Powerboat P1 racers back Bahrain decision

Tuesday 02 September 2008

The Evolution field lines up at the start of the Saturday Sprint race in Tunisia

Leading Powerboat P1 competitors in both the Evolution and SuperSport classes have backed today’s decision to reschedule this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix of the Sea from November 13-15 to a date in 2009 as part of next year’s championship season.

Although teams are naturally disappointed not to be heading to the Middle East island state for the first time this year, they have said that they understand the event and series organisers’ decision to postpone the event, and are now focused on travelling to the upcoming double-header of races in Vigo, Spain, on September 12-14 and Portimao, Portugal, on September 26-28.

#77 Lucas Oil team boss and throttleman Nigel Hook was among the first to offer his support for the decision. “My immediate reaction is that we were disappointed to hear about the Bahrain event being moved to next year, but in all honesty we would prefer to go to Bahrain when we are certain that the event can be delivered to the very high standards that Powerboat P1 has set for the world championship,” he said.

“We are extremely keen to be racing in Vigo next week – we’ve heard it is a terrific resort and a great venue for racing. We’re also tremendously excited about another visit to Portugal. We struggled there last year, but it’s a flagship event in the calendar and we will be entertaining several executives from our title sponsor, Lucas Oil.”

That was a view shared by #99 Fountain Worldwide 1st4boats.com team manager Mark Wilson. “I’m 100 percent behind Powerboat P1’s decision,” he said. “We don’t want to send boats anywhere without full confidence that the event is going to be to our high expectations. Obviously we’re all excited about the prospect of the series going to Bahrain, and when all the ingredients are in place in 2009, we’re sure that Bahrain will be a huge success and a firm fixture in the calendar going forward.”

The decision was also backed by leading SuperSport racer Drew Langdon of the #47 Silverline Buzzi Bullet boat, who said that another benefit of the move was an extended off-season. “My feeling is that it gives us a lot more time to prepare our boat for 2009,” Langdon said. “We weren’t likely to get the boats back from Bahrain until December, and that left us precious little time to make changes for next year. I’m off out testing tomorrow for Spain and Portugal. We’ve been working hard since taking part in the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race in August, and we’re looking forward to the next two races on the calendar.”

The boss of the reigning SuperSport champion, and current class leading #44 Conam Yachts team, Angelo Tedeschi, also added his understanding of the decision. "I want to reconfirm my commitment to the management of Powerboat P1 and CEO Jim O’Toole, despite the disappointment of the cancellation of the Bahrain event," he said. "Unfortunately, unforeseen events are to be expected in operations of this kind, but the prestige of a season that has restored the reputation of the Powerboat P1 World Championship remains."

That view - that the Powerboat P1 championship has moved forward significantly in 2008 - was backed by other Italian team members. "It is a huge pity that the race was cancelled," said Maurizio Di Stasio of #59 Saho. "I love racing, whether it's in San Benedetto del Tronto in Italy, or Bahrain. However, this isn't a problem. The 2008 season showed a big growth for the Powerboat P1 championship. We look forward to the next race in Vigo."

That was a view shared by Alfredo Amato of the #22 Big Sergio team. "We're only sad because, after this cancellation, we have to spend more weeks without Powerboat P1," he said.