POWERBOAT P1 CLASSES

The Powerboat P1 World Championship consists of two race classes: Evolution and SuperSport, with powerboats from each class competing in two separate rounds – Sprint and Endurance - over the course of a race weekend.

All Powerboat P1’s boats are twin-engine monohulls, fuelled either by powerful petrol or diesel engines.

Boats in the Evolution and SuperSport class are required to have a minimum crew of two – a pilot and a throttleperson – with some teams even adding an extra-navigator to do some of the work.

To keep competition close, all boats must comply with power-to-weight ratio regulations.

Evolution class boats are modified production and/or prototype crafts with a fully closed canopy and safety cell.

Evolution boats are more powerful and possess bigger engines, allowing for speeds of over 100mph. Measuring between 36-43 ft, the boats have a maximum power-to-weight of 1hp per 3.5kg.

The pilot and throttlepersons must be seated and harnessed in the Evolution class.

SuperSport class boats are production boats, usually safe and affordable for consumer use.

Measuring between 33-42ft, SuperSport boats are blessed with typical pleasure navigation characteristics, such as an open-top canopy and multi-speed gearbox.

Carrying a power-to-weight ratio of 1hp per 4.5kg, the SuperSport boats are less powerful and built with smaller engines.

SuperSport boats are limited to race-speeds of 85mph for safety reasons with pilots and throttlepersons allowed to stand or sit and not allowed to be harnessed.

During a race, the SuperSport boats are allowed to exceed the speed limit but only for a maximum of ten seconds. Rules state that exceeding this 10 second limit will incur a 60 second time penalty for a first offence with a further 90 seconds for every following penalty incurred.

A maximum of five penalties are allowed before a boat is disqualified with the same punishment given for those boats that exceed the speed limit for 30 seconds or more.