12 moments that made 2008 great (7-12)

We chart some of the highs and lows and the thrills and spills that made this year’s Powerboat P1 season the best in recent memory

7. Things get hot and heavy in Tunisia
By Saturday afternoon, the Powerboat P1 paddock was finally starting to get used to the 40C temperatures of the scenic Tunisian resort of Jasmine Hammamet, but the Evolution class crews were about to get a real test as they prepared to swelter in their closed canopy cockpits for the long and gruelling Endurance race. Happily, that didn’t stop them from charging full throttle on the smooth southern Mediterranean seas, and providing some of the best racing of the season. In the opening laps, the competition between #10 Fantastic 1, #77 Lucas Oil, #69 Honeyparty.com, #99 Fountain Worldwide 1st4boats.com, #88 Kiton Outerlimits and #60 GFN Gibellato was so fast and furious that even the normally inch-perfect pilot James Sheppard of #99 Fountain Worldwide managed to miss a buoy in the tussle. But, as boat after boat dropped out or slowed with mechanical problems, it was #60 GFN Gibellato’s turn to benefit. A win for the regular points finishers gave them a real boost to their title ambitions.

8. Class 1 winning fever comes to #10 Fantastic 1
The #10 Fantastic 1 Cigarette team clearly enjoyed bringing some heavy hitters from other offshore racing series to the Powerboat P1 paddock. In Malta, US racer John Tomlinson jumped in the cockpit, alongside Luca Formilli Fendi. In Tunisia, Di Biase managed to injure himself in the hot, gruelling Endurance race on Saturday, and was deemed unfit for the Sprint race on Sunday. Di Biase, relaxing at home, received a late call on Saturday night in Italy, got on a plane across the Mediterranean on Sunday morning and stepped into the boat for the first time as they headed out for the race. A great start put the #10 Fantastic 1 out in the lead for the early laps. After a fierce duel with the Endurance-winning #60 GFN Gibellato at the start-finish line, put them back into second until the #60 GFN Gibellato slowed with a technical problem, giving #10 Fantastic 1 and the Cigarette hull their first win in Powerboat P1. No wonder they asked him back for Spain and Portugal.

9. #69 Honeyparty.com gets a sweet result
The UK-based #69 Honeyparty.com Evolution team have been a great addition to the Powerboat P1 paddock in 2008. With their flamboyant Britishness and a “work hard, party hard” ethic, they’re hard to miss – both in the paddock and out on the offshore racing social scene. But, despite coming into their debut Powerboat P1 season as frontrunning contenders in their Chief-powered Skater hull, legendary throttleman Richard Carr and pilot Mark Pascoe suffered some appalling early-season luck which denied them the chance to deliver on their frontrunning pace. That all changed in Vigo, Spain, as they charged to the front of the pack in Saturday’s Sprint race and stayed there for a well-deserved win. For once, they took it easy on Saturday night, hoping for a repeat performance on Sunday.

10. Ferrari powers #53 Pignolo to the front
Italian racer Max Ferrari has had a great second season in Powerboat P1. He (and we) thought a second place in Marseille, France, was a testimony to the perfect packaging the #53 Pignolo 53 boats’s Skater hull and Ilmor engine, but it got even better in Vigo, Spain. Once again, Ferrari and pilot Francesco Redaelli were right in the midfield pack when the class-leading #10 Fantastic 1, #60 GFN Gibellato, #88 Kiton Outerlimits and #57 Centaurian Yachts boats all missed a buoy on the final turn. Next time round, #10 Fantastic 1 and #60 GFN Gibellato missed it again. Confusion reigned on the podium as to who was the eventual winner, but as a crop of teams were handed four-minute penalites for their infringements, it was Max Ferrari who was declared the ultimate winner. A lucky win in some ways, but also well deserved.



11. #44 Conam Yachts end the season ‘unbeaten’ (sort of...)
There was an air of crushing dominance to the #44 Conam Yachts Racing Project team’s SuperSport campaign in 2008. The defending champion outfit of Angelo Tedeschi had a new pilot in the shape of emerging Maltese star Aaron Ciantar, and there was increased competition from a number of new teams and some increasingly strong returnees. But, as the season went on, the #44 Conam Yachts crew just kept on winning. Okay, they didn’t receive the 100 points for their Endurance win in Italy after a jump-start penalty, but they easily dominated the race on the track. They didn’t win on the track in Vigo, Spain, but the #38 Baia High Performance boat was disqualified for repeated speed limit infringements. So, with one more win in Portimao in Portugal, they’ve technically (sort of!) done a clean sweep. Magic!

12. #99 Fountain Worldwide 1st4boats.com takes the Evolution title
While the #44 Conam Yachts team dominated their SuperSport title defence, things weren’t so easy for the defending Evolution class champions to retain their crown. The #99 Fountain Worldwide 1st4boats.com team entered the 2008 season with the same Fountain hull and Ilmor engine that allowed throttleman Craig Wilson and pilot James Sheppard to dominate the latter half of 2007. But, after winning the first four races of the year, the competition closed in and reliability gremlins began to rear their ugly head. Things got very tough, very quickly. Wilson and Sheppard looked bruised and battered after the races in Vigo, Spain, knowing that they’d have to work even harder than ever in Portugal to put the title beyond all reasonable doubt. The look of relief on their faces when they delivered the title with third place in Saturday's Sprint race told the story. A great end to a great year.