Awards bring out the best of Powerboat P1

Top stars turned out to honour Powerboat P1’s finest at the series’ prestigious annual awards ceremony, but the evening also showed what else makes Powerboat P1 special – the friendships shown between the fiercest of rivals

Everyone who’s anyone in Powerboat P1 was either there or wanted to be there as the ballroom of the Landmark Hotel in London’s West End played host to the championship’s glittering annual awards ceremony on March 1.

Hosted in inimitable style by Powerboat P1 TV presenter Tiff Needell, the event celebrated the best racers, the most spectacular events and the most memorable moments of the 2007 season. The top achievers of 2007 were lauded and applauded, while those who missed out vowed that it would be different – oh so very different – in 2008.

It was a time for reflection, recognition and celebration. Andreas Halkiopoulos, pilot of the #08 SunLik Beer SuperSport class boat, caught the mood of the night perfectly. “It is a good feeling to be here tonight,” he said. “I’ve travelled 2000 miles to be amongst racers from all over the world who enjoy each other’s company. Powerboat P1 is a warm environment, and, having raced internationally in motorsport for many years, such strong friendships and camaraderie are very unusual in top-level competition. It may only be my first year in Powerboat P1, but I already feel part of the family.”

Halkiopoulos was speaking after receiving an award for having caught something else perfectly: the roll of the #08 SunLik Beer boat in the Belgian Grand Prix of the Sea, after it had tilted 60 degrees to starboard at full throttle when it hit the wash from a competitor’s boat. Halkiopoulos made a spectacular recovery and, as a result, was an entirely fitting recipient of the P1 Moment of the Year trophy.

Other awards were less about a moment of sheer adrenalin-fuelled skill, and more about hard-won season-long achievement. Such as the awards for Powerboat P1 Evolution world champions Craig Wilson and James Sheppard of Fountain Worldwide, and the SuperSport world champions from Racing Project, Ugo Pellegrino, Fabio Magnani and Angelo Tedeschi.

Tedeschi was also taken with the atmosphere of the evening, as well as being honoured in front of his peers. “It was a very special feeling to be here collecting the world championship trophy and our win is dedicated to everyone associated with the Racing Project team,” he said. “The coming year will be another competitive season and we hope that we will be back amongst all our friends, to collect even more trophies.”

Tedeschi also picked up SuperSport Throttleman of the Year. In fact, all the pilot awards, voted for by the competitors themselves, went to the crews of the winning boats in each class, with the exception of Evolution Navigator of the Year, which was won by Team Metamarine’s Stefano Bonanno. The hull and engine builders awards in each class were also presented to the respective world championship winners.

For all the celebration, though, the 200-plus guests were mindful that one admired friend and Powerboat P1 competitor who would never be in their midst again – Sergio Carpentieri, who died during the 2007 German Grand Prix of the Sea. Powerboat P1 board member Nathan King gave a moving tribute to Sergio and invited the big man’s friend and fellow Neopolitan, Tedeschi, to lead the room in a minute’s applause and present a trophy in his memory, the Spirit of P1 award.

This new annual award is presented to the individual or team who, by their unselfish actions in helping others, strengthens the bonds of friendship and camaraderie within Powerboat P1. The first recipient was Peter Cox, the race course official who acted so heroically after the accident that claimed Sergio’s life.

“I had no time to think. I just did what I had to,” Cox said. “Although I have 20 years’ experience in sailing, it was only my second Powerboat P1 event. It is the type of incident that you hope will not happen, but if it does you know exactly what is required of you. Anyone in my position would have done the same.”

Cox’s modesty is typical of the many people who, often behind the scenes, work tireless and unselfishly to make Powerboat P1 offshore racing’s elite championship. Some of those people, of course, work within the teams themselves and those at VoomVoom.com were recognised for the concerted hard graft that turned around the team’s lacklustre early season fortunes. VoomVoom.com owner and throttleman Vee Ganjavian picked up the award for Most Improved Team, which was voted for by Powerboat P1’s teams.

“It is such an honour to be recognised by your fellow racers in this way,” Ganjavian said. “We put the hours in and got the results as we started to see the true potential of the boat in the second half of the season. VoomVoom.com narrowly missed out on a world championship podium place and we know what must be done in 2008 to put that right”.

Ahhh, 2008. As the night drew to a close, talk inevitably turned to the coming season. In a progressive, premier championship like Powerboat P1, the focus is usually on the future – the desire to take more speed and reliability into the next race. Winning is about forward planning and improving. Which makes a night of retrospection like this a rare and particularly enjoyable occasion.

Powerboat P1 2007 award winners

Spirit of P1: Peter Cox
Most Improved Team: VoomVoom.com
Moment of the Year: Sun Lik Beer, Belgian Grand Prix of the Sea
Host City of the Year: Portimao, Portugal
Sponsor of the Year: 1st 4 Boats

Evolution class

World champions: Craig Wilson and James Sheppard of Fountain Worldwide
Second place: Giancarlo Cangiano and Giovanni Carpitella of OSG Racing
Third place: Nigel Hook, Joseph Sgro and Michael Fiore of Outerlimits Powerboats
Boat Builder of the Year: Fountain Powerboats
Engine Builder of the Year: Ilmor Marine Engines
Driver of the Year: James Sheppard
Throttleman of the Year: Craig Wilson
Navigator of the Year: Stefano Bonanno.

Supersport class

World champions: Ugo Pellegrino, Fabio Magnani and Angelo Tedeschi of Racing Project
Second place: Jan Falkowski and Drew Langdon of Bullet Racing
Third place: Mike Shelton and Jackie Hunt of Extremeboat
Boat Builder of the Year: Chaudron Powerboats
Engine Builder of the Year: Mercury Racing
Driver of the Year: Fabio Magnani
Throttleman of the Year: Angelo Tedeschi
Navigator of the Year: Ugo Pellegrino