SCARBOROUGH HAILS FANTASTIC FIRST SEASON
Grandstand Motor Sports navigator Neil Scarborough is already looking forward to the P1 SuperStock Championship getting bigger and better in 2011 after a “fantastic first season.”
As long as Scarborough and John Wilson avoid any terminal faults to their powerboat on Saturday, then 2010s standout 150 Class performers should lift the inaugural P1 SuperStock Championship trophy at the weekend.
Reflecting on this year’s “bedding in period,” Scarborough believes there is plenty of reason to be optimistic as the 17-strong SuperStock fleet prepare for one last battle in Lymington.
“Everyone has really got together to make this year a success,” said Scarborough. “There was a lot of uncertainty at the beginning of the year, but looking back to Penzance and hearing how Tony Crossley drove 100 miles to meet Team Shark driver, Stuart Cureton, and lend him a spare fuel tank to race, illustrates the excellent camaraderie within the fleet.”
Penzance narrowly pips Galway as the premier event of the year, according to the Oxfordshire-based navigator. He said: “Penzance and Galway have been two of the best races I’ve ever been involved in. Galway was just crazy. The crowds were huge and there was a lot of entertainment going on all weekend.
“However, the glorious weather in Cornwall, the vast amount of spectators, as well as the outstanding promotion of the event in Penzance made it a remarkable way to start the season.”
Scarborough has enjoyed the fierce competition with Team Fox and Eclipse this year. Grandstand Motor Sports may have won seven-out-of-ten races in 2010, but Monday’s race in Galway when the team suffered its first defeat of the season ironically stands out as the best contest of the series for Scarborough.
“It was arguably the most exciting. It was thrilling to be part of and you would rather play an integral part in a close race than win by 25 seconds.”
It’s a measure of Grandstand Motor Sports’ dominance this season that Lores and co-pilot Sara Cureton turned up to the Pwllheli Grand Prix of the Sea wearing custom-made t-shirts printed with ‘Premier Who?’ emblazoned on the back. Whilst Scarborough admits the Eclipse girls are tough competitors and Team Fox are the ones they most look out for on the start run, he predicts Flying Sparks and Aztec Racing as the teams to beat in 2011.
“Flying Sparks are the team to watch. I see a lot of similarities between theirs and our first season in powerboat racing. Rob and Martin have got stronger and stronger in every race, and I would expect them to make fewer mistakes next year and finish on the podium on more occasions.
“They will be right up there with Azam [M. Ali] and Jesus [Esteve]. You could see how much they love the sport in Southampton and if they stick at it, I can see them being competitive too.”
