Bournemouth Grand Prix of the Sea starts May 31st

by RYA on 17 May 2014 The countdown is underway to the commencement of the new P1 race season in the UK and first stop for the powerboat racers and Jet Ski riders will be Bournemouth.

A fleet of 10 P1 Panther powerboats and more than 30 personal watercraft racers will take to the water close to its famous pier in the UK SuperStock and AquaX championships at the end of this month (31 May - 01 June) in the Bournemouth Grand Prix of the Sea.

P1’s international race programme launched last month when 44 AquaX riders battled the Daytona Beach surf in Florida, while the USA SuperStock teams begin their 5-venue series in Stuart, 100 miles north of Miami, this weekend.

'Our extensive event line-up on both sides of the Atlantic makes P1 the world’s largest marine motorsport brand, with a total of 12 events this year and around 180 competitors across our powerboat and jet ski championships' said P1 chief executive James Durbin.

'Named ‘Best UK Coastal Resort at the British Travel Awards, Bournemouth is an exciting new venue on our UK race calendar and we are looking forward to serving up a feast of free-to-watch sport and entertainment for residents and visitors to enjoy.'

The growth and quality of Bournemouth’s free events programme played a major role in P1 selecting it to host the season opener, when the schedule of six championship races and freestyle jet ski stunts will deliver fast and furious action close to the shore.

Jon Weaver, marketing and events manager at Bournemouth Tourism, is delighted that P1 will be joining the top class events line-up: 'We have a superb amphitheatre setting for spectators to watch the racing from the cliff tops or the beach, and our Bournemouth-branded race boat is sure to be a big attraction. We have plenty of bed space and lots of entertainment for visitors who want to enjoy the double bill of powerboat and Jet Ski racing.'

Piloting the Bournemouth boat will be the husband and wife pairing of Stuart and Sara Cureton from Hampshire.

The sleek, colourful 28ft craft wowed visitors at the ‘Destinations’ holiday and travel show at Earls Court in February and made its debut on the water at the P1 exhibition event at London Docklands the following month. Alun Williams from Bournemouth Coastal BID commented: The travel show was a real success and the new boat attracted keen interest on the stand. We are all looking forward to seeing it when it races in Bournemouth, which we believe is the country’s most eventful coastal resort. The P1 racing will bring people down to the beach front and we want them to enjoy the action and be part of the event.'

Coverage of the Bournemouth race action is scheduled to be screened on Sky Sports in early July. The 30-race UK series will move on from the Dorset coast to Hull, Cardiff and Torquay before Gosport hosts the season finale in September.

For more information on the team, click here

2014 Calendar
• Bournemouth – 31 May – 1 June
• Hull - 21–22 June
• Cardiff - 26-27 July
• Torquay - 9-10 August
• Gosport - 6–7 September

For more information about Powerboat P1, click here