Lucas Oil Outerlimits Offshore Racing Team Takes First Place in First Race in Cowes
LUCAS OIL OUTERLIMITS OFFSHORE RACING TEAM
TAKES FIRST PLACE IN FIRST RACE IN COWES
Cowes, England, known for its history of rough water sail and powerboat racing, was unusually calm on Friday, as the Powerboat P1 Grand Prix of the Sea returned for its third season in this quaint sea-side tourist town.
Eight boats in the Evolution class set out to do 7 laps of the beach-front short course before the endurance portion of the Friday race, to include a circumvention of the Isle of Wight. (Total of 83.65 nautical miles.) In a confused start, reminiscent of the Naples race, the Lucas Oil Outerlimits boat was squeezed between two other boats, slowed to avoid a collision and got soaked while driving through other boats’ rooster tails. With Joe Sgro driving and Nigel Hook, throttling, and team set out around the course. They worked their way from 5th place to second, passing two of the Italian teams, Fainplast and OSG, and the Austrian team, Wettpunkt.com. The Lucas Oil Outerlimits team held that standing as they set out around the island for the endurance run.
Though the team had set a course lap record in the 6th lap, Hook and Sgro worked to balance their effort to overtake their competitors and stay within the 87 mph speed limit set by Powerboat P1 rules. As the boats emerged for the final straight-away run along the beach, a strange situation occurred, as several boats slowed down, caught between trying to win the race and staying within the speed restrictions. While Fainplast sped across the finish, Lucas Oil Outerlimits and King of Shaves came in neck-in-neck, with the OSG who had lost power steering in the second lap, just behind.
The podium celebration was postponed until after the Sunday race, while the timing and penalty situation was assessed by Powerboat P1 officials. On Saturday, the official results were announced with the Lucas Oil Outerlimits team taking first, followed by King of Shaves and the OSG Donzi in third. Though Fainplast had been given the checkered flag at the end of the race, the team was assessed a 3-minute penalty for breaking out of the speed limit average.
The sprint race will take place on Sunday, with the Evolution Class doing a 12-lap race of 53.95 nautical miles.
