RACE TRAINING DAY 1

When it comes to boats, it's all too easy to think that you don't need any instruction, or that you'll learn on the fly - but when you get down to the thick of it, race instruction could be the very thing that saves your life once that green flag is hoisted on the start boat...

Neil Holmes is a goliath of a man, not only in his stature, but also in his powerboating career. If it's been made to go on water and driven at breakneck-speed, Neil's been there, brought the t-shirt and more than likely taken first place in the championship - to say he's good is an understatement. So, it comes as no surprise that he'll be the guy teaching us about how to race in SuperStock.

His training school is located on the south coast just a few miles out from Southampton and only about an hour away from London - making it more accessible than a prom-queen on prom night. As a total novice to boats, I've decided to take a two-day condensed race training course - just to get a feel of what it's like for our pilots and navigators as they blast around our course.

Until now, as I watched from shore, it was all too easy to give an opinion as the boats hurtled across the swell, but no matter what sport it is everyone likes to give his or her thoughts on what the athletes could have done better - just take all the pub and alcohol fuelled advice that Capello got as England exited the World Cup.

A civilised start at 10am, the pupils of powerboating were greeted by Neil with fresh donuts and coffee graced the table in the centre. The training room is intimate as class sizes don't often exceed a handful of people at any one time - this way you get the best and dedicated focus of Neil's skills and the chance to ask questions at any given time.

First on the agenda the real basics - learning about the sea. However, this was all new to me and until now I knew that it was wet and took up most of the globe. Soon I knew that reading the waves and pattern of the ocean was all part of the sport, while four-wheeled motorsport fans may snub powerboating as cars go faster around a track - the likes of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton don't have to deal with head-on quartering waves or dealing with a beam sea. They've got it easy on the flat and solid surfaces doing 200mph.

Oh, and just to clarify once more to the haters, the speed sensation on water is 2.5 times than that of land. So while the boats horsepower on paper may not ignite your excitement glands, try it out on the chop.

The class continued as all of us hung on Neil's words of knowledge, that were often backed up with a story about a time when... Well, you get the picture. It was exciting stuff to hear and made the sport a lot more technical than I'd ever imagined. Before the idea of buying a boat and jumping in for a race was simple and idealistic for anyone with a penchant for speed and excitement - now it seemed a lot more dangerous and something that required years of dedication to even come close to the likes of HeightsofAbraham, Premier Cru, or the whole fleet of P1 SuperStock racers.

Until today I'm the first to admit that after watching a few races I was ready to get in a boat and mix it up. After the classroom session on day one, I know I'm not.