OCALA GRAN PRIX JOINS SUPERSTOCK USA

Tags: ocalagranprix, jorgearellano, johnhansen, moreheadcity

After a 15 year absence from powerboat racing Jorge Arellano, the first U.S. owner of the brand new P1-28SS Panther, returned to the sport by joining SuperStock USA  for team Ocala Gran Prix in Morehead City.

The number 51 boat, driven by John Hansen and throttled by Jorge Arellano, finished eighth in race one of Morehead City but jumped to fifth in the second race of the weekend.

“It was a great opportunity to see how the boat ran in rough waters,” said Arellano. “The boat handled beautifully and we were just as competitive as anybody else, I think we would have put on a heck of a race if we were at the starting line at the start.”

Arellano got his first glance of the Panther at the PRI show in Orlando before taking the boat on a demo ride at P1 USA’s open house back in April.

Both Arellano and Hansen have many years of experience in boat racing, but the Crystal Coast Grand Prix included a lot of firsts for the rookie team.  

“It was our first race together, the first time racing in the series, the first time racing the boat, and the first time racing against the other competitors,” said Arellano. “I was just in race mode, I have no idea if I had pre-race jitters or nervousness, I was just in race mode and ready to go.”

Driver John Hansen was given a difficult task for the weekend having to steer the number 51 boat on a 1.2 mile course that contained five right and left-hand turns.  

“It was a lot of work, the boat is very active” said Hansen. “When you are in the back, the water is very rough and you are on top of some rooster tails and have to steer out of a lot of stuff, it’s way different than when you are in the lead.”

The number 51 boat was one of three Panthers to join the USA class at the Crystal Coast Grand Prix. The fleet increased to eight boats in Morehead City from five in Madison and Detroit, indicating the rapid growth of the P1 SuperStock series throughout the United States.