GSS MERMAID GETTING THE HOTEL TREATMENT

GSS Mermaid’s new sponsors, Macdonald Hotels, are keeping the team dry and entertained whilst the rain and wind continues to frustrate the Powerboat P1 SuperStock Championship fleet in Lymington.

David Hobson and Kirsty Clark landed the exciting deal for the 150 Class outfit in the build-up to the season finale and are staying in the beautiful Elmers Court Hotel this weekend.  Hobson is delighted with the latest partnership for the team and hopes it will continue in 2011. 

“I’ve been working with Macdonald Hotels for 14 years and they have shown a great amount of interest in the team,” said Hobson. “The IT Director is a great fan of boats and has been to see several races this year. He has a big print of the boat up in his office too.

“We ran a very successful corporate event with the Elmers Court Hotel last summer and with this event being in Lymington, the partnership works very well,” added the GSS Mermaid driver. 

Hobson is disappointed to miss out on racing twice on Saturday, especially if it means that the team will not get to experience The Solent’s “challenging” Needles, which are located in the heart of the long course. 

Even if the racecourse is slightly shorter in the afternoon to accommodate the RIBs racing in the Lymington Challenge, the pilot hopes the conditions will still offer an extremely difficult test. He said: “I expect everything to run true to form in the afternoon’s race. If we do get to take on the Needles then it’s completely different from anything we’ve had to deal with this year and will present a much rougher race.”

Having just returned from his stag weekend in Newquay where he learnt to surf, Hobson is desperate to capitalise on a tremendously successful first year with Powerboat P1 and run a two-boat team in 2011, when he predicts the fleet will double in size. 

“P1 has put in a great deal of effort this year. The TV coverage has been magnificent and the PR has been very good. We’ve had some great racing and the fleet has worked really hard to make every race as spectacular as possible.”

Next season is already shaping up nicely according to Hobson. He believes that “more of the same” from Powerboat P1 will attract previous legends of the F4SA championship to come back to take on the finest in the SuperStock series in 2011. He added: “Despite the economic climate not being conducive to racing, the Powerboat P1 SuperStock Championship has the potential to be mega next year.

“It’s been a really friendly and positive atmosphere in the pits this season, which has been highlighted by the number of former racers coming to Southampton and saying ‘we’re coming back next year!”