teams, but we plan to support them to attend the European races. Feedback has been very encouraging and the teams have a real desire to race in Europe.”

To enhance the value of the series immediately, starting places are likely to be limited to ten boats in each class for the European rounds and 15 for the British events. Powerboat P1 is also reviewing the potential of combining the results from the European and British events to crown an overall world champion for the series.

The British series has nurtured the likes of Shelley Jory and James Sheppard who both achieved success in P1 after establishing themselves in the smaller capacity class.

Jory, one-half of 2009 SuperSport Turkish Grand Prix of the Sea champions Ikocasa, is extremely excited by the partnership, and sees the F4SA series as a perfect platform for drivers hoping to make the future step up to Powerboat P1. She said: “I raced in the championship for four years and learned an exceptional amount.

“I made the step up from F4SA to Evolution Class and taking on extremely sharp turns against five boats provided me with some invaluable experience for racing in Powerboat P1.”

Key to the deal was the ability to enhance the profile of the series through the extensive Powerboat P1 media platform. “Powerboat P1 enjoys a significant media presence – through one of our many international broadcasters, in the specialist and lifestyle press and on the Internet – and we can immediately raise the level of awareness of the series and return some tangible, measurable value for sponsors,” said Wicks.

Details of the 2010 calendar, regulations and incentives for competing teams will be released by Powerboat P1 Management in mid-December.




Media Enquiries:
LONDON:
Sam Feasey, Press Officer, Powerboat P1
e. sam.feasey@powerboatp1.com m. +44 (0) 7779 352 147

IMAGES
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Powerboat P1 World Championship
www.powerboatp1.com
Powerboat P1 is the world's premium marine motorsport, with teams from around the globe racing at speeds exceeding 200km per hour in awesomely powerful twin engine mono-hull powerboats.
In 2010, teams in both the Evolution and SuperSport classes will compete for the World Championship title at Grands Prix of the Sea events across Europe and Asia, in the Series' seventh season. The sun-soaked race destinations and P1's exclusive VIP entertainment village provide a glamorous and adrenaline-fuelled experience, attracting thousands of spectators, celebrities, the world's media and global fan base alike.
Using the latest in production technology, P1’s worldwide TV broadcasts reach more than 31 million viewers in 180 countries with coverage on more than 100 different channels including Eurosport, Sky Sports and RAI.

Ilmor Clinches Third Consecutive Powerboat P1 World Championship Title As Seagull Chaudron Flies to Victory in Sicily

September 12, 2009, Siracusa, Italy: The Spirit of Ukraine - Seagull Chaudron team of Angelo Tedeschi, Aaron Ciantar, and Viktor Shemchuk successfully defended their 2008 Powerboat P1 Championship in the Sicilian Grand Prix of the Sea, making it three in a row for both Tedeschi and Ilmor.

It all came down to the last race of the season to determine the championship, with a tight points battle of only 11 points separating the Ilmor powered Chaudron and Baia Attolini before start of the Sunday Endurance race. That margin was the result of Baia Attolini finishing ahead of the Ilmor Chaudron team in the Saturday Sprint race, closing the gap and signaling that it would be a winner takes all race for the title on Sunday.

“This championship is special,” said Tedeschi. “We had to fight all year for this one and it all came down to today’s race, right down to the last lap. If we made a mistake, we would loose the championship,” he continued.

But that was not to be the case as the team ran a flawless race, taking a third and a second over the two day event to accrue the necessary points for the overall championship, and a second place podium position for the Sicilian Grand Prix of the Sea.

In addition to the event points, the team earned an additional 50 reliability points as a result of the ongoing performance of their Ilmor engines without a failure throughout the season. The series recognizes the importance of reliability, but not only from an attrition point of view. They also understand that if an engine can withstand the rigors of the offshore competition environment for a full race season without failure, the engine and the team deserve to be recognized. Consequently, Powerboat P1 will award Ilmor their third engine manufacturer title at the 2010 Miami International Boat Show in February of 2010.

“We are thrilled with the accomplishment of the Seagull Chaudron team, and their victory is a validation of our products not only for racing but for pleasure boating applications,” said Ian Hawkins of Ilmor. “The reason that we support racing is to demonstrate that if our engines can survive on the racecourse, they will thrive in a pleasure boat.”

The Chaudron is powered by twin Ilmor Marine 570hp MV-10 engines, and follows in the tradition of the Evolution team of Wilson and Sheppard that captured back-to-back world titles in their Ilmor Powered 42 Fountain in 2007 and 2008.

“I like the Ilmor engines,” said Tedeschi. “They perform well out of the corners with their rpm range, and they have been very reliable this season. They are an important part of our victory, as are all of the members of our team. This is a full team effort, and that is what it takes to win a championship.”

Hawkins indicated that the success of the engines has not going un-noticed by the series teams, as well as potential future participants in the Powerboat P1 series.

“We have had a number of inquiries from race teams looking to build new boats or to re-power their current boat for the 2010 season,” said Hawkins. “We look forward to increased representation by competitive teams next year, particularly as rule changes are being discussed to enhance the successful power-to-weight ratio P1 format.”

With the implementation of the Indy stern drive to their race and pleasure offerings, teams and general boating consumers will now be able to acquire a complete package from Ilmor, from the engine through transmission, to the stern drive, providing a fully integrated drive-train. The system is engineered to work as a complete system, and will not only provide a one-stop source for the compete power-train, it will provide a simplified rigging for control systems through the helm and dashboard.

###

Ilmor High-Performance Marine has unveiled a host of new products for the high-performance marine market, and now welcomes the new INDY® stern drive and transmission system. The INDY® stern drive is designed for use with Ilmor’s upgraded 2009 emissions-compliant, fourth-generation 650 and 725 horsepower MV-10 marine engines. The entire engine and drive system is designed to maximize efficiency and withstand the rigors of high-performance boating. The Gen-4 725-horsepower Ilmor engine is now compliant with all California and European Union environmental emission regulations.

For more information on Ilmor, contact:
Ilmor High Performance Marine
Ian Hawkins, H-P Marine Manager
43939 Plymouth Oaks Blvd.
Plymouth, MI 48170
734-456-3600

Fiore declares Outerlimits ready for action!

Saturday 12th September 2009: The Outerlimits powerboat of the OSG Racing team is ready for action following yesterday's surface repair on the eve of the Powerboat P1 Grand Prix of Sicily. The boat had struck debris during the first practice session and as a precaution the affected area was made good over night. SNAV OSG lines-up for the seasons finale as favourite to take the Evolution class world title.

"We hit some debris which is an everyday hazard of racing and there was slight damage to a leading edge," confirmed Paul Fiore, Outerlimits Powerboats. "Our boats are built to last and pretty much bullet proof. If this had been a pleasure boat it would not have warranted any work. But we are challenging to win the world championship and the slightest damage demands attention. It was very easy to fix and probably overkill on our part. SNAV OSG is now out on the water testing and once again looks to be the pace setter."

"We have won three out of four Grand Prix events and will be aiming for victory this weekend and the world championship," says Hannes Bohinc, driver, SNAV OSG. "The Outerlimits boat is the star performer in Powerboat P1 and deserves the title."


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SNAV OSG wins in Sicily - title in sight!

Siracusa, Italy, Saturday 12 September 2009: SNAV OSG, the Mercury-powered Outerlimits powerboat, took control of the 2009 Powerboat P1 World Championship with an emphatic victory in the season's penultimate round.

The form books were turned upside down on the opening lap as the German competitor, Cranefields Wine, blasted through the field to take the lead but a dramatic spin-out opened the door for the OSG Racing Team. With three Grand Prix victories already under its belt, OSG then set about building a commanding lead, lapping Silverline twice in the process and winning the race by more than 40 seconds.

Behind them the Belgium boat, Furnibo, was battling with Italians, Cigarette Smash Poker and Metamarine for second place, Cigarette taking the spoils to maintain its championship challenge. The predicted heavy conditions did not materialise, the leading boats powered around the twisting circuit on flat seas at speeds of over 100mph. At the back, Silverline, the current championship leaders, struggled for speed and it's already slender lead was eroded even further.

Today's result means that with just tomorrows 73 nautical mile endurance race remaining, SNAV OSG remains in second place in the Powerboat P1 World Championship, 35 points behind Silverline with Cigarette Smash Poker in third, 39 points behind OSG. However, of the top three in the Evolution class, only SNAV OSG will qualify for 50 engine reliability bonus points should they complete tomorrows course and in doing so will move to the head of the class.

"This was a fantastic team performance and the boat ran perfectly." confirmed OSG team owner and throttleman Giancarlo Cangiano excitedly. "Since our set-back in Turkey we have been clawing back points race by race. Now everything is in our hands. Tomorrow cannot come soon enough."

It will be a nail biting finale but the tide has definitely turned in favour of OSG and this highly organised and professional Italian racing outfit looks and races like champions. However, this is motorsport, always unpredictable even before adding the elements and a track that is constantly moving; we all know that it's rarely over 'til the fat lady sings!

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