TEAM PROFILE
Although the Lucas Oil livery is familiar to Powerboat P1 fans from 2007, this is actually an all-new team for 2008. Respected racer Nigel Hook, who throttled the #97 Lucas Oil Outerlimits boat alongside Mike Fiore in 2007, has set up his own outfit.
Hook has kept the Mercury engines that powered the #97 Lucas Oil Outerlimits entry to third place in the Evolution class, but he’s gambled on a Skater boat, hoping to challenge the factory-based #53 Skater Racing team for glory. To assist that aim, he’s signed former Honda 4-Stroke champion Shelley Jory (www.shelleyjory.com) as pilot. The experienced British racer is making a little bit of Powerboat P1 history by becoming the first woman pilot in the Evolution class.
Hook has 30 years of experience of racing monohulls around the world, and is one of the sport's elite, so it says much for the stature of Powerboat P1 that this championship is his focal point for 2008. The #77 Lucas Oil boat being used for 2008 is the Skater V399 that took Hook to the SuperVee title in 2006, but with different rigging and - crucially - all-new Mercury engines designed specifically for Powerboat P1's Evolution class.
The engines are 9.1-litre supercharged petrol V8s, called 711 after their horsepower output. Together, they give the Skater V399 1422hp. Mercury expects the engines to last the entire season without a rebuild.
2007 RECORD
Although Nigel Hook Racing’s #77 Lucas Oil team is effectively all-new for 2008, ever-ambitious and hard-charging team owner and throttleman Nigel Hook will certainly be aiming to improve on last year’s third-place in the championship with the #97 Lucas Oil Outerlimits entry.