Portugal to decide Powerboat P1 World Championship

by Martin Allerton on 21 Sep 2007 The 2007 Powerboat P1 World Championship will be decided in Portugal, but who will take the glory?

The championship-leading teams in both Evolution and SuperSport Class extended their title chances in the penultimate P1 Grand Prix of the Sea in Zeebrugge, Belgium earlier this month, leaving the chasing teams with everything to race for in Portimao.

In Evolution, British team King of Shaves, piloted by Craig Wilson and James Sheppard, now have a 130 point lead over 2006 World Champion Giancarlo Cangiano, racing this year with driver Giovanni Carpitella in OSG. The Italians are still in with a chance of the title, but only if mistakes are made by the leaders. US team Lucas Oil - Outerlimits are in third position going into the final two rounds, with Wettpunkt.com in fourth.

Britons Jackie Hunt and Mike Shelton in Extremeboat have increased their lead in SuperSport Class to 110 points following another double win at the Belgian Grand Prix. But with a maximum 210 points up for grabs in the Portuguese Grand Prix of the Sea, the battle for the title is still wide open with Roscioli Hotels Roma, Buzzi Bullet III and VoomVoom.com the main contenders for podium places.

Now in its fifth year, Powerboat P1 has firmly positioned itself as one of the most competitive, glamorous and professionally-run international motorsports. Tens of thousands of spectators line the shores at each Grand Prix, with first class hospitality and off-water entertainment providing an eclectic festival atmosphere combining superbly with the adrenalin-filled action provided by the magnificent P1 race machines and charismatic pilots.

Will the British make it a double and take the Evolution and SuperSport world titles, or are the Italians too strong to hold off? Back your winner and cheer them to the finish... all will be revealed in the season finale at the Portuguese Grand Prix of the Sea.

The stunning new Marina de Portimao, Portugal, will play host to the final two rounds of the Powerboat P1 World Championship over the last weekend of September as the world's fastest monohulls race in the end of season finale with both championship classes still in the balance. It promises to be a tense, highly charged and spectacular weekend of race action on the Algarve.

The international line-up of competitors includes Wild Card entries from Italy and France. Force One, Italy, may not be a full season competitor but when the team races, with Renato Guidi and Vittorio Fogliamanzillo at the helm of SIF, it is competitive; as it proved in Belgium when securing third place in Sunday's 'sprint' race. P1 also welcomes back the French team, Offshore Marine Racing, with Bernard Albertini and Eric Brutons looking to secure points in 'The Switch', its Mercury-powered Extreme 39.

Pedro Lamy, Portugal's celebrated racing driver, will test drive a P1 powerboat in the Marina do Portimao on the eve of the P1 Portuguese Grand Prix of the Sea.

The Peugeot works driver, who raced 32 times in Formula One and currently leads the 2007 Le Mans Series Drivers Championship with just one event remaining, will hone his water-based driving skills with the all-American Outerlimits Powerboat team, currently lying in third place in the Evolution Class of the Powerboat P1 World Championship.

Pedro Lamy was the first Portuguese driver ever to win a Formula One World Championship point and currently drives the all-conquering Peugeot 908 HDi FAP sportscar but, on Friday 28th September, will switch his talents to a 1300 horse-power Outerlimits SV 40 for his powerboat test drive. His co-pilot will be OuterLimits Powerboats founder and throttleman, Mike Fiore.

'We know Pedro is a good guy and a great racer,' enthuses Mike Fiore, 'and we are delighted that he has accepted our invitation. He is a world class driver and I'm sure he'll be a natural in a world class racing boat, although he will have to get used to a track that changes every second and is always wet and bumpy!'

The test will take place in Portimao, Portugal, at 10:00am on Friday 28th September as the P1 teams prepare for the final event of the Powerboat P1 World Championship.

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