IRISH POWER NOT ENOUGH TO BEAT PREMIER CRU

IRISH POWER NOT ENOUGH TO BEAT PREMIER CRU

Irish powerboat pilot Alan Power finished sixth on his Powerboat P1 SuperStock Championship debut at the Galway Grand Prix of the Sea today.


The Dublin pilot, who is racing in a monohull powerboat for the first time in his life alongside Andy Wilby during three days of high octane competition at the Galway Powerboat Festival struggled with the deceptively hostile conditions during Saturday's opening race.


Series leaders, Premier Cru, brushed off its previous steering problems from Penzance and romped to its fourth straight victory in 2010. John Wilson and Neil Scarborough powered home in convincing style in front of the huge bank holiday crowds in Salthill with the English pair cementing their spot at the top of the SuperStock Championship leaderboard.


The imperious pair found a smooth rhythm off Ireland's west coast and led from start-to-finish. Delighted to keep up their 100% record in 2010, Premier Cru navigator Scarborough said: "What a fantastic victory! The conditions were tough but we were able to keep our nose in front from turn one, so we're naturally ecstatic by a perfect start to the weekend.


"The buzz around Galway this week has made a huge impression on all of the pilots so it was fantastic to give them a good show today and hopefully for the next two days also."


The all-female outfit, Rose Lores and Sara Cureton in Eclipse, used its lighter power-to-weight ratio to their advantage to pick up a season's best second place. The ladies pushed Penzance Grand Prix of the Sea runners-up Team Fox from Jersey onto the lowest tier of the podium for the opening day's main stage celebrations.


In the day's second race, early season pacesetters HeightsofAbraham continued to show its dominance in the SuperStock Championship 300 Class. Benefiting from a grueling pre-season training schedule, Rupert Pugh and Dan Whapples staved off the challenge from Evans Heritage Developments and Rough Cut Racing, who finished second and third respectively, and score their fourth consecutive win of this year.