Tomlinson onboard Fantastic 1 Evolution class boat

by PowerboatP1.com media on 1 Jun 2008
American John Tomlinson – one of the offshore powerboat world’s most successful racers – will take the throttles of the Cigarette Racing Team Europe’s #10 Fantastic 1 Evolution class boat from the Malta Grand Prix of the Sea on June 6-8, for the remainder of the season.

Tomlinson has won 35 US and international powerboat titles, has broken 10 water speed records, and has even graced the silver screen with a stunt-driving role in the 2006 movie Miami Vice. He will replace long-standing friend and former mentor Lino Di Biase in the Mercury-powered #10 Fantastic 1’s throttle seat alongside pilot Luca Formilli Fendi. Di Biasi will take the role of the team’s technical manager.

Tomlinson already has experience of Cigarette’s EVO-01P1 hull, having tested it in the run-up to this year’s season-opener. The team has been one of the stars of the first two rounds of the season, leading three of the four races and currently occupying seventh position in the Evolution class standings.

Powerboat P1 commercial director Robert Wicks said that Tomlinson’s entry was another boost for offshore racing’s fastest growing series and would further aid Cigarette’s bid for this year’s title. 'John is a multiple world champion and his association with P1 speaks volumes for the credibility of this series,' Wicks added. 'He has raced at the highest level and I believe he will add significant value to the Cigarette team over the remaining races of the 2008 season.'

In other news:

British-based Powerboat P1 SuperSport class outfit Team Sunseeker are aiming to have their #11 Sunseeker Challenger boat back on the water in time for the Tunisian Grand Prix of the Sea in Hammamet on July 11-13.

The team was forced to miss last weekend’s Grand Prix de Marseille after the #11 Sunseeker Challenger flipped and sunk during pre-event testing.

The boat has now been recovered and returned to Sunseeker’s base in Poole in the UK for repairs. 'We have a challenge ahead of us but with the quality and character within the Sunseeker organization, and with the support of our partners, we are determined to bounce back and be up there at the front of the field as soon as possible,' Dominic Byrne, Managing Director of Sunseeker Sales Group said.

'The Fiat Powertrain Technologies engines have been removed and stripped down and the electrics are in the process of being replaced. Whilst there was significant impact and water damage, the hull and superstructure proved to be remarkably robust. It is a credit to the composite and design teams at Sunseeker that a barrel roll at more than 70mph has resulted in no more than a few repairable surface cracks.'

Pilot Andy Wilby, who remained in the boat as throttleman Pete Little was thrown clear, has talked more of the accident and how it happened. 'The water was choppy and as I turned-in we picked up off a wave,' explains Wilby. 'Normally that's not a problem, but as we were in the air a gust of wind caught us and turned the boat at an angle. It skipped off the wave a couple of times, but then dug in and flipped.'

'I was still holding on to the wheel, trying to steer. It was like being in a washing machine until I was just ripped out of the boat. It all happened so quickly there was no time to think or panic. Afterwards I realised how lucky I was - how lucky we both were. We're sore and have cuts and bruises, but it could have been a lot worse. It was only when I got out of the water that I noticed one leg of my race suit had been torn off. Our helmets did their job and the treatment we received was brilliant.'

'Our frustration was that we had to watch the racing instead of being out there. The boat had been running well and we were looking good for a possible podium. That just rubbed salt in the wound.'


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