Rb issue 20web(1)

raceboat F1

Issue 20 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

international.com

TOUGH AT THE TOP

as competition hots up in FRANCE-PORTUGAL-CHINA

P1 POWERBOATS

FROM SCOTLAND TO THE FINALS IN BOURNEMOUTH

THUNDERCATS ON THE MERSEY

COUGAR BOAT MAXIM WINS THIS YEAR’S

COWES CLASSIC

F2 NORWAY & LITHUANIA v8 AUSTRALIAN SUPERBOAT UK CIRCUIT SPRINT RUNS A FAMILY AFFAIR - THE WHITTLES

raceboatinternational YESTERYEAR - COWES 1977

1

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Available by subscription, or it can be downloaded from raceboatinternational.com EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES PO Box No. 4871 Poole, Dorset BH15 1HX Tel: +44 (0) 1202 625048 Mobile: +44 (0) 7946 230630 Email: david@raceboatinternational.com EDITOR David Sewell WEBSITE www.raceboatinternational.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Carolynne Sewell CONTRIBUTORS Roy Mantle Nigel Quilter Tony Cossington Steve Michael Ray Bulman PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Tapping Simon Palfrader Vittorio Obertone Arek Rejs Graham Stevens Bryan Scott Mike Powell Russel Puckeridge (Pureart Creative Images) Dave Ormiston SUBSCRIPTIONS (4 issues) £30 per annum (U.K.) £40 per annum (Europe) £45 per annum (ROW) Post cheque made payable to: Raceboat International or pay by Paypal on-line www.raceboatinternational.com FRONT COVER PHOTO F1 Filip Roms and Thani Al Qamzi in Portimao PRINTED BY - Headley Brothers While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in the compilation of this publication, the Publishers cannot be held liable for errors and omissions. c Copyright - David Sewell All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior consent in writing to the publisher.

NOTE from the

Editor This year may well go down in history as being the crossroads to the future of international powerboat racing. The once popular Class 1 series is apparently on the starting blocks. Will Class 1 series run again is the million dollar question. The UIM are naturally keen for it to happen but they cannot find anyone prepared to fund the series. XCats for a few years provided much excitement and great photos, but like ‘that demmed Elusive Pimpernel’ the XCat Championship has disappeared without a trace, and no one’s saying a world. These two international championships have been the only stage for the owners of these impressive giants of powerboat racing and unless something happens soon the only direction for them now is Australia, New Zealand or the U.S. The domestic offshore scene in the UK has been kept afloat by OCRDA, and despite a spirited attempt by the RYA to make their life difficult, the season will be made complete with the final race in Plymouth in October, and there is talk of Ireland being included in the 2017 series.

The dependable annual Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race organised by BPRC produced a comical situation this year when only two of the fourteen starters appearing on the results sheet. The rough seas were blamed for the large casualty list when in actual fact most of the retirees dropped out before they had reached the rough seas. Congratulations to the three British powerboaters Richard Carr, Steve Curtis and Paul Sinclair who The World F1 Series continues to thrive with new venues being added to their calendar. We will have to wait until December to learn who is the 2016 World F1 champion as it is very tight at the top of the table.

Our website is still getting a high number of hits per week and you will notice more developments on the site over the next few months. If you have a raceboat or engine for sale, please forward details. For a modest £40, your advert will appear on raceboatinternational.com until it sells.

With winter fast approaching it’s time for serious discussions to take place on how we can improve our sport. One idea I’m very keen on is producing video footage of domestic meetings in the UK, Channel Isles and Scandinavia which can be broadcast on our website and be available on DVD. We will let you know how this idea develops.

Dave David Sewell Editor

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contents www.raceboatinternational.com

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30 38 42

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NEWS BRIEFING Who’s WHO and what’s WHAT

12

FAMILY AFFAIR The Whittle father and son powerboat racing heritage

14

COWES CLASSIC This year’s marathon was a race of attrition with only 2 finishers

18

F1 EVIAN Following the success of team Abu Dhabi at this annual marathon event

24

F1 PORTIMAO The 2016 Formula 1 season begins in Dubai for the first time

28

F1 CHINA The 2016 Formula 1 season begins in Dubai for the first time

30

F2 N0RWAY The popular Tonsberg race and on to round 5 in Zarasai, Lithuania

34

POWERBOAT P1 IN SCOTLAND Roberts Wicks explains the success of the annual Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea

38

P1 BOURNEMOUTH The end of another successful season for Powerboat P1 Superstock

40 THUNDERCAT

Rounds 5 and 6 at the Mersey River

Festival

42 GP CIRCUIT

The National Championships continue in

Kingsbury and Chasewater and then on to

Bedford for the Sprint Championships

48

48

AUSTRALIAN V8 SUPERBOAT Rounds 4 and 5 at Cabarita Beach

54

YESTERYEAR Written by Ray Bulman on the 1977 Cowes/Torquay/Cowes marathon

56 CLASSIFIED

Boats for Sale 58

PIT SHOTS raceboatinternational 5

SUNDECK 670

a modern displacing-planning hull, long range, fast trawler, motor yacht: totally designed, engineered and manufactured in Italy, the second born of the four models from 14 to 24 meters.

The 21 meter yacht has been designed with the charm and functionality of a classic leisure ship and quality construction process.

Whilst it can be built in several different versions, the interior layout and fitting features a huge amount of guests’ cabins and exceptional dimensions of sun bed areas, extending from bow to stern benefitting from the generous beam.

At foredeck, there is a Jacuzzi style bathtube (upon request), a sun bed converting

dinette and plenty of stowage hatches, whilst the fly bridge includes a complete summer galley. The fractioned glass windscreen underlines the sturdy construction, whilst its round shape gives additional elegance to the vessel.

In order to increase efficiency, up to date common rail injection diesel engines are offered in several power and brand configuration. 825 hp FPT turbodiesel engines are coupled to traditional shaft drives for

the best reliability. Docking is easy thanks to yacht controller joystick which operates engines and thrusters. Cruising at displacement speed, Sundeck 670 burns incredibly small quantities of fuel, while at top speed, the yacht exceeds 20 knots still keeping an economical consumption rate.

The twin zero speed gyro stabilizers give more comfort aboard adding an unbelievable stability to the vessel at anchor and at displacement cruising speed.

Curtis and Carr claim first ever Cowes victory Bournemouth duo Richard Carr and Steve Curtis toughed out the ‘roughest ever’ CowesTorquay race to claim their first ever victory in the offshore classic. rivals.

Navigated by Paul Sinclair, Carr (driver) and “I never assumed that we would win the Curtis (throttleman) demonstrated their comrace; powerboat racing is such an unpredictbined vast experience to master the rough able sport. We put a lot of effort into preparconditions and come out on top in a race that ing the boat and preparing our bodies for the saw multiple boat failures. race, and it certainly paid off,” Carr said.

Both Carr and Curtis have enjoyed illustri“I was in the gym six weeks prior to the ous careers in the sport racing across the race and without that preparation I don’t think globe, however Cowes glory had alluded I would have made the finishing line - I think them both, until now.

I would have had to have jumped out of the “The Cowes race for powerboat racing is boat! the equivalent of Wimbledon in Tennis and the “Most of the other competitors either British GP in Formula 1,” explained Richard turned back or sunk as a result of the horrenCarr. dous conditions. It was so rough at Portland “Anybody who is a serious powerboat The winning trio went home with all the racer and has been successful in the sport trophies including the Beaverbrook Trophy Bill that the RNLI gave up on trying to rescue one of the boats and came back for it the has their name on the Cowes/Torquay/Cowes next day!” trophy. However, that honour had alluded myself, Steve and Paul Despite their being limited celebrations after the race due to so to win it now at the current stages of our careers is extra special. shear physical exhaustion, Carr is extremely proud to have achieved Paul is 58, I’m 57 and Steve is 52 so just to complete the course the victory alongside Curtis and Sinclair was special, but to win the race was a major feat.”

“I have been pals with Steve for a very long time; we have raced Carr and Curtis have been racing together and against each against and with one another and to win it for the first time together other since the late 1980s and have won multiple titles. In their was a nice feeling. It was really good fun being out in the boat and Cougar 46, powered by the Mercury powered aluminium hull, they recorded an average speed of 51.88mph and competed the course although we did have the odd moment when it was quite tense, it was a pleasant experience - on the whole!” in 4 hours and 12 minutes - over an hour ahead of their nearest 6 raceboatinternational

RYA HANDBOOK The RYA Powerboat Handbook has been a best-seller for the RYA since its launch in 2005 and now in its third edition the title is crammed full of new images and updated with new information on electronic navigation and handling at speed.

In the years between the last edition of the RYA Powerboat Handbook and the new one there have been a substantial number of technological and safety-related advances. This new edition covers all of the developments as well as giving advice to an increasing number of boaters who are using their RYA Powerboat qualifications commercially.

Written by RYA Powerboat Instructor Trainer and Examiner, Paul Glatzel, the RYA Powerboat Handbook is aimed at those with some experience of powerboating who wish to further develop their knowledge and confidence afloat. Chapters include:Propellers, Safety and Planning, Travelling at Speed, Challenging Conditions, Boating at Night and in Restricted Visibility, and Cruising in a Powerboat.

Purchase the new edition of the RYA Powerboat Handbook and enjoy a SPECIAL BUNDLE DISCOUNT of 25% when you buy both the print and eBook versions of this title together.

If you are an RYA member you will also receive an additional 15% discount.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS Mike James REPORTS

In 1963 Tommy Sopwith raced his new Bertram 31 Thunderstreak in the COWES -TORQUAY powerboat race... he never made it as a gearbox failed just after Portland Bill. He returned again in ‘64....but failed to start.... the poor boat was never going to make the trip... roll forward to 2014 and what appears at Cowes none other than Thunderstreak...rescued from a life as a multi cabined live aboard, abandoned in an east end London Marina and restored by Historic and Ferrari racer Robin Ward... stripped and rebuilt as near original as possible, she failed to start due to a multitude of unfinished items... She was ready in 2015 and holding her own until a Vdrive failed and she limped back to Cowes...and here we are now in 2016...Thunderstreak is one of 4 historic craft entered in the CTC...In what turned out to be some of the worst conditions ever encountered in the 56 years of this race, the retirements came thick and fast..but to everyone’s amazement creeping up the leaders board was one Thunderstreak. Powered by original Ford Interceptors she was one of four boats left in the race and fast aproaching Torquay...she finished 7 mins outside of time...but was allowed to restart (rules and regulations etc etc...)..within half an hour she was running third but in atrocious conditions...through the Portland race on to Poole Bay then...fuel feed problems...Robin makes a jury rig...off again at 30 knots. Approaching Hurst 12/15 miles to the finish....smash!...bent propshaft ...prop pierces hull..... water flooding in...the end of a dream finish for the oldest hull in the race....but...A.. she had reached Torquay....B..she was on her way to the history books having beaten craft a fifth of her age.....a most remarkable achievement and one that many will remember for a long long time...just like the old days isn’t it?

IN BRIEF

VALUE FOR MONEY? As the UK offshore scene draws to a close, a talking point among many teams is the cost of the RYA racing licence and what exactly do they get for their money when this year clubs were obliged to organise their own insurance and water approval as well as ensure craft met the RYA safety standards.

Being an RYA licence holder allows you to take part in UIM events, but if a team wants to compete in a UIM World championship they dont need an RYA licence.

The RYA has an enviable record in yacht circles, particulary the Olympics, and the Round the Isle of Wight race with upwards of 1200 yachts seems to go ahead each year with the RYA blessing and the Powerboat GP circuit series runs smoothly with good PR etc, but many teams feel that offshore powerboat racing appears to be the poor relation.

Hopefully we will see changes in 2017.

SRI LANKA P1 EVENT IN 2017 We met one of the officials from the Sri Lanka Powerboat Association at the Bournemouth P1 meeting and he assured us they are seriously trying to get a meeting organised for 2017.

A few years ago H2o World F1 promoter Nicolo di San Germano began negotiations with the Powerboat Association Chairman as he was invited to advise the best way to get a meeting underway.

Sadly the country was troubled by civil war at that time and. However Sri Lanka now has a stable government and the country boasts several excellent locations for offshore or circuit racing.

BUBBLES WINS AGAIN

The published Cowes-Poole-Cowes race was cancelled because of the rough sea conditions, but the organisers filled the space with a race that met with everyones approval, Cowes to Yarmouth and 3 laps of the Solent 1st Bubbles - Richard Carlton-Phil Payter 72mph 2nd Diablo Racing V24 72mph finished 2 minutes behind winner.

Oldest driver in the fleet was 79 year young Alan Goodwin in Mr Noisey who finished 5th averaging 63mph. Adam Younger was very pleased with his RIB making its racing debut, and it was good to see the smaller classes battling the elements particularly Jupiter, the very first Forgecraft built by the Lucas brothers...it must be over 20 years old.

raceboatinternational 7

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MARKETPLACE BRITISH COMPANY leads custom screen production TheRE have been many changes to the appearance of Powerboats over the years and since the innovation of fully enclosed cockpits screens have come under the spotlight for custom design Prior to 1990, Formula catamarans were open cockpit craft with the driver exposed to the elements. One of the most successful builders of Formula boats at that time was David Burgess and his boats were in much demand. Not only did Burgess build successful raceboats he was also an innovator and in 1992 he produced a canopy that made cockpits fully enclosed to provide the driver with protection. The ‘glass’ in the canopy was made of polycarbonate and Burgess purchased a 5mm flat sheet of it, marked out the opening in the canopy and cut the polycarbonate to fit the ‘hole’.

The material was then bent to fit and installed with sealer and nuts and bolts.

Over the years builders have adopted this same process while some have cut corners trying to save costs by either fitting glass as used in car screens where a sheet of clear Perspex is squeezed between two layers of safety glass, or others have used all Perspex.

Despite acrylic being readily available and considered to be suitable for the task, the UIM rules currently do not allow builders to use this material. Unlike Polycarbonate, acrylic is not effected by saltwater or oil and it is easy to apply anti-scratch treatment. However, the word ‘unbreakable’ appears to have caught the eye of UIM cockpit safety officials who have demanded 8mm polycarbonate for screens, a thickness almost capable of stopping a missile.

The British company White-Ellerton specialises in producing both acrylic and polycarbonate screens of all shapes and sizes for the motor industry including vintage, veteran, race and rally cars together with aircraft screens.

For all the latest Established in 1947 White-Ellerton, are market leaders in the screenNews, industry, and after a request Results and from a leading boat-builder to produce a polycarbonate screen to comply with the UIM regulations

Reviews Europe’s Newest Builder of Custom High Performance Catamaran Log onto About Single Polycarbonate Sheet Powerboats. or Twin Outboard, Pleasure or Race All Boats CE Certifi edis that ultra tough, clear glazing material used www.worldof Polycarbonate Sheet inPower machine guards, anti vandal glazing and riot shields etc.

Marine, powerboats.com Dublin, Ireland.

Although it is not totally unbreakable, it is approximately 250 times www.powermarine.ie stronger than glass and currently the toughest stuff there is. alan@powermarine.ie It +353 is also 86 known 8783735by many of it’s brand or trade names such as: Lexan, Paltough or Makralon, to name a few. Without getting too technical and for our purposes here, they are all pretty much the same material but it isPROPELLERS important to mention that each brand will offer a range of differing grades for different applications.

The UK’s leading propeller specialist Est. 1958 Marguard is the name given to the scratch resistant grade of PROP REPAIRS 3-4 Days + P&P NEW PROPELLERS available from stock Lexan Polycarbonate. Thisonline is the grade that is commonly Alum prices ordering availableofat sheet www.steeldevelopments.co.uk 0 – 9” diain race car applications. £30.00 Size It is more expensive Aluminium but the Stainless used hardSteel 9.1/8” – 11” dia £32.50 A/B series 9.9–35hp fr £55.00 fr £120.00 coating allows the sheet to£85.00 be cleaned more eas11.1/8” – 14” on dia both surfaces £34.50 C series 40-65hp £175.00 14.1/8” – 16” dia £36.50 D series 70-125hp £89.99 fr £189.99 ily and with a substantially reduced risk of scratches, extending the 16.1/8” – 48” dia POA E series 135-300hp £99.00 fr £199.99 Bronze Bravo II saving money £495.00 £495.00 life ofprops the windows+ £2.00 and arguably in the long run.

Stainless steel Props £57.50 Volvo SP £135.00 fr £250.00 Polycarbonate Sheet what Impellers from £35.50 is Volvo Duo is called “notch fr £345.00sensitive” which fr £740.00 Rebushes Skeg POA is drilled or notched in any way, it will remeans thatrepair if the sheet All prices + P&P + VAT Standard P&P £9.00 Express P&P £12.00 duce its impact resistance in that area.

WPB, 240thermal Mertonexpansion Road, London, 5JQ AsDept with all plastics, is a factorSW18 to be considTel 020 8874 7059 Fax 020 8877 9537 ered. It is advised, as with all plastics that consideration is given to www.steeldevelopments.co.uk the allowance for expansion and engineered into any application where changes in temperature is expected.

NOW K O O B

White-Ellerton not only came up with the goods but the finished product was exceptional.

Since then several boat-builders have used their services.

Anyone following Formula racing will White-Ellerton screens have noticed the shape of screens have changed significantly in recent times. Perhaps for cosmetic reasons as opposed to the grounds of safety. French team Moore Formula who have several world championship trophies in their cabinet prefer the single screen and two side panels with the drivers exiting through a detachable lid, a similar design to BaBa boats.

Blaze Powerboats and Dragon still adopt the single lifting canopy.

Whatever the boat builder’s preference they send a pattern of their canopy to White Ellerton who moulds the screen to whatever specification is requested.

Builders of racing winning S3000, S2000 and Formula 1 Tunnel Boat 135 rue des Vignes du Val 277700 Tosny, France Tel: +33 (0) 232 54 15 29 Fax: +33 (0) 232 54 43 98 GSM: 06 08 16 45 78

Steel Developments

WORLD OF P OWE RB OAT S

JANUARY/FE BRUARY 2 011 579 raceboatinternational

RED JET 6 BUILT IN COWES Red Funnel’s largest and most innovative high-speed vessel yet, offering ground breaking levels of passenger comfort, reliability and safety was british built in cowes, isle of wight. THE RECENTLY LAUNCHED Red jet 6 IS also the greenest ship in Red Funnel’s fleet with a host of design features to reduce fuel consumption and protect the environment in line with the company’s ISO 1400:1 accreditation The aluminium hull is similar in design to Red Jet 4, but to improve efficiency Red Jet 6 is slightly longer at 41.12m. The passenger accommodation has been insulated from the hulls to reduce vibration and cabin noise, and like her sisters, she uses waterjets rather than propellers to aid manoeuvrability and provide impressive stopping power whilst keeping wash to an absolute minimum.

In a break with tradition, she has been fitted with four main engines rather than two. Each MTU 2000 series diesel powers a se parate MJP 500 waterjet unit. This configuration will help reduce fuel consumption by 11% vs. Red Jet 4 and 30% vs.

Red Jet 5, providing high levels of in-service reliability and ensuring emissions comply with the IMO Tier II regulations.

Other technical innovations to help reduce fuel consumption include the use of vinyl instead of paint for the superstructure to reduce weight and the application of the latest Teflon hull coatings to minimise drag through the water.

Red Jet 6 will be configured to carry 275 passengers, who will experience a quiet, spacious and well-lit cabin fitted with leather seats and a sophisticated airhandling system designed to dry, cool or warm the air automatically.

TRAGIC CRASH AT LAKE OF THE OZARKS The annual Lake of the Ozarks shootout always attracts a huge following of powerboat enthusiasts whether taking part in the shoot-outs or just having fun in their pleasure boats.

Sadly the 2016 event was marred by a tragic accident resulting in two people losing their lives. Although there will be speculation as to how the accident occurred we will never know for sure as both Richard Prince and Bradley Dunphy both perished when their MTI 44 flipped over at high speed.

Our sympathy is extended to the families of these popular racers, although the boat was not taking part in any competition when it crashed.

10 raceboatinternational

BRITISH MARINE UNDER NEW PRESIDENCY On 1 July 2016, David Pougher, Principal of Deep Consultancy, took over the well respected role of British Marine President from Fiona Pankhurst who has held the position since 2014 British Marine (the trading name of British Marine Federation Limited) is a membership organisation leading the UK leisure, superyacht and small commercial marine industry. It has over 1,600 members drawn from both seagoing and inland sectors and represents an industry employing more than 31,500 people in the UK. During her time as President, Fiona Pankhurst was instrumental in seeing British Marine unveil a strong new identity that stands out within the context of modern brands in the marine sector.

The brand, launched last year, was the result of a year-long exercise which was undertaken in-house and overseen by Fiona and the British Marine Management Board. It strongly connects the organisation’s members with Britain’s reputation for quality, excellent design and innovation, giving British Marine the opportunity to really promote what is great about the British marine industry.

Incoming President, David, has been involved in the UK marine industry for over 35 years, retiring from his position at Yamaha as Divisional Manager, Marine and All Terrain Business in 2013.

David then set-up Deep Consultancy, a marine business consultancy specialising in SME’s and maintaining a business interest in Yamarin Boats from Finland, Selva Marine/Marlin RIBS from Italy and the PWP (Personal Watercraft Partnership).

He has had extensive involvement with British Marine over the years, as a British Marine member and also through a number of British Marine groups and committees such as the British Marine Engines & Equipment Association, the Boating Environment & Facilities Committee, the British Marine Boat Shows Board and the British Marine Management Board.

TIM LEAVES AT THE TOP The youngest of the legendary Seebold family, Timmy has finally decided to call it a day after a truly magnificent career The 2016 USF1 season began in June, with the legendary Tim Seebold embarking on his final season of tunnel boat racing with hopes of going out on top and retiring a champion.

Despite rolling his NGK Sparkplugs boat in the far turn with just five laps remaining in Sunday’s F1 final of the EQT Three Rivers Regatta in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Osage Beach, Missouri, Hall of Fame finished his career just as he’d hoped - on top. Seebold who was running in the second position behind Greg Foster and with Terry Rinker hot on his tail, barrel rolled his Seebold hull in turns three and four before landing upright. A dejected Seebold who thought that his championship run in his final season of his career was over, caught an enormous break when Terry Rinker was unable to get his Aeroslot hull restarted. As a result, Seebold managed to finish one position ahead of Rinker in the final in seventh while Rinker finished eighth.

Seebold winded up winning the 2016 USF1 season championship by just one point over multi-time champions, Greg Foster and Terry Rinker, who tied in the final standings. Foster will officially finish in second place after winning two races – in Bay City, Michigan, and Pittsburgh.

“I was disappointed in the way the race ended, but if it works out that we finish on top at the end, it will be a great way to end it,” Seebold said.

Seebold and Rinker were tied atop the USF1 standings heading into Pittsburgh, with Foster just eleven points back.

Foster was leading, while Rinker was a close third at the time of the race stoppage.

When the time came to line the boats up for the re-start and an anticipated shootout for the win, Rinker’s boat encountered mechanical issues, which sent him to the launch area.

Neither racer was able to get back to the dock for the final re-start, putting Foster, Terry Rinker’s son Rob, and Jimmie Merleau in the first three spots for the final run.

Those top three battled it out over the final five laps, but the lineup didn’t change, as Foster plastered the field for the win.

“It was a great, close race before Timmy and Terry went out,” Foster said. “I hate to see that happen and see it end that way, but I’m really happy to get this win for my crew and everybody. This is a great venue and a great race. It’s not bad for an old guy who hasn’t raced in 13 years.”

Foster retired from tunnel boat racing

Tim Seebold over a decade ago, but came back in 2016 to race for Steve Dillard in Dillard’s DAC hull.

The decision paid off.

“I don’t know if I expected this after all those years,” Foster said. Timmy’s my good friend and I hate to see it end like that for him, especially in his last season. But I’m happy we got the win.”

Seebold finished the season on top, with 394 points, just one point ahead of both Foster and Rinker, with 393 each.

Jose Mendana Jr. finished just outside the top three with 356 points followed by Rob Rinker in fifth, with 350.

Mendana Jr. finished fourth in Sunday’s final, while his brother, Carlos, ended in fifth.

R.J. West won Sunday’s final in the Formula Lights class, beating out Steve Lee and Mendana Jr. Mendana Jr. ran away from the field despite two mid-race re-starts, but trim issues slowed him in the closing laps and he was passed by West and Lee. Andy Versace, Chris Hughes and Amanda Hagerl rounded out the top six in the F Lights final.

APBA/OPA Offshore Series

Annual St. Clair River Classic, Michigan 30-31 July 2016 AMERICAN ETHANOL/CAT CAN DO, a 40’ Doug Wright Skater cat powered

by a pair of 1770 hp each Sterling engines, captured 1st Place in the Extreme class at the APBA/OPA Offshore race held at the “22nd St. Clair River Classic” in St. Clair, Michigan. Owner /throttleman Keith Holmes, from Nunica,

Michigan, and driver Ed Smith thrilled the crowd with its sheer brut force of

power and speed on the St. Clair River race course. “We put on a show for the fans with straightaway speeds reaching 160 mph and on display is our use of Ethanol (E90), as our fuel source. Burning Ethanol runs clean and cool with

massive power, and helps conserve wear on the engines. Don’t fear Ethanol,

it’s great for the atmosphere and environment along with preserving water and air quality.” stated Holmes.

raceboatinternational 11

A FAMILY AFFAIR

KEITH AND SAM WHITTLE Almost everyone on powerboat racing is aware of the Whittle family particularly Keith and his son Sam. Very few families have more enthusiasm for the sport and both have competed in circuit and offshore although circuit is their current passion

Londoner Keith Whittle has been involved in powerboat racing for over three decades from when he took part in his first event behind the wheel of a R1 class, a monohull powered by a 1000cc Hillman Imp engine. The ensuring years have seen him competing in kneeler and laydown hydroplanes, and offshore class E900 when Sam did the driving and Keith navigated.

At an age when most folk are contemplating retirement, Keith was chasing world speed records on Lake Coniston in Formula 2. He made the National television news and just about every newspaper wheh the cat he was driving caught a gust of wind took off and headed skywards. The images were captured by TV cameras for the whole world to see, and Sam stood on the shore watching his Dad going into orbit as the craft had reached 132mph. This was on the same stretch of water that had claimed the life of Donald Campbell when Bluebird took off, but Keith walked away without a scratch.

Sam’s Molgaard F4 cat in which he won this year’s Sprint Championship 12 raceboatinternational

Naturally Sam Whittle was a born racer after travelling the world watching his father compete, and at the tender age of 9, the youngest a driver can obtain a licence, Sam climbed behind the wheel of a Junior monohull and he took to it like a ‘duck to water’. Although skill plays a big part in driving a powerboat, it helps if your father is an ace mechanic and a crack racer. The Junior class is not for the feint-hearted - a field of 9 year olds, all determined to win and showing no sign of fear can be very scary for the parents standing on the shore watching.

Keith’s racing career started long before 24 year old Sam was even thought of, 1977. He was working as a commercial truck engineer in London and after watching a powerboat race decided that was the sport for him. He started out with a R1 Stock hydroplane which he built himself in his back garden, and after a successful period in R1 he moved downwards in a ‘laydown’ 0-500 hydroplane. Keith’s prowess in 0-500 secured him the National water speed record and was rewarded with a K7 gold star given to drivers ‘topping the ton’, in Keith’s case 106mpg on Lake Windermere where, in his effort to reach 110mph, he flipped the boat but he escaped unscathed.

The 1990’s saw him competing in the OMC SS45 hydroplane and after a spell in this class at club level Keith returned to 500cc hydrocats and took the world speed record and British championship in 2003. During 2002 Keith started Powertech Marine and son Sam who was already racing joined the family business.

From 2009-11 Keith teamed up with Sam on the offshore scene in E900 with Sam driving and Keith navigating. They won the first

championship and speed record in 2013, and then Keith joined the F2 class and achieved three National water speed records and two world records at 132mph in the ex. Andy Elliott’s Dragon cat.

Although Keith is still keen to keep his hand in racing albeit part-time, he is fully involved in Sam’s career as he follows in his father’s footsteps.

After leaving the Junior division Sam moved up to GT30 and was second in the 2009 National championship. He was crowned British GT30 champion in 2010 and also set a new National speed record. He was invited to join the P1 150 Superstock fleet in 2011 as a navigator, and in 2012 was elevated to driver with brother in law Andy as navigator. (Powertech Marine was maintaining the Evinrude motors of the P1 Superstock fleet) At the start of the 2013 season Sam returned to Circuit racing with the formation of the Powerboat GP Series and acquired a brand new Molgaard F4 cat and in 2014 claimed the National and World S1000 water speed record at 70.45mph. In 2015 Sam claimed the F4 British championship and this year he won the F4 Sprint championship.

What lies ahead for this formidable father and son team. Almost certainly Sam will be heading for the F2 ranks and with the determination of the 24 year old backed by his equally enthusiastic Dad, Sam could eventually become the only Brit in the World F1 series......we wish them luck!

‘Topping the ton’ in the 0-500 Hydroplane

Above: Preparing for the F2 speed record Left: Father and son raced in the E900 offshore class Sam became Champion his GT30

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2016

COWESCLASSIC

Survival of the Fittest... and Oldest

Article: David Sewell Photos: Dave Ormiston

The 2016 Cowes/Torquay/Cowes was billed as featuring fifteen boats racing, but at the end of a gruelling marathon race in very rough conditions only two boats finished, the winning boat being 28 years old and the crew considerably older than that.

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Only two boats finished the 2016 Cowes marathon - the Cougar 44 Maxim (top) with Steve Curtis, Richard Carr and Paul Sinclair, and the Phantom powered by Yanmar deisels Blastoff (above) with Dorian Griffith, Shelley JoryLeigh and Will Stevens

As I wandered around the Cowes marina on Saturday morning admiring the hardware on show, for the 56th running of the oldest powerboat race in the world, little did I realise that over 85% of these lovingly cared for machines would fail to reach Torquay, let alone take part on the return journey. The first to go was Vee Ganjavian and Gareth Williams when Microlink had blown a motor and owner Vee decided there was not enough time to fit and test a replacement.

Come Sunday morning there was another withdrawal from the fleet when Italian entry Tommy One blew a turbo prior to reaching the South Shingles, and headed back to Cowes. Next to go was the long awaited debut of Markus Hendrick’s ‘million dollar’ 55 foot Uber Blitz heading for its home port of Lymington after losing a prop blade off the South Shingles mark. Its yellow brick tracking system hardly got warmed up. Meanwhile, the normally ultra reliable Fugitive of Francis and Philip Whitley retired with a mechanical ailment before reaching

the Needles.

Little did I know the drama off the Isle of Wight from my location at the end of Bournemouth Pier where I joined former offshore photographer Gordon McMath and long time powerboat enthusiast Phil Morris to witness what has usually been an impressive sight as the Cowes/Torquay/ Cowes course takes the fleet across Poole Bay on their way to Torquay. McMath had a yellow brick tracker on his mobile displaying the course and the position of the boats, but this proved to be totally unreliable.

At around 10.00am a speck of spray in the distance swiftly became the leading boat Maxum with Steve Curtis, Richard Carr and Paul Sinclair aboard. This 44 foot aluminium Cougar, built in 1988, seemed to be relishing the lumpy sea and its new 1350hp Mercury’s sounded superb. You can see for yourself Maxum rounding Portland Bill in very rough seas on video footage on the raceboatinternational website.

Two hundred metres behind Maxum was Peter Dredge’s Vector Martini (last years winner) powered by two Ilmor’s, and following in Dredge’s wake was Drew Langdon and Giancarlo Cangiano in a 40 foot Outerlimits Silverline.

‘Was that it?’ we wondered as nothing else was in sight, and we were only a few miles from the start line. Then, after what seemed like hours, John Ryan’s aluminium

Hiberia powered by Cummins came into view followed by the Dodge brother’s Phantom Smokin Aces, Dorian Griffith’s Blast Off, and the Polish entry Sinus crewed by Micheal Calczewski and Tom MontgomerySwan. Fifteen minutes later the Belgium entry Biretta, a Buzzi 42 RIB crewed by Jean Pierre Neels, Thomas Vandamme, Marijke D’Hondt and Dimitry Schiller passed the pier. The RIB was followed by a real golden oldie Robin Ward’s 53 year old Thunderstreak. And then the sad sight of Mike Bontoff’s Dry Martini with major mechanical problems cruising along off the plane on its way to Poole with a damaged hull.

Conditions crossing Poole/Bournemouth Bay and hearding towards Swanage were relativey modest although it was a little bumpy around South Shingles. However, at Portland Bill and Lyme Bay it was seriously rough and the first victim of these angry waters was Drew Langdon and Giancarlo Cangiano. After landing off a particularly steep wave, Silverline lost drive and the boat came to a standstill. Another wave covered the stern of the sleek craft before the cockpit was swamped. The crew released a sea anchor in an attempt to keep the boat head to sea, but it did not work.

The signal to ‘abandon ship’ was given and both crew launched the liferaft before being rescued by safety boat Mr Whiskers while Weymouth lifeboat stood by. raceboatinternational 15

Boats racing in the Round Solent Race shared the Cowes Marina wet pits with the CTC entries.

Jupiter was the very first Forgecraft built by the Lucas brothers over 20 years ago. It was called ‘Absolute Beginners’ The Cigarette Bubbles U49 was the winner

The racing debut of Markus Hendricks’ Uber Blitz ended after a few miles The oldest boat in the race at 53 ex Tommy Sopwith’s Thunderstreak

Team Abu Dhabi drivers: Left to right: Tullio Abbate, Alex Carella, Majed Al-Mansoori and Thani Al-Qamzi 16 raceboatinternational

Silverline sinking as the crew take to the liferaft with the RNLI standing by Below left: Raceboat International appears on the giant screen which showed races from the past at the Cowes Marina

Above: Silverline Outerlimits Left: First, second and third into Torquay on the podium

The boat was recovered the following day by a salvage vessel 10 miles from where it floundered.

Meanwhile, Vector Martini had dropped out with a mechanical issue leaving Dorian Griffith’s Yanmar powered Fountain Blast Off to inherit second place. John Ryan’s Hiberia, which had previously circumnavigated Ireland with no problem, retired with a broken gearbox, and Smokin Aces, which had completed this race twice before, also succumbed to mechanical problems. Sinus had been travelling well but the crew discovered their power steering was causing concern. Tom Montgomary-Swan investigated the problem only to find the powertrim box was red hot. As he touched it his drysuit melted onto his skin causing serious burns and Sinus became another casualty.

There was a large crowd to greet the leaders into Torquay, and despite the punishing trip, Messrs Curtis, Carr and Sinclair seemed none the worse for wear. The Cougar had averaged 58.42 mph for the trip from Cowes to Torquay.

Forty seven minutes later Griffith’s Blast Off arrived and 33 minutes after that came the Belgium entry Beretta Due. Then, just when the crowd thought it was all over, the 53 year old Thunderstreak powered by two Ford Interceptors and crewed by Robin Ward motored into Haldon Quay to a great reception, but their joy turned to dismay when they were told they were outside the time limit of 3 hours 51 minutes.

The finishers now had the task of heading back to Cowes, and only two completed the return journey with little or no trouble.

Beretta headed into Weymouth with a mechanical issue and Thunderstreak, which had been allowed to join the return trip, struck an underwater obstable near the Needles causing damage to a prop shaft

and hull.

The race had been hailed as the roughest on record when in reality it should be billed as ONE of the roughest as there have been several Cowes-Torquay-Cowes marathons which have matched this one in terms of rough seas.

All three crew members in the winning boat are veteran offshore powerboat racers in the UK, whilst Richard Carr and Steve Curtis have enjoyed racing worldwide in Class I. Steve Curtis MBE can boast winning a record ten world Class I championships. However, the last time he took part in the CTC he arrived in Torquay in thick fog and ended up high and dry on the rocks there. Steve also joins his late father Clive as a winner of CTC and his name will appear with his fathers on the Beaverbrook Trophy for Cowes winners. Clive joined Don Aronow on the winners podium in 1969 when they won the race in The Cigarette.

The 56th CTC lived up to its reputation as a true test of man and machine against the elements only this year it seems the sea conditions proved too much for the majority of the fleet. raceboatinternational 17

EVIAN DEBUT ROUND 2 OF 2016 SEASON

Article: David Sewell Photos: Arek Rejs, Simon Palfrader, Vittorio Obertone

18 raceboatinternational

After the Dubai GP H2o’s World F1 Series embarked on the European legs of the 2016 championship, the first on lake Leman at the famous bottled water region of Evian, France where Abu Dhabi Team’s Alex Carella took the lead on the drivers’ championship table from reigning world champion Philippe Chiappe

raceboatinternational 19

The Evian circuit was laid out on Lac Lamon or Lake Lausanne (as the Swiss call it.

Although it’s a lake, sea conditions can be very rough as the F1 drivers soon discovered after qualifying was cancelled when a large swell rolled in on this 100 mile long stretch of water.

This was the 20th Grand Prix of France and the seoond time that it has been hosted

by Evian, a high-market holiday resort and famous spa on the shores of Lake Leman.

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A flight to Geneva airport and a one hour drive took us across the Swiss border which is unmanned and only marked by a small stream crossing from one country to the other, to Evian where we were accommodated at the Hotel Restaurant Evian Les Cygnes, a quaint building decorated inside with an unusual array of teddy bears, however, the hotel’s restaurant has an enviable reputation for serving excellent cuisine and each evening the restaurant was fully booked.

It was during our first evening there on the Thursday that Steve ‘The Voice’ Micheal, Jon Jones and myself were enjoying a relaxing drink when a ‘newsflash’ on the television broadcast the tragic events that had occurred in Nice that evening as thousands of families gathered on the seafront there to watch the firework display.

A Lorry had run into the crowd causing multiple deaths and injuries. This incident shocked the world and cast a dark shadow

F1h2o EVIAN

Whilst Filip Romms of Baba Racing excelled in Evian to claim 2nd place his team mate Sami Selio retired but was to redeem himself in Portugal and China. over all of France. Naturally organisers at the Evian F1 event were cautious as thousands of spectators were expected. However, the F1h2o World Championship paid tribute to the victims and families with the 20 competing boats carrying two black ribbons, and at the driver’s briefing H2o Racing President, Nicolo di San Germano, called on all team members to stand and observe a minutes silence.

Free practice was due to start on Friday,

but the weather was deteriorating and the lake was developing large swells and a choppy surface. One or two drivers ventured out, but when Team China’s Ziwei Xiong flipped over it was time to call it a day.

Saturday’s sea condition had not improved and referee Luis Ribeiro announced that Free Practice and Qualifying would take place early Sunday prior to the race. Miraculously the weather had improved and Lac Leman was almost mirror smooth.

Team Abu Dhabi’s Alex Carella rounded out a perfect day on the lake with a superbly hard fought victory in the 20th Grand Prix of France in Evian. Earlier in the day the Italian snatched a last lap win in qualifying from Victory Team rival Shaun Torrente to clinch the all-important pole position and took advantage to run out the winner and claim his 12th career win and move to the top of the championship standings.

raceboatinternational 21

RACING INTO THE

FUTURE

www.babaracing.com 22 raceboatinternational

F1h2o EVIAN

Victory Team’s Shaun Torrente drove his new Moore hull to third place in the Evian GP

The race hinged on a mistake by Torrente who chased Carella from the start and passed him on lap 9, but the driver from Florida then hit and took out a turn buoy and was handed a drive through penalty that dropped him to fifth place and gave control of the race back to Carella.

From that point Carella had to fend off defending champion, but Philippe Chiappe’s race came to a grinding halt on lap 22.

Carella was now out on his own and going on to complete the 48 laps to take the win from BABA Racing’s Finnish pilot Filip Roms and a despondent Torrente recovering well to take third.

Rom’s second place was arguably the drive of the afternoon as the 22-year-old from Espoo in Finland held off the hard charging Torrente for over 15 laps. Lapby-lap Torrente closed in and with the gap down to .75 seconds Roms drove brilliantly and held his nerve to take his second podium in a row in Evian.

In spite of the good racing conditions, for many the 48 laps proved too much as it turned into a race of attrition with Erik Stark, Jonas Andersson, Thani Al Qamzi and Sami Selio amongst those joining Chiappe on the retirees list.

With the numbers dwindling it was French duo Cedric Deguisne and Christophe Larigot who took full advantage of the opportunity to gain points and they finished fourth and fifth with Marit Stromoy completing the top six.

Ahmed Al Hameli marked his return to the championship with a strong showing going fifth quickest in qualifying and finishing in eighth in the grand prix race behind Duarte Benavente and ahead of Nadir Bin Hendi, with EMIC Racing’s Mike Szymura earning his first world championship point for tenth position on his first outing in his Welsh built Dragon boat.

One notable change from the first race

Top left: Germany’s Mike Szymura driving a Dragon boat for the first time for EMIC Racing Above: Cedric Deguisne only races in European rounds of the championship and filled 4th place in Evian of the series in Dubai was that French boat-builder David Moore had apparently jumped ship. He had for six years been a valuable member of the CTIC China team winning two world titles for fellow Frenchman Philippe Chiappe. His success had put Moore boats in demand and the Dubai Victory Team made David an offer he could not refuse. There in the Victory marquee was a brand new Moore hull painted in their familiar blue livery. It’s driver Shaun Torrente now had the weapon to take on and potentially beat CITC China’s Chiappe also in a Moore hull and Abu Dhabi’s Alex Carella in a DAC. It promised to be an exciting contest ahead between these three. raceboatinternational 23

BACK TO PORTIMAO

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ROUND 3 OF 2016 SEASON Article: David Sewell Photos: Arek Rejs, Simon Palfrader, Vittorio Obertone

After a break of 4 years Portimao was back on the F1 calendar and Philippe Chiappe was back on the podium in top spot for the first time in Portimao and Sami Selio in second place on the podium for the first time this year

raceboatinternational 25

The Algarve town of Portimao was always a popular venue on the World F1 calender.

However, the economic downturn in Portugal’s sporting budget forced Portimao off the F1 calendar for 4 years. The GP was moved to Porto in the Algarve region, but we understand this year’s event was cancelled on political grounds. But Porto’s loss was Portimao’s gain and it was great to be back. As the meeting was being staged during peak holiday time, hotel accommodation was at a premium and instead of being housed in a hotel near the pits, our party enjoyed the peaceful haven of the Hotel Morgado Golf and Country Club around twenty minutes drive away.

The weather was glorious over the weekend with clear blue skies and scorch26 raceboatinternational

ing sunshine. Most of the drivers were familiar with the Arade estuary and Sami Selio, who in Dubai and Evian had suffered mechanical ailments returned to form with a vengeance to claim Pole Position ahead of Emirates Team Erik Stark and Abu Dhabi’s Alex Carella.

Carella and Abu Dhabi team partner AlQamzi started the 48-lap race from third and ninth places on the grid. The Italian lined up for his 41st career Grand Prix start in third, but an engine problem for Emirate Team’s Ahmed Al-Hameli in Qualifying 2 lifted AlQamzi up to eighth place. Carella made a supreme start and for many watching assumed he had jump started as he stormed through into the lead at the expense of Stark and Selio. After three laps Chiappe

had climbed to second place while Victory Team’s Shaun Torrente moved up to fourth and Al-Qamzi improved to seventh.

After four laps, Carella’s lead was 1.96 seconds and he continued to edge away from Chiappe, Selio, Torrente and Stark, although reigning world champion Chiappe managed to peg the lead to less than two seconds after eight laps. All 19 drivers from 11 nations were still running. Carella started to catch the back-markers and Chiappe closed to within 0.75 seconds through lap 10 as Andersson moved ahead of Stark and into fifth place.

At one-third distance, after 16 laps, Chiappe passed Carella to snatch the lead on the approach to a turn buoy and began to pull away from the Team Abu Dhabi driver

F1h2o PORTIMAO in the hot conditions. The gap was 3.33 seconds after lap 18 and 5.36 seconds after lap 20, as Selio and Torrente maintained third and fourth places and Al-Qamzi held seventh eventually passing Stark and gaining sixth position.

By half-distance Chiappe led by six seconds from Carella, Selio, Torrente, Andersson, Al-Qamzi and Stark, and Team China’s Frenchman really had the bit between his teeth as the race progressed and the margin rose to 8.64 seconds after 29 laps. However, Carella began to slow markedly with a faulty trim and conceded his second position to Selio, whilst Torrente moved up to third. Andersson swept past Carella to take fourth and Al-Qamzi retained sixth.

With nine laps to go, Chiappe led Selio by 7.34 seconds, but Carella’s niggling problem had dropped him 37 seconds behind the race leader. Chiappe managed to hold on to his lead to storm back into title

contention with maximum points as Selio and Torrente rounded off the podium places.

Although early in the season and after three rounds of the championship, the position at the top of the table is very close with only one point separating Carella and Chiappe.

Two races in China and two in the UAE will decide the 2016 World Champion, but at this stage of the game it does appear Abu Dhabi and CTIC China will be the main contenders for top honours.

NB. There was a heated debate after the race as it was assumed Alex Carella would be docked a lap for his ‘jump start’ and changing lanes on his way to the first turn, but referee Ribeiro did not see it that way and Carella only received a yellow card. The final result sheet was changed at least three times before eventually settling for Carella finishing 5th.

Left to right: Sami Selio (second), Eric Chan (Team China’s team manager), Philippe Chiappe (first) and Shaun Torrente (third) Team China’s Philippe Chiappe stormed back into title contention with maximum points

raceboatinternational 27

ROUND 4 OF 2016 SEASON - HARBIN, CHINA Article: Steve Michael Photos: Arek Rejs, Simon Palfrader, Vittorio Obertone

SELIO BACK IN THE FRAME

In the 4th round of H2o’s World F1 Series on 4 September, Sami Sellio wins the first Grand Prix of Harbin in China, but team mate Filip Roms crashes out

Finland’s Sami Selio didn’t make the mistake twice, as he charged from his pole position off the start dock and went wire to wire winning the 60 lap fourth round of the 2016 UIM F1H2O World Championship in front of tens-of-thousands of race fans at the Hulan Estuary Wetland Park. His 13th career victory moves him squarely back into the championship picture past the halfway point of the season.

The 41-year-old driver from Helsinki, held off his younger team mate Filip Roms of the Baba Racing Team from the start and never looked back, picking up 20 championship points and with 35 points from his last two events he has moved up to fourth place in the Drivers’ Championship. “It was a great victory for this team and now we know we have the momentum to win more this season in my new BABA boat that seems to be getting better race after race,” said Selio.

“We started the weekend off chasing the monkey a bit, but we finally started getting the chips into place and felt we were on track for something special and it happened today with a big win.”

Speaking of his team mate Roms, the 28 raceboatinternational

Baba’s Sami Selio won the China Grand Pirix

22-year-old was pushing the two-time world champion to the limit staying within three seconds of Selio for the first third of the race. However, disaster struck Roms when on the 24th lap points leader Alex Carella of Team Abu Dhabi got side by side as they battled for second place. The two got together as Carella tried to pass on the outside as they pinched into the turn buoy with Roms going over the top of the three-time world champion and both coming to a bone crushing ending.

Roms was judged to be OK by medical personnel, while Carella, a four-time winner in China, was taken to the local hospital for a 12 hour observation period as a precaution, making sure he would be allowed to leave on Monday. The incident dropped Carella from first in the points chase down to third with 42 total for the season.

Selio’s win was the 13th in his 18 years of racing F1H2O and has ending his drought of going 14 races without a victory since his Abu Dhabi triumph in 2013.

Taking the runner-up spot was Swedish driver Jonas Andersson, who had qualified third and earned his first podium of the

season and the 14th of his career moving up to fifth place in the championship with 33 points. “It was a big day for myself and the team on a race circuit that was short and tricky to drive, but in the end we got it right,” said Jonas. “Our set-up was such that we couldn’t have passed Sami, but it was good enough to hold off a two-time world champion so we are pleased with our day overall.”

Defending World Champion CTIC driver Philippe Chiappe of France charged his way to the front pack of boats after having his worst qualifying day in nine race seasons and starting 14th off the start dock.

From there, he and an unlikely partner in in Victory’s Shaun Torrente from America, who also had the misfortune of engine problems, was starting 16th and the two of them flew almost in formation running quickly up into the top ten grasping for important world championship points.

Shaun Torrente from America, who also had the misfortune of engine problems, was starting 16th and the two of them flew almost in formation and running quickly up into the top ten grasping for important world championship points.

The driver from the CTIC China Team worked his way up to third coming home with 12 points which moves him back to the top of the championship table for the second time this season with 52 points.

Torrente, who finished fourth, put on a great show, moving up 12 places in the

Above: Clearing the wreckage of Alex Carella’s DAC after a collision with Filip Roms

event for his Victory Team. His streak of four straight podium third places came to an end, but he has now moved into second place in the championship with 45 points as the series heads to Liuzhou in a months’ time with the Florida driver having new resolve in his pursuit of his first world title.

Fifth was Swede Erik Stark as the Emirates Team driver held his own after qualifying in the same position and earning his first top-five finish of the season.

Sixth went to Norway’s Marit Stromoy as the EMIC Team driver set the fastest lap of the race pushing hard to reach the top-five, but falling just short of her goal.

Portuguese driver Duarte Benavente earned his fourth straight top-10 performances of the year in seventh place after qualifying ninth on Saturday for the F1 Atlantic Team.

Bartak Marszalek from Poland was

eighth in his Blaze Performance Team DAC boat earning his third top-10 in his three races this season.

China’s own ‘Leo’ Xiong had a good day on the water coming home ninth after starting 11th for the CTIC China Team.

Rounding out the top-10 was German rookie driver Mike Szymura driving his Dragon boat to his second 10th place result in his last three events.

The race ended under a caution when on the 58th tour and two laps to be run in the Grand Prix, Ahmed Al Hameli of the Emirates Team blew over and barrel rolled to an immediate stop on the back stretch forcing the officials to end the race handing Selio the victory under the yellow flag.

2016 DRIVERS POINTS TABLE AFTER 4 ROUNDS POS

BOAT

NAT

DUBAI

EVIAN

PORTIMAO

HARBIN

TOTAL

1

1

DRIVER Philippe Chiappe

CTIC CHINA TEAM

FRA

20

RET

20

12

52

2

4

Shaun Torrente

VICTORY TEAM

UAE

12

12

12

9

45

3

6

Alex Carella

TEAM ABU DHABI

UAE

15

20

7

0

42

4

11

Sami Selio

BABA RACING

FIN

DNS

RET

15

20

35

5

14

Jonas Andersson

TEAM SWEDEN

SWE

9

RET

9

15

33

6

12

Filip Roms

BABA RACING

FIN

2

15

0

0

17

7

10

Duarte Benavente

F1 ATLANTIC TEAM

POR

5

4

3

4

16

8

28

Erik Stark

EMIRATES RACING

SWE

RET

RET

5

7

12

9

50

Marit Stromoy

EMIC RACING

NOR

RET

5

0

5

10

10

73

Cedric Deguisne

MAVERICK RACING

FRA

-

9

0

-

9

11

2

Xiong Ziwei

CTIC CHINA TEAM

CHN

7

RET

0

2

9

12

9

Christopher Larigot

F1 ATLANTIC TEAM

FRA

0

7

0

0

7

13

27

Ahmed Al Hameli

EMIRATES RACING

UAE

-

3

2

0

5

14

23

Bartek Marszalek

BLAZE PERFORMANCE

POL

1

DNS

1

3

5

15

80

Ivan Brigada

EMIC RACING

ITA

4

RET

-

-

4

16

5

Thani Al Qamzi

TEAM ABU DHABI

UAE

RET

RET

4

0

4

17

24

Francesco Cantando

BLAZE PERFORMANCE

ITA

3

RET

0

0

3

18

51

Mike Szymura

EMIC RACING

GER

0

1

RET

1

2

19

3

Nadir Bin Hendi

VICTORY TEAM

UAE

0

2

0

0

2

20

15

Jesper Forss

TEAM SWEDEN

SWE

RET

DNS

0

0

0

raceboatinternational 29

UIM WORLD

TRICKY TØNSBERG “That win was much tougher than last year” said a triumphant Pierre Lundin as he made his way down from the podium presentation held at the harbour side in Tonsberg, Norway. “The poor visibility just made it really difficult to see the water conditions and I nearly got caught out a lap before Rupp Temper crashed out.”

Lundin admitted that there was a great deal of luck involved in his second victory of the season. “For both drivers to crash out ahead of me was really not what I expected, perhaps it made up for the bad day I had in my office yesterday.”

In a frenetic forty four lap battle the lead changed no less than three times and saw yellow flags being flown for various incidents. The first time after Konstantin Ustinov took out one of the turn buoys opposite the harbour side restaurants and a slightly longer period following Christian Carlsen’s barrel roll.

Pole sitter Erik Edin led for half the race until he became another victim of the rough conditions resulting in a spectacular somersault. To the spectators amazement the Swede hit the throttle as his Molgaard landed the right way up and continued on his way, minus its rear cowling. “As the boat settled down I just hear my radio man yell go, go, go” said Edin. “I told him that the cockpit was half full with water and he replied that they would worry about that at the finish.”

To his credit he managed to bring his

stricken boat home to finish in third place, completing those final laps without any power assistance to his steering.

Britain’s Matt Palfreyman was back to his best, pleasing the crowds with a bravado performance of driving that earned him much praise at last year’s race. He briefly lead the race from Lundin when the Swede was caught out by the conditions, but eventually had to settle for second. “This result is dedicated to my team. They have

down to the first turn on the opening lap he was squeezed out and had to back off, dropping almost to the rear of the field. Mechanical issues then meant he was unable to mount any significant challenge and had to settle for fifteenth place.

It was the turn of another Norwegian driver to make the headlines when Mette Brandt Bjerknæs drove the best race of her career to finish in seventh place and remarkably score her first ever UIM F2 World

“As the boat settled down I just hear my radio man yell go, go, go” said Edin. “I told him that the cockpit was half full with water and he replied that they would worry about that at the finish.” all put so much work in to help me get on to the podium today. At one stage today I did actually think I could win this, I really believe that this BaBa boat has so much potential so now I’m looking forward to racing Pierre in Lithuania.”

For the Tønsberg Event Director and UIM F2 competitor, Frode Sundsdal, the fairytale home win didn’t materialise today, but he certainly gave it his best shot. In the run

Championships points.

Tønsberg once again proved to be an exciting venue with a tricky race course to compete on, but perhaps the most remarkable thing that no one could have predicted was that this year’s podium positions would be identical to those from a year ago.

The UIM F2 World Championship moved on to Zarasai in Lithuania, where Lundin took the 2015 European Championship title.

Rupp Temper

Frode Sundsdial interviewing Rupp Temper 30 raceboatinternational

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UIM WORLD

SLAKERIS SECURES FIRST LITHUANIAN GP AT ZARASAI

The first ever UIM F2 World Championship Grand Prix to take place in Lithuania kept everyone guessing right up to the final lap as to who would eventually take the top prize.

Just moments into the race Pierre Lundin crashed out at the top of the course. “I was so late away from the start pontoon that as we reached the demarcation buoy I was down in fourth place” said Lundin. “So I knew I had to take a chance to make up some lost ground.”

The Swede went tight into the following turn but hit the rooster spray from his title rival Erik Edin and over he went. “I thought I would take a chance but it didn’t work this time. Just another pole position, no I love it, I’m really satisfied.” said a delighted Erik Edin after he secured that all important number one spot on the start pontoon for Sunday’s Lithuanian F2 Grand Prix.

The qualifying session was due to take place at 13:45 but due to strong gusts of wind the race officials decided on the grounds of safety to postpone it till 18:00 when they knew that the conditions would be more favourable.

The 2015 F2 UIM European Championship will probably be best

Uvis Slakeris (51) upsides Rupp Temper (5) remembered for the crash between Johan Osterberg and Rupp Temper. At the time Temper was on course to win the title but the impact saw his chance slip away and also led to Osterberg sitting out for the remainder of the weekend in Zarasai.

During last year’s UIM F2 European Championship it was Sweden’s Erik Edin who set the early ‘bench-mark’ with a forty-one second lap time around the Lake Zaraso course. It would be another Swede though who would eventually walk away with the European crown in his possession. Now fast forward twelve months and once again it’s those two Swede’s who are trading blows in the fight for this year’s World Championship title.

F2 DRIVERS POINTS TABLE POS

BOAT

DRIVER

NAT

PEURUNKA

CAMPIONE

TVEDESTRAND

TONSBERG

ZARASAI

TOTAL

1

21

Erik Edin

SWE

4

12

20

12

7

55

2

1

Pierre Lundin

SWE

DSQ

20

15

20

DNF

55

3

5

Rupp Temper

AT

DSQ

1

12

4

15

32

GBR

DNF

15

DNF

15

DNF

30

ITA

20

7

1

DNF

DNS

28

4

13

Matt Palfreyman

5

44

Alberto Comparato

6

51

Uvis Slakteris

LAT

DNS

DNF

-

7

20

27

7

3

Owen Jelf

GBR

7

2

5

dns

12

26

8

2

Johan Osterberg

SWE

15

4

DNF

1

DNF

20

9

50

Nick Bisterfeld

GER

5

9

-

DNS

DNF

14

10

11

Bimba Sjoholm

SWE

12

DNF

0

DNS

DSQ

12

11

6

Ola Pettersson

SWE

DNS

3

DNS

9

-

12

12

55

Frode Sundsdal

NOR

3

-

9

0

-

12

13

22

Konstantin Ustinov

RUS

DNS

-

-

3

9

12

14

35

Rashid Al Qamzi

UAE

-

5

-

2

2

9

15

88

Pal Virik Nilsen

NOR

9

-

DNF

DNS

-

9

16

54

Daniel Segenmark

SWE

DNF

0

7

DNS

-

7

17

41

Edgaras Riabko

LT

DNS

DNS

3

0

3

6

18

9

Mette Bjerknaes

NOR

DNS

0

DNF

5

-

5

19

22

Roman Vandyshev

RUS

DNS

-

-

-

5

5

20

77

Tobias Munthe-Kaas

NOR

DNS

-

DNF

0

4

4

21

60

Christian Carlsen

NOR

-

-

4

DNF

-

4

22

10

Oskar Samuelsson

SWE

DNS

0

2

DNS

-

2

23

36

Mohamed Al Mehairbi

UAE

-

0

-

DNS

1

1

raceboatinternational 33

Huge crowds at P1

Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea demonstrate powerboat

34 raceboatinternational

RACE APPEAL

Often maligned as a niche sport and for not being spectator friendly, marine motorsport showed its true potential to attract fans by engaging a crowd of more than 30,000 in Scotland at the inaugural P1 Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea, held recently in Inverclyde.

Powerboat P1 has always been at the forefront of promoting the sport of powerboat racing and the event saw some of the biggest crowds on record at a UK powerboating event in recent years.

Raceboat International caught up with P1 Chief Operating Officer, Robert Wicks, to understand what made the event such a success.

This was the inaugural race for P1 in Scotland. Can you tell us a little more about the event?

Bordering the Firth of Clyde, the Inverclyde region in Scotland has a strong maritime and ship building history, and is enjoying unprecedented levels of regeneration.

As beneficiaries of a major economic growth initiative backed by the UK and Scottish governments, the area is undergoing a major period of reimaging and major events – such as a P1 Grand Prix of the Sea – providing Inverclyde with the perfect platform to attract new businesses that create jobs, boost the area’s tourism related businesses, demonstrate the area’s ability to host major events and also to lay claim to the title ‘Marine Leisure Capital of Scotland’.

As soon as we announced the event was going ahead, the level of interest and support from local business, the media and the wider Scottish marine sector was overwhelming, so we knew early on that the event was likely to be a success.

raceboatinternational 35

Local team of Gordon Wicklow and Dino Zavaroni in the Inverclyde branded boat We were also fortunate in that the period during our planning of the event coincided with the launch of the Scottish Marine Tourism Strategy designed to position the country as a marine tourism destination of first choice. This gave P1 a great promotional platform and for key stakeholders to gain awareness and get involved at various levels.

It was great for powerboat racing to see so many spectators at the event. What do you think were the key reasons for such a high turnout?

A comprehensive marketing campaign ensured that awareness levels were high to start with, so this was a key driver. We were also fortunate that the weather was on our side – on the Saturday at least – and this definitely encouraged people to attend. Research shows that spectators came from considerable distances to be part of the event.

We also put together a diverse programme of on water activity which included our regular P1 SuperStock and P1 AquaX classes and this was supplemented by freestyle jet ski displays, thrilling hy36 raceboatinternational

droflight exhibitions as well as race demonstrations from Scotland’s leading youth RIB champion, so there was plenty for fans to watch.

The addition of the Inverclyde Showcase made it a far bigger event than just boat racing which meant that a lot of families made it a full day out to take in all the attractions on offer. Finally, many people were there to support the local team of Gordon Wicklow and Dino Zavaroni – in the Inverclyde branded boat – and the ability to watch the racing in close proximity and from an elevated position on the mile-long Esplanade (together with complementary grandstand seating provided by the Council) were also key factors.

What was the rationale behind the Inverclyde Showcase?

In addition to all the on-water action, the weekend saw the launch of the Inverclyde Showcase where spectators were able to discover the best of the area’s tourism-related businesses, including leisure activities, visitor attractions, food and drink, and accommodation.

Situated along the length of the Esplanade, this free attraction featured nearly 40 stands showcasing all that the area has to offer.

POWERBOAT P1 SCOTLAND

Can you explain more about the partnerships that were forged at local level?

The event had four main groups and they each played a vital role in ensuring the event was a success.

Co-hosts – the bulk of the event’s funding was was shared by Inverclyde Council and local regeneration company Riverside Inverclyde. They were hugely supportive right from the very start.

Commercial partners – we were able to secure six sponsors from the local community, On-water including Caledonian MacBranye, the UK’s leading activity at the ferry network operator. These partners not only Scottish GP included P1 provided financial support but also acted as marSuperStock keting partners for the event. and P1 AquaX Operational partners – we secured classes the support of James Watt Dock Marina which hosted the race boats together with the support of Clydeport (part of Peel Ports) who take care of all our on-water planning and permissions.

Institutional partners – these included the likes of RYA Scotland, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, Sail Scotland and local tourism body Discover Inverclyde.

With all these partnerships in place, it was P1’s job as the promoter to harness all the positive energy and translate it into a large scale, high impact, marine motorsport event that was able to showcase both Inverclyde and Scotland to an international audience. Caledonian MacBrayne’s Head of Commercial, Graeme MacFarlan, said: “As a major local employer we are keen to play our part in developing the wider economy through supporting tourism focused events that showcase what the area has to offer.

This event has been a great success and has really put Inverclyde on the map to a global audience.”

Can you tell us more about the marketing campaign?

This was designed to meet a variety of objectives. It primarily had to create awareness of the event being hosted in Scotland for the first time and also provide profile and awareness of the event’s sponsors and hosts. It had to drive footfall to reach a minimum number of spectators and also had to raise the profile of powerboat racing in Scotland with a view to creating a positive image for future years.

We were also fortunate to have Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, unveil the Inverclyde race boat in Greenock in November 2015. This gained significant national media coverage and she was quoted as saying: “This major event will attract tens of thousands of powerboat racing fans to Inverclyde, an area with a rich maritime history. Visitors to the area are guaranteed a friendly welcome and the event is expected to bring significant benefits to the local economy. The River Clyde will provide a magnificent backdrop for all the races.”

Our strategy was to build awareness and engagement through a locally focused marketing and promotional campaign. We used a mix of P1 in-house marketing together with local agency expertise to deliver a significant PR campaign, poster and leaflet distribution, radio advertising, a range of social media activity, boat displays

and a presence at key marine industry events in Scotland to drive awareness levels. We also made extensive use of partnership marketing with our stakeholders by collaborating together to meet each other’s respective goals.

P1 did a lot of work with local schools, particularly from an environmental perspective, and the vast majority of these children (and their families) returned to see the event. We also worked closely with Event Scotland and were successful in securing funding from them which greatly assisted in the successful marketing of the event.

What advice would you offer to other powerboat clubs and promoters looking to stage race events?

I firmly believe there are four key elements: 1. No matter the size or scale of the event, it is really important to plan well in advance. The first meeting related to this event took place at the London Boat Show in 2015, some 16 months before the race was staged.

2. Engage with all your stakeholders through frequent communication. We had a series of newsletters going out at regular intervals with updates on the event to everyone involved. If your partners feel like they are contributing positively to the event and directly involved, they are more likely to promote the event through their own internal and external channels.

3. The inclusion of a local race team was key. In this case the Spirit of Inverclyde team was a real winner as it gave the local audience two great personalities to get behind and support across the weekend and, better still, across the entire season. The team also hosted a very successful media day and were great ambassadors in the lead up to the event.

4. Make sure whatever is delivered on the water is a choreographed show so that you hold people’s attention across the day and ensure that the event delivers value. P1 had a packed programme of races, demonstrations and displays from 09:30 – 16:30 each day which kept the crowds enthused and engaged. raceboatinternational 37

BOURNEMOUTH FINAL

COLEMAN CROWNED

2016 P1 SUPERSTOCK UK CHAMPIONS

By Roy Mantle

‘The 2016 P1 SuperStock UK champions are Pertemps Network.’

That’s a sentence Sam and Daisy Coleman will have been dreaming of hearing as they entered the new race season back in May as an all-new brother-sister partnership in the Pertemps P1 Panther

P1 Superstock UK champions Sam and Daisy Coleman in ‘Pertemps Network The Welsh duo have been racing for several years but teamed up at the beginning of the year for their first crack at the P1 SuperStock championship and it took them no time at all to settle in, winning three rounds out of five to comfortably clinch the championship title from Quantum Racing.

Daisy, who has raced in both the UK and US series and is one of the most experienced navigators out there having served her apprenticeship alongside former P1 SuperStock champion John Wilson, started racing in 2012 but had never lifted the title before this season.

Her brother Sam, on the other hand, was team manager for Pertemps for the last three years and raced in a couple of P1 events last season before joining Daisy in the cockpit following the retirement of Wilson. Despite a lack of experience in powerboat racing, Sam is no stranger to motorsport competition having raced in motocross from a young age and continues to compete in national Ironman triathlons.

38 raceboatinternational

Having spent the off-season training with multiple powerboat racing champion Neil Holmes, the team entered the 2016 season fully prepared for a launch at the title. They showed exactly that with a strong performance at the opening round of the season in Scarborough to tie points with round winners Quantum Racing in what would be the first of several close battles with rivals Kevin Burdock and John Donnelly.

If that wasn’t enough, the pair laid down their strong title claims with three back-toback victories in Scotland to take a clear lead in the series, and an incident between Quantum and Rawbank Racing allowed them to open up a comfortable gap heading into Gosport.

Round three in Gosport was perhaps their most disappointing of the season, which is a credit to their exceptional performance over the season as they took just one victory from four and still finished second on the podium. Experience Kissimmee announced themselves as serious title

challengers in Gosport with their first ever Grand Prix of the Sea weekend victory lifting them to second in the championship.

It was Cardiff’s unique conditions, in which the teams race in heats of three and four boats, that proved to be the crucial round of the season as the Experience Kissimmee crew of Neil and Jason Jackson could only manage fifth place to virtually hand the title to Pertemps barring mechanical issues in Bournemouth. Pertemps finished second at the end of the weekend’s racing by just three points as Quantum Racing put behind them a previous defeat in the heats to win a thrilling Super Final in front of a bumper crowd in Cardiff Bay. The events in Cardiff left Pertemps with a lead of 39 points over Quantum Racing heading into the Grand Finale on the Dorset coast, effectively meaning they had only to score points in each of the races to clinch the title. Sam and Daisy didn’t let up, however, and romped to a second overall victory in some style, winning two of the three races completed across the weekend. Their Bournemouth triumph left them a whopping 47 points clear of Quantum having taken a total of 335 points across the season from a possible 380.

Speaking after the podium presentations in Bournemouth, Daisy said the result was a testament to the work they had put in as a team.

“It just goes to show that the hard work and commitment we’ve given to training, testing and improving has paid off. We’ve looked after the boat and she’s looked after us. It’s truly been a rollercoaster of emotions and without the support of our family, Sam’s long-suffering girlfriend and our sponsors we wouldn’t have been able to do it.

“But the biggest thanks goes to our

team manager and mentor John Wilson, this championship was won in John’s honour after being so close for the last three years... we finally did it!”

Sam, meanwhile, is already looking ahead to next season and is confident of coming back event stronger to defend their crown.

“What a way to clinch it! We took it easy Saturday to make sure we kept the points ticking over and on Sunday we wanted to sign off in style. I’m still learning every time we get on the water and this is just the beginning. We’ll work hard over the winter with John Wilson, Neil Holmes and the team to make sure we continue to improve.”

John Wilson was quick to praise the duo for their amazing performance across the 2016 race season: “It has been a real pleasure to work with Sam and Daisy over the last four years. Their hard work and commit-

ment to building their skills and expertise in the boat is a great example of what it takes to achieve this level of success. We always take time to debrief after each event and often, when the schedule allows, between each race, to build on successes and learn from any mistakes. They have worked tirelessly to build sponsorship support and we cannot let this moment pass without a big thank you to all the Coleman Racing team family, friends and sponsors but a special mention must go to Pertemps Network for their enthusiasm and support over the last six years.

“It seems a long time since 2011 when we first won the P1 Superstock Championship in Pertemps Network colours” added Wilson “and we have experienced some highs and lows since then so to win the championship this year with Sam and Daisy taking charge of the boat for the first time is

The fleet of P1 Superstock Panthers power past Boscombe Pier in the final race of the series in Bournemouth Above: Experience Kissimmee and South Street very special indeed.”

Pertemps Network were delighted with the result, as you would expect, having supported the team through thick and thin for six years.

“Pertemps is proud to be the official sponsor of this phenomenal sibling team whose achievements have gone from strength to strength throughout the season.

We truly believe that winning the P1 SuperStock championships is only the beginning of a great journey for them.”

Pertemps Network will be officially crowned 2016 champions at the P1 annual awards dinner later this year.

POWERBOAT P1 SUPERSTOCK - FINAL 2016 RESULTS Rnd 1

Rnd 2

Rnd 3

Rnd 4

Rnd 5

1

03

Pertemps Network

Daisy Coleman / Sam Coleman

48

75

63

94

55

335

TOTAL

2

09

Quantum Racing

Kevin Burcock / John Donnelley

48

54

42

97

47

288

3

17

Experience Kissimmee

Neil Jackson / Jason Jackson

33

56

72

75

17

253

4

08

E:Marine Racing

Glynn Norvall / Lee Norvall

43

48

45

78

25

239

5

13

Raw Bank Racing

Stuart Cureton / Sara Cureton

46

32

55

79

34

246

6

00

Typhoo

Kevin Hunt / Carl Turner

41

42

46

70

21

220

7

21

South Street

Andy Yeo / Ian Brusby

-

26

27

63

38

154

8

22

Pickfords

Daisy Coleman / Sam Coleman

0

41

-

73

-

114

9

16

Spirit of Inverclyde

Gordon Wicklow / Dino Zavaroni

0

54

46

-

50

150

10

04

Arthur J Gallagher

Arran Scott / Karl Turner

33

-

-

65

35

133

11

55

Visit Wales

Henry Morgan / Geraint Williams

13

-

-

60

23

96

raceboatinternational 39

THUNDERCAT RACING A Huge Success on the Mersey Microlink Thundercat Racing Championship - 4-5 June 2016 Photos: Mike Powell

Rounds 5 & 6 of the Thundercat Racing powerboat season took place at the busy International Mersey River Festival and the pairing was such a success negotiations are already in place to return again in 2017

ThunderCat racers headed north to compete in Rounds 5 & 6 of the Microlink Thundercat Racing Championship at the International Mersey River Festival. The spectacular racing complemented the busy river festival with spectators cheering on teams from the Harbour wall. With the aim of ensuring a great show for spectators ThunderCat Racing changed their racing format specifically to suit the weekend with four tough ‘Enduro Races’ as well as a series of ‘Drag Races’ running right alongside the harbour wall. The thrills and spills of the racing had spectators gripped to the action for the weekend.

The River Mersey is not just any river, it’s the beating heart of a truly special city that has been the forefront of innovation for three centuries. The International Mersey River Festival is a celebration of the glorious waterfront in a three-day extravaganza of family fun, amazing music and entertainment along the iconic river. This year’s event had an incredible musical line up gracing three stages as well as a showcase of some of the most spectacular water sports there are!

40 raceboatinternational

After the success of the event, ThunderCat Racing is set to make a spectacular return to the River Festival next year to provide more electrifying action for spectators. Fiona Pascoe, Event Director said, “The event was a huge success for us; we all loved Liverpool and it was brilliant to have Molly McEntee- Morris, ‘Miss Liverpool’ to present our awards. The Liverpool charm was extremely welcoming, especially Liverpool Marina who allowed us to use their facilities.

We look forward to finishing negotiations with Julie Turner from Liverpool Council to enable us to return to this amazing event showcasing some of the best watersports at this extraordinary venue.”

During rounds 5 & 6 the Welsh pairing of Rob Davies and Darren Phillips in Team Microlink/Ahmad Tea swept the floor winning all four endurance races and giving them a huge boost in points for the overall championship. Their Team Manager, Martin Tummuscheit said, “We are very pleased that our hard work is paying off. We are doing all the engineering ‘in house’ as well as

developing our own props.”

Runners up Simon Matthews and Martin Jerome in Seavacation had a good result securing consistent second places throughout the weekend. James Tapp, current World Champion, acted as a stand in driver for Team Ragworm competing with Mark Blackman and drove them to secure 3rd place for the weekend.

ThunderCat Racing UK started in 2004; is an extreme grass root powerboat series sometimes compared to motocross, with a fleet of 4m inflatable catamaran race boats with 50hp Tohatsu outboard tiller controlled engines. At that time there was only three countries participating – South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, but it has now expanded to over 13 countries.

Event management tell us ThunderCat Racing has mass appeal to all ages and it offers great year round entertainment. So if you’re looking for a new sport/hobby/ friend or want something just to follow... get in touch today. Apparently, thousands of spectators now follow Thundercat Racing, which is positioning itself as one of the most prominent water sports of the twenty first century.

Once you have tried it and you have an ounce of adrenaline in your body you experience a strange addictive streak that will mean you’ll want to race year on year!

The UK championship is very flexible which means so long as you pass your training you can enter one race, two or all of them depending on your budget and available time.

Microlink PC UK Ltd, are the ThunderCat Championship series sponsor. They are world leaders in assessment, technology and support for learning difficulties, disabilities and mental health, providing services to the largest employers in the UK. Vee Ganja-

vian Microlink co-founder told us, ‹It›s great to be involved with this sport, it›s tough and inclusive at the same time. We have former soldiers racing that lost limbs in combat, an all lady team, and some super athletes amongst the expected 24 teams’.

The green flag on the River Mersey Below: Rob Davies and Darren Philips - Microlink winners

raceboatinternational 41

GIRL POWER

at KINGSBURY

Tiegen Goodfellow

Article: Tony Cossington - Photos: Bryan Scott

Burntwood’s Tiegen Goodfellow sensationally battled her way to her first National Championship win on home water.

The weekend of 2/3 July saw 40 British Powerboat Racers head to Kingsbury Water Park for the third round of the 2016 Powerboat GP RYA British Championship.

In the Junior GT15 class reigning champion Thomas Mantripp and championship hopefuls Jonathan Brewer and Harvey Smith went head to head for the Kingsbury Grand Prix title. There was less than a second separating the three in the qualifying session, but it was Thomas Mantripp who stole pole and with it the first championship point of the weekend.

The plucky youngster doesn’t like to give his lead up without a fight and he led the way throughout the weekend to claim three clean wins, his second Grand Prix win of the season, and remain at the top of the championship leader board. Meanwhile, Jelf Racing’s George Elmore, pushing hard to make it back on the podium, got caught by a gust of wind in heat 1 and barrel rolled his GT15 out of the race and him in the water. Team mate Jono Brewer took two second places and a third to secure the silver medal with Harvey Smith claiming the Bronze medal at his home grand prix.

In the GT30 Championship local girl Tiegen Goodfellow launched a championship attack on leader Ben Jelf. Although Ben had pole position and the first heat win, after his disqualification in the second heat Tiegen had only to keep her head throughout the final heat to secure herself the Grand Prix win.

Not set on just coasting through the final heat Tiegen was determined from her pole position to keep Ben Jelf and Thomas Mangtripp in her wake. She got off to a flying start with Jelf close behind her every inch of the course, but with a cool head Goodfellow kept her eye on the prize and 42 raceboatinternational

with cheers of joy from a home crowd and a chequered flag waved by her grandfather she won her first race of the season and her first ever National grand prix win.

Thomas Mantripp took the silver medal podium spot with Ben Jelf by his side with bronze.

The T850 contest reached boiling point with Lancashire’s Bill Owen looking for the Championshlip lead from team mate Steve Cash. Returning to his winning ways Bill Owen quickly set about business securing pole position and a fastest lap time 2 seconds faster than rival Nigel Edwards.

From pole position Bill Owen controlled all three heats of the race and put in a flawless performance for three straight wins.

Meanwhile, Steve Cash, Nigel Edwards and Jason Brewer battled fiercely for the silver and bronze medals with little separating them throughout the heats. Following in his son’s footsteps, and making it another silver Kingsbury Grand Prix podium spot for the family, was Jason Brewer with Steve Cash taking the bronze medal.

The final class of the weekend was the F4 Catamarans and as the fleet lined up for qualification all eyes were on young Ben Jelf in his new Baba hull to see the possibilities this new boat had for the youngster.

Bolstering the fleet was also a welcome appearance from Colin Jelf as on a rare weekend off from competing in F2 racing he decided to put the team’s other F4 craft through its paces.

Once more it was Hayling Island’s Sam Whittle who set pole position being the only competitor to go under 52 seconds in his lap times. Rob Veares secured second with Ben Jelf in third and Colin in 4th, but with less than a 5th of a second separating them competition was about to get intense

as they headed in to the heats.

Back on pole position Sam Whittle used the shortest line to first turn to his full advantage ensuring he got the best start and clean water. Despite immense pressure from championship contender Veares, Whittle kept his cool and took another three clean sweeps to secure himself the Kingsbury crown.

In heat two behind championship leader Sam Whittle disaster struck Matt Wood as he pushed hard against Ben Jelf and got caught by a gust of wind. He back flipped out of the race. The pressure was then on for Wood to get his engine dried out and back up and running to see if he could make the final heat of the day. Rob Veares secured the Kingsbury Grand Prix silver medal position just fighting off Ben Jelf into the bronze medal.

Powerboat GP Promotor Jason Brewer had this to say about the event, “We’ve had another fantastic weekend’s racing. We’re now at that critical stage in the championship when we’ve reached the half way point and everybody’s really upping the pressure as the battle to win the 2016 Powerboat GP RYA British Championship’s rages on.”

He continued, “It’s especially nice to have a new face at the top of the podium.

Tiegen’s been working very hard over the years and to see her hard work and dedication finally pay off is really great, especially in front of her family and a home crowd as that’s what our sport’s all about.”

Celebrations for the Powerboat GP Kingsbury Grand Prix winner were short lived with just two weeks to Cannock for the Chasewater Grand Prix on 16/17 July followed by Stewartby Lake on 17/18 September and the UIM European Championships on 24/25 September.

F4 Reigning World Champion Sam Whittle

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THE BRAND THAT BUILDS

MANUFACTURER OF HAND TOOLS, POWER TOOLS, FIXINGS, HARDWARE AND MORE

HOTTING UP at CHASEWATER

Four of the GP classes made the journey to the Staffordshire country park on 16/17 July for vital points in the penultimate round of the championship as scores of spectators looked on First up were the 0-16 year old junior racers and Jonathan Brewer took Pole position, and as the lights went out for the first heat all eyes were on the first turn mark to see who would make it first round the turn.

As the spray settled it was championship leader Thomas Mantripp who had started from the back of the grid and led the way.

Jonathan Brewer followed in second with Harvey Smith and George Elmore fighting for third. With clean water Mantripp remained raced his way home to the first heat win of the weekend.

Back on Pole position Thomas once more led the way through heats two and three to claim the Chasewater Grand Prix crown and all important championship points. Jonathan Brewer took three out of three silver medal places to secure himself the second place on the podium with Harvey Smith holding George Elmpore at bay to take the bronze medal.

In the GT30 Class local girl racer Teigen Goodfellow was set to make another challenge against championship leader Ben Jelf following her success inn Kingsbury. When qualification times came in just half a second separated her from Jelf who’d claimed pole, but putting on even more pressure was Jack Pickles hot on Tiegen’s wake and giving her no room for error.

Heat 1 got underway and once more it was Ben Jelf who led the way to the first turn mark, however, pushing him every inch of the course Goodfellow was ready to capitalise on any error he made. Jelf took the heat win with Goodfellow in second and putting in a strong performance Jack pickles secured the third place.

As the boats lined up for heat 2 disaster struck for Pickles as his engine didn’t fire up and he was left on the dock as the boats hurtled towards the first turn. A second attempt at starting was made and this time he got going and the youngster set about chasing down the leading pack. He

made quick work of passing back markers Tony Judge and Nigel Edwards and set his eyes on another third place finish waiting for the opportunity to pass Thomas Mantripp.

At the finish Jelf took three heat wins to secure the Chasewater Grand Prix Crown, Tiegen got the silver and Jack made it three third place for his first podium finish in the GT30 class.

It wasn’t long before Ben Jelf was back in action this time in the F4 catamaran class. Sam Whittle once more led the proceedings for the weekend securing the pole position with the fastest lap but with less than 2 seconds separating the top 4 boats things were set for some really close racing. Whittle was untouchable from Pole position. He led the way from start to finish through all three heats riding the clean water to the chequered flag to secure the Chasewater Grand Prix title.

Meanwhile, there was misfortune for Matt Wood who broke down in the second heat and would not make the third ultimately forcing him out of podium contention and leaving Rob Veares, Ben Jelf and newcomer Leon King to contend for second and third. With a third and second place finish in heats 1 and 2 it looked like Jelf was set to take the silver medal as he was comfortably sat in second place after 6 laps until disaster hit when his engine jumped out of gear into neutral. Leon King took the opportunity to pass the stationery boat with Rob Veares also making up a place as he passed. Ben quickly started his engine again but was left chasing the field trying to make up valuable places and had to settle for fourth.

All three racers were tied on points each having taken a 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finish. Second and third podium places would be decided by fastest race time, and as the times came in, Ben Jelf had secured the silver medal and Rob Veares completed

the podium for the F4 Chasewater Grand Prix.

Lancashires’s Paul Balfour and Kent’s Colin Jelf went into the weekend tied on points in the F2 class with the class still having three events to run. Paul Balfour laid down the first gauntlet to Jelf taking Pole position with a 44.56 second fastest lap, and as the rest of the qualifying times came in Steve Hoult looked back on form as he stole second on the grid from Jelf who took third over elder brother Owen Jelf who matched his brother’s fastest lap time, but had to settle for 4th securing the lap time later in the session.

As the F2s lined up for the first heat of the weekend Paul Balfour was sitting pretty in pole postion for a good start which would mean he could control the race from the front and watch for any of his competitors in his mirrors. Balfour cleared the first turn and in his spray it was unclear who sat in second, third and fourth. As the spray settled and the fleet started to spread out Steve Hoult was sat in second with Colin Jelf in third.

Heat 2 saw a repeat performance from the top two boats but a welcome sight in third was Mark Williams who had been plagued by problems at both earlier championship events. Sufferering from problems this weekend was Colin Jelf who’s engine seemed to not be firing on all cylinders.

Forced to finish in 5th in heat 2 the team quickly recovered the boat to try to fix any problem for the third and final heat of the weekend.

Paul Balfour was back on top taking three heat wins to secure the Chasewater Grand Prix Crown and with it the Championshlip campaign leader board top spot.

Steve Hoult returned to the podium with three strong second place finishes for silver, and through teamwork and dedication Mark Williams finished the final race in third place to secure him the final podium spot. raceboatinternational 45

RYA BRITISH

SPRINT CHAMPIONS

Article: Tony Cossington - Photos: Bryan Scott

Stewartby Powerboat and Hydroplane Racing Club saw Britain’s top powerboat racers descend on Bedford on 6/7 August for the 2016 Powerboat GP RYA British Sprint Championships in a bid to be crowned champion.

46 raceboatinternational

Ben Jelf

The first class in action were the junior GT15 racers aged 9-16, Hot favourite for the weekend in Junior GT15 was Lowestoft’s reigning Sprint Champion Thomas Mantripp, but with strong competition in the rest of the fleet it wasn’t going to be an easy task. As qualifying got underway the youngsters all took to the water looking for pole position, and it was Championship crown hopeful Jonathan Brewer who set the fastest lap ahead of the reigning champion.

Heading into the first heat as the lights went out the six youngsters powered away from the start jetty and as they rounded the top turn all eyes were on Brewer and Mantripp to see who would round the turn first. The duo were neck and neck but as the spray settled Mantripp edged ahead securing the lead and the first heat win.

As the boats lined up for the second heat Jonathan Brewer was noticeably absent from the grid having picked up a bug and forced to retire from the event.

Thomas Mantripp once more dominated through the heat leading from start to finish and claiming his 3rd consecutive Sprint championship title. Jelf Racing’s George Elmore put in a strong performance for third and second place finish in the heats to secure himself the Silver Sprint Medal and his highest placed championship finish to date. Joining the podium in the bronze place was newcomer Astra London putting in a convincing performance among the experienced fleet.

Tiegen Goodfellow looked set to launch an attack on Ben Jelf’s dreams of a 12th GT30 British Championship Title. The formidable youngsters went head to head in qualifying and with just half a second separating them the race was on.

Having secured pole position Jelf set about business knowing the best line to take into the turn. Clean water could be just the advantage he needed to dominate the heat. Rounding the turn buoy first was Ben Jelf, with Tiegen right behind him. Closing behind was Thomas Mantripp and Jack Pickles both fighting hard for third place.

Jelf secured heat 1 and then went on to dominate in heat 2 gaining his 12th British Powerboat Racing Title as he secured the 2016 Powerboat GP RYA British GT30 Sprint Championship. Tiegen Goodfellow claimed the silver prize and Thomas Mantripp returned to the podium in the bronze medal position.

A welcome sight to this event was the OSY400 class who had been absent from the last couple of rounds in the British Championship. Five gutsy hydroplane racers lined up for qualification with three new racers joining the fleet.

Leading the way to set pole position was Jamie Marr, but Jason Mantripp and newcomer Wayne Moyse looked determined to stop him in his tracks.

Despite the strong winds Jamie Marr dominated in both heats to secure his first Powerboat GP RYA British OSY400 Sprint Championshp with David Sith claiming silver and Jason Mantripp bronze. raceboatinternational 47

HUTTON AND THORNTON TAKE TOP HONOURS

2016 Australian V8 Superboat Championships - round 4 Tweed Valley Jet Sprint Club, Cabarita Beach, NSW - 6-7 August 2016 Article: Sean Henshelwood Photos: Russel Puckeridge (Pureart Creative Images)

The opening leg of the second half of the 2016 Australian V8 Superboats Championships at Cabarita Beach delivered not just the best field in recent years, but plenty of intrigue after a rare mechanical failure by runaway series points leader Phonsy Mullan opened the door for a first-time winner in the Unlimited Superboat class this season, the first time that opportunity had presented itself in two years!

Thornton wins Ultimately we saw a first-time winner for the 2016 season in Unlimited Superboat after the demise of runaway championship points leader Phonsy Mullan during qualifying, whilst Queenslander Brett Thornton continued to stamp his authority on the supercompetitive 400-Class with his second straight victory of the year.

Sadly we also lost a couple of competitors due to mechanical failures, the most notable outside of Mullan, was reigning World #4 - and Mullan’s closest rival - Jamie Welch, the West Australian out with serious damage to his 510-cubic inch powerplant, damage which saw the team forced to withdraw from the remainder of the season.

48 raceboatinternational

‘Jackhammer’s’ David Moodie was also sidelined early last round with mechanical dramas, whilst Jody Ely who is holding down third place in 400-Class, has been offered a lifeline by former team-mate Justin Roylance in ‘Outlaw’ after a delay in delivery of parts to rectify a technical issue the team suffered during the closing stages of the August event.

Unfortunately too we’ll have to wait just a touch longer to see former 400-Class world champion Slade Stanley debut his new boat after further setbacks, he is now aiming for a return later in the season.

“Frustratingly time and a few little teething issues meant it didn’t make the dyno

and we didn’t actually get the boat on the water, but we did manage to start it so that was one thing, but we’ll be busy early in the weekend trying to find a good baseline to work from.”

Another with a ‘new’ powerplant is twotime Unlimited Superboat champion and winner last time out, Daryl Hutton.

“It’s the same unit we’ve been using up till the last round at Cabarita, although it’s a new block and new pistons and a few other ancillaries, but still a 410ci supercharged V8 so hopefully it gives us a known package to work with.”

Last time out Hutton was forced to ‘borrow’ a boat from former 350-Class front-runner Glenn ‘Spider’ Roberts, the New Zealander taking the 560ci powered naturally-aspirated big-block to victory in the final over pace-setter Tremayne Jukes and Darek Sygidus.

“I think we surprised a few people in the final,” Hutton admitted. “We kept improving the boat, but actually suffered a stator failure in the jet unit in the final few rounds as well as a valve spring in the final run, but we were able to find enough pace to take the win and move back into contention for the title, so we’ll be going hard this weekend with the ‘American Importers’ machine back in action.

Whilst Mullan and Hutton will no doubt provide a focal point at the front of the field, don’t discount Ted Sygidus and younger brother Darek in ‘Frankenzstain’ the naturally-aspirated 680ci big-block V8 powered Unlimited machine that features insane horsepower. Darek made the podium last time out in the team’s ‘Junior’ boat with

its nimble 510-ci powerplant, but with each event the bad-boy 680 gets quicker and quicker and the team gain more valuable insight into how to get it to work, so it’s only a matter of time before the two former 400-Class champions start eking away at Mullan’s ongoing domination of the category.

Throw in Tremayne Jukes in his new twin-turbo powered machine, the Victorian showing last time out that ‘Maniac’ - the newly re-liveried ‘Loose Cannon’ - still has the ability to shake the standing order of the Unlimited field, and the popular former 400-Class competitor showed incredible pace to record the quickest time of the event.

And whilst there’s little question that the crowd comes to see the Unlimited boats battle at the top of the timesheets, something which often produces some spectacular out of water episodes, the 400-Class title battle too has been shaping up to be one of the best on record.

Currently former 350-Class champion Brett Thornton leads the way with two wins from four starts (but podiums on every occa-

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sion) to be clear of Brooke Lucas and more than a round clear of third placed Jody Ely, but if there’s one thing that Phonsy Mullan’s early retirement last time out showed, and that is you need to keep scoring points.

One DNF or low point-scoring round and that lead could quickly evaporate.

Tremayne Jukes and Darek Sygidus in Frankenzstain

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raceboatinternational 49

MULLAN RETURNS TO THE TOP STEP

2016 Australian V8 Superboat Championships - round 5 Tweed Valley Jet Sprint Club, Cabarita Beach, NSW - 3-4 September 2016 Article: Sean Henshelwood Photos: Russel Puckeridge (Pureart Creative Images)

One of the biggest fields in recent years descended upon the Cabarita Beach circuit for round four of the 2016 Australian V8 Superboat Championships, and whilst that event forced a number of premature retirements for which round five paid a hefty price, the competition was no less fierce this time around.

With a brand-new and untried powerplant, three-time Australian Unlimited champion Phonsy Mullan still proved all but unstoppable, although Tremayne Jukes did everything he could despite limited experience in his new boat to force the issue all the way down to the final run of the day. In the end it was Mullan who had to dig deeper than perhaps any time in the last few seasons to claim the win, with round four winner Daryl Hutton completing the podium.

In the 400-Class, the expected fight between local stars Brett Thornton and Brooke Lucas saw a terrific battle through the heats with emerging stars Paul Kelly and Mitch Roylance in the mix, but ultimately Thornton was too good, claiming his third successive win to open up a big points lead heading into the final two rounds of the season.

With six rounds of qualifying over the two day event there was plenty of time for teams

50 raceboatinternational

prevented him from recording a competitive time in both opening sessions, but by Q3 on Saturday afternoon he was second fastest and within a second of Mullan.

By that stage Thornton too had assumed his position at the top of the 400-Class standings, his third run of the day a full two and a half seconds faster than second placed Greg Harriman in another session that saw inverted boats and a number of really impressive submarine impressions, although whilst crowdpleasers, they weren’t providing competitive lap times.. Three 400 boats failed to complete a lap in Q2, whilst in Q3, five boats failed to get around.

By Sunday morning most of Phonsy Mullan wins in Ramjet the teams had enjoyed a night to reflect on their opening day nerves and almost all stayed to dial themselves in, but almost immediately in the water through to the completion of it appeared that drivers were a little rusty, the sixth round, although there were some with the first three runs of the weekend anxious moments for the brothers Roylance ending in retirement, a number of drivers and for Hugh Gilchrist who was doing a admitting that the Father’s Day weekend brilliant job of finding his feet under immense rotation was one of the most challenging in pressure in just his second event. recent years.

Ultimately just Gilchrist completed just Campaigning his brand new naturallyone run in the final two qualifiers as the pace aspirated 527ci alloy LS powerplant for at the top of the timesheets continued to ‘Ramjet’, four-time Australian champion fall, Mullan’s best in Q5 just two tenths faster Phonsy Mullan set the early pace, leading than Jukes, whilst in 400s Paul Kelly had Daryl Hutton and Tremayne Jukes through thrown down the gauntlet to Thornton to the opening qualifier in the Unlimited class, be just over a tenth slower than the points whilst 400-Class points leader Brett Thornleader.. the finals looked promising! ton was sixth tenths down on the impressive Paul Kelly in the opening run, a run which FINALS saw six boats fail to complete a full lap..!

Q2 saw a surprise retirement from crowd The big questions heading into the finals was about just how much Mullan had in favourite Tremayne Jukes, still getting used reserve approaching the last run of the day, to the iconic ‘Loose Cannon’, however and whether anybody could catch runaway a technical issue and a loose turbo pipe pace-setter Thornton in 400s..

By the close of the Top 12, a number of those questions had been answered.

Jukes found a little extra to stop the clocks with a best of 43.081 a full second faster than Mullan who was down more than a second on his best of the day, whilst the impressive Jeremy Kincaid was less than a tenth off Darek Sygidus in the battle for fourth, Hutton continuing to split the two groups.

Thornton too had a slip in the opening final, dropping more than a second off his best time, whilst rival Brooke Lucas in contrast used the extra pressure as motivation, finding three tenths of a second to finish almost a second clear on top with Mitch Roylance moving into second.. the cream was starting to rise!

By the close of the top six it was situation normal at the front, Mullan taking back the top spot - negating the opening final hiccup, his three most recent runs were 42.742, 42.747 and 42.746.. it doesn’t getting any more consistent than that. Jukes too was finding the limits of his new mount, although admitting it had plenty in reserve, his consistency too showing two final runs separated by just 18 one thousandths of a second.. it was tight at the top!

Hutton too improved, but he was also nursing a new powerplant and coming to grips with the intricacies of the package whilst Kincaid continued to push the top three, promising to move into the final if any of them faltered.

And falter they did, however it wasn’t the top three.. Sadly ‘Frankenzstain Jnr’ of Ted and Darek Sygidus which had made cameo appearances in the top three during qualifying was out after both drivers failed to complete the opening final.

After running with the mighty 680ci ‘Frankenzstain’ on Saturday, Ted Sygidus jumped in with brother Darek for Sundays final qualifiers, both showing signs they were capable of making the final but both suffered an off during the top 12.

The intake grille fell out during Ted’s run forcing him up the bank without injury, whilst for Darek, his best run of the weekend came to a premature end after running up the bank looking for some vital extra tenths to put himself into the final.

That misfortune allowed the ever-present Paul Burgess into the final six along with local hero Daniel deVoight in his twin-turbo LS3, the two long-time campaigners enjoy-

ing their additional laps in front of the big Cabarita crowd.

Ultimately though the weekend came down to one final run.. As ever Hutton had found that little bit extra during his final rotation to set the benchmark at 44.536 before Jukes put in his best of the weekend, going an incredible two seconds faster than the New Zealander to lower the mark to 42.535 a full two tenths quicker than Mullan’s best.

Mullan though isn’t the most prolific winner in the sport this decade for no reason, the Victorian finding just that little bit more in

his final run to take the win with a stunning 42.138.

Showing the worth of practice laps during a run of previous club days at the Cabarita venue, 400-Class points leader Brett Thornton was untouchable in the final although he was still six tenths down on his best of the weekend, the Queenslander stopping the clocks with a 46.353 - his time whilst safe, was still well clear of rival Brooke Lucas who also went slower than his Top 6 time, whilst Mitch Roylance continued his impressive Superboat debut with third.

Jody Ely crashes Rampage

Tremayne Jukes in Maniac raceboatinternational 51

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Unlimited Superboat (after round 4 of 7) Phonsy Mullan RAMJET Daryl Hutton American Automotive Darek Sygidus Frankenzstain Paul Burgess Daly Transport Ted Sygidus Frankenzstain Jamie Welch Natwel Racing Cheryl Welch Natwel Racing Tony Giustozzi Excalibur Tremayne Jukes Maniac Mick Carroll Excalibur Scott Krause Soak’n Fused Jeremy Kincaid Rogue Daniel deVoigt Q-Bears Slade Stanley Hazardous Rob Coley Frankenzstain Andrew Page Maniac

Jody Ely managed to retain his third place in the outright championship despite a big rollover on his final run - fortunately without injury, the Victorian claiming fourth in his cameo appearance in ‘Outlaw’ whilst Greg Harriman’s impressive recent run continued with fifth. Local star Peter Monger claimed sixth despite his own moment late in the day which had the big crowd collectively holding their breath as both driver and navigator appeared from below the water line after a big off, and despite campaigning a 350ci powerplant in the 400-Class, Ben Hathaway’s giant-killing efforts continued with sixth, the result moving him into the top five in the outright points That’s it now for the sports most northern venue, the final two rounds will return to Temora in October with two races under lights at Allcott Hire Park at Lake Centenary, the scene of some of the best races in the

166 152 133 114 112 100 76 74 66 64 60 56 54 26 12 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

sports long history - the first of which is scheduled for October 1. Jody Ely managed to retain his third place in the outright championship despite a big rollover on his final run - fortunately without injury, the Victorian claiming fourth in his cameo appearance in ‘Outlaw’ whilst Greg Harriman’s impressive recent run continued with fifth. Local star Peter Monger claimed sixth despite his own moment late in the day which had the big crowd collectively holding their breath as both driver and navigator appeared from

400-Class (Group A) (after round 4 of 7) Brett Thornton 2 Obsessed Brooke Lucas Trouble Maker Jody Ely Rampage Mitch Roylance Black Jack Ben Hathaway Weapon Greg Harriman Pangaea Floors Justin Roylance Rampage Brad Marsden Allcott Transformer Dave Moody Jackhammer Kevin Laugesen Spanet Paul Kelly PK Racing Peter Monger Mongrel Daniel James JRE Race Engines Clint Ruby Dirty Deeds Hugh Gilchrist Pangaea Floors Nathan Walker Alcott Transformer

171 142 120 116 108 106 105 88 86 80 46 42 33 26 22 16

below the water line after a big off, and despite campaigning a 350ci powerplant in the 400-Class, Ben Hathaway’s giant-killing efforts continued with sixth, the result moving him into the top five in the outright points That’s it now for the sports most northern venue, the final two rounds will return to Temora in October with two races under lights at Allcott Hire Park at Lake Centenary, the scene of some of the best races in the sports long history - the first of which is scheduled for October 1.

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raceboatinternational 53

YESTERYEAR

1977

some unknown reason, and Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race for the in e pet com to wed allo er 7, a craft built by Catamarans are no long nothing special. However in 197 was rd reco k trac r thei t par take when they were permitted to Dallas. Yellowdrama 3 beat all the d many including its owner, Keith rise surp gar Cou der buil t boa n e Cougar emerged again as the Southampto the famous race. In 2016, the nam win to an mar cata first the ame in 1988, beat its rivals and favourites and bec , built in the Southampton boat yard xum Ma ull noh mo m iniu alum were the number winner of CTC when the hy proving once more that Cougar Trop k roo verb Bea ous fam the m some pretty foul weather to clai of time. catamarans and standing the test one builders of successful racing

gn thinking in offshore racing Yellowdrama III may change desi Cowes/Torquay 1977 the in e plac after taking first

by Ray Bulman

hen the 38 foot Yellowdrama III 7, was launched on June 5th 197 and ds hea r thei ok sho tics skep certain river Ken wondered whether her owner/d This new ey. mon his ted was Cassir had only Class I offshore catamaran was be to ld wor the in few ct one of a sele designed built. Kudu, which had been fornia for

by Ron Jones and built in Cali achieved k, Coo l Pau n rica Ame lthy wea ess. only limited succ ever Few on June 5th could how wing follo the of lts anticipate the resu orquay/ Embasy/Daily Express Cowes/T s were bter dou the Cowes classic. At last maran cata the and ng wro ed to be prov finally showed its true potential.

Yellow Unfortunately the owner of h Italian drama III was using engines whic when ace Carlo Bonomi had as spares in Dry hip ons mpi cha ld wor the won he would Martini in 1974. Such a practice ed Unit the in of eard unh n bee have ly eme extr g bein s States, but with cost n rica Ame for rly icula part pe, Euro high in ng savi any , ines built racing marine eng out that had to be considered. It turned coming. such a saving was not forth wdrama Until the Cowes race Yello than 15 never managed to run more . She miles before grinding to a halt and only s race ral seve in part n take had following finished a minor event the day ormed perf had She g. chin laun her inst aga le Poo extremely well at

W

54 raceboatinternational

gner

desi t) celebrates his victory with the Winning driver Ken Cassir (righ (left) of Yellowdrama III, Jame Beard

ous The result was a tremend k before ed -spe the latest Italian craft one wee high sh Briti the for in broke achievement the Cowes/Torquay but aga likely to change the one and stry indu down with engine malfunctions. boating and make III was face of offshore power The competition Yellowdrama James Beard the and ine Mar gar Cou even to face in the Cowes/Torquay was be reckoned to e nam e ng the design a worldwid greater and her chances of lasti . virtually with surely distance against such odds were The Cougar superiority was and no did she last ever How . tent exis place h non Sixt II. s Clas in even d engines confirme was one seemed to know why. Her gory cate this McLaren overall and first in an, mar were expensively overhauled by cata gar Cou ther ano t blocks taken by and were basically the Chevrole

by Keith Dallas n drive a, Rizl se thou Pen y originall which Carl Kiekhaefer had t built in 1974 for motors and Mike Mantle. Firs built as Aeromarine 468 cu. in. in classic which Brita nd Rou nd seco the h had for Bonomi. Her only spares, whic finished over she , elled orquay, was later canc been prepared for the Cowes/T rest Class nea her of ad ahe tes minu y re the thirt of John failed in practice 36 hours befo HTS ered pow aining, II rival, the diesel start. With insufficient time rem . ford Crax e Ann ilding and the entire night was spent rebu at Cowes were Among the fleet ction of dire the er und units hp 600 e thes gned 38 foot desi ad She Don nymous the two John Hodder… an engineer syno

by Pichiotti built rs They aluminium Class I race with the sport in the mid-sixties. with Mike ther toge se, The io. did Ken in Viaregg were to be rewarded. Not only rette Limit Up, Ciga foot 35 ’s ford Dox a he set Cassir win the Cowes/Torquay, for the overall His boat were hotly favoured new race record of 75.13 mph. ns, Alitalia Uno Italia two The . prize take an was the world’s first catamaran to n by Guido drive were , evement and Alitalia Due overall prize since Kudu’s achi the last g win follo and i cola Nic ier. at San Francisco three years earl

in fourth Niccolai and Cassir trailing ition of a II, ile Jack o called Limit Up with the add nwh cusc Mea Fran e. ran plac vete of fifth al draw and minute with American Willie Meyers by n take was stakingly the pain wing had follo Cunningham, who the race Cosentino due to ill health with Maxwell Aitken - son of engine io ered Mar suff ier nt, earl eve s this day n for seve prepared race at Poole river. Regardless of the co-d as der foun on one for e sion lleng pres trouble. With loss of com it Up Pescaglini. This made the cha oth seas, this second boat, Lim smo lessen rly to icula eller part le prop a batt d h nge toug motor he cha overall place a unt of itself and ts were II, was to give good acco Torquay, the poin ding hip roun ons r mpi afte cha but n , of pea load rter the Euro as than a qua d the was always waiting less and he poster units failed completely also at stake. Mike Doxford joine ers for an opening lead the ind beh mile a a was with ham es Brix seri at k the mar ing t nex lead The line retired. starting favourite break down. a uld sho With here olai. was It Nicc . r almost 400 point advantage ove significant for Alitalia Uno The close battle began check r Cowes, lia Alita only two heats remaining afte III, that Mario Pescaglini rounded the ama wdr Yello n his immediately. tly altered rrec inco ttle, thro Up full it at Lim t Doxford needed a victory to wide poin 35 foot the fight. Due and Doxford’s its side margin and take the sting out of the trim and the boat spun onto the fleet on the 16 mile loop ded hea hull The r. wate the into it crew and t its But it was not to be. star throwing round the Solent following the in e hom ding ed inclu roar all, olai Guido Nicc was badly damaged and they passed Cowes astern of was in this order that an, were west on second place only ten seconds ding hea re English navigator Robin Culp befo r late utes min a minute 15 he was re whe l pita hos Yellowdrama III and almost half the uay. to Torq n to take ered the 105 miles first leg suff had h r. whic ulde Up sho it d Lim cate of take ly ahead found to have a dislo The high pace would obvious last few Due lia Alita in g to s Irvin n urite loss of engine power in the Joh favo or the igat Nav its toll and the first of and Bay e Lym of ss miles. ra Beep Beep lead the way back acro 17th fall was the 38 foot Cob up e mad n soo n sir whe Cas Although the 26 starters for the ern d, han Halp l in Joe with power s series American champion Portland at nd seco . race in the Cowes/Torquay/Cowe ated was tegr and nd disin r grou nce lost n since a flywheel bala n and erge was one of the smallest fleets see Bill sandwiched between the Italia Jack Cunningham in the Fab the ably prob was it es, n four bee was had ho III the early sixti Mac ama wdr atec Yello Plan foot Up. Limit therefore sponsored 40 but uay ngly Torq at stro most evenly matched. It was er place but miles behind the lead be high, running well in sixth had Bay lini e cag Lym obvious that speeds would Pes of io sing Mar n cros on its return guessed challenged by Italia a lead of but on one would have ever Meanwhile, Cassir’s actually caught up and gained his stern. on ng duri sea the as rly to t. Now k boa bac how high particula nd n falle seco the four miles over far from Yellowdrama III had olai Cassir , Nicc inspection 24 hours earlier was lem o prob Guid a of still Due ion lia igat Alita nav with race day third as for ion of ded igat flat. The force 3 to 4 winds on hea nav Up ace it slid back to follow the northerly and Doxford’s Lim lead the were fortunately blowing from a t. took craf n ford Dox Italia . the in John Irving course Bournemouth his tail direction resulting in much of the it Up II here but Cassir was again on Willie Myers in the larger Lim ce hen and land the of lee five being in the but e n. plac Italia th the four en still maintained his ice of two having overtak wot calm. Mike Doxford had the cho e continued Uno er gam se winn e mou twic and lay rn cat aste This minutes rettes, ter grea . craft, his 35 foot and 40 foot Ciga re mph whe 70 ng uay ragi Torq - at last outclassed - ave re, the 40 all the way to the lead and had the weather been seve in an mar ford Dox cata I put s skill Clas l the iona in igat Keith Dallas n more nav footer would probably have bee it Up I with lead from , also of his second boat, Lim Penthouse Rizla had held the rette Ciga foot 40 This tive. peti com was lying and gory cate the outset in his Shead ind beh s mile ral seve rall ove sixth ard outw the On and Hyams in Unowot. to d age man a Rizl se thou journey Pen But, as match the larger boat’s speed. wot saw the fuel weight lessened, Uno ned the wide and life on e leas a new gap. miles

By Anvil Point with less than 50 n the to run, Yellowdrama III had take ahead of lead, but was still only seconds on. As mpi Cha n Italia the and Up Limit the king mar dles they passed the Nee an beg Up it Lim nt, Sole the of beginning only two n third Italia to the ed by slipp built r and race slow inium to designed alum round Alitalia Due, the new Don Shead minutes ahead of Limit Up II. driven by mario Pescaglini, but spun yard of Picchlotti. This craft was rs and n draw with was and side over Now running in familiar wate at Brixham throwing her crew Cassir e, stlin coa able to recognise the s the cros to ed spe ed eas incr and Beard ption. finish line with a tremendous rece , Keith Long after the tumult had died igned des ad She Don the ing driv Heynes but last in hed finis diesel cruiser R.H.S. that ers emb rem one n Whe first place t of the this race was established by craf nes Hey that g fittin cabin type, it was verbrook Bea ed vert con the cted colle ented to Challenge Trophy first pres in the with Sop my Tom er overall winn t in 1961. rbol nde as Thu ser Dall h crui Keit in h cab whic little in , s II catamaran, Penthouse Rizla catamarans The three year old Cougar Clas s to sweep the board for Cougar Clas his in first and all over finished sixth at Cowes

raceboatinternational 55

FOUNTAIN 42 LIGHTENING

With twin 700 sci mercury racing with stage ll Whipple upgrade.

Super cyborg transmissions from Bam marine.

Ullman suspension seats. Tiger marine intercom wiring. Garmin Plotter.

VHF radio. Stereo. Cabin. 100 mph plus.

Cradle, spare engine, exhaust headers and many more spares Engine hours 240 ish and Hin number is USFGQ4L046160 Asking price and 160000 euros For more details Tel: 07785990101

HuntoN FOR SALE - formerly Kent Koi and Garmin

SSM3A’s fully rebuilt by Mel Riggs in states now rated to 800hp, only 1 hour on same.

Needs engines (original Cinzano Chief stroker big block engines in boxes but needing engineering) also needs upholstery and tidying, on 6 wheel braked trailer which was serviced last week. @£27,750 ono

Phone: 00353 86 8686 812

FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE BUZZI FB32

Fountain Built, under Buzzi licence Formerly Patriot wave, Jim Pisciotta Big Block supercharged engineFreshened and only 16 hours since first built.

New Casale gearbox fitted, new drive shaft, new intercooler, battery.

New oils and on serviced 6 wheel trailer.

Boat needs new fuel tank which could be fitted pre-sale if needed. £40,000 ONO-

Open to trades too, Car, Boat etc.

2010 Hustler 29

Rockit One owner from new and comes with full CE certification and VAT paid status, a mid level entry boat fitted with a single Mercury Racing 600SCi inboard motor.

Hustler have established themselves very well globally in both the racing and pleasure market. They are now creeping into the UK with a known 26, 29, 344 and 38 ft versions in our waters.

Based on the successful 39 rockit she boasts beautiful lines, spacious cockpit and the new sex step hull! We are talking an 80mph boat!

Specification: - MERCURY RACING 600SCi 8.2L V8 Supercharged 600HP Custom Upholstery & Custom paint Custom made Bramber triple axle roller trailer with bunk support Extras include: chartplotter, underwater lights, Sports tech outdrive cooling shower.

Tech Spec: Length: 29.1 ft Beam: 2.44 meter Max Draft: 0.64 meter

FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE SITUATION VACANT This is a full time position on a 15m Cigarette that will be based in Saudi Arabia. The boat will be based in a private Marina and will be part of a larger fleet of yachts. We are the management company.

2011 - 11.55 METRE FOUNTAIN

3.19 beam - 4 x 300 Mercs - immaculate one careful owner - low hours For more details Tel: 07785990101

We are actually looking for 4 captains for 2 speedboats as there will be 2 captains per boats working in shifts. There will be 3 speedboats in total based there. One has already been crewed and will start operating from May 16th on, the other 2 are still in the process of being bought so I haven’t got a precise start date yet.

The conditions will be full time contract with 60 days leave per year. 2 return economy flight per year. Salary 5000 euros per month.

The captains will be provided with accommodation either on one of the large yachts (100m+ Motor Yacht) or in an apartment or hotel.

The candidates should have experience driving high speed crafts and also have good mechanical knowledge.

It would be preferred if they have a seaman’s book as this is compulsory to get into the country. Should they not have one, we might be able to apply for one before they start.

The boats will be used to transport guests from one point to another. We don’t think they are going to be used for racing.

Please contact Esther.Delamare@hillrobinson.com Tel: 0033-492905959

WEBSITE ADVERTISING raceboatinternational.com WEBSITE AVERAGES 2000 HITS A DAY! THIS SPACE AVAILABLE FOR ADVERTISING - CALL US NOW +44 (0) 1202 625048

BOATS FOR SALE SELL YOUR BOAT IN THIS SPACE FOR JUST £50 PER ISSUE PLUS FREE

POSTING ON OUR WEBSITE UNTIL YOUR BOAT IS SOLD

After twenty five years of publishing RACEBOAT INTERNATIONAL is now regarded as the NUMBER ONE source of information from the world of international powerboat racing. Those involved in the sport know that the Raceboat website is updated almost on a daily basis with racing news from around the world, and the number of daily on-line visits continues to rise.

We currently have prime advertising space available on our HOME PAGE at very reasonable rates and we would be pleased to discuss how we can arrange for your business to feature in a banner ad to run alongside up-to-date news items. Just provide us with the required text, picture, logo and we will be happy to put your advertisement together.

S T O H PIT S

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raceboatinternational 59

tiger PerfOrManCe PrODuCtS Waterproof Submersible intercom System iP 67 & 68 rated

We Now Offer Optional Built-in Digital Sound Suppression and Bluetooth Wireless Phone Features!

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Features include: ■ Modular plug and play design ■ Stereo or Monaural Intercom Operation ■ 2-10 person configurations ■ 1-3 Marine VHF or Programmable VHF or UHF radios ■ Multiple Radio Switching ■ Digital Sound Suppression (DSP)

Marine Stereo Intercom Control Unit 2 year Warranty

Wireless Bluetooth Wireless Headset & Helmet Bluetooth Headset Belt Box Adapter

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Intercom with Digital Sound Suppression (DSP)

Intercom

Family of Products that will connect to Intercom

Audible Alarm

Intercom with Digital Sound Suppression (DSP) and Bluetooth Wireless Phone Feature

My son and I installed the complete radio system in a few hours and spent a few cleaning up some of the boats other systems. Jerry and I put the boat through some "fast" pace testing.

Wow , the Tiger Performance Comm was so clear at any boat speed, with no engine electrical noise. Thanks for providing us with exactly what you said it would be. Great Job” Keith Snow, 46 Skater "Terrible", 1500hp Sterling

This safety hinge is the only reliable quick release safety hinge system on the market.

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Intercom with Bluetooth Wireless Phone Feature

“I choose Tiger Performance for all my Racing and High Performance Communication Equipment. The Tiger Intercom Systems offers the best sound quality and more features than any other Stereo Intercom System on the market.”

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■ Bluetooth Wireless phone, iPod and other device features ■ Mil Spec Waterproof breakaway plugs and jacks ■ Stereo / CD plug in ready ■ Audible Alarm, plug in ready ■ Digital Video Recorder audio out, plug in ready

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BELL SPORT MARINE FULL FACE HELMET (with Tiger Mask)

BELL SPORT MAG MARINE HELMET (with Tiger Mask)

MSA LH050 MARINE HELMET (with Tiger Mask)

■ Lightweight composite shell ■ Full ventilation system with chin bar ■ Forehead & Top Ventilation for maximum cooling ■ E-max Multi-density Liner ■ HANS ready (pre drilled) ■ SNELL 2010 Certified

■ Lightweight composite shell ■ Visor Peak ■ Smoke Visor (with Sun Peak) ■ Removeable Pad Inserts ■ HANS ready (pre drilled) ■ SNELL 2010 Certified

■ Single Inner Visor ■ Factory Bayonet Receivers ■ Comfort Padding ■ Removable ear cups ■ Adjustable leather chin strap ■ Lightweight Kevlar & Carbon Fiber Construction ■ Drawstring Helmet Bag

MSA LH250 MARINE HELMET (with Tiger Mask) ■ Inner Visor & Thermo Plastic Outer Visor Cover ■ Factory Bayonet Receivers ■ Comfort Padding ■ Removable ear cups ■ Adjustable leather chin strap ■ Lightweight Kevlar & Carbon Fiber Construction ■ Drawstring Helmet Bag

M arine “SBa/SL2” S urvival B reathing a ir S ySteMS PLUG-IN “SBA” QUICK DISCONNECT AIR SYSTEM When seconds count, don’t be without an SBA /SL2 system!

■ Ultra Lightweight and compact assembly components ■ Multi-port 1st Stage Regulator ■ Mini High Pressure Gauge ■ Stainless Steel Male Air Nipple ■ 2 port Swivel Adapter ■ 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 or 6.0 cu. ft., 3000 PSI cylinders ■ Plug-in Quick Disconnect ■ Holsters, Cylinder re-fill adapters, and other accessories available “SBA/SL2” INTEGRATED SECOND STAGE AIR SYSTEM ■ Ultra Lightweight and compact assembly components ■ Multi-port 1st Stage Regulator ■ Mini High Pressure Gauge ■ 2 port Swivel Adapter ■ 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 or 6.0 cu. ft., 3000 PSI cylinders ■ 20”, 27” or 36” flexible regulator hoses with swivel banjo fitting ■ Flat second stage regulator ■ Holsters, Cylinder re-fill adapters, and other accessories available

Tiger Performance Products, Inc. • 525 Bullis Rd. • West Seneca, New York 14224 • USA • phone: 1. 716 . 674.8545

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• fax: 1. 716 . 674.7497 • shawkins@tigerper formance.com • www.tigerperformance.com raceboatinternational