Powerboat P1

Istanbul Awaits Powerboat P1 World Championship

As The Turkish Grand Prix of the Sea approaches, June 19-21, CEO, Asif Rangoonwala spoke of his eagerness to show off the Powerboat P1 World Championship to a new fan-base in Istanbul.

“Racing in the heart of one of the biggest cities in the world, on one of the busiest waterways, should make for spectacular viewing and attract huge crowds along the Bosphorus shoreline” said the P1 chief of this first-time P1 venue.

Noting that Turkey ranks 4th in the world for superyacht construction, and is a leader in ship building, Deputy Mayor of Istanbul, Göskel Gümüşdağ sees excitement in bringing the “go fast” Powerboat P1 market to Istanbul. “P1 will be like nothing else ever staged in Istanbul--It’s going to be an incredible spectacle, uniting the people [and industries] in their love of the sea, he stated, “Powerboat P1 is an all-action high-octane sport and we are all looking forward to welcoming the best pilots in the world to the Bosphorus.”

The Bosphorus is known as the Istanbul Strait which splits the European and Asian sides of Turkey; it also connects the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea, which via the Dardenelles, the other Turkish strait, connects to the Aegean Sea and eventually to the Mediterranean Sea. This Bospherous channel is the narrowest strait used for international navigation and should provide some excellent public viewing, scenery and interesting water conditions for The Turkish Grand Prix of the Sea.

Nigel Hook of the American Lucas Oil/Budweiser Outerlimits team visited Turkey briefly during his 2003 USO tour with the US Army and he looks forward to visiting this country again as Grand Prix approaches. “This particular race will be very different than the other P1 races the Bosphorus is a fairly narrow river. I've been looking on Google maps and comparing water reports with my previous race experiences. This P1 course is under the "first" or two bridges which is over 3,500 feet long (similar to the George Washington Bridge on the Hudson) and since this river has "hard sides" this race water will be similar to the turbulent, confused waters we always experienced on the Hudson River during the New York City races,” says Hook. Since he and New Yorker’s Joe Sgro and Mike Fiore are accustomed to the Hudson, they feel prepared for what’s ahead.

“My research shows an extremely fast north-south current-- so fast that you cannot swim upstream,” reports Hook, “These swift water conditions will be similar to my race on the Orinoco river in Venezuela—and that was a wild run! "The Bosphorus should prove be a very interesting playground!"

The American Lucas Oil team also reports local sponsorship by the Conrad Istanbul Hotel, owned and operated by the iconic Hilton brand of American hospitality. The Conrad Istanbul is a luxury hotel which has breathtaking views of the the Bosphorus and the Old City and the will be able to see the course from the upper level of their hotel.

Log on to www.powerboatp1.com for more details.