LOCAL STUDENTS TAKE PART IN RACE WEEKEND

Students from Pwllheli marine engineering school, Coleg Meirion Dwyforto, were given an invaluable opportunity to take part in the P1 SuperStock Pwllheli Grand Prix of the Sea at the weekend.

Assisting the series' Chief Scrutineer, Gary Payne, whose wide-ranging role includes ensuring all of the powerboats conformed with Royal Yachting Association powerboat racing rules and regulations, each student was assigned a team for Sunday's racing and became a fully fledged member of the pit crew as the pilots worked on repairs to their engines, hulls and cockpits between races.

Sam Feasey, spokesperson from the P1 SuperStock Championship, said: "The P1 SuperStock Championship is keen to generate a greater interest and understanding of our sport, so to be able to involve the local students from Coleg Meirion Dwyforto and provide them with an insight into the multiple layers of organising and running a motorsport event was entirely our pleasure."

Sunday's rough sea conditions presented new challenges for the students who were fortunate to examine two high-performance Mercury 300 XS engines being patched-up in the wet pits, as well as understanding the high-pressured environment of motorsport racing with teams running constant repairs throughout the weekend.

Two of the students that took part, Tomos Davies and Anthony Holmes, found it a "great experience and hope that the series comes back again next year." Davies said: "I had time to chat with the drivers and got to sit in two of the boats." Holmes added that "it was fantastic to learn how the boats work."

Eifon Owen, Head of Engineering at Coleg Meirion Dwyforto, thanked Powerboat P1 for providing the students with an en excellent educational experience. He said: "Our students who helped out during the day found it very stimulating and looked at many aspects from event management, scrutineering and engine set up.

"Some of the students who are on the Pathways to Apprentice scheme found it especially worthwhile as this flagship Welsh Assembly Government scheme requires the students to have realistic work experience.

"The fact that one of the major powerboat racing fleets came to Pwllheli and that we were able to integrate our students into the event highlights that Pwllheli is uniquely placed to educate young people across all aspects of marine engineering and leisure pathways."