A world of difference

When it comes to offshore racing, what are the key distinctions and diversities between the top-level Powerboat P1 and Class 1 series? We ask five pilots who have raced in both…

Ask any circuit racing fan to say what the top championship in the world is, and they’ll most likely say Formula 1. However, off-road or bike fans might say the World Rally Championship or MotoGP, while Americans – brought up on oval racing – plump for NASCAR or IndyCar. In offshore racing, it’s even more complex.

Offshore racing has its own water-based Formula 1, catering for specialised circuit racing boats, while Powerboat P1 provides production-based mono-hull builders with a high-performance platform to demonstrate and raise awareness of their products. Alternatively, there are the high-concept and high-budget twin-hull catamarans of Class 1, as well as a host of other formulae around Europe and the USA.

All very different, all appealing to different audiences of teams, manufacturers and fans, and a potential minfield for anyone new to the sport. But this diversity creates great opportunities for pilots to move from discipline to discipline. In the same way that 1960s F1 drivers would race touring cars one weekend, and Le Mans sportscars the next, that sort of seat hopping is today increasingly common in powerboat racing.

This year, there has been a bumper crop of pilots crossing from Class 1 to Powerboat P1. The first thing they note is the unique appeal of Powerboat P1 as a proving and promotion ground for their existing products and new technologies to regular boat owners. “Powerboat P1 absolutely has to exist, as it’s reserved for mono-hulls, it’s used by manufacturers to promote their products and allows pilots to compete in boats that very similar to those used by normal powerboat owners,” says regular Class 1 throttleman and two-times racer winner Matteo Nicolini, who joined the #10 Fantastic 1 Cigarette Racing Team Europe crew for their first Powerboat P1 win in Tunisia.

That’s an opinion shared by regular two-times Class 1 race-winner and regular #10 Fantastic 1 throttleman Lino Di Biase. “The aspect I think is most interesting is the fact that, in Powerboat P1, you have mono-hulls now exceeding 100mph,” he says. “That was unthinkable a while ago, and isn’t done with excessive horsepower.”

Powerboat P1 has one other significant advantage over Class 1, according to Class 1 racer winner and team owner, and #60 GFN Gibellato throttleman Giampaolo Montavoci. “Both Powerboat P1 and Class 1 are defined as ‘offshore’,” he says. “But for Class 1, that is now a term that is a memory. Powerboat P1 boats are actually running in the open sea, in any weather condition, and – as such – it’s the only powerboat category that truly merits the title ‘offshore’.”

Much of the debate of the merits of Powerboat P1 and Class 1 centres on promotion and technical regulations. One of Powerboat P1’s problems, until recently, had been in creating and policing rules that provide equality for hull and engine manufacturers and teams. But the addition of new philosophies, such as the power-to-weight ratio, and clearer definitions in a rulebook that still encourages innovation mean that the series is fast exceeding Class 1’s potential in this area as well.

“Powerboat P1 is an incredibly interesting formula, even if it’s based on rules that are a little complex,” says Montavoci. “The primary positive aspect is the presence of numerous powerboating brands – both hull manufacturers and engines – which makes the championship very valid, and also commercially viable for sponsors.”

It also adds to the spectator and sponsor appeal. “Powerboat P1 is a championship in growth that is well organised for hospitality and VIPs on the shore, but with some problems with organisation on the water,” says Di Biase. “They’re improving race after race, though. Class 1 may be faster, but Powerboat P1 is truly spectacular.”

“Powerboat P1 is a championship that is growing,” adds #60 GFN Gibellato pilot and team boss Marco Pennesi. “The organisers are currently putting new pieces to solve the failures of recent years, and it seems to me we’re succeeding.”

Those are all sentiments shared by #76 Italcraft Inrizzardi Racing pilot Adriano Panatta – a former Class 1 competitor and a true luminary of the Italian powerboat scene. He says that perhaps Powerboat P1 – thanks to its stronger industry relevance – is the better long-term bet. “We’re talking about a championship which has no more problems with regulations, ensuring it’s open, fair and very competitive,” he explains.

“We can define it as a championship that is ‘offshore’ in the true sense of the words and, having raced in Class 1 for many years, I can say that – today – Powerboat P1 is better organised and is perhaps more attractive for drivers and constructors given its high level of competitiveness. Class 1 undoubtedly opened a road many years ago, but now we have to look more to the substance, and I believe Powerboat P1 is better structured, allowing all to fight for ultimate success.”