RULING THE WAVES

Speed through the corners is the key to success in any form of motorsport and powerboat racing is no different. In Formula One, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have made the pointed front end, the sharp turn in and the loose rear a championship winning driving style.

Apply the same style in a Powerboat P1 machine and your championship dreams will be a drop in the ocean. Powerboats do not have a brake pedal so drivers have to apply the throttle progressively going into a bend while considering the conditions that can easily catch them out.

Something more along the lines of Jenson Button's smooth and natural style of driving - one sweep into the corner, one sweep out - is the key to conquering the waves quickest. GSS Mermaid pilot David Hobson noticed that young karters who took part in Powerboat P1's open day in April tackled the waters like they did the road.

"It was really interesting seeing the young guys drive the boats like karts, throwing them around. You cannot barrel into corners like in a kart because you will ‘hook' the boat and sometimes that can end in the boat turning over on you," David said.

"Smoothness is the key, especially in the 150 class, and keeping the pace up because the smaller boats do not have the power of the 300s to compensate. You are effectively trying to surf the waves, trying to guess them and using them to help you through the corner," he added.

Both David and Team Shark's Stuart Cureton are in agreement that the 150 class boats are more versatile and more fun in close competition because they are shorter, which makes them nimbler in the corners.

"I had no boating experience when I started but the 150 class is a great place to begin. You can do almost anything with these boats and a few more chicanes and tight corners would increase the spectacle and make the racing even closer," said David.

David is considering a move up to the 300 class in the near future but feels that newcomers should start off in the 150 class to get a feel for the racing in light of the vast power difference and different handling characteristics.

Stuart also concurs that new teams should learn their race craft in the smaller machines to develop their communication skills inside the boat and understand how the vessels behave on the water in different conditions.

"In terms of close racing I think the 150 class is better but if it is technicality and precision, the 300 class is more demanding and unforgiving, and a bigger test in that sense," said Stuart.

Stuart raced with Team Purple before making the leap to the 300 class with Team Shark and highlighted the unequivocal difference between the two. Both class boats weigh 1,100kg but the two-stroke Mercury engine produces twice the power of the Honda four-stroke.

Not only are the 300 class boats significantly more powerful, but they are longer and therefore less manoeuvrable, making the chance of mistakes and accidents more probable.

"If you get it wrong in a 150 boat, you will generally get away with losing a length, but do the same in the 300s, you are more likely to end up wearing the boat on your head."

Both David and Stuart are gunning for podium finishes at this weekend's Pwllheli round and the Team Shark driver is particularly optimistic in light of damage to the no.13 boat sustained at the last event in Galway.