Powerboat P1

The Powerboat P1 World Championship Report
From Portimao, Portugal – The Sprint Race, Day 1

In the early hours of the Saturday Powerboat P1 Sprint race, the roar of engines readying for testing was rivaled by the rumble of thunder. Gray skies and scattered showers predicted problems, but the SuperSport class took off on time for its 3.86 nautical mile,12-lap race, undeterred by the grim forecast.

At the start, the Mercury-powered Donzi Baia and the diesel-powered Hustler Microlink were neck in neck, followed by Big Sergio and Conam Yachts behind. Baia led for the first two laps with Microlink behind, but Conam quickly took the lead and the order remained the same for the remainder of the race. A different race ensued for Big Sergio, the Spirit of Portimaso, Phoenix 8 and the Red Line Velocity Wild Card team, the latter working its way from 6th to 4th over the course of the 12-lap race. Big Sergio broke in the 7th lap, while Phoenix 8 lost power steering, causing problems in the turns and a near collision with Red Line when the course got especially bumpy. The Spirit of Portimaso lost its engine hatch, but not its 5th place in the race. Another Wild Card team, Going Lean brought up the rear and the Silverline Buzzi Bullet did not start the race due to a broken head gasket.

The points standings after the first race were: Conam Yachts, first place, which was clinched in Vigo, Spain, while Microlink held on to 2nd place and Baia took third, setting a tangled web for the Sunday race, pending P1’s award of some bonus points for engine durability for several teams.

By the afternoon, the sun had periodically broken through the clouds and the south wind kicked up, creating rollers on to the Portimao beach. The Evolution class boats took to the course for a grueling 13-lap Sprint race with the Fantastic 1 Cigarette taking the lead at the start, followed by the Kiton Outerlimits, Cranefield Wines and Fountain Worldwide 1st4boats.com. The Mercury-powered Outerlimits took over the lead on the first lap and Cigarette remained in second as the Ilmor-powered Fountain moved up to third in the third lap. The diesel-powered GFN Gibellato remained in 4th, followed by Cranefield Wine in 5th, Pignolo 53 in 6th and Centurian Yachts in 7th and the order never changed again throughout the race. Lucas Oil and Italcraft had problems in the early laps and withdrew from the race and Honeyparty.com did not start due to water ballast problems.

For Kiton, it was the third victory of the season and for the Fantastic 1, the strong second place finish giving its season points standing a boost. Though the Fountain remained in 3rd place, the team still clinched the season Championship with its strong points lead. A tough battle for second and third continues between the Kiton Outerlimits and the Metamarine GFN Gibellato. The Pignolo 53 Skater also stands a chance at the podium, depending on a variety of variables, including P1 bonus points for engine durability, that will be determined in the Sunday Endurance race. The weather forecast is for more rain, so stay tuned!

bojoe2

congrats OL

ILMORdude

Congrats Fountain Worldwide team and all the sponsors on 2 championships in a row!!