Excitement mounts for Portuguese GP

Thursday 25 September 2008

Powerboat P1 is already making a big impression on the Marina Portimao

Well, it may only be Thursday, but there’s already a palpable buzz around the dry pit in the Marina Portimao as the teams start arriving for this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix of the Sea. As one of Powerboat P1’s longest-standing events, and the 2008 season-finale, there’s bevy of activities going on to keep you amused.

On Friday, Portuguese TV national channel RTP (www.rtp.pt) will be broadcasting the show ‘Portugal No Coracao’ live from the paddock for three hours between 15:20 and 18:00, giving viewers across the country a real taste of the atmosphere in the build-up to the start of the event, then the PowerPole session to decided the grid for Saturday and Sunday’s races gets underway at 16:00 local time (15:00 GMT).

On Saturday morning, the SuperSport Sprint race starts at 11:00 local (10:00am GMT), while the Evolution Sprint race gets the green flag at 16:15 local (15:15 GMT). Then, from 19:30 in the evening, there’s a host of activities in the paddock to keep you amused, including a fashion show and live music at Pier F and a Sasha Beach Party with DJ Rob di Stefano.

The Sunday timetable is very similar, with the season-closing SuperSport Endurance race at 11:00 local (10:00am GMT) and the potentially title-deciding Evolution Endurance race at 16:15 local (15:15 GMT).

Live Sunday race action from the event will be broadcast on subscription channel Sport TV (www.sporttv.pt) – the first time that direct-to-air coverage of a Powerboat P1 event has been carried on a television network. With the Evolution class champion likely to be decided and crowned live on air on Sunday afternoon, it’s bound to be great viewing. So, if you can’t get down to the harbour, be sure to tune in!